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96/97 tail light fit and modification question

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Old Jan 10, 2011 | 08:13 PM
  #1  
Decimus Meridias's Avatar
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96/97 tail light fit and modification question

I have a 96 maxima. Just like everyone else, I want red/clears, but David Ls are rare and expensive and ebay only has them for 97-99s. I recently thought of something and figured I'd get some feedback before trying it. I know the inner tail lights are different for 95/96 and 97-99 b/c the trunk lids are different, but are the outer tail lights interchangeable? I read a while back that 97-99 can make red/clears by simply taking the amber lens/tint out of the inside of the taillight. Is this actually true and if so is it possible to also remove the red lens/tint from the top?

I highly doubt I'm the first to have this idea, so I assume that it won't work or someone else would've already done it. If there is a way to make it work, then I guess I'll be buying some stock 97-99 tail lights pretty soon. Thanks in advance for the feedback.
Old Jan 10, 2011 | 08:24 PM
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This topic has been covered about a 1,000 times. But just by telling you to SEARCH wont help.

First, the 97-99 tails will not fit in your trunk lid
*95-96 trunk lid has a groove in it, 97-99 does not
Second, here is a write-up on how to red clear the 97-99 tails
http://www.vqpower.com/v2/articles.php?article_id=46
* If you are going to change the trunk lid for the 97-99 tails, you will need to pick up some tails, so might as well just buy the red/clears off of ebay
* These should match the actual trunk lid lights (mine did)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-99...Q5fAccessories
* And lastly, the outers can be switched out
Old Jan 10, 2011 | 08:42 PM
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Decimus Meridias's Avatar
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search...hmmm. How about reading the post before answering? Not trying to be a jerk, but...

First, I said in the original post I know the 97-99 will NOT fit in the 95-96 trunk lid. Not only is there a groove, the 97-99 inner tails are more angled on the inside.

Second, I also know how to red/clear the 97-99 tails. My question is can they be completely cleared? The pictures on the link don't really show whether the outside lens is actually red or if the red can be removed just like the amber.

I would really rather not change the trunk lid b/c I like the 95/96 better and don't have a lot of money. I'd also rather not spend $100+ on tails that won't match red/clear top/bottom.

Lastly, Thank you. I actually did want to know if they could swap out without any problems. I was reasonably sure after searching, but wanted some more confirmation.
Old Jan 10, 2011 | 10:46 PM
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The outer tails are interchangeable. I'm not sure though if it's possible to remove the red from the top of the '97-'99 outers since I've never baked open a set personally.
Old Jan 11, 2011 | 06:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Decimus Meridias
search...hmmm. How about reading the post before answering? Not trying to be a jerk, but...

First, I said in the original post I know the 97-99 will NOT fit in the 95-96 trunk lid. Not only is there a groove, the 97-99 inner tails are more angled on the inside.

Second, I also know how to red/clear the 97-99 tails. My question is can they be completely cleared? The pictures on the link don't really show whether the outside lens is actually red or if the red can be removed just like the amber.

I would really rather not change the trunk lid b/c I like the 95/96 better and don't have a lot of money. I'd also rather not spend $100+ on tails that won't match red/clear top/bottom.

Lastly, Thank you. I actually did want to know if they could swap out without any problems. I was reasonably sure after searching, but wanted some more confirmation.
Your first post rambled. It wasnt clear what exactly you were asking

FTR, I believe I have seen a set of all clear's once before. Try to find an extra housing and open to check out. May be interesting to see, depending on the color of your car

Last edited by tigersharkdude; Jan 11, 2011 at 06:06 AM.
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