logikal6785

i know it's possible to mount lights as redraif and others have, where the bezel normally is. however i want the smooth look like the following picture from an rx-7 (the lights on top)



how hard will it be to fab up something like that, and how much would i expect to pay for the molded lexan that goes over the lights ? our pop-up covers are flat so it's easier ... thx for all the help.

BAK12484

hmm...very intersting idea. Maybe somebody w/ a 'bird and good fiberglassing skills could remove their lights and make a mold for the housing...?

I'd love something like this, cuz quite frankly, i don't like the pop ups at all.

scauffiel

Someone here has done something like that but I can't remember the UserID... Do a search on headlight and you'll probably come across it...

Totally off topic but that hood is extremely bad @ss. I need to see about doing that to the rear of my RA II hood... Ooohh momma..

S.

fattie92

IMO the pop up lights make the firebirds. iv seem the "mods" that people have done to rid themselves of the pop ups....and it makes me want to throw up.


not trying to start a fight, just my opinion.

3.1EyeCandy

iTrader: (3)

couldn't agree more

TomP

I agree too, I like the flip-ups. But yeah, I do remember someone making a plexiglass or acrylic bolt-in pop-up delete, just like the picture you showed us. That was a while ago! Is that guy still around?

fattie92

i found it..

http://www.geocities.com/jptaylor2/FIREBIRD.html

i say your better off putting a camaro front end on your car.

Freeze

what the f#@$? that looks really bad. poor car

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

I'd like to get the EVO 2 hood/fenders/bumper/ and headlight assemblies and put them on my car.

redraif

This version looks unfinished to me. Thats a hard look to make look clean. I would think you could gut out your headlamp area completely. Then weld or mount a flat piece to mount the lights down on. Then from there it would be a matter of getting some lights to mount and making something to mount them into. Then you would have to get some lexan and cut it about the right size then heat it to get a nice smooth bend.

Really it would not be much harder than what I did. I say that because you would not have to spend hours cutting thru metal. You could build it all off the car and then mount it. Though if I were you I would see if there are any after market kits for a 240. They have similar pop up lights. They may have a conversion that can be adapted or copied. Oh to have a spare 3rd gen to mock up ideas on. One day....

Ok off the wall idea. Ok you know the gas powered race model cars? Ok we met a guy that said he knew a guy that just molded his own bodies for these cars. Maybe there is someone like that around your area. You could mock up something and they could mold the plastic for you. We are going to get in touch with the guy to see if he can make a bird body for one of those cars. Or better yet teach me how so i can mold my own plastic stuff. that would be great for potetial custom tailights. Hmmm...

logikal6785

that would be sooooo cool. i actually have done searches on it before, and i started a diff thread on this before but had no pics to explain what i wanted. someone posted that black formula in the thread and i've been to his site ... it really isn't a very smooth job he did.

as far as putting a camaro front on my beautiful bird - funk that

logikal6785

i can probably fab up a lower half and some bulb mounting points pretty easily - but the question remains - does anyone have some ideas of a price for having plexiglass/lexan cut to fit ?

maverick544

WHy did that guy make it yellow inside. It would not be as bad if like he had chrome of somesort inside the lights instead. Also it woulb be nice too have the plexy glass fitted closer too the hood too.

pardonme2711

what would be cool, but kind of off the wall, is do that conversion than make like custom black outs or paint some clear plexi glass w/ night shade what ever your body color is to make it appear as the the body is continiousi dont know if the is possible or what. the fourth gen bird lgihts dont look that bad to me i like how the they actually accented them and didn't try and make the blend into the body.

logikal6785

$ ?

Ward

iTrader: (1)

This might look good if A.) it wasnt hideous yellow B.)it half-assed lined up with anything and C.) it didnt look like fog lights mounted upside down on a platform. I was thinking of doing something like that, but I would make it look a hell of a lot nicer than this.

VampireHunterC

It looks like he got the last lights on the shelf before restocking at WalMart...

Wouldn't the headlights from a Dodge Stealth/ Mitsu 3000gt fit? I seem to remember that they sit flat on the hood...

stuart69427

exactly

pop-ups make firebirds! would be a firebird without one!

Also, i bleieve there are kits for 4th Gens, I've seen them somewhere

igotslicksNchix

i think it looks kinda cool, but too "pusoi" if ya know what i mean. Birds are mean machines, that gives it a euro look if you ask me. and yes the lights should've been thought out more! i like it, but not on MY formy!

rx7whoreboy

the hood on that rx7 is fugly

the lights for your car like that though...

wes2k3

They make a kit for vettes. Pop ups are cool.

redraif

Best thing you can do is go around to some of the body shops. Ask some of those guys. Maybe they know someone. Or go to some of the custom/stereo shops. Make be some of the places you see the import guys running stickers for. Normally someone there has a hook up with some shop that does custom work.

