Tail light bezel fitment issue

[stripedelete]

I had my bezels re-chromed a while back.  Now it's time to put everything back together.  When I try to reattach them to the lenses they just don't fit.

The pictures below show the approximate 1/4 gap on the ends when the bezel is fitted flush on the center of the lens.  Of course it can be forced into the correct fit, but, the considerable tension will make it impossible for any adhesive to hold them in place.  It's the same with both lenses.  There are no burrs or globs inside center of the bezel.

My guess is they twisted or warped during polishing.
Has anyone else had this problem?  If so, how did you fix it.

[Ryan]

Have you tried bending them by hand?

[stripedelete]

Have you tried bending them by hand?

Since it's pot metal, can it be bent? Can you heat it?

[bill440rt]

I used repro bezels. Fitment was "ok".
Keep in mind that these are rather fragile pieces so when they go thru the polishing/plating/polishing/plating etc process they can become a little out of shape.

Some of my tabs on the lenses were broken. I simply used dabs of clear silicone & clamped them together with rubber padded clamps (got 'em at Home Depot). I let them dry overnight before unclamping. Seemed to do the trick.

BTW, I wouldn't try bending them too much or else you'll crack the chrome. It cracks easily. Or, worse you'll crack the part.

[69 OUR/TEA]

I used repro bezels. Fitment was "ok".
Keep in mind that these are rather fragile pieces so when they go thru the polishing/plating/polishing/plating etc process they can become a little out of shape.

Some of my tabs on the lenses were broken. I simply used dabs of clear silicone & clamped them together with rubber padded clamps (got 'em at Home Depot). I let them dry overnight before unclamping. Seemed to do the trick.

BTW, I wouldn't try bending them too much or else you'll crack the chrome. It cracks easily. Or, worse you'll crack the part.

I used the repos to,fit was alright,but they were even shaped alittle dif then originals,more rounded on the leading edge,vs. being a crisp point.You are stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one,it is near impossible to have mint orig ones,so take your pick,rechrome or repo.
I am lucky, the ones on my black car are way better than normaly found ,IMO being very picky,are about a 7-8 out of 10 in the chromes condition,so I will be picking up another set of tailights,and doing the repo bezels,and have my originals just in case.

[Dino]

Buddy that's a tough one.  That chrome will not like being bent or heated.  There's possibly a way to safely bend them back, maybe by manipulating the back of it but without holding it in my hands I can't really tell how to do it.

You say you can bend them into position despite tension so give this a shot:  Get a tube of liquid nails (or whatever glue is the strongest) and put a thin bead on the trim, attach it to the lens and hold it there by wrapping tape around the whole thing.  Leave it as long as you can and hope that it holds. 

It would be better if you could get the trim back in shape but again, you may ruin the chrome.

You could of course call the chromers and tell them they messed up your trim.  If they offer to redo them then get the torch out, heat the bend and bend the trim back in place.  They may screw it up again though...

[Patronus]

Your not going to have much luck bending it. I just tried on some other pot metal pieces. Those do flex some... Clean up the posts and make sure the piece will sit all the way down. I used clear poly seamseal adhesive caulk. (from Hdepot) Use clamps to hold it down, may take a few. Test clamp it first.

[y3chargerrt]

I had the same issue when I had one taillight bezel rechromed. My chrome guy told me to send the bezel back with the lense. He reworked it and they fit together like a glove. I don't remember if he had to rechome it or not.

[bakerhillpins]

The ones on my 69 were obviously rechomed at some time because there are a few pits that have chrome in them. Mine seem to make it back to the tabs (most are broken though,  ) but they still don't fit all that well against the edge of the lights. Almost looks like the light plastic was heated up at some point and shrunk back. I don't think that yours are so far out of whack that you couldn't gently work them back to "flat" but I didn't just shell out $$s for all that work either.

[stripedelete]

Thanks for the advice. 

I did take them back to the "plater".  Since there was a raging blizzard outside I ran for coffee and we spent a couple of hours reworking them.
He got one spot on.  The other is close enough. 

For the sake of our collective knowledge:
He used a combo of hand twisting, strategic rubber mallet blows, and heat (sparingly).  He worked the first bezel from the center in.  This ended with the excess metal binding into the lower "s" curve.  At that point, the only way to achieve perfect was to notch and replate it.  While, he was willing to do it, I believe it is within Detroit tolerances of the day.    The second he worked from the center out.  That seemed to be the difference.  It's perfect. 

Thanks again guys and I hope this thread helps someone in the future.