Custom LED Tailights----step 1

[clver]

So, i am sure everyone here has been behind a g35 or similar car with LED tailights and noticed them right away (kinda the point huh?) I have tried the "super bright 5,000,000 mcd 360 degress bulbs" but never have gotten close to the same effect.

So the only way to get the job done is to

a. wait for aftermarket
b. make my own
c. buy a set of infinite tails for 35k and get a free car to go with them.

Being in college and always tweaking things, I am opting for b.

So while perusing ebay I found a 2006 civic tailight for 10 bucks plus shipping which is great since I dont want to hack up my own tailights.

My first thought was to fit a set of LED trailer lights in them (the rectangular shaped ones)

After opening the lights which was WAYYYY more difficult then I thought. The heat gun I had was set a little to high and kinda deformed the taillight....which is fine, thats why I bought it, to break it.

So here are the pics and some measurements if anyone is interested.
*Mods* are DIV tables and remote caling .swf's disabled in this forum? They dont work!

direct link: http://picasaweb.google.com/paulsebern/NewAlbum103006259PM

<div style="text-align:center; width:194px; font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:83%;"><div style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/tr...background.gif) no-repeat left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/paulsebern/NewAlbum103006259PM"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/paulsebern/RUaDj7ZXABE/AAAAAAAAACo/ZlXOOJ5kqcQ/s160-c/NewAlbum103006259PM.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="border:none;padding:0px;margin-top:16px;"></a></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/paulsebern/NewAlbum103006259PM"><div style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">New Album 10/30/06 2:59 PM</div></a><div style="color:#808080"></div></div>

[Nomar06]

Cool, thanks for the pics. Im waiting for all my stuff to get here so I can give it a shot also. How did you end up taking the tail light apart?

Is the wavy part where it got too hot?

[clver]

I used a heat gun on a lower setting then what I used to open the headlights, and within a few seconds the headlight deformed and the lens was still hard to take off.

[Nomar06]

I got my stuff in today. There is no way these tailights are coming apart!
Are you still trying to do the LED or no??? Any updates?

[arisenfury]

Looking at the pictures, I can see how I would do it...

All those reflectors would be perfect for mounting the LED's to. Maybe every other panel have 2 or 3 LEDs mounted vertically. If you want it really bright then every panel. After that I'd probably try and redo the red cover along the lines of that Concept's LED lights.

[sickyute]

hmmmm
i thought of that...
awaiting progress

[arisenfury]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1PCS-x-7-Thin-LE...QQcmdZViewItem

Actually, I'd probably try to rig up some kind of mounting surface, those strips in the link from eBay are 7" long, according to the the pictures the inside is about 10" long. So maybe make a mounting surface on the far left side 7" long and get two of those eBay strips above and under each other, wire them in to the brake light and leave the incandescent bulb for the parking lamps. If possible separating the two so the incandescent light doesn't filter in behind the LEDs.

Oh man I bet it could work too, maybe during the summer once classes are done. It'd be way too time consuming right now.

[jayhomies-lx]

wow awsome DIY...hope u done it right....wait to see the finishing product

[06Fg2]

Any update?

[articsilber323]

nice


i hope this works out

[Nomar06]

Well, since he melted the back housing this is not going back together right.

I dont think that there is any way of seperating the red lense from the back housing. I spent 2 hours before cutting my tail light. Once I actually cut into the tail light and realized it wasnt going to work I tried alot of different method to no avail. So unless someone can get a tail lights that is not assembled, then we are going to have to wait for some crappy aftermarket that is going to look nowhere close to the concept tail lights.

[06Fg2]

Originally Posted by Nomar06

Well, since he melted the back housing this is not going back together right.

I dont think that there is any way of seperating the red lense from the back housing. I spent 2 hours before cutting my tail light. Once I actually cut into the tail light and realized it wasnt going to work I tried alot of different method to no avail. So unless someone can get a tail lights that is not assembled, then we are going to have to wait for some crappy aftermarket that is going to look nowhere close to the concept tail lights.

Damn man. Well I just got an extra set of tails, so I will let you know if I can find a way to get them apart "safely." This is my winter project, so it might be a while before I update.

[Nomar06]

If the clear diffuser was not in the taillight I would already have this done, but since the stupid diffuser wraps all the way to the top of the headlight I cant just break the lower part. Cant drill into the diffuser b/c on one end it is too close to the outer lense and it will f-up the outer lense.

Ill post some shots of my failed tail light.

[06Fg2]

That would be awesome so that I can think about it before I rip mine apart. How did you get your tails apart? I plan on just using the blowdryer.

[GETxERxDONE]

try baking them like everyone is doing the headlights? i dont think a hairdryer will get hot enough to melt the sealing stuff they use

[Nomar06]

Here are some of the pics of my failed attempt.

here I tried using heat to seperate but ended up breaking the corner. Didn't want to heat it up too much or it would have melted.


here i thought i cut cut along the entire edge to open it up, but where i have my hand, if I cut the edge of that it will seen from the outside once the light is put back on the car. Plus I found the diffuser is at the top of the light also.


here I just said F-it and cut a big hole on the bottom then thought I could drill into the diffuser. I cant cut the part where the screw is because a peice of metal attaches to that screw that basically holds up the rear bumper. (similar to the peiceon the headlight that holds the front bumper)


If you can see in the circled area is where I tried drilling the diffuser to put the led directly to the diffuser but went too far and drilled the outer lense. Found out that there is no space between the diffuser and the outer lense.

[Nomar06]

Originally Posted by GETxERxDONE

try baking them like everyone is doing the headlights? i dont think a hairdryer will get hot enough to melt the sealing stuff they use

The tailight dont use a sealent like the headlight. The back housing and the outer lense are basically melted together. Someone else in the site called it a plastic welding?

[06Fg2]

Originally Posted by Nomar06

The tailight dont use a sealent like the headlight. The back housing and the outer lense are basically melted together. Someone else in the site called it a plastic welding?

Yea I was reading that also. Man, you went at those tails...haha. Well, the tails are here, so I gotta try something.

[GETxERxDONE]

hmm..yeah i knwo what plastic welding is try using a dremel with a disk sander then just using some good sealer to put it back together?

[93sidood]

This sounds like a great idea, im gonna have to have a go at it also... like everyone else. haha. I think it can be done somehow. let the race begin!