well i have seen all the posts on painting your taillights and such well i want to have someone explain HOW to take them apart. my problem is that it looks like form factory each lens(orange, red & white) were melted together, they also look like this on my stock 83's. so do i have to take them apart a different way or do i break that off then take them apart.

Mahalo for any info/help

 

I've taken a tail light appart before. It's not really too hard disasembling, but reasembling is another story. Once you get the light out of the car, remove all the torx screws you can find (it helps to wash the light first...to remove all the dirt/dust). At the top ledge there are a few plastic plugs, I dug mine out with a little screwdriver. Once you get all the screws/plugs out, gently pry around the outside lens..there is a rubber gasket in there, and it likes to stick to both the lens and the housing. Along the bottom there a a few clips, just use your finger or a screwdriver to release them.

To reasemble you might want to get a new gasket (can you even get that gasket?). And some small screw to put in place of the plugs along the top. The light I disasemble came off of an 85 SC. If you can, I would find an old light to pratice on.

 

i took apart a pair of t/a taillights i bought from the junkyard. basically fanman covered it all, but i just wanted to add that i was fine sticking with the old gasket. when i pryed it apart, it seemed more like a layer of glue than a gasket. so, when i put it back together, i simply re-clipped everything, added the screws, and put pressure on it for about 5 mins to allow the gasket to adhere both sides back together

 

Mine was more like silicone than a gasket. Thats what I used to put mine back together, and be careful with the clips they break easy and can shoot into your eye.

 

Maybe it depends on the age. Mine were like hard glue and gave up.