Headlight lenses/reflectors

[GISdood]

So... living up here in PG with the 'boulders' they spread on the road instead of sand and gravel in the winter has taken its toll on the headlights of my 93 Pajero LWB.

In lieu of replacing both headlights (still waiting to hear back from Mardy as to whether he has any in stock or not), does anyone know if the lenses from the RHD headlights can be swapped over to the body/reflector of the LHD versions that came with the Paj (I still have them in a box in the shed). I know they're sealed together, but I think with some patience I can perform a successful transplant - assuming the lenses aren't going to cause retinal burn to oncoming traffic.

[psilosin]

It is the lenses that are the problem with RHD headlamps and why you had to get LHD headlamps in the first place. The housing are usually identical. It is the lens that makes the beam pattern incorrect and in turn illegal.

You could do the 'shake and bake method' (search that on ih8mud.com to see a post with pics I put up doing a lens swap on my Surf) to swap the lenses for a temporary fix until you get a new LHD lens, but run the risk of getting in trouble with the fuzz. Essentially cook the headlamps in an oven for a while...glue softens...pry off lens carefully...re-heat to get glue soft again...stick on other lens...let cool. tastes great and less filling.

[GISdood]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I guess if its the lens that's the critical piece of the puzzle, I'm gonna be stuck buying new headlights... so for now (while I wait for Mardy to get back to me) I'll just route the DRL module to the marker lights instead of the low-beams and throw the RHD headlights back in - at least that way I can drive the Pajero during the daytime. I might need the 4WD, as we're supposed to get another 20cm dump of the wet white stuff this weekend. Wheeee.

[psilosin]

I wouldn't feel too bad if you need to run the RHD lenses temporarily...the amount of light that is actually tipped up toward oncoming traffic is minimal, nowhere even close to as blinding as the legal HID lights on BMWs etc.

[Raule Duke]

Would it be possible to install the shroud from a SWB and then you could install the standard 7 inch round lights and it wouldn't be such a pain to change for future cracks?


Also I've seen the "headlight protector" sort of film that you use a hair drier to kind of shrink it too your lenses and is supposed to protect from rock chips. I think I saw it at lordco

[GISdood]

Headlights are on their way (from RMI), so no need for any 'shake and bake' or temporary headlight swaps. I'm still going to run the DRL module to the marker lights, tho.

I thought about the SWB lights, but I'll stick with the LWB ones. I have a friend that runs a sign & graphics shop so I snagged a couple chunks of 12mil optically clear vinyl from him to go over the new headlights when they arrive. He typically uses it for laminating graphics on motocross bikes, so I'm fairly certain that it should do a good job of preventing any more rock damage.

[jrrodger]

I know that you have a resolution to the issue, but if you need to source more common body/exterior parts like this, I would recommend the contacting scrap yards.

If you goto www.car-part com and search the comparable year of mitsubishi montero in Canada-USA-Mexico you may find what you are looking for close to you. Maybe not, but always a good option (particularly if you live within a short-ish drive to the scrapyards listed)

However the source you contacted may be just as good as they are local to you over on the west side of the country.

[jessef]

another tip

once you've got the new one's, go to Lordco or an auto parts store and ask for headlight film protection.

It's a thin pliable transparent film and protects the headlights from rock chips. highly effective.