Posted By: whiskeyrunner
drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 10:20 PM
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
Posted By: rbstroker
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 10:24 PM
Use a hole saw not a drill bit. I put mine in the place of the backup light on my '65
Posted By: Scott Carl
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 10:30 PM
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.
Posted By: whiskeyrunner
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 10:33 PM
alrighty and its better to go faster?
Posted By: whiskeyrunner
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 10:38 PM
can i do it with the tail light on the car?
Posted By: Scott Carl
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 10:43 PM
Quote: can i do it with the tail light on the car?
That would probably work
Posted By: cyphre666
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/03/08 11:23 PM
Here is my cut-off switch in the left tail light.
Posted By: topside
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/04/08 02:27 AM
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...
Posted By: whiskeyrunner
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/04/08 03:07 AM
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.
Posted By: moparx
Re: drilling through tail light lense - 10/04/08 01:17 PM
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.
hole saw but you still want a fast cut so it doesn't catch when it breaks through
But also becareful the saw (or drill bit if thats the case) doesn't catch the towel. Bad things happen then 
