Polishing out the old headlights on my new build!
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- Опубліковано 6 лис 2022
- I picked up a new rig!! Winter beater / budget friendly overland build. But first I have to get it back up to speed. This episode I show how I polish out the old yellow headlight lenses.
Next episode we will dig into the build plans.
Keywords:
Overlander Suzuki xl7 dirt road wheeler
4x4 Offroad mudder sidekick tracker grand
Vitara
Sync ID MB01YOWH8CMJXKK
For opening music
I remember when Turtle Wax came in a green glass bottle. It was my job to wash and wax my Late Dad's 1967 Ford F-100 Camper Special Ranger. You did not do more than one panel at at time cause if you did the whole side of the truck and of course it was a long bed it was a Major pain to get the wax off after it dried. That truck was the very first brand new vech. that Dad had ever bought. It was only $3200.00. I miss you very much Dad.
For real. Waxing a car properly is such a pain
I lost my mom in November 2021 still miss her every day brother. She left me a few bucks so I went out and got a 72 chevelle I was born July 71 so in the car world that's a 72 so I am going to restore this car in honor of my mom, I named the car Darlene my mom's middle name. God bless you and yours.
so glad FabRats mentioned your youtube channel - subscribed!
That’s awesome. Thanks for the Sun!
Saving money and time seems like a no brainer!
Got to at least try
Love the old MTB with Kooka cranks in th ebackground!
It’s a cool old ride
We had one of these for 8yrs, it was a great vehicle.
Right on. I look forward to seeing how it treats me
Black out the Giant chrome strip below the hood, and then black out the tiny chrome strips in the grill. Next, bake apart the headlights and blackout the chrome inside. These things look incredible when the chrome is blacked out.
If I get into cosmetic stuff on this I may
Fab rats sent me over.. I had no idea you guys had a UA-cam channel.
Subbed straight away.. fantastic!! Used to watch you on the other show !!!
Thanks ! I appreciate that. They are good people
This is awesome!! So, I've built 4 of these, and a couple GV's. Currently have 04 on 31" tires. (My daily/exploration/Toad) I have a recipe for a cheap 3" suspension lift, and axle (gears/lockers) if you're interested. 04 is actually the best year. Strongest front diff with no TPMS. 5 speed is actually an Asian A750.
I’m all ears
I've tried replying several times, but it keeps getting deleted. Idk why.. too long perhaps?
Excited to see this build, I knew a guy when these were new, wheeled the piss out of it. When everyone had samurais in the ckub, Yankee Tim was wheeling with a/c and leather seats.
He had it figured out
There's a name I haven't heard in a minute...Yankee Tim!
Curious to see where you go with this. I've always been interested in these as a budget base for a build. Fully boxed frame is a great base to start from.
They are. It’s gonna be hard to not overdo it
Bug spray will clean yellowed headlights too. The higher the Deet, the better.
I’ll have to try it. Sounds too good to be true
We offered headlight polishing back when I had my state inspection station. Very satisfying gig. We'd start with 800 wet, work up to 2k, then use a rubbing then polishing compound, and finish up w/Meguiars headlight coating, and advise customer to clean and recoat every 6 months or so.
People were probably stoked with the results
Suzuki for the win. Heck yeah!
I dig em
Did this with my 22 year old Jag. Used a kit. Probably works better with power tools. Tape the paint surfaces around it and you don't have to be as careful. No new lights available for my old car.
Sometimes you just have to fix stuff
@@thedirtheadshed Best way to polish the plastic windows on a Jeep soft top? Getting hard to see out of especially in the rain.
Can't wait to see what you do with this. I sell suspension lifts and body lifts for these if your interested.
I’m on the hunt for a little lift
@thedirtheadshed I see on your current vid you found one. Can't wait to see what elts you get up to! I have a body lift to clear those bigger tires, then add sliders :-)
Dude. Been waiting for you to do an XL7! I have one and I’m trying to build it too. Although I can’t weld and not nearly as talented as you but as soon as I get my Calmini lift (been on order since March) I’m going to have a blast.
I was looking for them, but seemed like they aren’t as active as they muse to be
Man. I've used mother's aluminum polish, seems to work alright.
Love the little Suzuki.
Thanks. Gotta get home and drive it
Excited for a Suzuki build!!!🤘🏻
Thanks. Me too
I am stoked for this build.
Thanks. I told my wife I was gonna keep it stock…. We’ll see if that sticks
All you need to do now is spray some 2K clear over the polished lenses to give them some UV protection.
Oh totally. That pro grade. I wanted to keep it farm league for day one
I've wondered if that would work. Wife's Corolla is on it's third sand and polish, once you get through the UV coating, they haze over quicker.
Great information! Can't wait to see the overland build!
