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drilling through tail light lense #131665
10/03/08 06:20 PM
10/03/08 06:20 PM
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Freeport, Pa
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whiskeyrunner Offline OP
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i am mounting my master cutoff switch and i wanna run it through the tail light lense.....whats the best way to go about this without the lense cracking??

thanks,
Matt

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: whiskeyrunner] #131666
10/03/08 06:24 PM
10/03/08 06:24 PM
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West Tennessee
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rbstroker Offline
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Use a hole saw not a drill bit. I put mine in the place of the backup light on my '65


This is the land of the free because of the brave
Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: whiskeyrunner] #131667
10/03/08 06:30 PM
10/03/08 06:30 PM
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Omaha, Nebraska
Scott Carl Offline
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With plastic as with wood, faster speeds result in less splintering/cracking but with plastic there's a window where when reached you create fricton that causes melting. That being said, your only going through say 1/4" at the most? how big is the hole? If its 3/8 or smaller i'd said at least 200 rpm or higher. The thing you want to avoid is the sharp cutting edge of the bit to catch as it breaks through. Faster is better on plastic.

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: rbstroker] #131668
10/03/08 06:33 PM
10/03/08 06:33 PM
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Omaha, Nebraska
Scott Carl Offline
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Quote:

Use a hole saw not a drill bit. I put mine in the place of the backup light on my '65




Oh ok were talking BIG hole. hole saw but you still want a fast cut so it doesn't catch when it breaks through

Last edited by Scott Carl; 10/03/08 06:33 PM.
Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: Scott Carl] #131669
10/03/08 06:33 PM
10/03/08 06:33 PM
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Freeport, Pa
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whiskeyrunner Offline OP
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alrighty and its better to go faster?

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: whiskeyrunner] #131670
10/03/08 06:37 PM
10/03/08 06:37 PM
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Omaha, Nebraska
Scott Carl Offline
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Quote:

alrighty and its better to go faster?




Yup. Brace it a towel in a vice or something. Don't try to hold it by hand!! Unless you have lots of band aides But also becareful the saw (or drill bit if thats the case) doesn't catch the towel. Bad things happen then

Last edited by Scott Carl; 10/03/08 06:39 PM.
Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: Scott Carl] #131671
10/03/08 06:38 PM
10/03/08 06:38 PM
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whiskeyrunner Offline OP
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can i do it with the tail light on the car?

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: whiskeyrunner] #131672
10/03/08 06:43 PM
10/03/08 06:43 PM
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Omaha, Nebraska
Scott Carl Offline
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Quote: can i do it with the tail light on the car?

That would probably work

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: Scott Carl] #131673
10/03/08 06:46 PM
10/03/08 06:46 PM
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Freeport, Pa
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whiskeyrunner Offline OP
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ok thanks a million!

4727962-215973749-M.jpg (66 downloads)
Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: whiskeyrunner] #131674
10/03/08 07:23 PM
10/03/08 07:23 PM
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Eastern North Carolina
cyphre666 Offline
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Eastern North Carolina
Here is my cut-off switch in the left tail light.

4728014-cudalight.jpg (65 downloads)
Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: cyphre666] #131675
10/03/08 10:27 PM
10/03/08 10:27 PM
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A collage of whims
topside Offline
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If it's an early Duster, check a couple of things before drilling. Most cutoff switches would only need a small (.250 to .375) hole for the switch shaft. The recessed design of the lens might make it impossible to use a rotary knob, so you'll have to use a push/pull design. You'll also have to drill through the cast housing. A push/pull can be used with a rotary switch if the switch is mounted sideways inside the trunk and the push/pull knob works a lever that's attached to the switch. Typically, Push is Off, which can be irritating if someone bumps it when you're belted in. An old practical joke in the staging lanes, but it can cause trouble...

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: topside] #131676
10/03/08 11:07 PM
10/03/08 11:07 PM
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Freeport, Pa
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whiskeyrunner Offline OP
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yea...i already purchased a shaft type...push/pull ordeal...i wanna go through the tail light cause it makes it look a lot cleaner......but yes it would get irritating if someone would bump into it and what not.

Re: drilling through tail light lense [Re: whiskeyrunner] #131677
10/04/08 09:17 AM
10/04/08 09:17 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,336
north of coder
moparx Offline
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a stepdrill works great on plastic. UNIBIT is one brand, but you can get other brands that are cheaper and work just as good at a well stocked hardware/home-garden center. they usually run in the 10-25$ range.







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