Taking apart CE Red clears
05-08-2006, 05:27 PM
#12
Set the oven at 200 degrees, pre-heat it for 10 min. Then put the tails in for 7 min and check. Check one corner with a flat head screw driver, if it goes in and separates the housing easily, then take out the tails. If not, leave it in there for another 5 min and recheck.
05-08-2006, 07:36 PM
#13
Originally Posted by DR-Max
Set the oven at 200 degrees, pre-heat it for 10 min. Then put the tails in for 7 min and check. Check one corner with a flat head screw driver, if it goes in and separates the housing easily, then take out the tails. If not, leave it in there for another 5 min and recheck.
05-09-2006, 06:02 AM
#15
I know this has been talked about before but how is the fitment of the CE tails? I like the idea of the DTM to the new CE red/clears...interested in how this works out for you Kenji. Post some pics of the final product...
05-09-2006, 08:59 AM
#16
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Originally Posted by D-Bo
Nice choice Kenji, the contrast will look good on your ride. You're going all out this summer huh?
05-09-2006, 09:02 AM
#17
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When you work as hard as I do, you need to indulge sometimes. I just got a 60 cent raise too, and my stock will be fully vested in 6 months. Then I can tell them to take this job and shove it and use the xx grand to pay for college. I've got 16 grand in stock as of last year.. and my next valuation is coming soon (new fiscal year is here). I'm hoping that I have over 20 grand now. That should be enough to pay off a hefty student loan should I need it for the ECE PHD.
05-09-2006, 09:19 AM
#18
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So exactly how easily should the lense pull off? And has anyone even ever tried this with CM tails? Time will tell. I don't know if 200 degrees is gonna do it. It hasn't loosened up at all. I'll let it sit for a few more minutes.
Fedex just dropped off my Ksports.
Fedex just dropped off my Ksports.
05-09-2006, 10:59 AM
#21
Easily??? There's nothing easy about these types of stuff, you need patience...alot of it. If you rush and try to pry the lense off, it WILL break! If you feel some resistance as you pull the lense apart, stick it back in the oven. It doesn't matter how many times you stick it back in the oven as this process is done right when you do it gradually. Rushing things will only get you a cracked lense or two.
05-09-2006, 01:39 PM
#22
Originally Posted by kenji
No, the ksports WILL go on. The heads and tails are just low priority.
I work 40-60 hours a week. + some college classes
I work 40-60 hours a week. + some college classes
Same here but with a daughter who lives with me half the time. I've got a pile of projects in the garage to go at this summer too. Work meet here we come!
05-10-2006, 09:56 AM
#24
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The build quality on these is definately not great. Already three little pieces easily snapped off (and it gets more fragile with heat too for whatever reason)
I'll have to superglue those pieces back on. I chose a single piece of the 4 to do this testing on, knowing this type of thing would probably happen. I wonder if custom maxima would sell single piece replacements.. I guess I'd have better luck finding them here on the org.
I'll have to superglue those pieces back on. I chose a single piece of the 4 to do this testing on, knowing this type of thing would probably happen. I wonder if custom maxima would sell single piece replacements.. I guess I'd have better luck finding them here on the org.
05-10-2006, 10:40 AM
#25
They got those things fabricated in Taiwan which explains its quality.
Good thing they sent me a defective set. I was able to return them and forget about it. Soon after, I got lucky and found a set of all-clears being sold in limited quantities by an org member. He had 15 sets I believe and they went fast.
Anyway I had originally inteded to DTM it, which I did. I painted the inner housing of tails with graphite wheel enamel. However, I made a mistake of reinstalling the inner reflectors. So now, you can't tell that they've been DTM'd. So just a reminder, when you do yours, make sure that you don't put the back inner reflectors otherwise your tails will look just like before. You might notice a slight darkening but it won't be as obvious.
This is how mine looks like:
Good thing they sent me a defective set. I was able to return them and forget about it. Soon after, I got lucky and found a set of all-clears being sold in limited quantities by an org member. He had 15 sets I believe and they went fast.
Anyway I had originally inteded to DTM it, which I did. I painted the inner housing of tails with graphite wheel enamel. However, I made a mistake of reinstalling the inner reflectors. So now, you can't tell that they've been DTM'd. So just a reminder, when you do yours, make sure that you don't put the back inner reflectors otherwise your tails will look just like before. You might notice a slight darkening but it won't be as obvious.
