Disassembling Tail Lights?

[BWilliams]

Okay.. strange question, but here i go:

I've read that it's possible to take apart headlights by baking them at 200-something F for 10 minutes, to melt the seals that hold the front and back together.

Can the same thing be done on the 3rd-gen Explorer taillights? I ask because I want to make some custom LED tails similar to the new-gen Cadillac cars, and am not crazy about the ones available on eBay. So the plan, if this can be done, is to pick up a set of tails (either junkyard or eBay), and make boards with 10mm LEDs to mount in there.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Charlie]

Well, here is the deal. The second gen explorer ones usually can't be baked, because by the time the glue is soft enough, the headlight is melted too. I am one of the lucky ones who got it to work. The glue wasn't as soft as I would have liked it to be, and it wasn't easy. I would say, if you try it, monitor your lights well and make sure they don't get soft.

I don't know how third gen's react though. Maybe somebody who has tried it has some insight.

If you try it, just be ready to go to a junkyard and get some new ones/have some new ones on hand. Just understand it is a possibility you might ruin them.

Good luck, and be sure to post up results!

 

[BWilliams]

Hm.. alright, thanks for the input. I might try to find a junkyard around here and see if I can find a set of 3rd-gen tails.... I wouldn't try it with my set, for sure.

Anyone have any experience with the 3rd-gen tails?

 

[bigapple]

i say if ur gunna do an LED conversioon, just dremel it out instead of doing all that... i did an LED conversion on my reverse lights and it held together pretty well... i just used a dremel with a grinding stone to chisel out some of the plastic then i used hot glue to hold the board in... here are a few pics and it still works great

 

[BWilliams]

Heh.. that's bad: I never even thought of that... thanks for the idea!

What did you use for those reverse lights? Were they 10mm LEDs? And did you just connect them to the electrical system by soldering them to the truck wiring, or was it a crimp connector?

 

[crash594]

Nice but keep in mind that your lights have a DOT approval. Modifying them can void that approval. This can cause you to fail your state inspection (if you have one) but the big one is if you get in an accident the cop can charge you with the accident even if the other party is at fault. If you look at led lights being sold, some of them are not DOT stamped and are illegal. DOT can be read in the plastic lens of the lens.

 

[bigapple]

Heh.. that's bad: I never even thought of that... thanks for the idea!

What did you use for those reverse lights? Were they 10mm LEDs? And did you just connect them to the electrical system by soldering them to the truck wiring, or was it a crimp connector?

i used 10mm LEDs that i ordered in a bulk pack of 50 off ebay... they are supposedly 265k mcd but i dont really believe theyre that strong... they are hella bright but i dont thin 265k mcd exists... i tried to make a plug that fit in to where the stock one went but it eventually became corroded and stopped working.... i eventually just used solder and shrink wrap when i redid it, and it hasnt failed me yet