I'm thinking about converting my stock tail lights to red/clear. The point of this thread is to rate the risk involved. I'm pretty confident in myself when doing projects but i want to know how bad can this cosmetic upgrade get? example- will the clear look ugly because it wasn't applied properly? and if i really screw up can i redo it? for you experienced ones, do you have any tips on how to make this upgrade easier?
-any fu*ked up pic of tail lights

I haven't done them myself but I know people have cracked the housing while attempting to clear them out. I'd say above all, take your time.

Take your time. I cracked the edge on both taillights because I wasn't careful. Make sure all the glue is melted before you try to pry it open. I still haven't gotten my hands on a new set to retry. Mine looks good from far.. but really fu*ked up close.

I cracked the lower corner of my left light, not that bad, but you can see it. Take your time! and make sure the glue is heated, and pull apart from all ends, not one end.

I tried it but i couldnt do it. I gave up..... but im an idiot so you could probabally do it. I cracked the one side trying to pry it apart, not cool

Yea, i tried it. gave up after cracking mine three times. Custommaxima has them for $149 right now.

Hey, if u go to NE installer section on this website, i read that one guy takes ur old ones + $50 and sends u clear ones back. That offer is only available before you crack them, once they go bad, he wont do it.

I cleared mine out, but not without cracking the passenger side corner off of it. All I can say is heat up the lense evenly and pry slowly. I warped a part of the clear lense...I love superglue for this project

I cracked my driver's side taillight when putting them back together because the glue was not heated up enough.

Like everyone else said, just take your time. If you're carefuly you can get them done perfectly. They should come apart and go back together very easily... if not, the glue is not hot enough. Back into the oven.

I did my own...put about a one-inch crack in 'em...I was PIS$ED at
the time, but, the anger fades...hehehe...BUT, I saw someone who
basically COOKED their tails -- if I had a picture, I'd post it,
and we'd all have a good laugh!!!

be patient...best advice I can give.

FLO_BOY

how long should they be in the oven for... this thread is making me worry about this mod...

I was making custom inserts and I used superglue. Needless to say the glue must have not been dried all the way cause the next morning the inside of my tails were hazzy from superglue fumes. Shortly after that I was rearended. So now I have stock tails again.

Man a lot of you guys screwed it up...I bought the mod off ebay for $30 with directions that included baking em in over at 225 for like 10 minutes...I was worried when I read that, but mine didnt crack and now they look much better.

that would be me

i melted my tail light in the oven

took me about 8 tail lights before i learned how to make them perfectly

I didnt do my tail lights, i had Joel a.k.a BigHam do them. I was there when he did them, their relatively easy if youve done a set or two before. I was afraid of cracking the lens if i did them myself...


Heres a write up he did, follow it to a T and you should be fine...

97-99 Red Clear Tail lights How-To





Eric

this is avail for 95-96's right??

we just have to dremel the yellow out with a disk right?
what disk?

This has been discussed time and time again. Theres absolutely NO WAY to get rid of the amber part of your stock 95-96 tail lights. Sorry. The only route you guys have is to either buy altezzas, wait for CM to come out with a set of red clears (dont hold your breath), switch to a 97-up rear, or buy all clears (which are hard to find, not in production anymore) and paint the bottoms red, or buy red clears form someone else. They usually go for 200-up...



Eric

I disagree to the above statement about 95-96 tails. Someone here on the Org. did remove the amber part, but obviosly left a big hole. Never the less it can be done, but it looks like the lens is broken (and it leaks). My sister backed into a truck and made free clear tails, from a distance they look OK, but they were broken.

Well it obviously wouldnt look right then, it would look pretty ghetto.


Also, to add...you can use red vinyl tape to cover the amber part, though up close it looks slightly tacky. Depending on the tape used...



Eric

on the 95-96 you can just spray the amber part with some plastic model type spray you get at autozone or home depot or something, ask jepht20 for his pictures, he recently did it, i think its looks awsome. you just gotta clear coat it after to protect it. Seriously looks nasty tho

sound like everyone loves cracking those tails. j/k


i read this in one of the instructions, "The only tip I have here is to NOT use the outside corner of the taillight for leverage. That corner is extremely fragile and will crack if too much pressure is applied to it."
is this true? and where is the outside corner of the taillight? (i guessing the bottom left corner taillight. Can someone confirm this)

yeah i cracked my housing cause i tried to force it.

just make sure you heat them at like 200 degrees in the oven for AT LEAST 10 mins.

it should just peel apart with very little effort.

luckily i could glue it back together so i dont really need a new tailight. cant really see it unless you examine them.

I cleared my tails withOUT craking them, it wasnt too hard, just took a lil time and patience

seriously?!?! what did u do with the first 7 taillights?

Where I cracked mine in your pic is the bottom left.
mind you, it was on the other tail light...it is fragile.

I used a heat gun...safer than the oven because you can
essentially shut it off at a moment's notice...just aim away,
which you do anyway because you wave the gun back and forth,
never really concentrating in one area.

FLO_BOY

Everyone cracks them at least once... if you put it back together they're invisible when you're done. As long as they're small of course.

anyone have pics of cracked tails that they kept on their maximaz?

If no one gets one before tomorrow afternoon I'll go out when it's light and get a couple.