Friday, January 27, 2012

Installing Blue Dots

So I decided to change the taillights on my lowered bug. I like the taillights from earlier bugs and I had the opportunity to buy some rear fenders off a 1967 bug that had full taillight assemblies with them so I bought them. I needed to buy new fenders anyways because the ones on it are pretty rusty so It should work out good. The taillights on the 67's are smaller and don't have reverse lights in them. They come with an amber turn signal light but I like the ones that are all red so I bought the all red lenses and decided to put blue dots in them. Here are some pictures of the light assembly with the original lens and the 2 I bought. I took them apart and will clean them up and paint them before I install them.

 Here are the blue dots I am going to install. I picked them up when I was at the Logan car show last year. If you want the best effect you need to get the glass blue dots. There are lots of stories that are out there about why people install blue dots. The best one I heard was that they were used back when doctors made house calls. If a doctor had blue dots, the cops knew not to pull him over if he was speeding. Once the hot rodders found out, they put them on so the cops wouldn't give chase at night. There are a lot of hot rodders that have them on their cars. I wanted them because they look cool. When you have your taillights or brake lights on they turn your lights purple. I had them on my first bug in high school and loved them. One note if your considering them, They are illegal in Utah so you are taking a chance of being pulled over by the cops and you won't be able to get your car to pass safety inspection unless you change your lenses before going to get it inspected. To me it's worth the hassle.

 I used a 7/8 hole saw on my lenses and it worked perfect. Remember to go at a constant speed and don't rush it. Let the saw cut, don't force it or you will crack your lenses. The blue dots I have are a weird size. It measured out at .920 of an inch which is closest to a 59/64 drill bit. I didn't have one so I drilled it to 7/8 and then used a pencil grinder with a tiny barrel sander to get the size I needed.
 Here is the first hole cut. Worked like a charm.
 Here are both of them done and ready for the blue dots to be installed.
Just remember when your installing the blue dots to twist the tabs of the bezel. If you just bend the tabs over the blue dots will fall out. Here is a picture of the back side of the blue dots and it shows the twist.



 Here it is installed. I love the looks of them and hope they look as good on the bug as I am picturing them in my head.
I need to prep the fenders I bought and get a new front fender then I will paint them and install them. Stay tuned for that.

2 comments:

Herry Johnson said...

We are managing New Japanese Truck Spare Parts for taillights related to Mitsubishi Trucks, Toyota Dyna, Hino Trucks and Nissan UD Trucks in Australia.

Unknown said...

I have done a similar installation in the tail lights of my 1957 Chevy PU. I can't get the tabs to bend like yours. Got any tips? My lenses are a bit thick where I installed them this could be my problem. For now I have them superglued in the chrome ferrule. Any suggestions for me? Dirt don