Build own clear led lights

**lez** · 12-07-2004, 04:02 PM

Ok so we have all seen the ones for sale etc

Often sold as 'lexus style' on ebay.

Anyone tried to make any for cars that you cant buy them for?

**Yuriy** · 12-07-2004, 04:29 PM

There is a site in Japanese that has pictures of one of those.
They look great, IMO.
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/altez...y-tail2-01.htm

**lez** · 12-07-2004, 04:55 PM

Very nicely done, but it seems he has used an opriginal clear light cluster and removed the original reflectors etc replaced them with a metal disk?

My problem is I cant find a clear cluster/module call it what you want to build into.

I have tried moulding a piece of clear perspex (plexiglass usa?) over one of my original light units to get the shape, but with the heat I also melted the original!

(and never got the right shape...)

The leds are fine though and bright enough, bought off ebay.

UK readers beware to fit an led is illegal! it must be a 'type' approved led and have an 'E' mark on it, as its technically a bulb, and _all_ brake/running lights must be E stamped.

(they also under old uk law have no spec for the amount of light emitted, only power consumed, so the brake light must consume 21watts of power, but be 0.1% to 100% efficient and still be legal)

(oh hang on, the high level brake light in rear window as fitted from 80's etc is a light specified not a power specified light)

Oh and red only to rear, white to front, flashing AMBER(not yellow or orange) for direction indication.

Orange for marker lights on side of vehicle or beacon on roof.

The only yellow bulb in uk law is the yellow flashing one on an airport baggage truck!

**lez** · 12-07-2004, 05:02 PM

found these that show other goos examples..

http://www.sca40.com/led/

http://web.comhem.se/~u33113170/led/

but both seem to use original fitment with new lights inside, I need to replace my original red/orange fitment with nice clear/chrome look...

**lez** · 12-07-2004, 05:43 PM

Oh eck found the ultimate DIY job.

He has done what I may have to do, re-build the stock lights.

I would love to know how he has got the red plastic out/off replaced etc but I cant read a word of it, but the pictures tell quite a story.

http://ww6.enjoy.ne.jp/~vaf/car/led.html

**Grayscale** · 12-07-2004, 07:42 PM

Maybe the plastic was clear but the red was on the thing that holds the lights behind it? I gotta figure out how to remove the color from my taillights too =\

**lez** · 12-08-2004, 02:06 AM

If you look at pic 15(15.jpg) and zoom in a bit, it looks a bit blocky but you can see the new clear pieces have a white edge, like they have been cut from clear and stuc in/on. and you can count the 100 or so led's in that top half...

**0l33l** · 12-08-2004, 02:09 AM

Anyone thought about using Luxon?

**Yuriy** · 12-08-2004, 04:56 AM

It's easy. If you have taillights that are made up of squares (or whatever shapes those may be) you should be able to cut out separate squares and replace them with transparent material (say, CD case plastic cut to fit) then use a soldering iron to "melt" it in place, use some sand paper to smooth out the surface and apply clearcoat - bam! you just made your tails transparent. Now you just need to put something nice and shiny inside

I would do that, but I'm too cheap to buy myself a set of taillights and I don't want to mess with the original ones in case I do something wrong.

PS: if you have "round" taillights like those on newer vehicles, you could probably get away with heating the cut-out CD casing to a point where it is soft and apply it like a film to the taillight so that it bends the right way. Once cold, it should be nice and solid. Make sure you use LEDs tho, or you're running a risk of melting your custom housing

Then if your car is like mine, doesn't have any custom parts for it, you could sell this stuff for big bucks on eBay. I know a guy who paid over $1k on a set of Nissan Skyline headlights to do a conversion in his Saturn