Tail Light Conversion Got Messy.

[SC40096]

So I decided to clear out my tail lights this weekend. Things were going good but that glue is too messy. When I put the lights back together I ended up with some glue inside the headlight visible from the outside. Not only that, but at the time I could not get my hands on some diffusing plastic so I didn't put it on. I went with a ultra bright red LED brake light and it looks "OK". Being impulsive doesn't pay off. I'm going to put them inside the oven again and re-do it next week.

One thing though, the tail light on the right side where the trunk key goes into, I could not get it open until it kinda broke.

Has anyone used adhesive remover to get rid of that glue in order to work alot easier? Then applying glue afterwards?

Thank you.

[Calvin L]

so after messing up with the glue, you have any tips for us?

i am probably going to do my tail lights, paint my headlights, lows, highs, fogs, and cornering and modify my sidemarkers when summer school is over.

any advice would be much appreciated from people who are thinking of this mod.

[demontrae]

i painted the chrome inside my headlights black and i did the high beams and foglights the same way it came out nice was rather simple however when i did my taillights i also cracked one. it looks nice but taking your time is the best way

[SC40096]

Well, I tried the lights again. They came out pretty good this time. The tips I got for you are the following:

1. Take your time. Worst thing to do is rush. You'll get really frustrated.

2. There're three pieces to the tail light...The outside (part that other people see), The end where you plug in your light bulbs and the middle piece. When you take your lights apart, clean as much glue as you can off the end that people see. If not, when you try to stick in the middle part after taking out all the red and yellow pieces you will drag glue and that glue will be visible at night when you have your tail lights on. Try to clean the glue while it's hot.

3. To cut the diffusing plastic I used a table saw. The blade didn't have any teeth, it's just a blade to cut tiles. The high speed of the blade made it easy to cut without craking that diffusing plastic. If you try to cut it with scissors it will crack.

4. You'll probably have some critics when you tell them that you want to take apart your Lexus. them, have confidence and patience. When you're done with it you'll be proud.

[OneHotLexus]

I did the conversion last year, I have some suggestions. It's a lot easier to put the diffusing plastic in the light if you cut it into sections (like the lenses). Also, when I put the diffusing plastic in, I used mostly hot glue and Epoxy (even though hot glue is nice because it's clear, unless you load the sucker down with it the hot glue will melt over time and the diffusing plastic will slip down. Putting them in the oven works great but it's nice to have a heat gun too. And one last thing, it's great to have a friend help you do this conversion. They'll keep you company and you can cry together when it takes 4 hours to get one light apart (okay so there wasn't any crying but we came close a few times). And patience is good too, cuz it takes forever.