When you're building or restoring a hot rod, getting new parts for your project isn't always easy or in the budget. Often times, second hand parts are the best answer, and if you have the right tools for the job, you can take an old part and restore it back to its original showroom look.
Let's take headlights for example. Old headlights usually show their signs of aging with cloudy and yellowed lenses, a result of years of harsh sunlight and weather. Having old looking headlights will definitely diminish the look of a well cared for car.
Thankfully, there are products like Surf City Garage’s Ultra-Clear Headlight Restoration Kit that can restore the clarity of aged headlight lenses.
Many of our readers have tried other headlight restoration kits with little to no success, so we decided to test out Surf City Garage’s kit on our own cars in hopes of finding the solution to reviving those old, yellowed headlights.
This kit refreshes your headlights with two easy steps and comes with everything you need: lens polish, lens protectant, polishing ball, microfiber towel and masking tape. This particular lens polish uses advanced Micron Polishing Technology and eliminates the need for sanding, which is a welcomed feature as the thought of accidentally sanding off too much plastic has kept me from trying other headlight restoration kits.
Preparing your car for a headlight restoration is easy. Start by wiping off any excess dirt from the headlights and use the supplied masking tape to tape off the surrounding bodywork. The roll of tape included with the kit will mask off about two to three sets of headlights, depending on how large your headlights are. Be sure to wear the proper safety gear before you begin the actual polishing. In this case, a pair of safety glasses and vinyl gloves should be adequate.
To begin the restoration process, attach the polishing ball to any household power drill, apply a small dab of polish to the ball and buff away! Try to apply the polish to the center of the ball because as we all learned in science class, a spinning object throws forces to the side. If you apply too much polish or apply it too close to the edges of the ball, you may splatter the polish over your car and surrounding areas. If this happens, as it did for me, don’t worry, the polish wipes right off with a damp cloth. When I went to refresh my second headlight though, I had perfected my technique and avoided any splatter.
Polishing the headlights was a breeze. Honestly, the hardest part of the process was removing the rubber seal under the polish bottle's cap (a pair of needle-nose pliers did the trick). With just a few passes over the headlight lens, I could already see a huge difference in clarity! Adding more lens polish as needed, I completed both headlights to shimmering results (pun intended)! From start to finish, the headlight restoration process only took a little over half an hour, and the results are dramatic.
Before:
After:
The bottom line: Surf City Garage’s Ultra-Clear Headlight Restoration Kit really works! For a total investment of $18.99 plus 30 minutes of your time, getting this kit to keep your ride looking fresh is a no-brainer.
Go HERE to order your own Ultra-Clear Headlight Restoration Kit from Surf City Garage.