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Today I was working on some parts, and got to the reverse lamp lenses on the 70 442 I'm restoring. I had bought some Goodmark repos, but after cleaning the ones that were on the car I think they are good enough to use. In comparing them side by side I noticed a pretty significant difference - the repos are completely clear, but the ones off the car are kind of frosted. I don't think the frosting is an age related thing since the color is so even all over the lens. 70Post is looking to see if he has an NOS one - anyone have any other info on this?
I bought a set of NOS lenses for my '72 about a year and half back, they are clear as well. I recall my original lenses were hazed over in similar manner to your photo, I presumed it was age-related from weather and heat exposure.
I checked one NOS lens and it appears mostly CLEAR. When I say "mostly" I mean the fluted face of the lens, inside, is clear. There is, however, some areas on the inside of one of the vertical "walls" of the lens that have the "frosted" or translucent look.
Additionally, one the INSIDE of the lens...at the tops of the "flutes" there is some of the frosted appearance across the top half or so of some of the "flutes" (the flutes being triangular in profile). The whole surface of each "flute" does not appear frosted....just the top half or so.
It's not a "film"...but it does appear to be on the surface and not "throughout" the plastic in those areas. It doesn't come off when you scratch it with a fingernail....that's why I say it's not a "film" (that might occur if the plastic oxidized).
My bet is this had something to do with the molding process....maybe it was a time or temperature phenomena. Maybe it had to do with how fast the lens cooled off.
This is a NOS GM lens I bought MANY years ago.....probably in the mid-late 80's....maybe slightly later.
I have more of these but I'm not going to tear open the package to check them...this was one I had already opened.
Pic below shows the one of the vertical "walls" of the lens with the "frosted" area generally outlined.
My thinking and observations in the past made me think these were intentionally made so they whole lens appeared "frosted" but my thinking has changed now to the thought that they were intended to be perfectly clear....the clearer they are the more light they allow through and they're crappy enough for their intended useage as backup lights but they are stylish and not obnoxiously designed so I can live with that.
