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possible to make clear tail lights?

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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 02:54 PM
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possible to make clear tail lights?

not sure that i'd want them for my car yet or not. but wondering if it's possible to do this. this topic was spoken of on the dsm forum so figured i'd bring it up here. some guys on the dsm forum wanted clears for talons and no one makes them for talons......just the eclipse. so what some of the guys were gonna do was take apart the tail light lens and try paint thinner or something on the inside of the lens to see if they could turn it clear (dunno if it would work or not). anyone ever tried it/think it would work? since i have the parts car i thought about maybe trying it since it wouldn't hurt my feelings any if i accidently messed them up or something. anyway, anyone think it could be done?
scott
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 03:03 PM
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I dont know if paint thinner would work, cuase I dont think the lense is painted? is it? Im not sure, but maybe some kind of glossy silvery paint or just white might work? it might look really cool or it might just look like crap, im not to sure...hmm maybe this is where photoshop would come in handy? either way, id like to see the outcome.....
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 03:04 PM
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I think iv seen a few first gens with that done to them.....
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 03:08 PM
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Just as long as you NEVER EVER make/put them on an RX-7, knock yourself out... sounds like a good business venture.
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 03:10 PM
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https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=124284
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 04:11 PM
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you mean you want to make them 100% clear lenses, or just make the yellow lens clear?

Just as long as you NEVER EVER make/put them on an RX-7, knock yourself out... sounds like a good business venture.
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 10:14 PM
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i really dunno if i'd wanna put clears on the rear or not. on an eclipse it looks good. except i HATE the homo lookin altezza's. maybe if thinner would do it, i'd start to see what it would look like just doing the orange. but the front corners yeah!!! i hate that nasty lookin orange crap!!! but anyway, if i do it, i'll let ya'll know the results aight? if i can figure out how to make them clear anyway. see if i can somehow post pics too. anyone ever taken apart the lens to see what it looks like inside? would maybe help to get an idea of what would need to be done. laters!
scott
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Old Jan 4, 2003 | 11:59 PM
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Re: possible to make clear tail lights?

Originally posted by V8s_are_slow
...what some of the guys were gonna do was take apart the tail light lens and try paint thinner or something on the inside of the lens to see if they could turn it clear...
Won't work, the plastic is coloured, not painted.
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 12:09 AM
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so in other words, the color is like molded in to the plastic?
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 12:20 AM
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yes
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 12:23 AM
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well crap, any ideas?
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 12:27 AM
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who cares....you know how GAY that would look?!?! VERY GAY!!! not to mention how RICED it would make your car look as well, you want an idea of how it looks? look at a civic coupe with it and then tell me that looks good.....uhhmmmm NOPE!
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 12:29 AM
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yep remove the outer plastic, the inner plastic is clear, but I don't think it would look better than the S5 tail lights.......
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 01:17 AM
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I think that if only the turn signal lense was clear with a yellow bulb would the tails look perfict. I dont care much for the crap that is coming out for civics etc. They are all really just a fad...
I think that the S4 tail lights look ok, but better if and only if the turn signal lense was clear. Also when people get the black plastic painted makes a big diff too. Doesn't make it look so old I guess...

To each their own...
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 01:52 AM
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some guys like the sleepy headlight look, some don't. some like the tall wing, some don't. some like body kits, some don't. personally, i like a stock looking body with just some rims, lower the car.....a basic look. if ya'll don't like the clears, fine. but don't bash me for it. i see some people on here bashing others about what they like when their own cars look like total crap. but when you really get down to it. why do you care?!?!?!? it's not YOUR CAR that you'd be putting it on, so if you can't say something nice, well, please keep quiet why don't ya's? this isn't a "can i get your opinion" thread.....

anyway, i want the corner lights clear. that much i DO want. the rear lights, i dunno yet. just gotta figure out a way to do it. my parts car is up at my parents house and i'm going there tomorrow so i'll try and snag the lights and see what i can maybe do....if anything.
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Old Jan 5, 2003 | 02:11 AM
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I took off my signal lights on the front today, to see why the heck my screws were orange. The lens was painted lol but the lens itself is already a molded (yellow/orange) lens. So, I thought that maybe I could strip it or shave it off but.. no can do. They must have painted onto it for some reason..

I think the best way to get clear corners is to go down to an auto shop and buy a clear reflector and trim it to fit, drill the holes and pop it on. Since there is no weather stripping or anything I don't see why this would not work. Plus there is no special bend or curve. As for the tail lights, I took those off too, to see if I could maybe do the same thing. Again, you can not change the color w/o removing that piece. The lens is a molded color. When you take off the tail lights, you have to break the seal when trying to get to the inside of the lens. I didn't break it because I don't have the glue/sealant to re-seal it.

Now I need to find out what car has a clear reflector that bends at the exact curve the tail light (turn signal) does. Or maybe I can just heat it up and bend it, hoping that I wouldn’t make the plastic susceptible to cracking...
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Old Jun 23, 2010 | 02:35 PM
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I know I'm bringing this back from the dead, but has anyone every sucessfully done this? remove the yellow rear tail light piece in favor of clear pieces.

here is a picture of what it would look like...i think it really modernizes the s4 tails.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...6&d=1276737603
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Old Jun 23, 2010 | 09:45 PM
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Looks kinda like you answered your own question. The owner of the car in the picture has successfully done that. One day I hope to be able to re-create it. Shouldn't be too hard. I've made FB tails look like S5/S8 lights
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Old Jun 23, 2010 | 10:40 PM
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Pull out the old ones, make molds of them, pour clear acrylic, reinstall. I'm going to do this eventually.
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