DIY: Wet Sanding Your Head Lights. In Very Simple Steps.
About a month or so ago I posted pics of the process, and one of the mods suggested I do a write up. So here it is.
Materials Needed:
-1 pack of 800, or 1000 (depends on how fubar the head lights are, the worse they are, get a lower grit. but be sure not to use a whole lot of pressure, the weight of your hand is plenty). grit wet or dry sandpaper.
-1 pack of 1500 grit wet or dry sandpaper
-1 pack of 2000 grit wet or dry sandpaper
-1 bottle of Meguire's Plastx
-1 Soft wax applicator pad
-A few soft, clean terry towels.
-Water hose or big spray bottle, just make sure the headlights STAYS WET.
-This process will take about 2 hours or so of your time if you want to do it right.
Steps:
-Clean them with soap and water.
-Wet headlight, making sure you KEEP IT SOAKING WET during the entire time.
-First start with the lower grit sandpaper, I found that it took about 30 minutes of good sanding per sandpaper grit. Once you start you'll notice that in the water on the light you immediately start to see the cloudiness and all start to come off of the headlight, this is supposed to happen.
-After about 30 minutes of sanding with the 800, or 1000 grit sandpaper, go ahead and grab the 1500 grit, and repeat the process. Do the same, and repeat process again until you're done with the 2000 grit. Just keep in mind that it is VERY important that you keep the surface wet the entire time that you're sanding the headlight. Also if you want, you can tape up the sides of the body around the headlight in case you're paranoid about running your hand off of the headlight and scratching your paint, I didn't do this but it's just a matter of if you want to or not, just be careful.
-Now it's time to apply the Plastx. I'd recommend only doing one at a time so you can compare, plus it's a lot less hassle.
After you're completely done wet sanding the head lights, wash it with soap and water to remove the rest of the loose dirt and residue from the surface, towel dry or let air dry, just make sure it's DRY.
-Shake the bottle of Plastx well, take your clean wax applicator pad, or terry towel and generously apply the substance onto it.
-This is the part that's important, nor do you want to skip applying the Plasix as it'll leave your headlight bare with no kind of protection. You can't just wipe it on in one motion and wipe it right back off.
-Evenly distribute the Plastx onto the headlight, applying in a circular motion. MAKE SURE that you keep rubbing the compound onto the light, once it's entirely covered, you're still not done. YOU MUST wipe the substance onto the headlight and BUFF IT INTO IT with your hand, not a buffer. You've got to fill in all fine scratches at this point, While I was doing this I spent about 10 minutes straight doing nothing but applying more and more Plastx onto the headlight.
-Once you're done applying the Plastx, let it sit for about 5 minutes or so before wiping off. Make sure you don't leave any residue behind while wiping the Plastx off. Now step back and admire what you've done. This is a very cheap way to make your headlights look brand new again without spending a couple hundred bucks just to replace them. Now just repeat the entire process on the next light. Also you can do the same thing for tail lights, corner lenses, parking lights, any type of hard plastic on your car. Even applying Plastx to your head unit face works well, but don't wet sand it.
Pics:
Before:
Dried the head light for pic purposes.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
DIY Homemade Polyurethane Engine Mounts
DIY Homemade Polyurethane Engine Mounts
OK. We have all heard of using 3M Window Weld in our engine mounts, and Energy Suspensions motor mount inserts. You have probably also heard about how hard those products are and that they are not daily driver friendly and some people even remove them because they say the vibration and noise just isn't worth it.
So I did a little homework to find out what grade of urethane would be appropriate. Here is a hardness scale :
Based on this scale, the ES inserts are in the ballpark of 85-90A. On a sidenote, a bowling ball is about 100A.
So based on the some of the info I found on the net (the nissan guys have done a lot of homework on this), 60A seemed to be the best bet. I figured that it would stop movement without rattling my teeth out.
Thanks again to the nissan guys, I found that Mcmaster-carr ( www.mcmaster-carr.com ) carries urethane casting compound in various hardnesses. They are as follows :
Flexible Urethane, Shore 60A - 8644K24
Flexible Urethane, Shore 80A - 8644K11
Flexible Urethane, Shore 94A - 8644K18
There are other places that carry urethane casting compound such as www.smooth-on.com , but when I called their tech support, they were unsure if it could deal with the temps that it might see in the engine bay. So I went with mcmaster-carr since the nissan folks had been successful with it.
