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Chris Moon
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Headlight question
« on: January 13, 2006, 03:12:40 AM »

I waswondering if headlamps for a 97 Sebring coupe be made to fit a 96 Sebring coupe.  I set a chrome set on e-bay and mine are shot.  Can't seem to polish anymore.  Wisconsins love for roadsalt have eaten them to far.  Please let me know.   Thanks in advance.
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Davedodger
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2006, 10:57:15 PM »

Hey Chris- First off, Welcome to the board. To the best of my knowledge, sebring headlights are all the same, avengers differ from 96-97. Someone please correct me on this if I'm wrong. If your lens are all fogged over, turning yellow, you should try and sand them down and buff them, before you spend money on a new pair. I can 99% guarantee this will work if you have the patience. I have done this on my own cars, so have many other members here, and mine were real bad.

  • remove headlights from car, might have to loosen the top of the fenders to gain clearance.
  • wash off dirt/road grim and dry headlights
  • here you have 2 choices: A. wet sanding (using water while with sand paper) or B. dry sanding.
  • I personally dry sanded my headlights, but you must use a high speed buffer to polish out the scratches.
  • dry sand procedure: I started out with 800 grit (sounds bad, but it worked great) and sanded until you see the white surface from sanding turn to a clearer (not as white) across the whole headlight, when in doubt- keep sanding, you won't sand thru your headlight. I then moved on to a 1200 grit sand paper, smooth out the 800 grit scratches by sanding with the 1200 grit, onto 1800 or 2000 grit to smooth out the 1200 grit scratches. The higher grit you go seems like not much is happening, but it is, really look at what your doing, you'll see it happening. Now take a damp cloth and wipe all the dust off of the head light. Your ready to buff the headlight now, using a buffing compound squirt some on the head light and use the high speed buffer at a medium rate of speed to "work" the compound into the headlight. The headlight lens will get warm from doing this, that is what you want. After a few passes you should be seeing something very good happening, use more compound and keep at it. Once you have got the lens looking good, move onto a hand glaze. Hand glaze is a light weight compound used as a final polish. Squirt some on the headlights and start buffing again, this time with a higher speed on the buffer. This will get the lens really warm, almost hot. What you are actually doing is melting together any small remaining scratches and putting on a mirror-like shine. Again, use lots of hand glaze.
  • wet sanding procedures: is just like dry sanding except you start with 1200 grit sand paper and keep the headlight lens wet while sanding. Using water and higher grit papers prevents you from putting scratches too deep to remove by polishing by hand (without a high speed buffer). Alot more work, but you can get the same great results.

If your not comfortable about buffing, call a local body shop and see if they would buff them for you, all you would have to do is the sanding.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2006, 11:06:00 PM by Davedodger » Logged

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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2006, 11:20:56 PM »

Not saying brand new isnt best but with a little work they can look just as new so definitely use the wetsanding option. Mine went from this: 



to this in a couple hours time and for less than 20 buck in supplies

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Chris Moon
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2006, 12:07:08 AM »

Thanks for all the info.  Mine are beyond help, I have pits and cracks starting to form in mine.  I've done the sanding before and it's work great but now it too late.  Once again thanks for all the info.

Chris
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Davedodger
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2006, 12:20:32 AM »

Might try calling the service dept. at a local Chrysler/Dodge dealer to see if there is any difference. I hate for you to buy some new ones that don't fit, especially after I said they should. I'm not 100% on that.
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Chris Moon
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2006, 12:40:32 AM »

I'm not too worried.  I"m a Maint manager in a plastic plant plus a gunsmith.  I can put a round peg in a square hole and make it look like is was suppose to do that.  Thanks again

Chris
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AvengerNYC
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2006, 07:22:27 PM »

the sebirng COUPE and Avenger headlights are the same, except for chrome housing inside.

thus, interchangable Smiley the year differences I think goes across the board for them. On that, I may be wrong, but definately different on the Avenger.

Oh yeah, one more difference.

chrysler chrome style is way more expensive than Avenger black style (dealer wise, anyway)
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2006, 03:09:04 AM »

Does your 95/96 lense have lines across the lens Huh If so the 97 WILL NOT fit ...the 97's are pictured above ...
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kevin
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2006, 09:50:13 PM »

Does your 95/96 lense have lines across the lens Huh If so the 97 WILL NOT fit ...the 97's are pictured above ...

correct me if i am wrong but i thought that the 97 and up lights stick out more and would look goofy but i thought the would fit. I could be wrong but thats what i heard
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Re: Headlight question
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2006, 01:12:50 AM »

Right UNLESS you swap the 97+bumper in ...
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