Does anyone know a good method of getting rid of slight scratches on IPC plastic? Id really like to just swap it out but it appears to be glued on and I really don't want to break it. I was thinking of wetsanding it with like 1500 grit sandpaper but does anyone have better ideas?

 

try a heat gun to soften the edges of the scrach, try and blend it back in. heat guns usialy run around 700 degrees, should be plenty hot enough just be carefull not to moosh in your fingerprint ;P

 

wouldnt that distort the plastic though? like make it so its not clear?

 

If you have any hope of salvaging the lens, DO NOT use a heat gun on it

If the scratch isn't too deep, you should be able to remove it using plastic polish (IE: PlastX). I have had pretty good luck cleaning up lenses with it

If it's too far gone, I can replace the lens on the bezel, but unless you are going to do some modding on the bezel, it's kinda cost prohibitive. You can see some of the modified bezels here:
http://www.bbengineer.com/cars/impala/store.htm#Bezel

The bezel/lens is a separate piece and is available from a dealer parts counter, so if you can't clean up the scratch, you can replace the entire bezel (IIRC, retail is around $45 for the bezel/lens)

BBEngineer

 

That really sounded like a good idea to you?

OP, please dont use a heat gun to melt the plastic and fill in the scratch with the melted plastic, you'll lose all clarity and texture to the piece.

 

i bought a 3m headlight restoration kit while i was working on an 85 camaro. bought it to clean up the tail lights but i also tried it on the dash lens and it worked wonders. theres two grits of dry sandpaper then a wet one then a polish. just use your drill, doesnt take that long. heres a link to what im talking about http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3M-He...#ht_1708wt_802

 

I wouldn't recommend that on the 00-05 cluster unless you have a very light tough as the plastic is very thin and quite brittle.

BBEngineer