I say part 2 cause i first did this with round LED lamps.There's a thread floating somewhere on here, but i did'nt bother looking for it.With the round LED lamps i was gonna split them in half.Mount one below the black bar, one above, but that woulda cut the C.B in half, too much work.This time Im using four reqtangular LED lamps, one for each red section (above/below the black bar).Anyway, here's attempt #2.

this is what i started with

after gutting the lamp assembly

solder two CBs together

test fit,lamp on/brk off

brk on..if ya dont tint the lens.This is how bright
it would look


Ill post more pics in a while.Only allowed 5 per,WTF!

 

OK, here are the rest.
Round LED on right, sq on left
lamp only/top, brks on/below

compared againts a standard bulb
lamps only/above-Brk on/below

Up close, Sq LED/left, bulb/right

w/ Brks On

Kinda like the pattern produced by the bulb though(left)
Vs LED


Well thats it for now.Still gotta do the other side
Not doing the sig or back up though.
Opinions good/bad/meh encouraged.

 

I like it. People behind you wont have an excuse for not seeing when you hit the brakes. It would look pretty cool if you did that to all of the lights.

It's too bad that it over powers the checker board lenses though.

 

I just dont see the point.Considering how little use the sig & back-up lights are used, compared to the brk lights.It would look better though, oh well.

 

Dude thats an awsome mod you have going on compared to your headlight mod I give your mods a 2 thumps up.

Tony.

 

That looks cool. Great job

 

Those look really good.

I'm considering going with some of these if I can justify the cost

http://www.v-leds.com/Exterior-LED/B...-p6472898.html

 

Thanks guys,

Hasse: those look pretty promising.If your just looking for a P&P type mod.You'll still have to seperate the lens from the housing.The problem Ive had with SMTs is they tend to burn out sometime.SMTs are very intense & probably run hot(for an LED).Which is why i think they fry themselves!

$70 a pair is about $10 more than i spent for mine(4).Still worth a shot though.Actually, if i was gonna buy them, i'd buy for the sig/back-up....maybe.

 

Not true, those fold out once they're through the hole in the housing.

Now that I know what you paid for yours, I think these may be worth a try.

 

They look long enough to contact the lense before the bulb is all the way in, but there's only one way to find out.Givem a try, 80+ LEDs gotta be bright.

 

Just over 2" from base to face when folded out, I haven't looked at the measurements of the standard bulb.

 

i like the brightness of the leds, but they completely do away with the checkerboard pattern.

 

Standard bulb is less than 2in, maybe 1.5.Should work, post up if you get them.

Yeah, i know, but mostly when the brakes are on.Also the pics make them(checkers) harder to see.They're easier to see up close in person.

 

Do you have a cardomain page? I love your car.

 

Sorry, no i dont, but thanks for the compliment.

 

WAY better than the circles.

 

I like the way the LEDs fill the lens when the brakes are on, but seem too small (IMHO) when just the running lights are on & produce just a "spot" of light in there.

I saw some lights like those at Wal Mart one day & thought they might be good for my GTA, but I didn't know my lens size area off hand & I'd need 8 of them (4 per side)!

 

The four LEDs in the center of the C.B. are always on "bright"...regardless.The rest are "normal" when on & "bright when the brakes are applied.Because of the checkerboarding.Some of the LEDs are blocked by the black squares.Making them look dim.Thats why i posted a stock lense in the first pic.

Im tempted to go back to stock tailight lenses, but only have that one good lens.Maybe its time to make new checkerboards again, but not as dark.

Im guessing you'ld need just as many(2 per) for your GTA.

 

maybe I missed it, but where did you get the LEDs to begin with?

 

superbrightleds.com

 

have you tried anything as far as to get the 4 in the center to be the same as the rest when just the park lamps are on? That's the only thing stopping me from buying them right now. i cant deal with the little rectangle of bright light

 

Nope, thats how they are made.You would have to break the epoxy seal away from the C.B & change the resistors to a lower voltage.

Not worth it.Too much work.

 

you don't happen to have pics on how to mate up the LED board with the taillights, do you? I'm foggy on that aspect...

 

No pics, but its up against the inside of the lens.I cut a foam bock to fit in the reflector housing & that holds the LED circuit board in place.

 

I'm very interested in this mod. I love the smoke out black tail light lenses, but they are very illegal around here because of the reduction in candlepower from the brakelights.

I'm thinking the brightness of the LED's would be more than enough to counteract the darkness of the smoky lenses.

 

If you have a Firebird, get yourself some GTA tail lights. Nice & dark stock (so they are obviously 100% legal) yet plenty bright when lit.

 

nope, camaro

 

If the circuit is not covered in epoxy then you could mod it to dim the 4 center led's.
A simple calculation and a couple of micro relays could fix that.
Just my $0.02.
I like the mod...it's a much cleaner look IMO.
I'm just not a camaro fan though. That does look good though.
Good job.

 

Fix! Doesnt bother me none the way it is.Just adds a little more visibility.

 

I think you misunderstand me sir. I know they don't need FIXED because that's how they were designed apparently. There must be good reason for it.
That was actually intended for the other user who said that the 4 bright center led's were putting him off from getting some right now.
I was merely putting it out there that a simple modification could change that.
I apologise if it came across wrong. Nothing intended. I guess I should have clarified that in my reply.
I'm now wondering how I can mod my Recaro smoked tails on my trans am

I still think they look cool though bright in the middle or not. And they are BRIGHT.

 

Not at all!.Just saying if it aint broke, dont fix it.There are other LED lamps you can buy that are not bright in the center.

 

ive always wanted to do a clear tail light lens with led's. but instead of leaving it clear, have my friend tint them blue to match the car. great work on the tails.

 

Probably would'nt agree with the law as much though.

 

as long as i use the correct color bulbs. it shouldnt matter. its not a dd either

 

you are correct sir.
Providing that the correct colour of light is emitted upon illumination and is visible from a certain distance it is legal in most states to have tinted lenses.
I've been researching this scenario to determine if my tinted front blinkers will fly or not. I went for the stealthy look.
I used VHT nightshades and clearcoated over it and re-done the housing black again with more clear.
Giving them time to cure before I polish and install.
I'm hoping they come out nice on the car.

 

But you're still required to have a red reflector in the tail lights, the side markers (or the triangle piece) on the Camaro have those reflectors in the lens. Going with clear lenses effectively removes that reflector.

My 89's park lights and side markers are also tinted with Nite-Shades, and I just finished doing the tails being careful not to use too much so the reflectors are still functional.

 

yeah. I think I recall that too. I sort of missed that part in the guys post.
However I'd think a cop would really have to be an @ss to ticket for it.
Do the Euro tail light styles have reflectors inside?

 

If you're referring to the Alteza style tails, yes they do.