I can't believe I just did this!

[Tom L.]

I'm prepping some more parts to go out to chrome. I came across a seized screw with a stripped head holding one of my front parking light lenses to the grill assembly. I drilled it out without incident, but then I cracked the lens trying to slide it off over the remainder of the screw.

This was a dated original. Are dated lenses available, I hope?

[Terry M.]

Re: I can't believe I just did this!

The date on the lens is the date the mold was last modified. It may or may not be the year the car was produced -- even when it is the lens installed at the factory. That said, if one is considering say a 1971 one would not expect to see a lens with a 1972 date as the originally installed item. The lens could, however, have a 1970 date.

[Alan S.]

Re: I can't believe I just did this!

Tom,
Maybe it wasn't all you. Can't we decide that the lens was really brittle from age and you didn't have any chance of getting it off? Surely not the first time thats happened to someone.
Regards,
Alan

PS: TRIM PARTS makes some pretty nice lenses. $36.75

[John H.]

Re: I can't believe I just did this!

The date on the lens is the date the mold was last modified.

That date also represents the year the lens design was certified to meet the SAE (and later, Federal) photometric requirements for its function.