Get rid of your Amber
09-01-2003, 01:31 PM
#1
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Get rid of your Amber
Ok, the red tail light thing has been done before, you paint the inside of your tail light lense red, and the amber goes away. I just did this, and I wanted to share a few pointers for those of you who keep asking about it or want to try it the first time....
First off, I want to note that this is on a 92 RS Camaro, so I don't know if it applies the same for firebirds, and also, I used VHT Metal Tint, which was recommended to me by Redraif.
Ok, separating the housing from the lense is a bit tricky. There are basically 4 places where you can easily break your lense. I'm gonna point these out, so you know what to look for...
There's two black plastic push pins that go in the top of the housing. Your first impulse is gonna be to pull them out, but mine were brittle and they broke off. I ended up cracking part of my taillight there. Here's the trick. Look at the backside of the tail light. You can see that the pins are visible from the backside. You can push up on them, and they'll pop out and you won't break a thing. Do this instead of trying to pry them out.
The second two places you're going to risk breakage, is there are two places on the lense where the housing is meant to "snap" in place at the bottom. These fit loosely, however, the outside lense is extremely stiff plastic and it's fragile. You're just going to have to be careful with these, I've warned you. I don't know any tricks for making it easier.
Take a small screw driver and pry out as much of the silicone sealant as you can, and then gently start prying away the lense where you see the sealant. The lense should separate from the housing, with gentle force. Be careful not to concentrate too hard on any one area, or you will break the lense, and again, watch those tabs on the bottom.
After you've separated the housing from the lense, get some adhesive cleaner by 3M, and go around the outside of the lense, and clean off as much of the sealant as you can. I used a small screw driver to dig it out of the housing. You will see a little channel going all around the inside of the housing, where the sealant was meant to go. Clean this out as best as you can. Now you're ready to paint.
Make sure you wipe down the inside of the lense with some kind of adhesive cleaner, or paint prep for plastic, and a tack rage or you willl get fisheyes or worse.
When painting, make sure and mask off the rest of the lense, so there's no overspray. I found it helpful to keep the outside of the lense unmasked partially, so I could compare the stock red, to the part I was painting. If you want, you can paint the whole inside of the lense (except the white parts), to match. I just did the orange part. The inner white piece on the corners will come out easily if you're gentle. You can remove this and paint the whole inside of the lense.
Use slow even strokes and be careful not to cake it on or you will get runs.
Once all this is done, you can simply shoot some more sealant into the housing, I'm using clear silicone, and then snap the two pieces together. Put the pins back in, and you're done!
I probably won't have any pics to show, I didn't take in progress pictures, and I don't have my car handy to install the tails, but here's basically what you get..... Please excuse the wing, it's not my car.
Mathius
First off, I want to note that this is on a 92 RS Camaro, so I don't know if it applies the same for firebirds, and also, I used VHT Metal Tint, which was recommended to me by Redraif.
Ok, separating the housing from the lense is a bit tricky. There are basically 4 places where you can easily break your lense. I'm gonna point these out, so you know what to look for...
There's two black plastic push pins that go in the top of the housing. Your first impulse is gonna be to pull them out, but mine were brittle and they broke off. I ended up cracking part of my taillight there. Here's the trick. Look at the backside of the tail light. You can see that the pins are visible from the backside. You can push up on them, and they'll pop out and you won't break a thing. Do this instead of trying to pry them out.
The second two places you're going to risk breakage, is there are two places on the lense where the housing is meant to "snap" in place at the bottom. These fit loosely, however, the outside lense is extremely stiff plastic and it's fragile. You're just going to have to be careful with these, I've warned you. I don't know any tricks for making it easier.
Take a small screw driver and pry out as much of the silicone sealant as you can, and then gently start prying away the lense where you see the sealant. The lense should separate from the housing, with gentle force. Be careful not to concentrate too hard on any one area, or you will break the lense, and again, watch those tabs on the bottom.
After you've separated the housing from the lense, get some adhesive cleaner by 3M, and go around the outside of the lense, and clean off as much of the sealant as you can. I used a small screw driver to dig it out of the housing. You will see a little channel going all around the inside of the housing, where the sealant was meant to go. Clean this out as best as you can. Now you're ready to paint.
Make sure you wipe down the inside of the lense with some kind of adhesive cleaner, or paint prep for plastic, and a tack rage or you willl get fisheyes or worse.
When painting, make sure and mask off the rest of the lense, so there's no overspray. I found it helpful to keep the outside of the lense unmasked partially, so I could compare the stock red, to the part I was painting. If you want, you can paint the whole inside of the lense (except the white parts), to match. I just did the orange part. The inner white piece on the corners will come out easily if you're gentle. You can remove this and paint the whole inside of the lense.