To start, I couldn't deal with the downtime of removing my mounts and filling them and I also wanted to make sure that I started with a good mount instead of patching a broken one, so I picked up a set of new mounts, sides and rear. My car has > 120k, so it was time anyways. Based on what I've read from others on the ES inserts, I decided to just fill the 2 side mounts and not touch the rear mount.
Here are the 2 new mounts :
The first thing that you have to do is tape up the mounts to prevent the urethane from leaking out. I used duct tape. Why duct tape? Because it is waterproof, so it should minimize any leakage. The urethane is a little thicker than syrup, but can still ooze out if you do a poor job taping them up, and then you have a mess on your hands. I suggest that you place them in a disposable *leakproof* container. The mom/wife/girlfriend/whoever won't like it if you spill this stuff.
Here is the 60A urethane. It is like epoxy and comes in 2 parts. It comes in exactly the right ratio, so just dump the little container into the big container and mix well for at least 2 minutes. It even comes with a mixing stick. Once you join these 2 liquids, there is no going back. This stuff sets in about 15 minutes, so that is how long you have to work with it before it gels up. This is why you tape the mounts first.
Here are the mounts after I have poured the urethane into them. These 2 mounts only required roughly *HALF* of the urethane, so you could split the cost with a buddy and do them for 2 cars at once.
Now we wait... How long? About 48hrs. This stuff has to cure for 2 days and DO NOT try to rush it. Also temp needs to be roughly 70deg. It was winter time, so I just turned up the heat. You will notice that in less than 8hrs, the urethane will be hard to the touch, but you still have to let it cure the entire 48hrs.
We have waited our 48hrs, and this is what they look like once the tape has been removed.
Based on the info that I read on how to properly cure polyurethane, another 4hrs at 150deg will improve their strength and durability. Well... I found out that my oven only goes down to 170F (d@mn new-fangled oven with digital controls). So I broke out the cast iron, popped it into the oven @ 170 and got the pots hot. That is a deep frying pan and its lid. Once hot, pulled them out of the oven, placed a towel in the bottom of the pan and set the mounts inside, then put the lid back on. The pots are just sitting on top of the stove now, the burner is *NOT* on. I then left and came back sometime that afternoon. Of course this rig wasn't hot for 4hrs, but it was better than nothing. Also follow directions and temperatures closely. This stuff can only handle 180F. Remember urethane is just a form of rubber and it can still melt.
Now, I'm all set and ready to go. At least that is what I thought. When I go to install the first mount, I notice that there is a pad welded onto the frame where the mount goes... Looks like it is basically like a bumpstop for the mount. Didn't know that it was there and my home-made mounts won't clear it. So I break out the die grinder w/wire-wheel attachment and start grinding on my newly made mounts. I removed about 1/4-3/8" of the polyurethane off the top of the mount. This pic shows where it was removed. You could avoid this step if you place a piece of wood or something in the mount after you tape, but before you pour the urethane.
Here is my lower driver's side mount... It has seen better days, but it does explain the *thunk* whenever I made a hard turn.
So... Initial impressions... The interior does buzz and I do get some vibration at idle. I have noticed that it is only when my idle dips below about 600 or so that there is any noticeable vibration, but when it does, it is annoying. With the radio at a moderate listening level, you can't even hear the buzzing (if there is any). Once the engine is past 1000rpm or so, there is no noticeable buzzing or anything. While driving I do notice some more feedback in the gas pedal from the engine, but I like feedback from the car.
As for handling... I love it! Car handles beautifully, goes wherever I point it. The sloppiness that I was feeling is gone. Launching is also better. I don't drag launch or anything like that, but even an aggressive take-off feels better.
For now I can live with the occassional buzz and vibration. If it starts to bother me, then I plan to pull the mounts and drill a few holes into the urethane to help make them a little more pliable.
As for what prompted me to do this, I took the car to the dyno a few weeks back for a baseline run and watched the engine as the guy at the shop reved the motor. It jiggled back and forth like it was doing the harlem shake... it was ridiculous...
Why didn't I buy aftermarket mounts? Well, they are either overpriced, don't tell you how hard they are, or both...
Anyways, this is a relatively simple and inexpensive mod. It will require some mechanical ability to actually install them. Installation time should be roughly 2hrs
OK. We have all heard of using 3M Window Weld in our engine mounts, and Energy Suspensions motor mount inserts. You have probably also heard about how hard those products are and that they are not daily driver friendly and some people even remove them because they say the vibration and noise just isn't worth it.
So I did a little homework to find out what grade of urethane would be appropriate. Here is a hardness scale :
Based on this scale, the ES inserts are in the ballpark of 85-90A. On a sidenote, a bowling ball is about 100A.
