Rear Tail Lights tidy up time as well as rear panel

[MelbStazz]

i've been tidying up the lights as well as adding my own personal touch to them throughout the car.
Now i'm up to the rear tail lights. After cleaning the front lights and seeing how well they came up ( look like new and even better with the red globes in :D ) decided to do the rears as well. The lenses are loose at the moment ( quiet suprised that they haven't fallen off ). I was wondering if they are difficult to pull apart or if there is any problem areas?
i don't want to break them. They appear as though the lense should :) just pop off and allow me to clean the inside. :D i hope this is the case. while i'm at it i'm going to paint the panel between them, i was thinking of a black metallic with gold pearl to match the rest of the car??ideas??
Maybe i could tint the lenses while they are out with that nite shades stuff? i'm not sure if you paint it on the inside or outside of the lense? probably not legal on the street either.
Any ideas or help would be most grateful.
cheers
drew/melbstazz

[Cookiemonster]

( look like new and even better with the red globes in :D )

Red globes? Why do you have red globes in the front?

[MelbStazz]

i'm not sure, i got these funky little covers and did the instrument cluster and interior, thought i would see what they look like. looks good i think, but so not legal. :x might try another colour, though i like the original look. :D

[decoy]

hehe, took me a sec to realise he's talking about the fron parkers being red! not headlights thank god :P

u have JA tail lights? if so the lense is the colours peice on them ones whereas the later model tail lights have the coloured lense on the inside and a clear lense on the outer. its quite a task taking the outer lense out, i'm surprised yours is just coming off by itself! if they're later model lights, maybe de-lense them and go altezza style. if not, i used to have night shades on the outer of mine and it looked sweet, but yeh, rubbed it off due to legality :S

[MelbStazz]

yeah it's the parkers at the front not the headlights, rofl that would've been a doozey. Hmm red headlights, oncoming backwards facing car??? not a good thing. ( though the headlights have the Ultra Blue globes in them, throwing a nice white light, instead of yellowish)
The lights are original Ja, they are coming apart nicely, i just dont want to break them. worried that there is a locking tab holding the lenses in, all good so far. I dont think that i will tint the lenses as i really don't want a canary on my car. It would look trick to have the clear lenses at the back, but i dont know how i would go doing the altezza style lights. Clear lenses and coloured globes are easy enough, just dont know about the chrome inside the lights. using the coloured covers on the lights has made them come up heaps brighter.
i might toy around with a few ideas and maybe take some shots n post them.
keep y'all posted
cheers for the help.
ps. the front parkers have been returned to normal, if ur interested i can post of what they looked like bloood red makes the front look different.

[Alspos]

JA lights you can pull them apart gently. If they're already open then half the job is done. Paint the enside with Nightshades. Yes it probably is illegal to go too dark. But that's the officers perogative really. Do it and if you get pinged, pull em apart and clean em out.
Mine aren't quite legal atm but I haven't been pulled over so no problem (touch wood)

[SCORP 1]

How do you get nightshades off? I'm thinking of doing my tail lights but if I was to get defected, how do you get it off without destroying/melting the plastic with solvent or sandpaper?

[MelbStazz]

well u certainly don't want to put thinners anywhere near the plastic as it will melt it straight away, though i have succesfully used thinners before. You dont rub in one spot to long, kinda wipe over it, the full length of the lense and then repeat, gently. Should take off the paint. This takes a while do, as you don't want the thinners to "soften" the plastic. This is what causes the damage.
If you don't want to use thinners then you could use a high pressure washer to blast the paint off, as it wont adhere as well as the original colours. Maybe scratch it with your fingers and see what happens. You might be able to peel it off.
That's about all i can think of at the moment.
Btw the lenses came apart nicely, just deciding on whether i tint. :D

[decoy]

after about a year i just rubbed them off with some metho and a rag :P

[Alspos]

Metho or turps.
And a toothbrush.

[SIRIUS]

i had the best front parker lights at one stage...they had 5 different colours in them an when turned on it looked like a christmas tree with all the different colour flashing...was funny, but looked gay

[SIRIUS]

yeh just use a metho or turps n scrub hard....had to do it when i got busted...was a Cun*

[MelbStazz]

the good ol metho is the best thing, sorry about the thinners comment. I wouldn't want ne1 to destroy their tail lights.
Well the lights came up a treat as well as the back panel, now to get it running properly. Enough of the cosmetics. but then again........

[SCORP 1]

Pics :D

[MelbStazz]

pics are on their way, i've really got to go digital :D
snap, develop, scan, upload, view.
instead of snap, upload, view.
hmmm