Use slow even strokes and be careful not to cake it on or you will get runs.
Once all this is done, you can simply shoot some more sealant into the housing, I'm using clear silicone, and then snap the two pieces together. Put the pins back in, and you're done!
I probably won't have any pics to show, I didn't take in progress pictures, and I don't have my car handy to install the tails, but here's basically what you get..... Please excuse the wing, it's not my car.
Mathius
say it isnt so
09-01-2003, 05:22 PM
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I bet they have to measure height clearance from the spoiler.... 
My comment wasn't directed at Mathius I saw where he said it wasn't his car. I was just stating what everyone else thought too. Nice write up on the Tail lights.
My comment wasn't directed at Mathius I saw where he said it wasn't his car. I was just stating what everyone else thought too. Nice write up on the Tail lights.
Last edited by fireturd350; 09-03-2003 at 09:57 AM.
09-01-2003, 06:47 PM
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i saw this on the site but it applies "wings are for airplanes" other than that it looks good with the red tailights :lala: :lala: :lala: :lala: :lala: :lala: :lala: Trending Topics
09-01-2003, 07:25 PM
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this post has absolutely nothing to do with a wing. The guy explicitly said to pay no attention to the wing AS IT WASN'T HIS CAR.
Read before posting ladies and gentlemen. This is what drives members from this site - childish behaviour that has nothing to do with the technical nature of an honest post.
Read before posting ladies and gentlemen. This is what drives members from this site - childish behaviour that has nothing to do with the technical nature of an honest post.
09-01-2003, 08:30 PM
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mods can u lock this thread ?
mathius posts some great info for painting tailights, practically a tech article, for anyone that cares, and 2 hours later the flaming begins on a car that isn't even his. he wasn't asking for your opinions he's trying to help everyone out. i wish i had seen the post and saved the web page BEFORE people added their stupid comments. punks.
that's my 2 cents
o and btw mathius thanks for your post, it helped a lot
mathius posts some great info for painting tailights, practically a tech article, for anyone that cares, and 2 hours later the flaming begins on a car that isn't even his. he wasn't asking for your opinions he's trying to help everyone out. i wish i had seen the post and saved the web page BEFORE people added their stupid comments. punks.
that's my 2 cents
o and btw mathius thanks for your post, it helped a lot
Last edited by logikal6785; 09-01-2003 at 08:32 PM.
09-01-2003, 09:18 PM
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you know it was a joke and if you could read i said i liked it this board is all about everyones .02 so why the hell flip i was just expressing my .02
09-01-2003, 09:25 PM
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there's no need for argument. You weren't the only one who said something about the wing. IF I had some moderator powers - this post would already be cleaned up and not locked...as the tech content in this thread is worth reading.
09-02-2003, 04:36 PM
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Car: 1991 Camaro Z28
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Originally posted by Z28guy83
you know it was a joke and if you could read i said i liked it this board is all about everyones .02 so why the hell flip i was just expressing my .02
you know it was a joke and if you could read i said i liked it this board is all about everyones .02 so why the hell flip i was just expressing my .02
09-02-2003, 08:49 PM
#15
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Originally posted by logikal6785
mods can u lock this thread ?
mathius posts some great info for painting tailights, practically a tech article, for anyone that cares, and 2 hours later the flaming begins on a car that isn't even his. he wasn't asking for your opinions he's trying to help everyone out. i wish i had seen the post and saved the web page BEFORE people added their stupid comments. punks.
that's my 2 cents
o and btw mathius thanks for your post, it helped a lot
mods can u lock this thread ?
mathius posts some great info for painting tailights, practically a tech article, for anyone that cares, and 2 hours later the flaming begins on a car that isn't even his. he wasn't asking for your opinions he's trying to help everyone out. i wish i had seen the post and saved the web page BEFORE people added their stupid comments. punks.
that's my 2 cents
o and btw mathius thanks for your post, it helped a lot
THIS IS MY CAR PEOPLE!!!
09-03-2003, 08:56 AM
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good info on the tail lights... but the wing on that car is horrid. Pepboys performance. No need to lock this, we can express our opinion. Mathus, should of picked a different pic man!! Thought I had one, but I dont. Good info... horrid pic.
09-03-2003, 04:00 PM
#20
Oh yeah, since you guys are so quick to call that a "wing" why doesn't someone show me the textbook definition of a wing.......While you are at it, explain to me the difference between a wing and a spoiler, not in your own words, but rather by definition.....