So based on the some of the info I found on the net (the nissan guys have done a lot of homework on this), 60A seemed to be the best bet. I figured that it would stop movement without rattling my teeth out.
Thanks again to the nissan guys, I found that Mcmaster-carr ( www.mcmaster-carr.com ) carries urethane casting compound in various hardnesses. They are as follows :
Flexible Urethane, Shore 60A - 8644K24
Flexible Urethane, Shore 80A - 8644K11
Flexible Urethane, Shore 94A - 8644K18
There are other places that carry urethane casting compound such as www.smooth-on.com , but when I called their tech support, they were unsure if it could deal with the temps that it might see in the engine bay. So I went with mcmaster-carr since the nissan folks had been successful with it.
To start, I couldn't deal with the downtime of removing my mounts and filling them and I also wanted to make sure that I started with a good mount instead of patching a broken one, so I picked up a set of new mounts, sides and rear. My car has > 120k, so it was time anyways. Based on what I've read from others on the ES inserts, I decided to just fill the 2 side mounts and not touch the rear mount.
Here are the 2 new mounts :
The first thing that you have to do is tape up the mounts to prevent the urethane from leaking out. I used duct tape. Why duct tape? Because it is waterproof, so it should minimize any leakage. The urethane is a little thicker than syrup, but can still ooze out if you do a poor job taping them up, and then you have a mess on your hands. I suggest that you place them in a disposable *leakproof* container. The mom/wife/girlfriend/whoever won't like it if you spill this stuff.
Here is the 60A urethane. It is like epoxy and comes in 2 parts. It comes in exactly the right ratio, so just dump the little container into the big container and mix well for at least 2 minutes. It even comes with a mixing stick. Once you join these 2 liquids, there is no going back. This stuff sets in about 15 minutes, so that is how long you have to work with it before it gels up. This is why you tape the mounts first.
Here are the mounts after I have poured the urethane into them. These 2 mounts only required roughly *HALF* of the urethane, so you could split the cost with a buddy and do them for 2 cars at once.
Now we wait... How long? About 48hrs. This stuff has to cure for 2 days and DO NOT try to rush it. Also temp needs to be roughly 70deg. It was winter time, so I just turned up the heat. You will notice that in less than 8hrs, the urethane will be hard to the touch, but you still have to let it cure the entire 48hrs.
We have waited our 48hrs, and this is what they look like once the tape has been removed.
Based on the info that I read on how to properly cure polyurethane, another 4hrs at 150deg will improve their strength and durability. Well... I found out that my oven only goes down to 170F (d@mn new-fangled oven with digital controls). So I broke out the cast iron, popped it into the oven @ 170 and got the pots hot. That is a deep frying pan and its lid. Once hot, pulled them out of the oven, placed a towel in the bottom of the pan and set the mounts inside, then put the lid back on. The pots are just sitting on top of the stove now, the burner is *NOT* on. I then left and came back sometime that afternoon. Of course this rig wasn't hot for 4hrs, but it was better than nothing. Also follow directions and temperatures closely. This stuff can only handle 180F. Remember urethane is just a form of rubber and it can still melt.
Now, I'm all set and ready to go. At least that is what I thought. When I go to install the first mount, I notice that there is a pad welded onto the frame where the mount goes... Looks like it is basically like a bumpstop for the mount. Didn't know that it was there and my home-made mounts won't clear it. So I break out the die grinder w/wire-wheel attachment and start grinding on my newly made mounts. I removed about 1/4-3/8" of the polyurethane off the top of the mount. This pic shows where it was removed. You could avoid this step if you place a piece of wood or something in the mount after you tape, but before you pour the urethane.
Here is my lower driver's side mount... It has seen better days, but it does explain the *thunk* whenever I made a hard turn.
So... Initial impressions... The interior does buzz and I do get some vibration at idle. I have noticed that it is only when my idle dips below about 600 or so that there is any noticeable vibration, but when it does, it is annoying. With the radio at a moderate listening level, you can't even hear the buzzing (if there is any). Once the engine is past 1000rpm or so, there is no noticeable buzzing or anything. While driving I do notice some more feedback in the gas pedal from the engine, but I like feedback from the car.
As for handling... I love it! Car handles beautifully, goes wherever I point it. The sloppiness that I was feeling is gone. Launching is also better. I don't drag launch or anything like that, but even an aggressive take-off feels better.
For now I can live with the occassional buzz and vibration. If it starts to bother me, then I plan to pull the mounts and drill a few holes into the urethane to help make them a little more pliable.
