Headlight reflectors......Paint?

B

bob143

Junior Member
Is there a paint that will work as an alternative to having the headlight reflectors re coated or chromed. The reflectors I have are down to brass. Does not have to be OEM, just work well.

Thanks,
Bob
 
I doudt that any paint will have the reflectivity needed. Your best bet to buy new ones or have your resilvered. Surprisingly chrome is not a good headlight reflector, or so I've read.
JB
 
Silver makes the best reflective surface, that is why Ford used it when the car was new. We have not tested the reflectance of the firm in Oregan that was mentioned, but Silver far surpasses chrome or other materials we have seen.
 
Has anyone had reflectors resilvered recently? Were did you have them done and what was the cost? I had a pair done about four years ago cost was around $75.00. I have a AA that Iam working on and wouuld like to have a pair done.
 
Bob 143 was not asking about restoring reflectors to original!
He already knows that silver is best.
Bob wants to know what might work as an alternative to having the headlight reflectors replated.
The silver tape would be an interesting test for him to report back to us.
I would predict the tape reflectivity and brightness would be very close to Aluminum plated reflectors. Again, not the best, but adequate.
 
RJ said:
Has anyone had reflectors resilvered recently? Were did you have them done and what was the cost? I had a pair done about four years ago cost was around $75.00. I have a AA that Iam working on and wouuld like to have a pair done.
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You got by for a fair price. The only price I've heard was a shop in the Twin Cities called Brinkman's does them for $55 each the last I heard. Silered is the only way to go IMHO. My car is still the original silver, and though they aren't exactly like NOS, they are very good, and I have no problem driving at night using my generator and original headlight bulbs.

Brinkman Silver Plating 651-698-8577
 
bob143 said:
Is there a paint that will work as an alternative to having the headlight reflectors re coated or chromed. The reflectors I have are down to brass. Does not have to be OEM, just work well.

Thanks,
Bob
Click to expand...

I think for the aggravation involved in trying to paint or otherwise cover your existing reflectors, you'd be better-off buying a set of chromed repros to drive on and saving-up for resilvering / Uvira your original reflectors.

I can appreciate being on a limited project budget, but I would not try taping stuff to decent original reflectors... how will your remove that stuff when it's time to re-plate, and how much will you distort the thin brass bowls trying to peel sticky tape off'n them ?

One of the advantages of the OEM reflectors is that they have the correct geometry (parabolic shape), which the repros do not.


I know the repros aren't perfect, with the "wrong parabola" and chrome plating, but mine have been good enough to drive with for two years / 7,000 miles, and I do a fair amount of night driving.

But if we're talking about a "get-by", I'd go with repro reflectors until you can get your originals done right. ( This is what I'm doing... )

Just my two-cents...
 
I bought my repro reflectors which are Uvira coated from Brattons. All i can say is I'm satisfied and they work well at night. The repros are shallower than originals so they just focus at a greater distance.
 
Many find it necessary to purchase repro parts for lack of having originals.

I consider myself the "caretaker" (more than an owner), of a modest collection of original parts, including buckets and reflectors.

I would never alter or modify these original parts (other than restore) for future generations, when reproduction parts are available for everyday use.

But, that's just me. People will do what's right for them.

I vote re-silver originals. :)
 
Bob,

This may be a dumb question, but do you intend to drive the car? If yes, go silver or UVIRA (my preference). If the car is going into a poorly lit museum then some of the short cuts might work.

Charlie Stephens
 
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