09-03-2003, 05:12 PM
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Originally posted by FLYNLOW92rs
Oh yeah, since you guys are so quick to call that a "wing" why doesn't someone show me the textbook definition of a wing.......While you are at it, explain to me the difference between a wing and a spoiler, not in your own words, but rather by definition.....
Oh yeah, since you guys are so quick to call that a "wing" why doesn't someone show me the textbook definition of a wing.......While you are at it, explain to me the difference between a wing and a spoiler, not in your own words, but rather by definition.....
such as:
***:
1. A student at a British public school who is required to perform menial tasks for a student in a higher class; a drudge.
so i'll just leave your question unanswered
09-03-2003, 06:16 PM
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Actually by true definition I was wrong calling it a spoiler.... But usually they're mixed jargon... but here's my personal definition of it.
A wing lets air travel over and under it.
A spoiler will only let air travel over it to create downforce.
Actual Definitons:
Spoiler
An aerodynamic device, normally on the rear of the vehicle, that changes the direction of airflow in order to reduce lift aerodynamic drag. A spoiler either reduces drag or create a downward force on the car. It is called a spoiler because it "spoils" the normal air flow over the car.
Airfoil
An aerodynamic device designed to improve traction by increasing the downforce on the car. The use of airfoils (also called wings) increases the cornering capability and improves stability at speed, but often at the expense of additional aerodynamic drag.
Found at http://www.autospeak.com/terms01.htm#Auto%20Terms%20A
There see this is an educational thread...
BTW back on regular post... I saw a OEM brake light camaro and getting rid of the amber really does give it a more defined and cleaner look plus it just looks plain neat. (Had to look since I'm not familar with camaros.)
A wing lets air travel over and under it.
A spoiler will only let air travel over it to create downforce.
Actual Definitons:
Spoiler
An aerodynamic device, normally on the rear of the vehicle, that changes the direction of airflow in order to reduce lift aerodynamic drag. A spoiler either reduces drag or create a downward force on the car. It is called a spoiler because it "spoils" the normal air flow over the car.
Airfoil
An aerodynamic device designed to improve traction by increasing the downforce on the car. The use of airfoils (also called wings) increases the cornering capability and improves stability at speed, but often at the expense of additional aerodynamic drag.
Found at http://www.autospeak.com/terms01.htm#Auto%20Terms%20A
There see this is an educational thread...
BTW back on regular post... I saw a OEM brake light camaro and getting rid of the amber really does give it a more defined and cleaner look plus it just looks plain neat. (Had to look since I'm not familar with camaros.)
09-03-2003, 06:26 PM
#23
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So can we all stop the Flame War?
I wrote a PM to mathius and said I was sorry for interrupting his thread when I had no right of adding anything. It's said and it's done now can we all just move on and get back to the subject of the tail lights?
I wrote a PM to mathius and said I was sorry for interrupting his thread when I had no right of adding anything. It's said and it's done now can we all just move on and get back to the subject of the tail lights?
09-03-2003, 06:38 PM
#24
Originally posted by scottland
Don't start a flame war, there is a big difference between the american language found in the dictionary and the way words are commonly used.
such as:
***:
1. A student at a British public school who is required to perform menial tasks for a student in a higher class; a drudge.
so i'll just leave your question unanswered
Don't start a flame war, there is a big difference between the american language found in the dictionary and the way words are commonly used.
such as:
***:
1. A student at a British public school who is required to perform menial tasks for a student in a higher class; a drudge.
so i'll just leave your question unanswered
Look harder at the definition for
***:
n. Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man.
So therefore, by calling someone a *** for being gay, as you were trying to point out, you are actually being correct and true to the definition in the dictionary...
BUT, when you say the term....."wing" when referring to a car, you are using it incorrectly......BECAUSE nowhere in the definition does it say anything about how a wing is part of a car, rather "wings" are designed to create flight or to make things fly......
So unless that car above can fly, then using the term "wing" is in-correct.....otherwise that is "spoiler" on the back of the above mentioned white car....
I'm done.......
.....mods I hate to disrupt the thread, since it has alot of technical content, but i couldn't resist...:lala:....Feel free to clean ALL negative posts in this thread, so it can stay open for those who want to read about the lights.... Last edited by FLYNLOW92rs; 09-03-2003 at 06:40 PM.
09-03-2003, 08:06 PM
#27
Originally posted by 2 dope
anyhow, arent turn signals supposed to be amber?
anyhow, arent turn signals supposed to be amber?
