ss_black Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 I'm finally done with my tail lights. Come and check them out at http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/747596/6 Quote
Dirty Rockstar Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 Lookin good!! Total kick ass.. Quote
CuttySup Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 That car is so good looking! Keep up the great work! :worship: Quote
GP1138 Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 Fuck, dude. That's the nicest Lumina I've ever seen! Awesome ass tail lights! Quote
jeremy Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 I'll give you credit for time/energy and they probably do look decent at night, but I really don't care for the daytime look at all. Quote
digitaloutsider Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 I'll give you credit for time/energy and they probably do look decent at night, but I really don't care for the daytime look at all. Quote
J Posted February 9, 2005 Report Posted February 9, 2005 what'd u do with the clears? I have tried to make some but don't have the patience for them, i'd buy them from you Quote
Speckkial Posted February 10, 2005 Report Posted February 10, 2005 Is carbon fiber material heat and/or water resistant? I want to put a shield, of sorts, behind these custom wheels I'm getting, probably in-between the actual wheel and the brakes. I planned on powder-coating the shields the same color as my car so in the end, it would be like chrome against forest green. But I was having a hard time trying to figure out what material wouldn't melt from all the heat build-up in that location. Quote
ss_black Posted February 11, 2005 Author Report Posted February 11, 2005 Hey guys, thanks for checking out the tail lights. I have definetely put a lot of research and work into them. I have just uploaded more pix to the cardomain web site. again, the link is http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/747596/6 here is a sneak preview: Quote
slick Posted February 11, 2005 Report Posted February 11, 2005 Wanna make me a set?? Or make me a set of clears? Quote
J Posted February 11, 2005 Report Posted February 11, 2005 i asked about the clears, I told him i'd send me some cash and a new set of tails and he wants $75 for the clears. too rich for my blood, i'll just take my sweet ass time and make my own. Btw SS those tails turned out great!!! the only thing i would do is remove the GTS sticker on them Quote
ss_black Posted February 11, 2005 Author Report Posted February 11, 2005 xtremelumina92, I can give you a few pointers on how to make the clear ones, if you want. It does take a while and my kitchen was filled with plastic shavings. As for the GTS on the masks, they will come off. Haven't gotten a chance yet. Quote
J Posted February 11, 2005 Report Posted February 11, 2005 post what you used to cut them and what kind of silicone did you use to seal them? I have tried 3 tails and none have turned out how i like them, i think i am trying to make them too perfect. later Jay Quote
GutlessSupreme Posted February 11, 2005 Report Posted February 11, 2005 Damn man you know how to do a car right :shock: that's freakin awesome... lights, dash, body kit, wheels.. whole deal. I love it. Quote
cryptnix Posted February 12, 2005 Report Posted February 12, 2005 ss_black, i want to see in detail more of what it looks like during the day time i can't see much with that little picture. cause it'd be neat blacking the piss out of 'em and then ... hmm wait with the magnifier i can see that you did do the total black out except where the LED's are ... nice work. :-) Quote
Darksyde Posted February 12, 2005 Report Posted February 12, 2005 Yo SS question for ya.....I as well went with the LED's. I have 12 LED cluster bulbs in the rear as well as my front markers and i have single LED 194's for my front corner markers. Here's the question with such a low draw that LED's have my stock flasher won't work. I have a heavy duty 12 bulb flasher it works but the with the small load the LED's draw it makes the flash delay to slow for my liking. Just curious if you had the same problem....if so what did you go with? My idea was to go with a flasher from a 2000+ caddy. They have shitloads of LED's in the rear. Quote
ss_black Posted February 12, 2005 Author Report Posted February 12, 2005 I used my original flasher but added a 2 Ohm resistor per stop/turn wire in the back. Each resistor draws as much as a single bulb. That way, I fool the flasher into thinking that I have real bulbs in the back. It did make the running vs. stop/turn action not as noticable as with real bulbs or when it flashed really fast. That's why I disconnected the running light wires from the regular stop/turn sockets and introduced a 60 LED running light bar. It ended up being the best decision. Jack Quote
ss_black Posted February 12, 2005 Author Report Posted February 12, 2005 Jay, to make the clear lenses I first placed the tail light into an oven that was preheated to 250 F and then turned off. I took the lights out after 6-7 minutes. The sealent was hot and came apart when I was prying the tail lights open. Once the covers were off, I carefully pulled the clear plastic out. It is actually glued in place. Then I drilled 2 holes in each red rectangle and used a jig saw to cut out the rectangles. I stayed away from the final borders. It takes quite awhile to cut out the rectangles. The seam would melt back together. So you should try making the speed slower. Afterwards I used a dremel tool with one of those sand paper bits. I used that to eat away the red until I reached black border. You gotta be very careful and steady there. Once the rectangles took shape, I used 60 grit paper and then went up from there to sand away imperfections. Make sure that you do not have any red leftovers showing. I think to make it look even better, you might want to paint the edges black or even the entire piece. The next step was to prepare the whire reflector. It has bumps in a few places that you need to sand off with the same dremel bit. That will get the clear reflector closer to the black frame. As for silicone, I used clear silicone that you can find at any home depot. It used for sealing door seams and works fine for this. It comes in a tube for which you'll need the caucking gun. Cut the tube end at an angle when you are ready to roll that bid. But first, use something like JB Quick or some epoxy to secure the clear plastic to the frame. You do not want it to move when you start putting on the silicone. Once ready, apply the silicone in a steady motion from the inside of the frame, filling in the gap between the clear plastic and the frame. Do not get any onto the clear plastic where it would be visible when lit. Make sure that you apply the silicone in one set. Do not attempt applying it in parts. You might create tiny gaps. Also if the silicone comes out on the outside, wipe it off with paper towel. Once dried, you'll get the rest off by scrubbing it with a finger. The silicone should dry for a day or so before you assemble the tail light back. A piece of advise, get rid of the old sealent. Use a flat screwdriver as a mini shovel and get the sealant out. Afterwards apply the same silicone in a nice continuous bid all around the enclosure replacing the old sealent. Once done, carefully allign the new cover and the enclosure and press them together. Once the silicone dries up, you'll have leak free clear tails. Keep in mind that your bulbs are clear. Next Step, red LEDs Quote
wilde108 Posted February 12, 2005 Report Posted February 12, 2005 They look amazing .... im lovin it! Nice work Quote
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