GMC Motorhome, headlight bezel renew

I’m up early to try and get ANYTHING done with a weekend AND the 4th gang up on us.  I’ll try and post a little later, dang it , Bah-Humbug!

OK, that was me before breakfast…. it’s amazing what 2 scrambled eggs can do!

There’s no hope, sorta like the Borg…… resistance is futile….. it’s a long weekend and there’s nothing I can do about it!  Had a guy take my coaches parking spot last night … late coming in after a flat tire but he made it and I’m glad he did….

Looks like we’ll be doing a “staycation” but I do have hope of some bike rides…. good weather is on us, a little hot in the sun….. seek shade!

Lemme show u something though …. for stopping by, u may know this but here ya go:

Lets refinish our headlight bezels…. hey looks easy but wait, what comes first … the chicken or the egg?

Rectangular headlight kits were popular in the 90’s, everythings going round in today’s style I’m going to renew a set of rectangular headlight bezels   Any rectangular set you see will be fiberglass, original round bezels were plastic. 

If you have these you will probably need to fix some cracks at lease around the screw holes that pulled through. Use ABS plastic material and ABS/PVC glue…. get some fiberglass mesh or tigerhear, mix up a slury with the fiberglass with the glue then apply it to the back of the bezel.  Don’t build thickness, the bezel needs to rest flush on your body when installed.  Sand it to what you need, redrill the holes and fit the repaired bezel before continuing.

Now you might say those bezels pictured do not look that bad!  Look closer, bugs, gravel or whatever has pitted the paint   First, clean the bezel front and back with “wax and grease remover”… there are many brands at your automotive paint store.  With 220 grit sand paper by hand, sand down just far enough to the bottom of the pits.  DON’T try and sand them down to material… they will not take the abuse.  Finish off the surface to 320 then shoot a coat of primer to level everything out.  You may want to resand some areas.    Black primer both using a “foof spray”, this is dull aluminum laquer based trim paint.  Yes, the egg came before the chicken, the silver color goes on first…..

Put on one light layer, let dry the 3 more light layers of the dull aluminum letting each dry.  The last layer maybe a little thicker.  Now, with 1/2″ dark blue (the different grades denote different tape) 3M “fineline” mask tape, bag off the silver color you want to remain   You will need to stretch the tape at the corners…. will take a little practice to get the knack…..  I would let the silver cure overnight.

OK, wipe off the surface to be painted with a tac rag to take off any dust, then shake, shake, shake you can of lacquer based automotive “trim black” satin finish foof.  Hey the word “Foof” is highly technical… and there are foofmasters so keep practicing “Grasshopper”….

Shake 100 times… not 99 the primer, dull aluminum but most certainlt trim black.  It’s a very thin, light spray.  It will run for sure if you don’t get it shook up and spray many light coats…. just a word of warning…..    Before the last coat tacks up, pull your tape so the edges will not be as sharp and there you are  I prep them paint each in assembly process so pulling the tape on the second bezel let them both side overnight before you touch them   That’s it, the coach has been watching this process eagerly waiting for it’s face lift…… hold your horses there Explorer II Hum V turbo-diesel coach…. you’ll be on the road soon! 

Have a great 4th of July.. we’ll be back on Wednesday.  JD, give me a call… I didn’t think my guys would be gone all this time…. what can I say….

See you guy later…… . 

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