Restoring the brightness to Instrument Panel Turn Indicators

[Conductorblg]

On my 68 D200, the lenses of the instrument panel turn indicators had gotten so opaque the indicators could just barely be seen flashing at night, and not at all in the daytime. For the solution, I spent a buck and a quarter at Dollar Tree to purchase a trio of small reusable plastic food storage bowls with translucent green plastic lids about 5" or 6" square.

Taking the face plate off, I could see little oblong black cardboard pieces masking the ends of the cardboard light tubes that enclose the turn indicator bulbs. The arrow shaped opening in them was just barely letting any light through. After pulling the black cardboard masks off (the 54 year old adhesive gave up without much fight), I was able to gently pull the green plastic like lens material off (it actually feels almost like paper) that was folded over the end of the light tubes. Holding the lid plastic up to a light bulb, I could tell one layer would not be enough, so after cutting pieces of the plastic lids out to match the shape of the black cardboard masks, I layered several thicknesses together with canopy cement (Pacer Formula 560 Canopy Glue is the brand I used, available at almost any Hobby Shop), then glued them to the back of the black cardboard masks with the same canopy cement. Because I had pulled the light tubes out to facilitate removing the green material, I had to reattach them to the back of the instrument panel housing (they had left a black ring on the housing around the bulb making it easy to reposition them) with the same canopy cement. Once the cement holding the light tubes was dry, it was easy to glue the black mask/translucent plastic pieces in place on the light tubes against the lower corners on the panel housing, again with the same canopy cement. Because the black cardboard masks were turning grey with age, before I glued them to the plastic and reinstalled them, I sprayed them with satin black Rustoleum from a rattle can. The cardboard masks do not show through the openings in the metal face plate, but it made me feel better. Mine didn't, but had they disintegrated, I was prepared to replace the cardboard light tubes with ones made from thin plastic tubing available in hobby shops.

Two thicknesses of the translucent plastic of the lids I used gives an intensity that is a little bright and allows the bulb element to shine through, but I like it, because the indicators now get my attention when the turn signals don't cancel, day or night. They are not so bright as to be objectionable at night, but an additional layer or two of the translucent green plastic lid material should do the trick if you wanted them a little darker. That translucent green plastic lid material is brittle enough that it shattered into jagged irregular pieces when I tried using scissors to initially cut out the flat center of the first one. Cutting the centers out with a utility knife, then trimming the individual pieces to size with the scissors proved to be the solution (with three lids available, I still had plenty of material, even if I had layered three or four thicknesses).

[Wildergarten]

I layered several thicknesses together with canopy cement (Pacer Formula 560 Canopy Glue is the brand I used, available at almost any Hobby Shop),

Thank you for reintroducing me to the idea of a hobby shop as a resource (it's only been 60 years since I was into that sort of thing). I'm off to look for one in our area.

[Conductorblg]

It has been a while since I lived on the peninsula. I remember a large hobby shop in a warehouse in Sunnyvale, but it closed up about 20 years ago. If you get stuck, I think the Train Shop in Santa Clara is still there.

[Wildergarten]

If you get stuck, I think the Train Shop in Santa Clara is still there.

It would appear that they are. Thanks!