Pete M Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 so any day now my shipping boxes will be here so I'm starting the process of cleaning up my gauge clusters. some of them are nice, while others are pretty scratched up. is it as simple as polishing up like I would a headlight? what has worked for you guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertwinkiehobo Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 They're plastic, so Meguiars has a formulation for that, which IIRC is polycarbonate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 I tried that on mine and it worked somewhat. Definitely not as miraculous an effect as I was hoping. Not sure if the plastic is harder than a headlight but it was tough to polish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 23, 2020 Author Share Posted July 23, 2020 I had a bit of polish left from my headlight kit so I tried my best and it's better, but yeah no miracles. I'll try something else next chance I get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJeff Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 The plastic for the gauges is acrylic, whereas headlights are polycarbonate. you can buy special plastic polish from Amazon intended for use on acrylics. I used that very successfully on my tail lights as well as gauge lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted July 23, 2020 Author Share Posted July 23, 2020 than I shall step up my game with a more specific polish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 With the right techniques and products you can polish anything. I got lucky on the cluster I got for my '91 all those years ago. It actually looked acceptable as-is. The one in my 'bird and the blue cluster for my '89 are pretty nasty though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertwinkiehobo Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 On 7/22/2020 at 11:22 PM, AZJeff said: The plastic for the gauges is acrylic, whereas headlights are polycarbonate. you can buy special plastic polish from Amazon intended for use on acrylics. I used that very successfully on my tail lights as well as gauge lenses. So the gauge plastic is still acrylic? Jesus, they will be cheap any chance they get! But Meguiars recommends #10 for both acrylic and polycarbonate. https://www.meguiars.com/professional/products/m10-mirror-glaze-clear-plastic-polish-8-oz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJeff Posted July 24, 2020 Share Posted July 24, 2020 Acrylic is used for guage cluster lenses because it can be quite optically clear and yet easy to mold. Unfortunately, it is also brittle, and fractures in impact relatively easily. This is why it is a poor choice for headlight lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 On 7/24/2020 at 4:35 PM, AZJeff said: Acrylic is used for guage cluster lenses because it can be quite optically clear and yet easy to mold. Unfortunately, it is also brittle, and fractures in impact relatively easily. This is why it is a poor choice for headlight lenses. Whereas polycarbonate is very resistant to impact, but it's also very susceptible to scratches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcoutback Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 While not a 'miracle cure', I've found any carnuba car wax does a decent job hiding minor swirl marks and scratches. Work a liberal amount onto your disassembled lense using a conservative amount of pressure (just to be politically correct) and repeat the process. Make sure you allow the wax to fully dry so it will harden, otherwise it all wipes out of the imperfections. I had done this on a motorcycle faring that was impossible to see through when riding into the sun and now do it to all my clear dash pieces as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokinn Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 I use Meguiars Ultra-Cut Compound #105 to polish out turntable dust covers (by hand). It works quickly and looks like new except if there are deep gouges, but even those are much less noticeable. Works great on clear coat too. https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Mirror-Glaze-Ultra-Cut-Compound/dp/B001O7PNW8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 26 minutes ago, rokinn said: I use Meguiars Ultra-Cut Compound #105 to polish out turntable dust covers (by hand). Noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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