As for what prompted me to do this, I took the car to the dyno a few weeks back for a baseline run and watched the engine as the guy at the shop reved the motor. It jiggled back and forth like it was doing the harlem shake... it was ridiculous...
Why didn't I buy aftermarket mounts? Well, they are either overpriced, don't tell you how hard they are, or both...
Anyways, this is a relatively simple and inexpensive mod. It will require some mechanical ability to actually install them. Installation time should be roughly 2hrs
CRX S2000 AP2 Cluster Write-up
CRX S2000 AP2 Cluster Write-up
Just wanted to share with all of you that own a CRX. This is my S2000 AP2 cluster swap write-up in my 1991 CRX SI. Hope all of my info helps you out. If you ever wanted to do the S2000 cluster swap in your 1990-1991 CRX. This info should help you out. On getting the AP2 S2000 cluster working in your CRX.
These are the items you will need to make the AP2 S2000 cluster work in a CRX. AP2 cluster, Speedohealer V4 with universal harness, Modifry ECT Module, and a VSS Electronic speed sensor from a 1992-1995 Civic.
I have listed my wiring write-up below. And all the links to websites that, I got my info/stuff from. If you need any help feel free to pm me. I will try my best to answer your questions. Only thing not working on my AP2 cluster is the coolant gauge. I should have that up and running soon. I listed three videos of my AP2 cluster at the end of this post enjoy.
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1990-1991 CRX cluster pinouts: 2004-Present AP2 S2000 pinouts:
1. Left Turn - Green/Blue <-------------------> 1. Left Turn-Green/Red 30 Pin
2. High Beam - Red/Blue <--------------------> 2. High Beam-Red/Yellow 22 Pin
3. Coolant Temp - Yellow/Green <--------------> 3. Temperature-Yellow/Green 30 Pin
4. Gauge Light Brightness - Red/Black <---------> 4. Lights On Input-Red/Black 22 Pin
5. Guage Lights - Red <------------------------> 5. Dash Lights Dim Out-Red 22 Pin
6. Door Open Light - Blue/Yellow <--------------> 6. Door Open-Black/White 22 Pin
7. E-Brake - Green/Red <-----------------------> 7. Parking Brake-Blue/Yellow 30 Pin
8. Oil Pressure - yellow/red <-------------------> 8. Oil Pressure-Yellow/Red 30 Pin
9. Check Engine Light - Green/Orange <---------> 9. Chk Engine-Green/Orange 30 Pin
10. Switched 12v Power - Black/Yellow <-------> 10. Ignition Key-Red/White 30 Pin
11. Battery/Alternator Light - White/Blue <-----> 11. Alternator-White/Blue 30 Pin
12. Tachometer - Blue <----------------------> 12. Tachometer Input-Blue 30 Pin
1. Ground - Black <--------------------------> 1. Ground 2 Wires-Black 22 Pin
2. Vehicle Speed Plusar - Yellow/Red <--------> 2. VSS Speed Sensor Signal Wire.
3. Empty <-----------------------------------> 3. Empty
4. Trunk - Green/Black <----------------------> 4. Boot Open Light-Blue/Black 22 Pin
5. Seat Belt - Blue/Red <--------------------> 5. Drivers Seat Belt-Blue/Red 30 Pin
6. Fuel Gauge - Yellow/White <-------------> 6. Fuel Gauge-Yellow/Black 30 Pin
7. Switched 12v Power - Yellow <----------> 7. 12V Ignition Supply-Yellow 22 Pin
8. Right Turn Signal - Green/Yellow <--------> 8. Right Turn-Green/Yellow 30 Pin
*To turn off the ABS light on the AP2 S2000 Cluster. Just ground the Blue/Red wire at location B20 on the 30 pin connector on the AP2 cluster.
*To remove the SRS/Air bag light. Just connect the Pink wire on the AP2 cluster to a constant 12V source. The AP2 Pink wire is at location B19 on the 30 pin connector on the AP2 cluster. I just connected the Pink wire to my positive battery.
*To keep the Clock Memory on the AP2 cluster. Connect the White/Red wire on the AP2 cluster to a constant 12V source. The Clock Memory wire is located at A10 on the 22 pin connector on the AP2 cluster. I connected the White/Red wire to my positive battery.
Speedohealer Wiring Info:
1. Red - Power
2. Black - Ground
3. Green - Goes to the speedo input wire on the S2K cluster Blue/White wire location B7 30 pin connector.
4. White - Goes to the speed sensor signal wire/Electronic VSS Speed Sensor signal wire.
1992-1995 VSS Speed Sensor Wiring Info:
-Remember to make two wires for the VSS speed sensor signal wire. One wire will go to the Speedohealer White wire. And the Second one will go to the CRX Speed Pulsar Yellow/Red wire.
