Does anyone know where to get the materials necessary to replace the orange lens in the '97 outer tail lights? I've checked out the acrylic fluorescent light cover sheets in Home Depot, Lowes, and other stores but they all don't match the pattern in the tail lights.

Those that have done this mod before what can you recommend?

 

do what i did. replace both the corner piece and the trunk piece as well. that way it'll match perfectly. the trunk pieces are easier to pull apart than the corners because there isn't any curves to worry about.

 

Yup, do all 4 so they match.

 

Did you use the acrylic fluorescent light cover sheet or something else?

How is the visibility of turn signals w/o the reflectors, especially during bright sunlight?

Can you post some pics please.

 

It should be the same.

 

i only have the outers done.



i didn't think about doing the trunk lights until i was done. i just haven't gotten around to it yet. it really isn't all that noticeable unless you are up close. i definitely like the look alot better though! just a tip, if you do this, use the oven method for seperating the housing. it was super easy. and a dremel tool. scissors suck for it and the stuff just breaks.

 

yeah i'm not for sure if that's the name or not, but it's just the plain old light cover that i'm sure you're thinking of.

 

Would the "oven method" mean using a heat gun? I read the write up and it said to use a heat gun. I have one I can borrow from work and I was going to use that, would the "oven method" be better?

 

What temperature setting did you use and how long did you keep the lights in the oven?

Some say that this method may damage(melt) the housing, what was you experience with it?

 

230 and 15-20 Min.
Trust me, I have done this well over 10 times.

 

kevlo, did you use any type of foil, or cookie sheet or u jus place the housing on the oven rack?

D

 

take a look at my post, its hell, atleast for me

 

well i did it at 200 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. just make sure you preheat the oven. dont worry about foil or a cookie sheet or anything. and then use a wide flat tool like a chisel and pry it apart. it should seperate real easy. i was a little worried, hearing everyone tell me not to crack it and stuff, but it was so easy i couldn't believe it.

 

I put mine on a 100% Cotton Towel

 

yep, i tried the oven method and it work GREAT F the heat gun. The word is out Oven is in Gun is out!!!

 

Well I can do the Heat Gun method easily too.

 

Honestly, I don't know why anyone with a 97-99 still makes their own tail lights. Just buy some new ones off eBay -- they have real inserts (not florescent light covers) and look ten times better. Plus, they match the stock inner clears perfectly. $99 plus shipping on eBay, or you might be able to get a special deal from custommaxima.com if you mention maxima.org.

i bought the new tail lights after I had made my own clears. I guarantee that after the expense of materials, the time it takes to make them, and the risk of cracking your taillights (i made one small crack), the non-homemade lights are a bargain... especially if you're worried about matching the inners! If you're worried about money, use the time you saved (several hours) for donating plasma or mowing the neighbor's lawn.

in case you've never seen these tail lights, here are some pics:





I cannot think of a single reason why you'd want to make your own.

kreg37

 

good point dude, but the way i see it, why not try to make your own (cost is only gonna be for the light cover since everyone is using the oven now), then if you screw up your OE's just snag some red clears off ebay, you are only out an extra 5 bucks for the light cover, am i wrong? is time that precious? its a fun weekend project, man

 

=$99


=$5




the satisfaction of knowing that you made it yourself = Priceless!!!

 

That is true. I had the satisfaction of doing it myself, and it is a fun project. But if you’re mechanically declined (like the guy who cracked three of four lenses) or want it done quickly, I wouldn’t recommend it.

One of the main reasons I bought the JDM lights was because the light doesn’t show through very well in the daytime. No one really ever talks about this, but it should be taken into consideration before you seal your lights back up. After I installed my homemade lights, I didn’t want to take them apart to correct the problem… but if I were to make homemade lights again, I’d line the inside of the housing unit with something reflective like aluminum foil to reflect out more light. Otherwise, it will look like a little yellow tennis ball in the daytime. At night, it’s fine, though.

kreg37

 

I would never buy red/clears from eBay because the lights are very fragile and the seller is not responsible for damaged items (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...909083041&rd=1). Even if you purchase insurance and manage toget your money back you're still out of tail lights.

The reason I say this is because I ordered a set a while back from RedlineMax, when there was a GD for $100 shipped, for my father and twice they arrived damaged. I ended up driving from Philadelphia to NYC to pick them up.

 

Does anyone know where to get the "real" inserts with reflectors, the ones that are in the Taiwan made red/clears?

Is it possible to buy just the inserts from the factory(or somewhere else) that makes these lights?

 

I didn't have this problem. I got mine from custommaxima.com for something ridiculous like less than $90 shipped because i mentioned the org. They package them really well. I also sold my old red/clears, and they shipped to the buyer just fine. After working with the stock lights and having them crack at one point, I wouldn't say that the JDM clears are any more fragile.

Wouldn't that be nice if you could, considering cutting out the acrylic lenses is the toughest part. It also happens to be the part that will never be "perfect," no matter how well you cut them out. They just don't match the inners. That's why I recommend the JDM clears -- they look like they were made in the factory. They especially look much better when the lights are actually blinking. Just trust me on this one, its worth it. BTW, I would have never bought the "homemade" ones back when custommaxima was selling them for $200.

 

Uhmm...they're not JDM, just like DC clears the tails are made in Taiwan and their quality is inferior compared to the stock Japanese (Koito).

 

the problem is with the already made red/clears they sell on ebay is that they use the cheapest replacement possible. The outer red section of the tail light looks way darker than the trunk outer tail light. I bought a set from redlinemax, and I wasn't happy with the color difference, so I got my heat gun, and swapped the new inserts to my OEM tails. Now I'm 100% happy

 

total cost = $0.00!!

i found a sheet of that acrylin at home and used it to cut out the inserts. i even used a hair dryer (yes i said hair dryer and not heat gun) and it worked. just took a bit longer and had to be more careful. had a friend helping me on this too. and look at the outcome.. picture perfect (well almost). both corners and trunk pieces matches 100% because i replaced them. in the middle picture, i replaced the stock amber with an orange bulb so it is more visible and legal.

 

Again, I didn't have a problem with the red on the taiwanese lights (or whatever you want to call them) not matching the red on the inners. That is to say, they match perfectly!

aznprid972, I think your tails look great, but they’re afflicted with the same problem possessed by all homemade lights -- the acrylic just doesn’t distribute the light across the whole light housing. It’s not designed to. They look somewhat ok in that picture because its almost dusk, but in normal daylight, they completely wash out.

Again, it’s not to harp on your lights, it’s just that’s why I like the taiwanese lights over homemade. The inserts are designed to distribute the light.

 

I can tell from your pic that the outer doesn't match the inner tail. The red outline is way darker on your outer lights. I guess is not a big deal, but for me it was, and they look 10% better now