They way I would investigate this if I were you... Go to the next show in your area that is relatively large and caters to the import crowd. Walk around and look. When you see some of the major custom work ask the guy or girl about it. Get some names of places. Alot of these kids get things made just to one up ea other. Some are done well others are crap. But if it can be done these kids have done it or at least tried. Like I said before call and ask. Someone is bound to be able to steer you the right way. The guy at the model place told me his buddy made a model of his car and gave him the mold for $50. But that was a buddy helping out a buddy. Sorry I can't help more than that.

That 240 I saw last year at NOPI here in Atl, was what finally made me decide to convert mine. He was not around or I would have gotten the info.

pianiy

iTrader: (2)

Really? Firebirds started out with stationary lights in first and second gens. They aren't a quality that formed the heritage.

I'm having problems with my lights right now but when I get out of school I'm going to invest heavily in R&D into an HID kit, then mold something around the bulbs to make it work. The extra room made available by removing the headlight assembly will allow for the ballasts.

fattie92

i mean the thirdgen birds. i will give someone 1,000,000 bucks if they can show me a good looking thirdgen firebird with the pop up delete...but we all know its not gonna happen.

foney_email

It is not lined up because he uses a ram air system that utilizes the spacing between the hood and the lights. It looks kinda cheap but it serves a purpose, unlike pretend hood blisters and the "hood scoops" on mustangs and early GTO's.

Don't get me wrong, the gto is the car of gods but the hood scoop was styling only and did no air raming at all.

Oh and the fake scoop on "rustangs" is just gay.

sorry for my rant

redraif

I liked this guys lights. I never emailed him to find what he used to make his. Now I don't know where his email address is. I wanted some closer pics of the lights to see how they did them. Obviously it is styled like mine versus the style we are discussing.

Although if Joe geta 3rd gen like we are discussing, I make go ahead and make his lights in a version like what we are dicussing. At least just to see what it will look like. Who knows. Lord knows I could improve on that other version we have seen.

redraif

Would help if I attached the pic now wouldn't it. Never talk on the phone at work and post.

He deleted his head light doors completely and made the hood solid all the way across.

FyreLance

Now THAT's more like it.

Not that I mind the pop-ups by any means, but that's the best "pop-up delete" mod I've seen yet.

fattie92

that looks photoshoped to me. it would look better if the lights were all one peice, and all one color.

FyreLance

Photoshopped or no, I think it looks better than any I've seen.

I dunno if I'd make it one piece. The mods I've seen like that look kinda goofy. But I guess anything can look good if it's done right.

redraif

As far as I know its not photo shopped it was a car for sale on Ebay quite a while back. here are some more shots. I'm not a big fan of the rear quaters mod though, just doesn't seem very muscle car like. Anyway check out the lights in these shots

redraif

I think the car was chopped and the hood is something I have not seen for sale unless Motion makes it. It looks like a cowl that matches up with the angled likes on the bird's hood.

W/o the quarters covered:

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

There are two things wrong with that statement:

1) You probably don't have a million bucks

2) "good looking" is an opinion; Edsel owners think their cars are "good looking". If your opinion is that pop up headlights look better, no one is going to convince you (or should want to) otherwise.

Personally, I hate popup lights. Half of them on the road don't work right, and they spoil the lines of the car at night. Sure, they look good during the day (if they're not broken, that is!), but I like my cars to look good ALL the time!



No "flames" intended to those of you who like popups!

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

Why is it that everyone assumes any mod thats out of the ordinary is photoshopped? Some people can actually work on their cars better than their computers, and customize them the old fashioned way...in their garage!

TomP

No, that's a real mod, I've seen that pic years ago. 'Fact, I think guys with the newer 4th gens have tried doing that, too. Might run into a legality problem; technically, they're not headlights, they're foglights or driving lights.

FyreLance

Ew, that car looks horrid with the quarter panel mod...

Looks okay without the mod, though I'd definitely get some better rims... :: shudder ::

But I do like the lights.

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

Personally I thought my car looked pretty bada$$ w/ the non pop up mod...

logikal6785

hey man when is ur project going to be done, and up on a webpage with pics and stuff =D

89firechicken

those headlights look like the ones off of a olds you know the olds that they used for prostock, the jegs sponsored cars used them for a while untill they went to the cav's or whatever they use now. i just may have to give that a try

82firebird

something like this would be pretty sweet..

scauffiel

That last pic there is exactly what I'm looking into. I just want the lights to pop up a tiny bit to reveal the lights from a 3000GT or something like that. Just need to figure out how to make the lights stop after about two-three inches of travel.

