Quad Beam Headlight Refresh

[tybcr783]

Hey yall, I recently acquired a pair of quad beam headlights after stumbling across a pair at a larger pic and pull in the Jacksonville area. This thread is going to give a basic walkthrough of how I cleaned up these headlights with the original intention of keeping them for my truck, but seeing there current value I am going to sell them.
Tools
T10 Screwdriver orbit
Spray paint ( in this case I used some leftover VHT High Temperature Rollbar and Chassis which I used to refresh my tow package from earlier)
Wire attachment for drill
Fine sandpaper ( I used 180 grit )
Flathead screwdriver

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Here is the beginning picture and a close-up of the housing, The condition is not too shabby for being over thirty years old with only some surface rust and a chip in the plastic on one side. To remove the lenses that hold the sealed beams in place you need to use a T10 screwdriver for the two screws and they should come off, note there is a hinge on the other side

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Repeat the process for each of the 4 lenses. The sealed beams should pull straight up, since these are quite old you may have to loosen the clamps that hold the beams, there are four of them. After the lenses are removed set them aside with the screws.

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Rust was expected as these are OEM pieces, now for cleaning up the housings.
( continuing on as I can only do five images at a time )

 

[tybcr783]

(Continuing)

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Quads get a nice bath to remove grime and loose dirt from the housings

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Some quality time with the wire wheel attachment to remove as much rust as possible. Prepped with rubbing alcohol to remove debris and prepare for paint.

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Cleaned surface

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First coat of paint

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Now for the lenses which the OEM paint is chipping off of

 

[tybcr783]

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Loose paint is sanded off leaving a nice, smooth paintable finish. Applied rubbing alcohol to remove debris and prep for paint.

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This is the first coat of paint ( two additional were added off camera )

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Re assembly in the opposite order of removal, these headlights look like they came right off the line
Thats the conclusion of this restoration and these will be listed in the For Sale threads momentarily

 

[GoToGuy]

So the photo before the painted housings, is that how you left them? And painted over all that corrosion? I must be missing something, they look nice , but the corrosion will continue just like cancer, if not removed, or neutralized.

 

[tybcr783]

Yeah, I would have liked to have had a rust remover of sorts on hand but didn't, wouldn't the paint act as a sealant preventing further spread?

 

[tybcr783]

If anyone is interested in purchasing or requesting more photos PM me
I've seen these go for $400 on this forum and $220 for just the housings but I bought them for cheap and am not looking for an extreme profit margin.
The cons
- previously had rust but I believe I did a good job on painting so it shouldn't be a big problem
- there is some water droplets of moisture that got into one sealed low beam
- The security torx bit which looks like for adjustment seems slightly stripped ( PM for more pics )
- There was a nick in the plastic which can be seen on one of the first images
$250 firm with $25 for shipping

 

[Wildblue19]

Nice! On the buckets, the 4 metal tabs that support the back of the glass lenses are held in with little plastic clips that are easily removed by punching out the pin. I remove those then cleaning off the rust on the buckets. Holley sells replacement buckets, but they aren't the same design and the bezels are different. Better to keep oem. I powdercoat the bezels to avoid rock chips.

 

[tybcr783]

After this set sells I'm going to be on the hunt at some local yards to refurbish and put on my truck, I really like the metal housings and that they are glass. The ones in my profile pic are some cheap ebay aftermarkets that have already started getting yellowed and waterlogged after a year.

 

[Wildblue19]

Also, I'd recommend removing the buckets entirely by removing the springs. This gives easy access to lube the adjusters with a light weight gun oil and then apply heavy white lithium grease for the 3 pads that the buckets rotate in to ensure you'll get consistent adjustments

 

[Wildblue19]

After this set sells I'm going to be on the hunt at some local yards to refurbish and put on my truck, I really like the metal housings and that they are glass.

The quads are the best oem lights aside from artebs IMO.