Clear grill light lens?

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Feb 14, 2016
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72 Mach 1, Q code 351CJ, 4 speed.
Ok here is at least 1 of my random thoughts of the day!:p

has anyone changed the lens for the grill fog lights to clear and then installed a different color bulb??

Wade

 
I've been entertaining the idea of going with clear lenses and installing the guts of some old school driving lights (so I don't have to muddy up the look with a set of add-on lights just so I can see at night). The hard part would be getting them just right and be able to aim them in the fixed locations they currently occupy.

I have an H4 conversion kit for the headlights with some Sylvania Silver Stars that I'm sure will make a huge difference over the sealed beam halogens I original bought. But I like the extra light thrown out by a nice set of driving lights along with the headlights.

Are clear lenses even offered? I don't think it will be as simple as popping out the amber lens and trimming a piece of clear to match. I believe there is a slight convex to the lenses... but it's been awhile since I installed mine and actually inspected them.

 
Never seen a clear lens for the grill on the big mustang. Heat build up might be a problem with a bigger bulb to help enough with night driving. So whos going to be the first try it? In my young and really stupid days. I wired the grill lites to come on with the parking lites, till someone said it drawing attention away from the lower turn sig when using. Maybe that's why for 73 everything was up in the grill.

 
Most driving lights these days actually come with plastic lenses... the ones I have are 2"x6" units with H4 bulbs, for instance, have plastic lenses, reflectors, and housings. I remember when they were metal and glass, and the cheap plastic ones from Pep Boys (Rallye, I believe) would melt with anything but the cheap bulbs they came with that barely lit up anything.

Typically, the new ones are made of the same lens material as the modern headlights. But, you bring up a good point, in that those new lenses aren't made out of standard run-of-the-mill Plexiglas since they seem to stand-up to the heat of the newer-style H4 (and the like) bulbs.

When other things I have going on settle down for me a bit, and after I determine that the H4 headlight conversion kit I have not yet installed doesn't throw enough light, I'll start working on it probably. Sadly, I'll also probably wind up trashing a set of nice driving lights along with a sport lamp housing or two in the process and wind up not actually getting anywhere. But Hey - nothing ventured, nothing gained, eh?

 
I actually have a set that I'm going to try and convert to driving lights for my drag car since it does not have headlights. I will prob get to it later this summer. I'm thinking that an led bulb might be a better choice than a halogen because of the heat load that might be generated in the small housing.

 
Hmmm... that looks kind of goofy to me for some reason. I might just wind up mounting them under the bumper and set-back into the valance then. I want the light, but not necessarily all the extra 'visual evidence.' ;)

 
The 1971 Shelby Europa had Marshall driving lights instead of the standard sport lamps. Maybe it would be easier to replace them with something different altogether than to convert them.

I've been contemplating the idea too but I must admit that the clear lenses look kinda weird on that red one in the pictures.

 
The 1971 Shelby Europa had Marshall driving lights instead of the standard sport lamps. Maybe it would be easier to replace them with something different altogether than to convert them.

I've been contemplating the idea too but I must admit that the clear lenses look kinda weird on that red one in the pictures.
No offense to the Shelby Europa crowd, but being so accustomed to the standard amber sport lamps, the Marshall driving lights in the grille just looks weird to me as well.

18qdnwsggtrt7jpg.jpg


I'll probably mount my driving lights low and on either side of the license plate, a la '69-'70 Shelby style (except mine are a little less chunky than the OE Shelby lights, and I'll set them back a little farther as well).

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