Turn Signal lenses

Those new ones are kind of cool…. but… my eyes keep going round and round

You're a good egg, @Kevin - Bay Area!

.

@Kevin - Bay Area ,

i've got the plastic lenses you've just swapped out and would like to do the same upgrade. Where did you source the new lenses, and did they just fit into the old trim rings or no? Thanks.

@Sacto Mitch. These were the lenses I purchased:

https://sierramadrecollection....mp;stkn=b08021262f58

Probably the easiest thing I was able to do on the car.  Just need to remove the (2) screws on each side of the existing turn signal lenses.  The chrome ring pops off.  I then removed the rubber gasket that surrounded my existing lenses and put it around the new ones.  Everything fit perfectly (just line up the openings for the screws-both old and new lenses have a divot in the flange for the screws).  Then I screwed the new ones back in place.  The entire job may have taken 3-5 minutes.

.

Kevin, thanks!

The site is a bit confusing…. can you add the exact part no. you used please and thank you.

I wonder if on my IM I have the same plastic ones  The Glass is pretty cool !

_________________Here is a sample_—————_________________________________

this link shows T1… model   

@$29.29   plastic    …$49.42 glasss

• <input checked="checked" class="cbb-frequently-bought-selector-input" id="39802606223418" name="product_6980468965434" type="checkbox" />

  This item: Turn Signal Beehive Lens, 356/356A (T1) (50-57)

  <select class="cbb-recommendations-variant-select cbb-frequently-bought-this-item-variant-select sb_variant_option"><option data-variant-id="39802606223418" value="0">Aftermarket (Plastic)</option><option data-variant-id="39802606256186" value="1">OEM (Glass)</option></select>$49.42

If you are on the product opage it offers the option of plastic or glass.

Dang it Kevin. I’ve never even noticed it before, but it can’t be unseen! Every auction I look at my eyes are immediately drawn to the PLASTIC LENSES!

@IaM-Ray posted:

The site is a bit confusing…. can you add the exact part no. you used please and thank you.

I wonder if on my IM I have the same plastic ones  The Glass is pretty cool !

_________________Here is a sample_—————_________________________________

this link shows T1… model   

@$29.29   plastic    …$49.42 glasss

• <input checked="checked" class="cbb-frequently-bought-selector-input" id="39802606223418" name="product_6980468965434" type="checkbox" />

  This item: Turn Signal Beehive Lens, 356/356A (T1) (50-57)

  <select class="cbb-recommendations-variant-select cbb-frequently-bought-this-item-variant-select sb_variant_option"><option data-variant-id="39802606223418" value="0">Aftermarket (Plastic)</option><option data-variant-id="39802606256186" value="1">OEM (Glass)</option></select>$49.42

Mine are:

P/N: 644.631.411.00

Tall glass for T2

@dlearl476 posted:

Dang it Kevin. I’ve never even noticed it before, but it can’t be unseen! Every auction I look at my eyes are immediately drawn to the PLASTIC LENSES!

I'm sorry about that.   It's always been one of those small details that annoyed me about my car.  That and the lawn tractor ignition and key.  

Took me years to finally do something about both.

Not sure who made these but they do look plastic as well.

.

A few more data points.

I just ordered the same lenses Kevin got from Sierra Madre. These may be the most expensive votive candle holders ever made — at over $50 each.

So, I did some checking around before placing the order. Stoddard (which I've usually found a little pricier than Sierra Madre) had what looked like the identical thing for about $30. They're clear, not the 'frosty' looking ones that came on my VS. In the photos, they really do look identical to the clear glass ones. But there's no mention of the material in the catalog listing, so I called and asked. Sure enough, they're plastic — maybe the most expensive plastic votive candle holders ever made. They also told me that the glass ones "are no longer available, and haven't been for years."

That's probably true for the originals, so it looks like someone's had some repops made up in some grass hut on some foreign shore.

.

@Kevin - Bay Area posted:

I'm sorry about that.   It's always been one of those small details that annoyed me about my car.  That and the lawn tractor ignition and key.  

Took me years to finally do something about both.

Yeah. I fought the key thing for years with my Spyder, too. As for the signals, I opted to stay with the original Beck trailer lights instead of updating to the glass repros. Beck heritage proud.

I

.

So, to follow up here, I just upgraded to these glass lenses, and I can add a few things to Kevin's post.

First, I had no idea how much of a difference they would make in the brightness of the turn signals. If I'd known, I would have done this years ago, as I've always felt the stock VS front signals are almost invisible to other drivers.

I think it's not just that the frosty plastic lenses absorb some of the light, but the glass ones seem to focus the light in a beam. At any rate, this turns out to be a nice safety upgrade, and not just for looks:

And, while this may be one of the easiest winter garage tasks you'll take on, there are a few caveats.

First, if your car is ancient, like mine (12 years now), the little rubber gaskets around the rims of the lenses (you can't see them until you remove the trim rings) will be pretty dried out and frail. And you really need them, as they cushion the lenses once the rings are screwed down tight. So, go gingerly, or have replacements ready (and god knows where you would find them).

Second, my bulb bases and sockets were pretty shmutzy, so clean those up, too, before reassembly. On second thought, this may be why my new lenses look so much brighter!

Next project is installing the rubber gaskets that go between the horn grills and the body. Sierra Madre had those, too, but I wanted to see if these lenses would work out first.

And oh, one more thing about SMC. if their web site says something is 'available', that's not the same as 'in stock'. They had to back order these, and it took about six weeks.

Thanks again, Kevin, for the heads up on these.

Looks great @Sacto Mitch.

I did the rubber gasket around the horn grills a few years ago. The only issue I ran into is the pre-drilled holes for the turn signal bezel were rotated 90-degrees from where mine were. So I needed to drill out new holes.
For whatever reason, our VS models mount the turn signal bezel with the holes horizontally. Whereas Porsche mounted them in a vertical orientation. (See photos)

Another reasonable  source for 356 rubber parts and more is International Mercantile.

https://im356-911.com/pages/356

Great stuff Gordo

@Sacto Mitch posted:

.

So, to follow up here, I just upgraded to these glass lenses, and I can add a few things to Kevin's post.

First, I had no idea how much of a difference they would make in the brightness of the turn signals. If I'd known, I would have done this years ago, as I've always felt the stock VS front signals are almost invisible to other drivers.

I think it's not just that the frosty plastic lenses absorb some of the light, but the glass ones seem to focus the light in a beam. At any rate, this turns out to be a nice safety upgrade, and not just for looks:

And, while this may be one of the easiest winter garage tasks you'll take on, there are a few caveats.

First, if your car is ancient, like mine (12 years now), the little rubber gaskets around the rims of the lenses (you can't see them until you remove the trim rings) will be pretty dried out and frail. And you really need them, as they cushion the lenses once the rings are screwed down tight. So, go gingerly, or have replacements ready (and god knows where you would find them).

Second, my bulb bases and sockets were pretty shmutzy, so clean those up, too, before reassembly. On second thought, this may be why my new lenses look so much brighter!

Next project is installing the rubber gaskets that go between the horn grills and the body. Sierra Madre had those, too, but I wanted to see if these lenses would work out first.

And oh, one more thing about SMC. if their web site says something is 'available', that's not the same as 'in stock'. They had to back order these, and it took about six weeks.

Thanks again, Kevin, for the heads up on these.

Why not change the builbs to LED while at it