400i Parking/Turnsignal lens replacement

HELP--This looked like such an easy project, but...Murphy has struck! Replacing white/amber lenses with all white. The price for a pair ($785) should have deterred me, but the old ones were cracked. Soooo...removed light boxes with difficulty (VERY tight fit), removed and replaced lenses and applied thin silicone strip along top and sides to seal lens to box. Got light boxes back into opening with difficulty, but can NOT get lenses to seat flush into opening. Will NOT "snug up" last 1/2 inch. What is the installation secret? Thanks in advance.

 

Sebastien--

I found a pair thru Squadra Nuvolari. The owner is Tony Cavelli and his company makes the lenses (both EURO and US) for many, many Ferraris. His company does specialty injection molding and is located in San Diego, CA. If you go to Squadra Nuvolari, you will find some info on Tony. Quite a racing background, in addition to his technical/executive resume.

Below please find his e-mail address.

[email protected]

One note of caution: Tony ONLY supplies the plastic lenses. They do NOT come with the attached internal metal mounting screw anchor supports. If you look at your lenses carefully, you will note the internal metal supports are "mushroomed" over and the mushroom portion rests on the EXTERNAL surface of the mounting screw holes in the lenses. In my case, the mushroom portion of the internal metal supports had broken out the recessed screw hole, which is why I sought to replace them. Don't know how the OEM lenses are manufactured with these supports. If it were me, I would insert support from inside, then use a mandrel to carefully "mushroom" the end onto outside/external surface of lens.

As you note from my original message, I can NOT get these lens boxes back into opening of our 400i. Going to take to my local wrench, who turns out to be a wizard in just about all things auto, Marc Wilson at SportsCar Clinic in nearby Roanoke, VA. Have thought of inserting them to within the last 1/4 or 1/2 inch of travel, then inserting screws and "snugging" down from inside. But I can't see trying to pull these lens boxes in using the plastic to apply mechanical "load." I am stumped and if you have any likely sources who might know the "trick," again, I would appreciate it.

Please give my kind regards to Tony.

Ed Trottier
Moneta (Smith Mtn Lake), VA
540-721-4184