How to open your tails
Mar 7, 2006, 04:31 AM
#1
How to open your tails
I didn't see a clear writeup by anyone on how to open their tail lights, so this is my attempt to let everyone know that it's not as difficult as some would make it seem.
Please don't PM me asking me if I'll do your tails for money, this thread is aimed at the do-it-yourself enthusiast and is not an effort to take money out of anyone's pocket for their services, or line my own pockets in any way.
Having said that, of the two sets I've done, I have not taken good pictures or video of my work, so if someone would want to come to my house and capture video or pictures of the process I'll _open_ their tails as a thank you. I said open, not paint, because I find the painting process tedious and not so much fun.
Okay, now that the mumbo jumbo has been taken care of, are we ready to delve into the black arts of tail light modification? I think we are!
All you'll need are your set of tails, a sharp and safe utility knife (I used a quality stanley knife with an 18mm blade), an a proper heat gun (no hairdriers or ovens used here!).
First, take the wiring and bulbs off the housing as well as all removable peices. There's a little foam pad and a white plastic insert that can be taken off as well. A pic too is useful for taking the wiring connector off its clip.
The process I used to separate the clear outer cover from the black housing is to simply take a few swipes with the heat gun on high at the back of the clear lens with the heat gun. I take slow, deliberate 'blows' at the adhesive material with each pass approximately 12" long and lasting 3 seconds. I take 10 to 15 passes. I'm spending so much time describing this as it is very important. We're not melting anything here folks, just warming the adhesive up. In a perfect world, we'd be able to heat the adhesive (the squished and porous-looking hard, black goo between the clear plastic lense and the black plastic housing material) but that simply isn't possible with an instrument like the heat gun. I don't want to warp or distort the housing, the lens, or pretty much anything. When finished warming it up, it should be hot, but not even close to melting.
Next, you'll take the utility knife with the blade extended approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch and insert it between the adhesive and the clear housing. This is critical to note and is the 'secret' to getting these covers off cleanly. You're _not_cutting_ anything here, you're separating it. If it, at any time, feels like you're having to force the blade to cut (with the notable exception of the first 'plunge' cut on each housing), then you need to add heat with the gun. Again, let me stress that it should never even be close to melting, it's simply not necessary to get it that hot. You'll have to exert pressure to move the blade along the perimeter of the housing, taking it slowly and being careful as you would with any other sharp cutting object, but you should never force it. The first 'plunge' cut is easiest to make in the upper obliquely angled corner of the tailight where the shiny portion which is exposed when the trunk is open meets the top horizontal portion of the housing. To make the 'plunge', warm the adhesive up as normal, insert the blade between the adhesive and the clear lens, and wiggle it down so that it pushes through the 1/8 inch or so of adhesive that bonds the black plastic housing to the clear lens. Once this is done you should notice how the areas around the blade appear to be more 'white' than the portions where the lens is still bonded to the housing. That's what we're going to do is push that border all the way around the entire housing using the utility blade as a lever.
Proceed to warm the adhesive and work the blade around the housing as you please, but do it slowly, take your time, and pause often to warm the area you will be working towards. After doing 2 sets, or 4 tailights, I'm able to work completely around in a matter of only 5 or 6 heat cycles, but I'm getting to the point now where I can do it quickly, in only a matter of minutes.
That's it folks. It's simply a matter of using the proper amount of heat, and using the blade to pry the clear lens up from the adhesive. It is interesting to note that when done, all of the adhesive will remain on the housing and will need to be taken off by cutting with the blade in order to remove the housing insert which will most likely be painted to your desired color.
I hope this was useful and serves as a clear description to those who seek to modify their tail lights. It's honestly taken me longer to compose this little how-to than it would take to do the job.
Please don't PM me asking me if I'll do your tails for money, this thread is aimed at the do-it-yourself enthusiast and is not an effort to take money out of anyone's pocket for their services, or line my own pockets in any way.
Having said that, of the two sets I've done, I have not taken good pictures or video of my work, so if someone would want to come to my house and capture video or pictures of the process I'll _open_ their tails as a thank you. I said open, not paint, because I find the painting process tedious and not so much fun.
Okay, now that the mumbo jumbo has been taken care of, are we ready to delve into the black arts of tail light modification? I think we are!
All you'll need are your set of tails, a sharp and safe utility knife (I used a quality stanley knife with an 18mm blade), an a proper heat gun (no hairdriers or ovens used here!).
First, take the wiring and bulbs off the housing as well as all removable peices. There's a little foam pad and a white plastic insert that can be taken off as well. A pic too is useful for taking the wiring connector off its clip.
The process I used to separate the clear outer cover from the black housing is to simply take a few swipes with the heat gun on high at the back of the clear lens with the heat gun. I take slow, deliberate 'blows' at the adhesive material with each pass approximately 12" long and lasting 3 seconds. I take 10 to 15 passes. I'm spending so much time describing this as it is very important. We're not melting anything here folks, just warming the adhesive up. In a perfect world, we'd be able to heat the adhesive (the squished and porous-looking hard, black goo between the clear plastic lense and the black plastic housing material) but that simply isn't possible with an instrument like the heat gun. I don't want to warp or distort the housing, the lens, or pretty much anything. When finished warming it up, it should be hot, but not even close to melting.
Next, you'll take the utility knife with the blade extended approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch and insert it between the adhesive and the clear housing. This is critical to note and is the 'secret' to getting these covers off cleanly. You're _not_cutting_ anything here, you're separating it. If it, at any time, feels like you're having to force the blade to cut (with the notable exception of the first 'plunge' cut on each housing), then you need to add heat with the gun. Again, let me stress that it should never even be close to melting, it's simply not necessary to get it that hot. You'll have to exert pressure to move the blade along the perimeter of the housing, taking it slowly and being careful as you would with any other sharp cutting object, but you should never force it. The first 'plunge' cut is easiest to make in the upper obliquely angled corner of the tailight where the shiny portion which is exposed when the trunk is open meets the top horizontal portion of the housing. To make the 'plunge', warm the adhesive up as normal, insert the blade between the adhesive and the clear lens, and wiggle it down so that it pushes through the 1/8 inch or so of adhesive that bonds the black plastic housing to the clear lens. Once this is done you should notice how the areas around the blade appear to be more 'white' than the portions where the lens is still bonded to the housing. That's what we're going to do is push that border all the way around the entire housing using the utility blade as a lever.
Proceed to warm the adhesive and work the blade around the housing as you please, but do it slowly, take your time, and pause often to warm the area you will be working towards. After doing 2 sets, or 4 tailights, I'm able to work completely around in a matter of only 5 or 6 heat cycles, but I'm getting to the point now where I can do it quickly, in only a matter of minutes.
That's it folks. It's simply a matter of using the proper amount of heat, and using the blade to pry the clear lens up from the adhesive. It is interesting to note that when done, all of the adhesive will remain on the housing and will need to be taken off by cutting with the blade in order to remove the housing insert which will most likely be painted to your desired color.
I hope this was useful and serves as a clear description to those who seek to modify their tail lights. It's honestly taken me longer to compose this little how-to than it would take to do the job.
Mar 12, 2006, 10:06 PM
#3
The first time I used a latex/silicone composite, commonly available at nearly any hardware store as it was the first thing I grabbed that was all weather, bonded to plastic, and was black. It worked fine, but this time I managed to get a 100% silicone tube from a Home Depot in black, I expect no issues there either.
It may be useful to note that our tails are not 100% sealed and air tight. Though we dont' want to get water in there, they're made to 'breathe' a bit though a port on the back that is covered by a translucent white cap.
It may be useful to note that our tails are not 100% sealed and air tight. Though we dont' want to get water in there, they're made to 'breathe' a bit though a port on the back that is covered by a translucent white cap.
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