Thanks! I’m gonna keep it pretty simple. Hopefully
Love all the vids Dave! Thank you!
Thanks for the support
Already excited to see what you make of it!
Me too. Thanks
wow,... super cool. THX!
Entry level custom!
Great tech tips!
Thank you
Impressive results!
Thanks !
Nice work
Thank you
That is one cool trick, I need to use that on my truck before I sell it, thanks for the tip!
No worries. Thanks for watching
Excited for the build, love the channel, keep up the good work!
Thanks! Look forward to making it my own
Great video. ✌️😁
Thank you
Dude! I bought an 03 commodore on Saturday (been sitting a year). And Sunday I took headlights out, 400grit, 1500grit, 2 stage machine buff and re-installed.
Probably around the same time you were doing yours I reckon. 🇳🇿
Right on. It’s a worldwide headlight party
@@thedirtheadshed haha. Yeah mate. Cheers.
I love the Me guides quick detailer, too. I use it on everything, too. My wife even like the smell so I use it on our epoxy floors.
It’s so good
Thanks for the information 🙂will come in handy. 👍🏽😎
Thanks for watching
BLINGGGGGG !!! Nice !
Like diamonds on my grill!
As a resident of Phoenix I can confirm. This is a yearly thing to do here.
That sun is brutal
Great video
Thank you Slow
I used the 3M kit with a drill with good results.
I’ve seen em. Never tried them
🦅🇺🇸💪😁👍 hey try mother's mag wheel polish with the power ball for your cordless drill. Works great you'll be done in two minutes or less
Nice
Great video brother worked so well on thos lights. Just remember people if you are new to this if you use masking tap on the plastic and corners of all the areas you have a better chance not to burn the paint. Do not let the tape sit for alot of hours or you will get tape clues on the parts.
Yeah. I should have taped off the paint. But I wasn’t sweating it because I plan to do a good buff on the whole car
@@thedirtheadshed ya you have done this stuff before. For people that want to try this on their car and do not understand pressure and how easy it is to burn plastic that was just my tip cuz I have burt paint lol. Have a great day brother loving being a part of your journey.
Thanks Dave!
Thank you for all the support
Going to do this to my wife’s explorer this weekend. Thanks for the knowledge Dave!
Right on. Hope it works out for you
A really neat often overlooked 4x4, sweet!
I think it’ll be a good one
@@thedirtheadshed With pricing on everything nuts, a person needs to look outside the normal stuff! Look forward to see it just fixed up for normal use, or a bit more interesting, you can do anything!
Thanks for the tutorial, Dave! I bought my 2001 Tracker to make into my fun rig. I love it. I want to be doing stuff on it today but I'm instead in hospital bed with the biggest infection you've ever seen. Maybe soon, I'll get to run into you on trail in your XL7!
Ooh, that’s no good. Hope for a quick recovery
@@thedirtheadshed Thanks, Dave! After the recovery, I'm going to budget build the Tracker for the WA BDR. You and Fred are keeping me company in hospital boredom! Stay rad!
My dad has one of these XL7s and my brother and i have been trying to convince him to do a small overland build.
Cant wait to see what you do with it!
Thanks. They are a great platform
I clear coated my first ones, I just polished a set one for shidds-n-giiggles. I have to touch them up every year or so but takes a minute or less and looks awesome 😎
Good knowledge. Thanks
Those headlights look pretty good! Looking forward to the build - I used to have a Sidekick on 33's - go anywhere trucks for sure👍
Cool ride! Thanks
Amazing what a little TLC will do
Right!
Awesome! I had a 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara before, which is a shorter version of the Suzuki you got. What I loved about it, was it was great on MPG and was true 4wd and not Awd, it even had 4low.
Exactly. They are pretty tough in a sea of
Crossover vehicles
I just did this on my wife's 2011 bmw x5 diesel. That and led halo bulbs made it look several years newer .
Facelift
As good as new
Good enough
Pretty excited to see what you do with this one. I've long wondered if the newer Zuks are worth a damn offroad.
They are really good
I did the old toothpaste trick and it worked pretty good on my headlights. Love the channel and your content 💪🏼
Thanks! I’ve tried that too. This needed something a little more aggressive
Plus it smells minty fresh
Awesome! I'm looking forward to see where you take this one! I have had an interest in these SUVs and have wondered why more people haven't built them?
They are gaining popularity
This is a good method, I’ve done this many times and living in south Florida there is a point when the polishing doesn’t last very long but if you polish them every 3 or 4 months, they don’t get as bad.
