LOTUS ELAN FOG LIGHT DETERIORATION

QI have a 1972 Lotus Elan +2 with a pair of Lucas Square 8 fog lights fitted. The glass, bezels and chromed brass housings are all in good condition, but unfortunately the chrome on the reflectors is not. I have tried to source a pair of lens units (glass and reflectors), but without success. I can only find complete lamps, which are rather expensive and are a lot more than I need. I have considered separating the glass and the reflector so I could get the reflector treated, but can see no easy, minimal-risk way of achieving this. Do you have any suggestions of how to go about this? Roger Morris

AThe Lucas square fog lights were fitted to a wide range of vehicles, including RR Shadows and the Bentley T Types as well as the Mustang, and due to their popularity on such a range of classic vehicles they do command a high price. E-marked reproduction lamps licenced by Lucas are available for around £140, but as the main structure of your lamps is in good condition, it would be a shame to replace the original units because of the reflectors. However, there are a few companies who specialise in the resilvering of lamp reflectors, and they can do this even on a sealed lamp assembly. www.chromerestorationspecialist.co.uk and www.ashfordchroming.com are two such companies, and it would be worth contacting them for a quote.

If you did want to attempt to split the glass from the reflector, the secret is to heat the lamp to soften the adhesive. This can be done in an oven to ensure the lamp is heated evenly, because any uneven distribution of heat will cause the glass to crack. Once heated, the glass should pry away from the lens. Unfortunately the glue used by Lucas does have a high melting point, and this becomes harder with age. This means that the heating may cause terminal damage to the lamps, so allowing a specialist company to carry out the work may be a better option.