1990-1991 CRX Cluster Plug Pinouts:
Just wanted to share with all of you that own a CRX. This is my S2000 AP2 cluster swap write-up in my 1991 CRX SI. Hope all of my info helps you out. If you ever wanted to do the S2000 cluster swap in your 1990-1991 CRX. This info should help you out. On getting the AP2 S2000 cluster working in your CRX.
These are the items you will need to make the AP2 S2000 cluster work in a CRX. AP2 cluster, Speedohealer V4 with universal harness, Modifry ECT Module, and a VSS Electronic speed sensor from a 1992-1995 Civic.
I have listed my wiring write-up below. And all the links to websites that, I got my info/stuff from. If you need any help feel free to pm me. I will try my best to answer your questions. Only thing not working on my AP2 cluster is the coolant gauge. I should have that up and running soon. I listed three videos of my AP2 cluster at the end of this post enjoy.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
1990-1991 CRX cluster pinouts: 2004-Present AP2 S2000 pinouts:
1. Left Turn - Green/Blue <-------------------> 1. Left Turn-Green/Red 30 Pin
2. High Beam - Red/Blue <--------------------> 2. High Beam-Red/Yellow 22 Pin
3. Coolant Temp - Yellow/Green <--------------> 3. Temperature-Yellow/Green 30 Pin
4. Gauge Light Brightness - Red/Black <---------> 4. Lights On Input-Red/Black 22 Pin
5. Guage Lights - Red <------------------------> 5. Dash Lights Dim Out-Red 22 Pin
6. Door Open Light - Blue/Yellow <--------------> 6. Door Open-Black/White 22 Pin
7. E-Brake - Green/Red <-----------------------> 7. Parking Brake-Blue/Yellow 30 Pin
8. Oil Pressure - yellow/red <-------------------> 8. Oil Pressure-Yellow/Red 30 Pin
9. Check Engine Light - Green/Orange <---------> 9. Chk Engine-Green/Orange 30 Pin
10. Switched 12v Power - Black/Yellow <-------> 10. Ignition Key-Red/White 30 Pin
11. Battery/Alternator Light - White/Blue <-----> 11. Alternator-White/Blue 30 Pin
12. Tachometer - Blue <----------------------> 12. Tachometer Input-Blue 30 Pin
1. Ground - Black <--------------------------> 1. Ground 2 Wires-Black 22 Pin
2. Vehicle Speed Plusar - Yellow/Red <--------> 2. VSS Speed Sensor Signal Wire.
3. Empty <-----------------------------------> 3. Empty
4. Trunk - Green/Black <----------------------> 4. Boot Open Light-Blue/Black 22 Pin
5. Seat Belt - Blue/Red <--------------------> 5. Drivers Seat Belt-Blue/Red 30 Pin
6. Fuel Gauge - Yellow/White <-------------> 6. Fuel Gauge-Yellow/Black 30 Pin
7. Switched 12v Power - Yellow <----------> 7. 12V Ignition Supply-Yellow 22 Pin
8. Right Turn Signal - Green/Yellow <--------> 8. Right Turn-Green/Yellow 30 Pin
*To turn off the ABS light on the AP2 S2000 Cluster. Just ground the Blue/Red wire at location B20 on the 30 pin connector on the AP2 cluster.
*To remove the SRS/Air bag light. Just connect the Pink wire on the AP2 cluster to a constant 12V source. The AP2 Pink wire is at location B19 on the 30 pin connector on the AP2 cluster. I just connected the Pink wire to my positive battery.
*To keep the Clock Memory on the AP2 cluster. Connect the White/Red wire on the AP2 cluster to a constant 12V source. The Clock Memory wire is located at A10 on the 22 pin connector on the AP2 cluster. I connected the White/Red wire to my positive battery.
Speedohealer Wiring Info:
1. Red - Power
2. Black - Ground
3. Green - Goes to the speedo input wire on the S2K cluster Blue/White wire location B7 30 pin connector.
4. White - Goes to the speed sensor signal wire/Electronic VSS Speed Sensor signal wire.
1992-1995 VSS Speed Sensor Wiring Info:
-Remember to make two wires for the VSS speed sensor signal wire. One wire will go to the Speedohealer White wire. And the Second one will go to the CRX Speed Pulsar Yellow/Red wire.
1990-1991 CRX Cluster Plug Pinouts:
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