Hi Guys
I just want to know how this person made is taillights to look like this------>
this picture was from ontariofires.com
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its a secret. shhh.
j/k man. as soon as we figure it all out, im sure we will be able to help everyone. there is about 3 people on here fabricating their own tails as we speak. till then, just keep a look out for pictures and posts.
-Www.IznTrbl.Com-
Making truly clear lenses is no harder of different than doing it for the headlights
Dreams do come true....
<img src = "http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/96sunfireconvt/ModdedFireBlue.jpg">
Go ahead, you don't need our permission to make your own clear taillights...sheesh...
i know how to make them hehe
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Here is how to make them...as most of you know I used a website set-up by some Honda guys on how to make clear tails. That site is now down and nobody can find it.....so I'll just make a step-by-step list for everyone.
Materials
-Dremel tool (A must...this will become your best friend throughout this process!!)
-Spare set of taillights (go to the wrecker...find broken ones...casing must be OK!)
-.25 thick plexi-glass (Home Depot = $10 max!!)
-Office lighting sheet (Home Depot = $5 max!!)
-Pliers (Needle nose)
-Clear or black silicon
-Clear plastic model/hobby glue (Go to a hobby store)
-Oven
-Safety glasses
-Clamps (To clamp the casing and lense together to help it dry...overnight!)
Process
First take a screw driver..stick it into the back(were the bulb goes in) of the spare taillight and use a hammer to break a hole into the stock lense. Once you get a hole use needle nose pliers to remove the rest of the red lense. (Be careful...the stuff is sharp and gets everywhere).
Once you have removed all the red lense..use the dremel sanding bit to sand away any large pieces of red lense stuck in the border around the casing. Once it is all clean you can start to cut your plexiglass.
Use the good stock taillight as a model for your new lense. Cut out a small square from the plexi glass and the office lighting sheet. (The size of the light...a bit larger though) Put the plexiglass in the oven at a warm temperature...not hot....because the stuff gets soft fast and will bend and flex. Once the plexi is warm enough to flex it....you can pull it out fast and put it up to the good stock taillight....this is where your gonna have to mold it!! (HARDEST PART OF THE WHOLE PROCESS) I went through seven peices of plexi before I got the right shape. Press down on the warm plexi and rub it around to create the shape. Once you get a close enough bend...you can draw an outline of the stock lense and use the dremel cutter to cut away any excess plastic. Once it is cut...you should be able to put it up to the spare clean taillight and almost have it fit perfectly!
Once you have the plexiglass shaped and cut....you can put the office lighting sheet into the oven....be quick with this stuff....its thin and brittle and will shrivel up fast...if left to long inside the oven. Same process as the plexi...heat it up and mold it to the good stock taillight....than cut away and excess plastic.
Once you have both pieces done you will notice that the taillight has a small compartment where the actual bulb sits....its all silver and reflective. You are gonna have to cut the office lighting stuff just enough to fit over that small compartment. The plexiglass will be larger and will cover the whole light. Once you make the cut....use the clear model glue to attach the office lighting sheet to the plexiglass. You will than only have one lense..because the two peices will be glued together. Once that is done and you are happy with the fit.....let everything dry overnight. Than take the new clear lense and get the stock clean casing....get your silicon and fill in the border gap of the stock casing with the silicon...not to much or it will overflow. Once you have filled the gap....press the lense and the casing together....and hold it firmly...do not let it shift or move.....just clamp it together and let it dry. The silicon has just created a bond and seal for your new taillight...no water will enter the bulb compartment now. Once everything is dry....you will have a clear taillight. You will notice that the light only lights up in the middle...where the bulb comaprement is...so you can either leave the outside area clear...or can paint it what ever color you want. You must mask of the center part of the light (where it will light up) with clear masking tape...just cover the area and use a sharp knife to make the correct shape. Once it is masked...take some 600 grit sandpaper and sand the outside area a bit. Make sure to clean the outside part with some degreaser before sanding.
Than use some high close factory color match paint and spray the outside area. Once it is dry...you can use some more clearcoat paint and spray it a bit!. Wait till everything is dry....and you have yourself a nice set of custom clear Sunfire taillights!!
Hope this helps everyone....the process took me about a month to complete...I worked on them almost everyday..for 2-3 hours. Lots of detailed cutting and modeling is required. I also included some pics...
Good Luck,
Paul (Ginostyle)
that should do lol if you looked in the how to forum on ontario fires its there
somebody should pin this or sticky it
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Sticky it...this winter i will probably give it a shot...
any legal issues?
all clear tails are illegal. you need some type of red reflector on them
BaggedCav98 wrote:all clear tails are illegal. you need some type of red reflector on them
I believe that the car in the orig post would be legal, since the owner retained the stock red bumper reflectors.
i remember seeing a post once about interest in a possible gp for these and it ended up getting locked... im not sure who it was that was making them tho.
Check out my build thread!
the pic fo that was the original car posted hes on ontario fires anything for a fire best place to look
hey BuMmRz
dont you have pictures of this how you made it if you do can you please post them. Thanks Tim
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its not myca car its a fellow member of ontario fires I just found the post only pic i know of is the one posted originally i can look into it tomorrow
well i am thinking about making them.
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well crap after reading a other post about the 03+ sunfire part switch i just go with the 03+ upgrade.
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honestly the 03 swap is easier just depends what your going for im in the process of doing custom tails for my car using the technique above hopefully finish this month
Xtreme97Sunfire:
Hit me up on aim and i can show you some clears i made for my sunfire out of plexiglass.
RacingFire98 on aim
. If anyone makes taillights like that I would definitely be interested in a set. 