09-03-2003, 08:09 PM
#28
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if you're in CA.. the law states that the BULB must be amber for turn signals.. its not illegal to change the color of the lense so long as the amber can be seen.
(tried to fight a ticket i got 2 years ago when i had my Typhoon with clear markers, clear rears with hyper white turn signals)
but i bet you are not in CA.
(tried to fight a ticket i got 2 years ago when i had my Typhoon with clear markers, clear rears with hyper white turn signals)
but i bet you are not in CA.
09-03-2003, 09:20 PM
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Isn't the bulb supposed to be eithe red or amber? Afterall Corvettes don't have amber turn signals or for that matter my Trans Am.
09-03-2003, 11:32 PM
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Originally posted by SC82TA
Isn't the bulb supposed to be eithe red or amber? Afterall Corvettes don't have amber turn signals or for that matter my Trans Am.
Isn't the bulb supposed to be eithe red or amber? Afterall Corvettes don't have amber turn signals or for that matter my Trans Am.
09-03-2003, 11:47 PM
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It doesnt matter, but they have to be either amber or red.
... yes... the right tail light keeps lighting up and and go off, almost as if it was in some type of cycle while the car is in the right lane... how does one keep hitting the brake in such fashon? heheheh just bustin on ya big guy... hehehe.
by Flyinlow92rs
There is no law stating they must, although some people may get confused about wheather you are hitting the brakes or turning, so that's why they make them different....
There is no law stating they must, although some people may get confused about wheather you are hitting the brakes or turning, so that's why they make them different....
09-04-2003, 12:02 AM
#32
Originally posted by bigals87z28
... yes... the right tail light keeps lighting up and and go off, almost as if it was in some type of cycle while the car is in the right lane... how does one keep hitting the brake in such fashon? heheheh just bustin on ya big guy... hehehe.
... yes... the right tail light keeps lighting up and and go off, almost as if it was in some type of cycle while the car is in the right lane... how does one keep hitting the brake in such fashon? heheheh just bustin on ya big guy... hehehe.
09-04-2003, 05:51 PM
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Originally posted by KiLLJ0Y
if you're in england.. a *** is a cigaret..
if you're in england.. a *** is a cigaret..
Instead of put the cigarette out it's put the *** out?
Can I get a drag of that ***.
Light me up a ***.
Cool.
09-05-2003, 12:38 AM
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anyone remember the post on...
vacume forming new taillight lenses. Ive searched for it and cant find it
09-08-2003, 06:26 PM
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Originally posted by bigals87z28
It doesnt matter, but they have to be either amber or red.
It doesnt matter, but they have to be either amber or red.
09-08-2003, 09:45 PM
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Originally posted by TomP
Actually, aren't the taillights with amber blinkers called "european" taillights?
Actually, aren't the taillights with amber blinkers called "european" taillights?
Thats not true. I have amber lights, and the car is made in america, my tarus has red lights, but my friends 96 has amber. I guess it depends on the style. I know that red or amber will pass as rear blinkers and front have to be amber in NJ.
09-09-2003, 01:27 AM
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If you wanna see a nice wing,spoiler etc. check out this ride....http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6420
09-09-2003, 10:50 AM
#41
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Originally posted by TomP
Actually, aren't the taillights with amber blinkers called "european" taillights?
Actually, aren't the taillights with amber blinkers called "european" taillights?
AFIAK, from searching the net and mostly this board, where you'll find more information than anywhere else, there were several different kinds of tail light designs, but they all had amber in them. There's the Berlinetta's, which have a silver cast to the area where the license place lights are, there's the european style, and then there's the american regular version. Also, you have the grid style, and I assume although I've never seen it, the european grid style.
The European lights have the amber part located in a different spot on the lense. If you do a search, there are some posted somewhere. The best pic I could found is this one.....
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/att...postid=1099794
Mathius
Last edited by Mathius; 09-09-2003 at 11:05 AM.
09-22-2003, 05:03 PM
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Hey Mathius, do you have some pics of your car after you did the tailights? Thanks.
01-28-2009, 05:24 PM
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Re: Get rid of your Amber
I like the tail light, I might have to do that, I like your car also, looks a lot like mine, except it's in one piece, and not rusted to an oblivion.
07-22-2009, 04:13 PM
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Re: Get rid of your Amber
wow 5 1/2 years ago? realllyyyy?? damn for some reason after 6 years we STILL fight over the same crap. guess we never grow up??
07-22-2009, 04:17 PM
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Re: Get rid of your Amber
damn why did i just reply to a thread thats been innactive for over 6 months... talkin to myself again :la: :la: :la: :la:
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