Headlight with clear coat restoration

[WhoDatHassan]

Hello,

Just received a set of headlights for a 2002 grand cherokee but the headlights have been sprayed with clear coat....

Any products out there that will strip the clear coat off before I go to work with my DA.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[jamores23]

why would you want to strip the clear?

[WhoDatHassan]

The headlights look really hazy (not oxidized) and it seems like it was done unprofessionally.

[g35_coupe]

Wet sanding with 220 will take anything off.

[WhoDatHassan]

Ill give it a try tomorrow. Thank you

[ray6]

It depends on the coating and how long it has cured. You could try a solvent such as mineral spirits or alcohol, but if the coating has been on for a long time (months) you'll probably have to sand it off.

If the surface is smooth, you might try sanding with 500 grit. You want to remove the old coating only. Starting with a rougher grit might remove the old coating quicker, but you'll be introducing deeper sanding scratches which may extend the whole sanding process.

I'd use a good sanding lube like SpeedoKote to keep the sandpaper from filling up with the old coating. This works with hand sanding and machine sanding.

Depending on the new coating you will be using, don't prep any more than you have to. Most popular coatings will easily fill in 1500 grit scratches (including spar/ms), and any finer finishing may be counter-productive. A rougher surface will give you better adhesion with most coatings. It actually increases the surface area.

Be careful about using any compound or solution that may contain solvents/waxes that aren't compatible with your final coating.

Recommend cleaning the headlight twice using 100% alcohol. Will remove any residue from previous steps andany moisture that could interfere with your final coat.

It really breaks down to removing the old coating as quickly and cheaply as possible with minimal damage, cleaning the surface and applying the new coating.

If you're using the spar/ms method, try to keep the coating as thick as possible (more spar/less ms). The thicker the coating, the longer it will last. The only function of the ms is to thin it down just enough to be able to wipe it on. The more ms, the longer to dry and possibility of running. The less ms, the thicker the coating and shorter dry time, possibly too short.

If it's a hot or dry day, you'll have to use more ms to apply it. Try starting with 80% spar/20% ms. If it's too thick to work, simply wipe it off with ms (immediately) add more ms to the mix and try again.

It takes some practice to get the optimal mix and will vary day to day and region to region.
ray6