DIY: Clear Tail lights

Tools Needed
Dremel
Felt Marker
Philips Screwdriver (Star)
8mm Socket Wrench
Exacto Knife
3M Double Sided Tape
Low Adhesive Masking Tape (green)
Proform PF225 Sealant (or Black RTV Sealant)

1) Remove Tail light by removing three 8mm nuts which hold the lights in place. Then remove the 4 bulbs.

2) Remove rubber around light using a philips screwdriver and removing three screws. Once the three screws are removed you will notice that the rubber is attached to foam that goes around the corner. Pry the foam back and cut the 3m tape holding it in place. Keep prying back and cutting until the foam is totally removed.

3) Using a Felt Marker, make lines where you will cut the lens off. Because the lens is melted into place (you will notice how, once the lens is off) I was unable to heat it up and remove it, I had to dremel it off.

4) Scoar the Felt Marker lines with a Dremel tool and a cutting blade.

5) Keep scoaring the lines until you are all the way through the lens or you feel you can break it off.

6) Using the dremel continue to cut or melt the plastic from around the outter edges.

*(The picture on the right shows the plastic lense totally removed. No red lense on the outter edges.)

7) When you have the red lense completely removed you will probably notice finger prints and maybe a few scratches. It would be extremely hard, if not impossible, for this not to happen. If you try and remove the finger prints you will notice that you will only end up stratching the surface. For this reason, you will probably opt for painting the tail lights as I did.

8) To prep for painting, just mask the reflective bulb areas using low adhesive masking tape (green color).

9) If you deciede to paint yourself, scuff the unmasked areas using sandpaper. Prime and paint. I took them to a body shop and had the paint matched to my rides paint color.

10) Remove the masking tape from the painted tail lights.

11) Peal off the red from the double sided tape on the replacement tail light lenses.

12) Place lense on tail light and align the best you can. These replacement lenses are way too big. They overhang all the way around. Try and place the lense so that the edge of the tail light actually touches the doublesided tape all the way around the tail light.

13) Test fit the new tail lights on the car. Adjust the lenses the best you can so that they dont touch the hatch when it closes and it doesnt stick out too much in any one area. (This part is a total pain in the ass btw). These lenses fit like ****.

14) After you have the lenses on the tail lights, where you want them, you need to apply a sealant. I used Proform P225 Sealant. Some others have used Black RTV sealant. The proform was good but not great. I'd suggest using the RTV (even tho I haven't used it myself).
Using the lense overhang, fill in the overhang around the lense and the tail light with your sealant. I used a small credit card size piece of cardboard to mold the selant in place. I DID NOT TRIM THE LENSE (others have, I didnt).

15) Let dry 24 hours. This allows the sealant to bond with the plastic and set in place.

16) Clean and add new double sided tape to area on the plastic mold protector in the picture below. Do this while the plastic piece is not on the tail light.

17) Place plastic piece on tail light and make sure the clips are in their proper holes.

18) Screw the plastic mold piece down.

19) Remove the red film on the double sided tape and apply the rubber around the end of the lense.

20) Place back on car and bolt down. Do not over tighten and tighten down evenly. Over tightening one of the three bolts mgiht cause one area of the tail light lense to seperate from the tail light causing a leak. After tightening lense down, check lense by softly pressing around the outter edge of the lense. If the lense has seperated, you will know it by pressing on it. Otherwise you get this;

**Note Turn bulbs are #1156. Silver bulbs (that flash amber) can be bought on ebay for $10. The picture above shows regular amber bulbs, dont worry tho, the silver ones are on their way.
Stop light bulbs are #1157. I bought RED LED 1157 bulbs from LORDCO. NAPA Probably also carries these.