S.

fattie92

to do that youll need to run another switch for the headlights. i know that i can get my lights to pop up like that, but the lights wouldnt be on at all. try holding your light button down slightly to where they go up then let go and they should stop (as long as you didnt push the button all the way down) .... then go from there.

TZFBird

hey Redraif.. that bird with the chooped top and the rear wheel covers was here in Lincoln Nebraska for the HotRod Power Tour. I took a look at the car and was really sad to see it. It really doesn't look that good. The bad part of it is that they hacked up a notchback for that as well.

It was funny to see the kids walk past saying "ohhh knight rider"

The guy who was driving it said it was all custom work done made from a ton of different car bodies I.E. the fender covers. But without the covers, it doesn't seem to be too bad.

redraif

I was wondering who the person was that had also done the conversion. I remember someone posted a pic of a black Firebird after I had converted mine and I wondered whose it was! So that was you. Outside of yours, mine, and the one I posted above from ebay, I have seen no others with our style delete.

redraif

I still think you could just shorten the brackes on the existing headlight motor. Or put a catch that would extend out and snag the light and hold it from going any further till the cycling stopped and the motor locked down in place. Maybe something could be attached to the metal behind the headlamp with a metal wire that would limit its travel. Just throwing things out there. I know I could figure it out if I had a spare bird to tinker with!

redraif

Man I would have loved to see it up close. Too bad they did such a poor job on it. The pics seemed so interesting. Yeah, I guess they had to cut everything to chop it. I would never do that to a real notchback. I would get a aftermarket one to chop. Let me guess the guy basically didn't know a thing about how anything was done, right? Was it his or did he buy it that way? I was just curious if it ever sold on Ebay.

I hate to go to carshows and ask someone about some custom work and all they can say is "XYZ shop did it. It cost me $$$" They can never tell me what it was built from or how it was designed. People ask me all the time what this or that cost to do. I never know what to say. Since we did it, it effectively cost nothing but parts and our time.

TZFBird

Right on... I talk to all these "car people" who can't do any of the work themselves. I have done everything to my car except the exhaust since I cant bend it. I also don't like the idea of my life being in the hands of someone else...if I get hurt, it's going to be because I messed up, not someone else. Actually, I'm just too cheap to take it somewhere. But, the car isn't too bad. I just think it could have been done a little better. The rear fenders actually extend about another inch out farther than they do stock.

Tyler

redraif

Must have added a wide body kit to it.

It can really tick me off at shows when you hear people racking up what they spent, like its a good thing to get ripped off like that. They kids get their cars bagged and what not and just sign a check or slap it on the card. Half the time the body work looks like it was sanded with a brick and painted in a sand storm. And they are so proud. Sheesh!

If it was up to a shop to have done my car, I hate to know what I would have had to spend. Not to mention the fact that most shops would not do what I wanted. That's why I got into doing this stuff myself. That and you can be assured that you aren't just a carbon copy in another color of the guy down the way from you at the car shows!

I think this is why I get so irritated with people who try to say my car is rice. Because I see what little those "rice" guys really do to their cars. Its all just bolt-ons and paying some over priced shop to do the work. More than half these kids don't know diddly squat about their cars. That's why you hear them talking smack and getting away with it, well... till they talk to a "real" car person, who just laughs at them. So my car, or me, being put in with those guys, uh...not!

JF023

to make the headlights pop up only a couple inches (ive seen this done on a 85 Fiero GT), you actually need to take apart the headlight motors, and move the gears around. you also need to hack the headlight holders and make them fit the smaller lights.

TZFBird

Why are you going to have to take apart the motors? I thought they are pressure sensative. Correct me if I'm wrong. So all you would have to do is make the stop longer so the light doesn't open as far. Unless the motors changed from year to year. Because, if I put my lights up half way...by means of the ****, and turn the lights on, they will go up and I am pretty sure the motor stops after it gets up. I doubt that has anything to do with the gears that are in there. Anyway..yes you would have to mess with the light housing a little. But I doubt it would be that hard. If you wanted it to be really nice, you should probably make a mold and fiberglass a panel to fill in around the lights.

I have been walking around town looking at cars.. and not many of them look like good candidates for this. I think the 3000GT/Stealth would work from what i have seen. I also saw a new Oldsmobile or Chryster(it was far away) that looked like it had lights that would fit. I was mainly looking for size at the moment..tehn narrow it down to looks.

Anyway, let me know if I am wrong about the motors.