This is how mine looks like:
Originally Posted by kenji
The build quality on these is definately not great. Already three little pieces easily snapped off (and it gets more fragile with heat too for whatever reason)
I'll have to superglue those pieces back on. I chose a single piece of the 4 to do this testing on, knowing this type of thing would probably happen. I wonder if custom maxima would sell single piece replacements.. I guess I'd have better luck finding them here on the org.
I'll have to superglue those pieces back on. I chose a single piece of the 4 to do this testing on, knowing this type of thing would probably happen. I wonder if custom maxima would sell single piece replacements.. I guess I'd have better luck finding them here on the org.
05-10-2006, 11:16 AM
#26
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I'm thinking about painting the outer-inner-part to match the smoked cefiros.
Part of the tail is flat, "parallel" to the lense, while part of it is recessed, housing the bulb. I wonder what it would do for the look to paint the flat part while leaving the inner recessed part reflective. I'll probably test it on just the clear part first. then I can always fill in the recessed part if it looks bad, and finally the black side if it's still no dice.
Part of the tail is flat, "parallel" to the lense, while part of it is recessed, housing the bulb. I wonder what it would do for the look to paint the flat part while leaving the inner recessed part reflective. I'll probably test it on just the clear part first. then I can always fill in the recessed part if it looks bad, and finally the black side if it's still no dice.
05-10-2006, 11:19 AM
#27
IMO, the way they made the innards of those tails are retarded! You have a small hollow square in the middle and then the rest of it is right up against the lense. Light distribution is not even, illumination pattern looks retarded. That is another reason why I returned those crappy tails.
Those tails will never illuminate as evenly as the oems or these aftermarket ones:
Those tails will never illuminate as evenly as the oems or these aftermarket ones:
Originally Posted by kenji
I'm thinking about painting the outer-inner-part to match the smoked cefiros.
Part of the tail is flat, "parallel" to the lense, while part of it is recessed, housing the bulb. I wonder what it would do for the look to paint the flat part while leaving the inner recessed part reflective. I'll probably test it on just the clear part first. then I can always fill in the recessed part if it looks bad, and finally the black side if it's still no dice.
Part of the tail is flat, "parallel" to the lense, while part of it is recessed, housing the bulb. I wonder what it would do for the look to paint the flat part while leaving the inner recessed part reflective. I'll probably test it on just the clear part first. then I can always fill in the recessed part if it looks bad, and finally the black side if it's still no dice.
05-10-2006, 03:47 PM
#28
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unfortunately im way past the point of no returns. i got these for 150 shipped in gd though, so i wont be heartbroken. My original plan which still may stand, was a 97 rear conversion, including a CF trunklid.
05-10-2006, 04:26 PM
#29
I was going to do the same thing you are doing when I got my CE tails. Somehow, I had a bad feeling about opening them up. Sorry you had to scrap these tails but I think you will be more happy with the 97+ trunk conversion + red/clear tails.
Originally Posted by kenji
unfortunately im way past the point of no returns. i got these for 150 shipped in gd though, so i wont be heartbroken. My original plan which still may stand, was a 97 rear conversion, including a CF trunklid.
05-11-2006, 09:09 AM
#31
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I'm not scrapping them. 4 pieces broke off (small) and I plan on supergluing them back on. My stock tail is still much worse, the entire center is shattered. no amount of superglue will make them right again. I don't plan on breaking any of the other 3 pieces
05-11-2006, 09:19 AM
#32
Superglue will fog up the plastic lense.
Originally Posted by kenji
I'm not scrapping them. 4 pieces broke off (small) and I plan on supergluing them back on. My stock tail is still much worse, the entire center is shattered. no amount of superglue will make them right again. I don't plan on breaking any of the other 3 pieces
05-11-2006, 09:56 AM
#33
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Oh? What would you recommend? These are really tiny pieces, like a third of a fingernail size, all the way down to just little chips. The largest is maybe half a finger nail.
05-11-2006, 11:30 AM
#34
I would use Testors Glue Plastic Cement, you can get it at a hobby shop. It's safe for plastic applications unlike the crazyglue.
Originally Posted by kenji
Oh? What would you recommend? These are really tiny pieces, like a third of a fingernail size, all the way down to just little chips. The largest is maybe half a finger nail.
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