I've done a search, and had no luck answering ALL my questions about removing the 95/96 tail lights. I'm going to be removing all 4 pieces to do the red-out mod to them (minus the reverse light). I know you have to remove 4 bolts on the outer lights, and I found those...and I was told you need to pull really hard on the plastic clips holding the wiring to the 2 inner bolts. Well, what about the inner lights mounted on the trunk lid? I've seen 4 bolts that could potentially hold them in, but only 2 of them are very obvious, so how many do I need to remove on them...and which ones (if just 2)?

Also, once I disonnect all the wiring from the bulbs on the backs of the units and what not, does the whole unit come out...or just the colored plastic lenses? (i.e. are the taillights actually 2 pieces each or just 1? as far as sockets/plastic lenses)

Sorry for all the questions...I just want to do this right.

 

There are 4 bolts also on the trunk lid lights. The other two are easy access also. Each taillight is a whole unit, so there are 4 units. When you take off the nuts and push on the bolts to pop the lights out, you'll see.

 

Ok, so all the sockets holding in the bulb plus the plastic lenses themselves are all one unit for each of the 4 tail lights? Sounds good.

Also...I plan to take measures to keep the black sticky crap from getting on my paint, but just in case I do, what can I use to get it off?

 

The whole unit comes out and it is one piece. I smashed my right rear tail light backing into a post in January. I got a used one from an autowrecker, but he replaced it for me for nothing and I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have as there was snow on the ground and I was freezing my a$$ off, lol!

It took him a long time to break the seal on the tail light. You should use a hair dryer to do it.

 

I'll be sure to do that. Seems like this whole deal is going to be a bit of a pain in the @$$, but I guess it'll be worth it. Reinstallation should be easier than the removal, too, right?

 

I used my halogen work light. I just stuck it there for a couple of minutes and it soften that black goo. Unfortunately once you try to remove the light you get strings of that black goo. Be careful as its a biotch to clean off.

 

Yeah I know, that's why I'm asking...if I were to get any on the paint, what would I use to get it off?

 

Pick up a can of Goof-Off.

 

I just used water and a towel and it came off.

 

just pushed really hard, they popped out, the goo is nasty

 

Hmm...well, went to do the removal today and couldn't get any of the bolts off except 1 They're all on extremely tight, and I don't have deep enough sockets to go over the long screws, so I was using needle-nose pliers and managed to get 1 off but the others won't budge. Hoping to find a way to get those off and get these babies painted next week sometime maybe.

On a more positive note, I finally had a chance to wash my car for the first time in almost 2 weeks

 

what i did was put the bolt on the nut with out the crank, then insert the crank, mine were to long i tried this and whala

 

I hate to bring up my old thread, but I've found that I just need the right size of open-ended wrench. I keep forgetting everything on these cars is metric, and all my tools are standard. So what size of bolt is on the tails? The only metric wrench I have is 10mm, and that's too big. So what is it? 6mm? 8mm?

 

8 mm I believe. I have yet to use my 6mm on anything.

 

That's what I thought. The 10mm seemed "just a little too big" for the bolt.

 

yeah you will need a deep 8

 

I'm not getting a socket, I'm just getting a box wrench.

 

Well I finally got around to getting a wrench. 8mm is indeed the right size. However, I can only get 2 bolts off on each tail section. The inside lights I need a deep socket for, they're up in the hole. I can understand that.

My problem now is, how to get the 2 outermost bolts off on each of the outside tail sections. I tried getting them off with the wrench...and I can get a decent grip on them. However it seems like I'm just turning and turning and turning and they never get very loose (like able to be taken off by hand). The one is now stripped How do you get these off? They're on so tight I didn't think it was possible to even get them off.

 

When I was removing mine to do the clear mod, I did end up ripping a few of the bolts clean off the plastic housing. Seems like a normal thing for them to just spin in place like that. I got lucky because the ones I ripped off were diag across from each other so it does not move even with just two bolts holding it down.