So I was thinking about going with a tjin G5 trunk, but with being in Germany, and military and inspections and what now, I have to have reverse lights. I dont wanna go with the normal Cobalt trunk lid though.

So AaronJ and my thoughts were what If you remade the outer taillight lense into clear plastic? wire the normal bulb socket as the reverse light, and then use a red LED ring as the brake/blinker?


My question is if anyone is interested in also ordering some? and if so could I get some help with looking for places to produce them at a price thats not at like $35,000+ to priduce these? I was told by a couple of places to look for a place that will do Prototype Molding or one-off molding.

Suggestions?

 

there are people on here that could probably retro fit something like that for ya. most ppl retrofit their own headlights so i don't see how taillights would be any more difficult/complicated.

dont ask me though, i'm too scared to try

 

hmmmm. you would have to have someone to a full mold of the tail lights. than mold it into clear plastic like you want.
but doesnt the law in germany require red housing tail lights.? if reverse lights are required by law id assume that red housing lights is and that night shade would be illegal but i could be wrong.
i couldnt get my car inspected with night shaded tail lights. requries nothing modified to the outside housing.

 

its not really a retro fit, its more of molding the current lense, then recreating it, just with clear plastic

glueing in a Red LED halo and wiring it up

 

Ik tylers lenses are nightshaded so idk if it is actually illegal or not

 

you could do the clear plastic, but have a red ring section along the outside of it to stay legal

 

You could vacuum form a new lens. Would he the best way to do it.

 

pretty much just recreate the inner light the size of the outter. that was my other idea

explain?

nevermind, youtubed it

 

Haha darn it, you beat me to making this thread and I can't believe you actually contacted places about this already.

If worse comes to worse, I imagine you would be able to spray tint the inside red to give the appearance of a red housing, while leaving the center clear for the reverse light. It would look like a bigger inner tail, but on the outside.

^Haha you beat me to saying that too.

 

cause i drive racecar :P


but yeah I had nothing to do while I what for the movers to come pick up my stuff, so might as well

 

Does anyone make aftermarket tails with a clear or smoked housing without the leds already in them? Like an oem replacement, just clear/smoked? I imagine it wouldn't be hard at all to build from them because the housing is good to go and it would even have a reflector behind all of it.

 

pm maven see if he has any ideas or suggestions. thats where id start. dude knows his stuff

 

i was thinking that too, Ill do a search right now

 

maven=FTW

 

how much light output/ big do the lights have to be?

this is pretty small...


could you find a way to flush mount some small bright LEDs in a housing, on each side of the licence plate? or would a white led strip between the trunk and bumper work

 

id want something clean, i would just really want the inner reverse light remade bigger to fit the outer taillight

 

i THINK the k2motor taillights are the same as stock housings.... but no so sure

these

 

then just wire up a LED white ring for reverse inside?

and is the plastic red? or all smoked?

 

Open up 3rd brake light, change to Malibu led brake light, add Cree LEDs between the red LEDs on the Malibu light, make mold of lens with Silicone rubber and cast new lens with clear Casing epoxy or alumilite.
I think yhis would be better than converting your tail lights because you would have no problems from authorities and looks stock yet custom at the same time.

Here's a link to a how to on casting your own tail lights
How to mold auto car parts - tail light

 

You sir are awesome!!!

 

i think the easiest way to get what you want would be to buy the k2 motor tails and retrofit a reverse bulb in the center of the outer light, then just not use the inners.. it would not only cost the least (im assuming getting lenses made wont be the cheapest), but also be easiest in terms of steps if the bulb insert isnt too much of a hassle..

 

the plastic is all smoked, except inside the tail light there is a red reflector. You could always take that out and mount a bulb behind it and wire it up as a reverse light.

 

i think when I get to Germany, I might buy another set of tail lights and start to work on making my own lenses

 

I think that the hardest part is going to be either making the mold or just separating the reflective backing and the lens

 

I was thinking about picking up a set of tails from a junkyard so that I could destroy them to make the molds. Also, we could change the shape or texture of these tails too by modifying the molds.