slantsixdan
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Here's how to make your exterior lights and signals (other than headlamps, that's another post) work better:
Lenses and reflectors
Clean the lenses Remove the lamp assembly from the car. Cars up to '76 or so, give or take depending on model, mostly have brake/tail and park/turn lamps on which the lenses can be removed from the reflectors. With a medium-soft nylon-bristle brush, scrub the inside and outside of each lens with hot water that's sudsy with liquid dish soap. Inspect the lenses for cracking, chalking, crazing and fading. If red lenses appear pinkish or orangish when you hold them up to a strong light, instead of decidedly red, they need to be replaced. Some lenses are more prone to deterioration than others; New lenses can be had for some old Mopars without too much difficulty or expense. If you need a cheap fix for faded lenses, go to a theatrical supply house and pick up a sheet of Roscolux #26. This is the material used in front of stage and movie-set lights. It's a transparent, flexible, thin plastic that's easily cut with scissors or a box knife -- use one of those tools to cut pieces of Roscolux to fit behind each faded lens.
Also clean the reflectors thoroughly, the same way (scrub with hot soapy water). Later-production cars have one-piece lens-and-reflector assemblies that can't be disassembled for cleaning and refurbishment. You can vigorously slosh hot soapy water in them and then rinse, and try to inspect the reflector. If it's dulled, your best move is to replace the assembly, though sometimes that's not possible or affordable. If you're clever you may figure out a way to disassemble it and then reassemble it satisfactorily.
Next, refurbish the reflecting surface of the reflectors. To do so, sand them as necessary, clean them with alcohol and then shoot them with "Chrome" or "Chrome Aluminum" spray paint from the hardware store. Do not use white paint, reflective tape, aluminum foil, mylar film, that high-cost paint that really does look exactly like chrome, or any other material. The plain ordinary hardware or parts store "Chrome" spray paint is virtually identical to the original material and so has the correct amount of diffusion; a mirror-shiny reflector is not what's wanted here.
Inspect the lens-to-reflector and housing-to-body gaskets. If they've deteriorated, new ones can be had from e.g. Gary Goers or DMT or other vendors.
Wiring and sockets
Inspect the sockets carefully. If the contacts have burned or corroded and/or the contact holder disc is rotten and/or the spring tension is no longer enough to hold the bulb securely, repair the socket. Socket repair pigtails (wire + spring + contacts + disc, easy to install) are available as follows (first number is NAPA Echlin, second number is Standard Motor Products):
LS 6451 or S60: Single contact w/rubber weatherseal
LS 6452 or S58: Double contact w/rubber weatherseal, holder disc index tab in line with contacts
LS 6226 or S23 : Single contact w/spring and backplate
LS 6228 or S24: Double contact w/spring and backplate, holder disc index tab in line with contacts
LS 6251 or S591: Double contact w/spring and backplate, holder disc index tab at 90° to contacts
Check the wiring, especially the grounds. It's very helpful to run a new main ground line from the engine compartment (battery negative, alternator housing, or attachment point of engine compartment ground strap) clear to the back of the car, where it can serve as the ground attachment point for all rear lights and other electrical stuff back there. You can pick up a lot of intensity and make the lamps come on much faster (shorter rise time for brake lights = more advance warning for following drivers) this way.
Lenses and reflectors
Clean the lenses Remove the lamp assembly from the car. Cars up to '76 or so, give or take depending on model, mostly have brake/tail and park/turn lamps on which the lenses can be removed from the reflectors. With a medium-soft nylon-bristle brush, scrub the inside and outside of each lens with hot water that's sudsy with liquid dish soap. Inspect the lenses for cracking, chalking, crazing and fading. If red lenses appear pinkish or orangish when you hold them up to a strong light, instead of decidedly red, they need to be replaced. Some lenses are more prone to deterioration than others; New lenses can be had for some old Mopars without too much difficulty or expense. If you need a cheap fix for faded lenses, go to a theatrical supply house and pick up a sheet of Roscolux #26. This is the material used in front of stage and movie-set lights. It's a transparent, flexible, thin plastic that's easily cut with scissors or a box knife -- use one of those tools to cut pieces of Roscolux to fit behind each faded lens.
Also clean the reflectors thoroughly, the same way (scrub with hot soapy water). Later-production cars have one-piece lens-and-reflector assemblies that can't be disassembled for cleaning and refurbishment. You can vigorously slosh hot soapy water in them and then rinse, and try to inspect the reflector. If it's dulled, your best move is to replace the assembly, though sometimes that's not possible or affordable. If you're clever you may figure out a way to disassemble it and then reassemble it satisfactorily.
Next, refurbish the reflecting surface of the reflectors. To do so, sand them as necessary, clean them with alcohol and then shoot them with "Chrome" or "Chrome Aluminum" spray paint from the hardware store. Do not use white paint, reflective tape, aluminum foil, mylar film, that high-cost paint that really does look exactly like chrome, or any other material. The plain ordinary hardware or parts store "Chrome" spray paint is virtually identical to the original material and so has the correct amount of diffusion; a mirror-shiny reflector is not what's wanted here.
Inspect the lens-to-reflector and housing-to-body gaskets. If they've deteriorated, new ones can be had from e.g. Gary Goers or DMT or other vendors.
Wiring and sockets
Inspect the sockets carefully. If the contacts have burned or corroded and/or the contact holder disc is rotten and/or the spring tension is no longer enough to hold the bulb securely, repair the socket. Socket repair pigtails (wire + spring + contacts + disc, easy to install) are available as follows (first number is NAPA Echlin, second number is Standard Motor Products):
LS 6451 or S60: Single contact w/rubber weatherseal
LS 6452 or S58: Double contact w/rubber weatherseal, holder disc index tab in line with contacts
LS 6226 or S23 : Single contact w/spring and backplate
LS 6228 or S24: Double contact w/spring and backplate, holder disc index tab in line with contacts
LS 6251 or S591: Double contact w/spring and backplate, holder disc index tab at 90° to contacts
Check the wiring, especially the grounds. It's very helpful to run a new main ground line from the engine compartment (battery negative, alternator housing, or attachment point of engine compartment ground strap) clear to the back of the car, where it can serve as the ground attachment point for all rear lights and other electrical stuff back there. You can pick up a lot of intensity and make the lamps come on much faster (shorter rise time for brake lights = more advance warning for following drivers) this way.