At some point it just becomes regular maintenance. That’s ok
Good info. Gonna try this on my old Ford Crown Vic. I've used other things, but they always eventually faded back pretty quickly. So I'll give it a shot
Worth a shot. I’m gonna go back and ceramic wax them when I get back homr
You've removed all the clear coat so you need to protect the plastic. There's a variety of different sealants at the parts store. Reapply regularly...or just polish regularly 😉
I’m gonna try this on my 06 dodge 3500 headlights 👍🏻
Those are good ones. Give it a shot
Great advice! Toothpaste is about the grit you were looking for, I believe. N cheap too. I use Toothpaste and a drill brush. Works a treat!
I’ve used it in the past. Does work well
Super excited to see this build. I've been abusing a 2000 Grand Vitara (GV) I picked up cheap two years ago. It's just fun to drive and makes me laugh everytime I take it somewhere I didn't think it could go. I put a Rocky Road 2 inch lift on it (Old Man Emu springs and struts and spring spacers) for a little better clearance, but it's not quite what I'm looking for so I've been shopping around looking at kits from Calmini, Altered Ego, 4xFourArt, and parts from Jimny bits, but not sure I want to do those either. If I'm not careful I eat up ball joints and tie rods and have to realign it a little after every outing, but its all good. If I treat it a little nicer I dont jave those problems ;)
I think the XL7 has a little sturdier rear axle, better gear ratio, and will ride smoother than the shorter wheelbase GV. Stoked to see your take on this!
Also, I gotta say thanks for all the great content and good times over the years. DED got me into wheeling in 2019 and motivated me to buy my GV and just have fun with it, learning to fix or upgrade things along the way. But now i can't stop. I have three projects in various stages and now I want to build a bug and go to Baja! Or maybe an Isuzu Amigo! :)
Nice! It seems like the new trend is to z the frame and step the whole front suspension down. That way you get your lift and geometry is in check. I’m trying to track down OME parts, but I feel like cutting and welding is inevitable
@@thedirtheadshed yeah i don't have those skills, but looking forward to seeing what you do
I usually use 1000 or 1500 grit and then spray them with a good clear spray paint. That way the paint reseals the plastic
Yep. I’ll clear em if they yellow anytime soon
Nice work, coz i don't have polishing tools i just use Mosquito off spray the green one and a towel paper...spray on and wipe off 2x and its like magic...liked what you doing
I keep hearing about that trick. I’ll have to try it
Great video.
I have wet sanded an buffed many headlights in the past.
3M sells a kit for $10 that works great. I just did an old Civic with the kit last weekend. I am curious to see how they hold up.
Excited to see what you build out of this Zuk.
I see the kits. Never knew if they were aggressive enough
@@thedirtheadshed Some of the 3M kits have sandpaper in them. Others don't. Like you said, depends on how bad your lights are.
they came out well , Dave is braver or more talented than me .. i always put a few strips of 2" masking tape round the headlight unit
I could have totally burned some edges
Finally a replacement for your old Isuzu amigo,
Been needing a legit 4 seater
OMG!!! Please say your gonna SAS this thing!! I’ve been refurbishing a 2000 Tracker. The front end is terrible. Bushings that hold the axle housing are shot and the whole front end vibrates. I have a samurai axle laying around and feel like it would be perfect. I was thinking FJ80 steering box (outside frame rail and forward swing). Leafs would be nice, I’ve never tried building a link suspension. Thanks again for the great channel!
I’m not sure where it’ll end up. I have a pretty bad track record of leaving stuff stock
$110 each is pretty solid. Mine are like $220 a piece... made me sad when I cracked one on accident, and felt like I had to replace them both because of how gross they looked...
Yep. Always something
Throw a coat of wax over the top and help seal that plastic to help delay the next round of oxidation. 👍
I will. Just picked up some of the new meguires ceramic stuff. Gonna go over all the paint
I've heard that clear coat should be applied after polishing out headlights. Especially if sanding is required. My brother was using the spray cans of 2K clear and the results have lasted for a couple years so far. Need to polish my Tahoe headlights next.
Yeah. Power tools and real clear make it a legit fix
Just bought a 2014 Mini Countryman, horrible suspension clunk in the back, prev owner had no idea why, internet search, $20, 2 new sway bar bushings, 20 minutes and clunk gone
That’s the stuff I love to hear
Always look where the spare tire goes - A lot of people don’t put all the stuff back where it supposed to go in the end up with something bang around there
It's from the era of run flats and no spare or jack or anything it appears. Still discovering it's history.
I have 2004 XL7 too
Nice. How do you like it
Makes for a decent commuter. I find it a bit uncomfortable, gas pedal has a weird position/no foot room. The v6 is pretty gutless and only gets about 18mpg. Mines kinda boring since it’s a auto 2wd. But it was free so it’s that going for it !!
Just sold my 2003 chevy tracker zr2 to a friend.
I'll send him a link to this video, so he can fix the yellowed headlights I ignored!
P.S. I named the tracker the barbie jeep.
Your welcome to use that name for yours..
