orbie

To get the greatest coverage of eyeballs seeing this, so maybe someone can help me come up with a solution, I thought I would post this over here too.

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If you found yourself in need of a front blinker lens for a 1973 Dodge Dart, and the major salvage yards in the area with on line, computerized parts search engines can't seem to locate one, what would you do ... other than panic?

I guess I'll call a few of the smaller salvage yards tomorrow, but I am not holding out hope of finding one, and if I do, it might be beyond the budget. I did locate a tail light lens for my car (which I don't need, but was curious about), and it was $100. Ugh.

I looked at how the front blinker lens is attached to the car, and it appears I may have to find the whole assembly, and the lens isn't a separate part. I'm not entirely sure about this. This sounds not only hard to find but likely pricey. It may just be that you have to remove the entire assembly to take out the lens. I won't know until I try taking it off tomorrow. Either way, it's going to be a huge pain in the ass, and since the lens and the part of the lens I would call the "holder" are all plastic (and 34 years old), I am concerned that finding another one may be damn well near impossible ... unless you have an unlimited bank account and tons of time to wait for it to be found. Double ugh.

So ... what to do in order to get the car inspected? I was thinking of fabricating one out of those transparent, lens looking ceiling tiles they use in suspended ceilings to cover florescent lights. You know what I am talking about? They have them at Home Depot. I'd been looking at them recently with an eye to using one for a craft project. I'm not sure how I would cut it, but I am thinking either a small saw blade on the Dremil tool or an icepick heated up over a flame (to melt cut it). Just cut it to as shape that will fit just inside the "holder" and then glue the damn thing in place. Of course, this will make my car look even more white trash than it already looks, but at this point, I am beyond caring. I have got to have a legal car to drive, as it looks like the bus drivers and mechanics here in town may be going on strike. While I support what they are striking for, it would leave in a very tight spot. I doubt either of the two buses that run near enough to the house to catch will be on their list of necessary routes they will still be driving on a limited basis. Triple ugh.

Any ideas, hint, help, advice on what to do about a broken out front blinker lens on an old car? It just has to pass inspection, and any advice would be helpful. I just really don't know what to do about it if I can't find one at a salvage yard, and I am getting a little nervous that I won't be able to find one. :blue: