clearing my 300zx taillights?

Question

i want the jdm style look to my taillights with the clear instead of amber color on the bottom but its just a piece of plastic and jdm lights cost too much. i know some people make their own and remove the orange plastic piece themselves. how do i go about doing this and where can i get good parts for this operation (clear plastic piece, dissassebly tools etc)

model is 93 na

Answer 1

Level of difficulty - 5
Price - Free to $20
Labor Time - Roughly 3 - 4 Hours

Products Required - Clear lens light covering, found in many home repair stores or on your own garage lights

Tools Required - 8mm wrech
8mm socket
10mm wrench
10mm socket
Ratchet
Phillips Screwdriver
BBQ er or Oven
Hot Glue Gun

Optional - Bench Grinder
Exacto Knife
Straight Edge
Gloves

You shouldnt need a flat head!!! I cant stress this enough, you'll see why later on.

Step One: Fold hatch carpet out of the way, or just remove.

Step Two: Remove all interior pieces in the hatch. Center piece, L+R side piece. Using your 8mm and 10mm wrench and sockets.

Step Three: Remove all four nuts on each tail light, using your 8mm wrench and socket.

If replacing your center pannel, remove all 6 nuts using your 8mm wrench and socket.

Step Four: Using a heat gun / blow dryer carefully heat up the epoxy on the body of the car.

Step Five: Push on the back of the tail light to remove it from the car.

Step Six: Go outside (hopefully you BBQ is outside) and ignite the burners and turn to high.

If using an oven, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step Seven: If using a BBQ turn the heat up all the way and place tail light on the top rack with the back of the ligh, epoxy side, facing the heat source.

Oven Users - Open the door of the oven and place the tail light in between the open door and the oven itself. Turn on the timer for about 8 minutes and watch the tail light.

Step Eight: Here is where it gets interesting. After being in the oven or BBQ you need to pull the tail light apart. Here is a very important tip to remeber, if you think you need a screwdriver to seperate the two, its not hot enough! You will break something if you use a screw driver! Keep heating it up and slowly pull the two apart. Dont keep you hands in the same place, when there is a big gap get another hold on it. This is where you can break the lens.

Step Nine: After you get the two apart you need to make your clear lens. Take your light covering and get a rough piece that you will need. Another tip, try to use a straight edge or a exacto knife to get a rough cut or the final cut.

If you have a bench grinder, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND this. It can make perfect trims to the plastic without breaking it. If you are doing this, move slow and work in small areas.

Step Ten: After you get a pice cut, place it in the tail light. Remeber it dosent have to be the exact shape, just lay over the oval shape. Once you get your piece, hot glue it all the way around to keep it secure.

Step Eleven: After the glue has set, place the other piece of the tail light, the one without the glued clear part, in the oven or BBQ er. Then put the two pieces back together. Remeber, you can still use a light heat, blow dryer or accurate heat gun, to get the two pieces to press back together.

Step Twelve: Replace the tail lights in your car with the four nuts and interior pieces.





hope this helps

Answer 2

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RE:
clearing my 300zx taillights?
i want the jdm style look to my taillights with the clear instead of amber color on the bottom but its just a piece of plastic and jdm lights cost too much. i know some people make their own and remove the orange plastic piece themselves. how do i go about doing this and where can i get good parts...

Answer 3

Smoked. Chrome and clear taillights look so bad on Jettas.

Answer 4

clearing 300zx taillights

Answer 5

Are you a good plastic model builder? If not don't attempt tearing up two plastic lens assemblys. dremel tool cut off blade plastic glue and paitence. Plus taking them in and out. Compelety seal the assemblys to the body work or you will get water blown in at highway speed in the rain.

Answer 6

300zx Jdm Tail Lights

Answer 7

300zx Tail Lights

Answer 8

I have yet to see anyone do a decent job of clearing out Z32 tails. The J-spec tails look much better. If you want it too look nice, its worth the money.