I appreciate it. I’m sure it’ll tell me it’s name soon enough though
now i need to buy a buffing wheel.
Yeah. You do
Hey can we get a bikecheck of the raw aluminum hardtail with the purple Topline cranks and Ringle(?) post? I love it!
You nailed it. That bike is rad. It’s an old univega I think. Have never been able to decode the serial number though. It has killer parts
Suuuzuuuukiiiii!!!
So good
I picked up a 2007 Suzuki Jimny last Friday . Guess what I'm gonna be doing tomorrow !
Nice! Good find
Hey you should bave topped up the flasher fluid as well, looks low to me
I’ll do all the fluids when I get back to town . Sounds like the muffler bearing is going out too
Need to reseal it once you do all that polishing, or it'll get foggy again real quick. The yellow is a combination of UV rays and oxidation, so if you clear-coat it with a UV protective coat it should last longer.
I know that. But I wanted to go this route first so I have first hand knowledge when someone asks. “How’d that work, how long did it last?”
I use Eastwood 2k clear when I do headlights for club brothers.
I did this on a corolla once and it looked like ass again in a couple months. Its like $80 for a set of lights for my Silverado so i just replaced them with clear and eliminated the orange lense (used orange bulb).
Cool. Seems like stuff is way cheaper for the more popular vehicles
Tons on the Suzuki!?!? What 🤔🙏
We’ll see.
🇺🇸💪
Thanks Bo
You might want to wipe it with some uv protectant. Other than that great job love the channel!
Thank you
The 3m kits come with a clear coat/uv protection step. Is that worth the effort?
I am sure it is a more permanent solution than just buffing
Could you add a link to your buffing pad or one you recommend for an angle grinder?
I just use old stuff I have laying around. But I prefer wool over foam
What on earth could Dirthead Dave do with a tired, outdated Suzuki? Oh we shall find out and I for one am SUPER jazzed to see what comes of it. Where are you located, Dave, generally speaking?
I’m in Washington state. Thanks
@@thedirtheadshed ahhh….ok. Nice!! I always had So Cal in my brain but then saw the trees outside your shop and was not thinking So Cal anymore. Unless you were in Big Bear or something. Killer content!! Thanks for sharing.
Yeah. Use to be from East San Diego county
Solid axle swap, maybe ?!!!!!
My ex had one of these, doing anything on the front of the engine was terrible, theres like 2" between the heads/block and the radiator
Standard issue small suv
What do you use to protect it from UV so it doesn't cloud up again in a year? They get nasty again really fast after you do them without any protection on them, but I've not found anything; not that I've searched real hard. lol Maybe one of the vinyl wrap places has a clear film that'll work for that? I'd never thought of that until just now... Ha!
I wanted to leave it as is for now. So I can say for sure how long it lasts. Next time I’ll use automotive grade clear coat
@@thedirtheadshed I suppose the clear coat is probably what they use at the factory; makes sense. Thanks!
As an Arizonan I'm a little offended that only talked about the sun damage and not the INCREDIBLE RUST-FREE FRAME?!
True that. It’s amazing the condition it’s in
How ironic I just did this to my girlfriends G6, they were terrible, just some 1500 to 2000 an buff it an they look great now.
Pretty instant gratification
Do you every put the clear coat on after buffing?
I have. But didn’t on this rig. Yet
Will that work on a canary yellow Amigo?
Not sure. But a crystal clear amigo would be cool
I’ve always started with 1500 then step up to 2500 then I’d buff and polish
Yeah. I didn’t have that. So went rubbing compound for second step
@@thedirtheadshed still turned out good though
Save time next time and use aluminum wheel polish and a polisher. Skip all the sanding. It takes about 2 minutes.
The video would be too short then!
What’s your game plan with this rig? Daily or build it?
Daily. Little things for the build first
Link to the buffing wheel?
It’s just a polisher and pad from autozone or oreilly. I forget
Where can I get one of your stickers ?
Oh dang. Just made some. I need to set up a store
UV sealer?
I’ll throw some ceramic wax on them. If they yellow out I’ll spray some real clear coat
Did you say 40’s and tons??
Not yet!! Baby steps
So... 1 tons when?
I’m gOOnA LeAVe iT StoCK…….
@ dirthead...leave it stock ?...uh, yeah sure ok lol
Did the hairy pink guy find a new job yet?
Don’t know what you’re talking about
Curious, why the XL-7? I've built a few of these, and currently have a 04 on 31" tires. So wondering what sparked your interest. These are the most underrated rigs out there IMO. Absolutely Love them! If you're planning on using the OEM axles, I've got good info if on gears/ lockers.
Bug spray.. spray it on and wipe it off..
These needs way more than that
Basically? Basically! basic basic basic. Need a Basic thesaurus?
Did I say basically too many times?
@@thedirtheadshed basically.