LED tail light custom hacking..

[HyperTek]

anyone ever try putting these in thier tail lights?? Im wondering to do it to my kouki 180 tails.. I dont think it would be too hard.. but I dont know if these things are single filament I guess i dunno.. anyone else here consider it?
http://www.buytruckstuff.com/s_product_gp.asp?selcategory=61

[s13andy]

i put some nice ones in my jeep wrangler lol

http://2.srv.fotopages.com/2/6786851/lifted-with-new-wheels.jpg

[kouki-gymkhana]

Figure out how to get the lenses off the kouki housings WITHOUT cracking them and I'll tell you which LED modules you need to stick in there ([cough] ahem.... clearcorners.com...) The one's you've linked to are 2nd rate at best.

[FaLKoN240]

OOO SNAPS!!! Imma do this to my euros!!! SUPAR RICE, HARD PARK ACTIVATE!!!!!!

[HyperTek]

these look decent.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LED-Stop-Turn-Tail-Truck-Trailer-Jeep-Boat-Light-1-pair_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33713QQitemZ799577 4600

Kouki Gymkhana, could u post which LED modules are good, or could you pm me about it..

Just gotta figure out how to open the tail lights.

[Maeda]

I was planning on doing it.... but the project seemed a little silly to be wasting the amount of money I would have to do it right...

[hellion240sx]

i think i remember a while back someone saying opening them up with a heat gun... or could that have been another piece. eh its an idea for you

[Bushido]

maybe you could open them up like you open up headlights, stick them in the oven for a few minutes at high heat to melt the epoxy that seals them and then pry the lense from the housing apart

[rancid240]

just try with the old stockers...im sure opening them is going to be the same procedure as kouki lights.

[ca19det]

i saw bulbs that have led's, you insert them and then they open up like a small X (i actually think it had 5 points) - think it was in a SCC mag... didnt pay too much attention to it as it would look silly on a coupe, but on 180sx/RPS13/R32,33 round lights it would look good,

[krustindumm]

maybe you could open them up like you open up headlights, stick them in the oven for a few minutes at high heat to melt the epoxy that seals them and then pry the lense from the housing apart


carefull with that. I did it to the headlights on my civic and it worked great. On the corner lights the rear housing melts before the glue :hsdance:

[s13andy]

www.spiderlite.com

[projectRDM]

The problem is due to the inner reflector in the lights those LEDs won't look any different than a regular incandescent bulb when lit. They may even be less bright.

[HyperTek]

probably only looks good with clear lense tail lights..

[kouki-gymkhana]

Alright, check it...I have successfully opened the USDM tails using some of the methods mentioned above and retrofitted LEDs. I suspect that the procedure would be the same for the kouki lights but at $450 a set, I don't have the money necessary to "experiment" on them. USDM tails are cheap so I figured I'd give it a try and it worked out really well.

Be aware that in order to replicate the clearcorners.com kouki tails with the "single LED" upgrade, you're looking at about $160 in just LED clusters. To do the "dual LED" upgrade, it's another $300-400 on top of that. This is just for parts alone...Now do you see why old_s13 (Mike) charges so much for them? That's almost $1k on tail lights!! :duh: You could buy a set of KSport coilovers for that and have money left over!

Someone needs to figure out how to open the lights safely and without damaging them. Once that's figured out, the rest should be cake.

[HyperTek]

ok.. how about heating the edges up slightly with a heatgun or hair drier.. while sticking a screw driver or something thru the bulb opening to push the lense out?? i dunno lol

[sideview_180sx]

RICER!!!!!!!!! haha

[jdm538]

i want to do something to my inner s14 kouki reflectors

[HyperTek]

Alright, check it...I have successfully opened the USDM tails using some of the methods mentioned above and retrofitted LEDs. I suspect that the procedure would be the same for the kouki lights but at $450 a set, I don't have the money necessary to "experiment" on them. USDM tails are cheap so I figured I'd give it a try and it worked out really well.

Be aware that in order to replicate the clearcorners.com kouki tails with the "single LED" upgrade, you're looking at about $160 in just LED clusters. To do the "dual LED" upgrade, it's another $300-400 on top of that. This is just for parts alone...Now do you see why old_s13 (Mike) charges so much for them? That's almost $1k on tail lights!! :duh: You could buy a set of KSport coilovers for that and have money left over!

Someone needs to figure out how to open the lights safely and without damaging them. Once that's figured out, the rest should be cake.


Care to post pictures?!?! =D

[wootwoot]

I really want to retrofit some LED's into my tail lights and stuff; I want to. Anyone got any diy sites?...hah

[sr240mike]

Buy some boards, leds, resistors.......and start soldering. You can cut the boards any shape you like. Go at it, and good luck. P.S. its not gonna be easy, lol, thats why clearcorners.com charges so much for it. If you have to ask then you probably can't do it.

[wootwoot]

Well you have to ask to be able to learn to do it =P
I plan on googling the f outta the subject soon but have not gotten to it yet. Pick up some old tails at a junkyard and let the fun begin.

[kouki-gymkhana]

Check out hidplanet.com in the LED forum. Look for a post by a member named "azdave" or something. He made some LED tails for his 2nd gen eclipse that make clearcorners.com's shit look like dookie. The video is absolutely sick. Of course, he also has ridiculous electrical engineering skills...

BTW, I have some crappy pics of my conversion on NICO. Search by my username.

[HyperTek]

this is pretty much what i wanted to fit into them.. looks easy enough... *well easier then building teh whole thing..*

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/748000-748999/748335_48_full.jpg

[kouki-gymkhana]

Yes, the actual mounting of the modules and the wiring is the easy part. It's getting off the lenses without fucking them up that's difficult!