Broken Fifth Element police car. Any idea's on how to fix

jasonw2112

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Feb 9, 2018

• #1

I purchased this car about 4 years ago off of ebay. It had taken a tumble from the stand it was on, and broke off the top passenger side
light. It is from the Hollywood collectibles, that they were selling some time back. I am just trying to figure out a way to make another
light on that side. You can see where the led, is exposed. I am not sure how hard it would be to take the whole light bar off, and I hate to
break it. It has to be transparent, than the inner edge can be painted

I was thinking, maybe a clear dowel rod in a drill, than try to shave it down, or make some kind of mold of the good side. But, not sure! Any idea's?

 

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TazMan2000

Master Member

• Feb 9, 2018

• #2

Is the LED on the broken side still functional? You may be able to make a copy of the light, provided that it is the same shape as the unbroken one (forward and back). Alumilite makes a two-part mold putty that you can form over the unbroken side. It cures in 5 to -15 minutes. Provided that there isn't any significant undercuts you can cast yourself a new part using clear resin. Even if there is undercuts or a strange shape, you can cut the mold putty away by using a knife. Just be careful not to press too hard or else you will leave a gouge on the good side. After your casting cures, shape the part so that it conforms to the broken side.

TazMan2000

 

jasonw2112

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Feb 9, 2018

• #3

TazMan2000 said:

Is the LED on the broken side still functional? You may be able to make a copy of the light, provided that it is the same shape as the unbroken one (forward and back). Alumilite makes a two-part mold putty that you can form over the unbroken side. It cures in 5 to -15 minutes. Provided that there isn't any significant undercuts you can cast yourself a new part using clear resin. Even if there is undercuts or a strange shape, you can cut the mold putty away by using a knife. Just be careful not to press too hard or else you will leave a gouge on the good side. After your casting cures, shape the part so that it conforms to the broken side.

TazMan2000

Click to expand...

The led is sticking out, on the broken side ( works fine! ), so as long as I can put something clear over it, it should shine through. Do you
happen to know the part numbers, for the clear resin, or is it pretty easy to track down. I think the 2 part mold could work.There would be silver, right where the break is located. So that should be able to cover, and sand.

 

TazMan2000

Master Member

• Feb 10, 2018

• #4

Go to Alumilite.com and see if you can find a local distributor. It won't be a perfect fix, because you may not be able to make it look exactly like the other side, but it is better than garbaging it.

TazMan2000

 

joberg

Legendary Member

• Feb 11, 2018

• #5

Question: I guess that, you don't have the broken piece...right? Alumilite is an easy one/one ratio, it's just that you don't have a lot of time to play with it before it sets.
For such a small piece, you could even do a very simple silicone mold: small cube with cardboard walls, put the silicone in, spray your original piece with mold release, tip your car and dip the remaining light into that mold, hold/secure the car and let the silicone dry...voilà! After, you'll fill that hole with your Alumilite to get a cast.

 

TazMan2000

Master Member

• Feb 11, 2018

• #6

Yeah joberg is right. The Alumilite 2 part putty cures quite quickly. You have to work fast.

TazMan2000

 

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 8, 2018

jasonw2112

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Feb 12, 2018

• #7

Yea I don't have the broken piece. Thanks for the tips! I will look at the Alumilite products, and tech sheets, and see what I can figure out.

 

BTTFSpencer

Sr Member

• Feb 12, 2018

• #8

If I had to replace an LED that wasn't going to match the other, I would simply replace both LED's so that they match and do the remaining cosmetic restoration on the exterior of the body. Since it's in the shop you might feel more free to add some more detail, be it paint or otherwise.