Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

First take off your centerpiece, should be a breeze. this is really a hard procedure to screw up, so you shouldn't have to have an extra "just in case."

Second, pop out the ring that goes around the lock cylinder. It'll just be in the way in a minute here. It pushes outward, not inward.

Now, take some rough grit sandpaper, and go to town. Strip all the black and silver or red from the inside, down to clear plastic. It will look very cloudy now. After this, use finer and finer grit paper in successive stripping layers until it's smooth and very transparent.

Now comes the fun part, take some time and carefully design an inverse stencil of what design you want on there now. Remember, inverse, solid sections of paperbaord where you want it to glow on the end product. Suggestions:

Identical design you just stripped off. third gen bird and pontiac lettering

(my choice) a 4th gen bird

A middle finger sticking up for those who love to tailgate

A white mustang with a red circle and line through it, rigged with a flashing bulb for when you really want to start a race, and the guy is just not taking the bait

Get creative

Now, apply the stencil and repaint the inside of the centerpiece black around it. Peel the stencil off, and do any touch up work necessary.

After the paint is perfect, get your hands on either some thick celophane, or find someone who works in live theater and get "gels" (basically a super-thick piece of celophane). Apply wherever to get the colors you want (I'm just putting down a piece of red gel, using clear adhesive spray to stick it), and then rig up a small light to the pocket of space back there.

You can rig the light to your taillights, the license plate light (wires run right through there), or a seperate switch in case you use any colors cops won't like back there (which is anything but red).

HAve fun, and post pictures! (I'll get one up in a few weeks).

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

A new idea just popped up! After doing all the above, you could hit the outside of it with some transparent black/spray tint stuff, so it would look solid black until you turn it on... Just a thought.

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

KNOCK OFF!!!!!
J/k as long as someone did it and succeeded, https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/smile.gif
ho does the black look? does it match with the rest of taillights?
Good mustand/ford idea, the rest where just beautiful,
hurry up with those pics nad munky, https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/smile.gif

the tint idea is good, cept if you use 194-A bulbs, id snag em from macewan, cause hes got, Xenon.

oh and what kinda paint you use?


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91 FireBird 305 V-8
no true mods,
ghetto rigged cold air intake,
People dont have a soul, its just something parents made up to frighten little children, like the boogie man, or micheal jackson..."

GheTTo Riggers INC.
We Make Mcgyver look Like Crap

Any paint will work, I used some gloss black I had lying around the garage. The important part is to get the inside smooth like glass with some real fine sanding. In the end, that determines the glossiness, not the actual paint.

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

ive got another idea... just grid the center piece, and wire it to the running and brake lights, use a dual fillament bulb for that, and boom shakalaka you have one giant brake light... could look pretty sweet if done correctly...

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1985 WS6 Trans AM
T-tops
bone stock sloth of an engine LG4
T-5 tranny. thank god, i couldnt stand an LG4 auto.
Plans for an LT-1 or LT-4,
dual flowmaster exaust,
& a pounding stereo.
mods right now include a radar detector. :D

Hmm, that would be cool if my taillights had the grid anywhere else... https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/frown.gif

-Reno

im sorry reno, i am so so sorry. https://www.thirdgen.org/messgboard/biggrin.gif hell i would update to the grid style if mine didnt have it. i love the grid.

------------------
1985 WS6 Trans AM
T-tops
bone stock sloth of an engine LG4
T-5 tranny. thank god, i couldnt stand an LG4 auto.
Plans for an LT-1 or LT-4,
dual flowmaster exaust,
& a pounding stereo.
mods right now include a radar detector. :D

I'm actually going to do plain black all the way across the rear, so I don't mind not having the grids. If I weren't, I'd definately be getting a grid pattern. I think we should set up an exchange, the guys who want grids can trade with the guys who have theirs covered up by blackouts.

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

i must say the sweetest looking grid/trans am tailights are the ones on the 92 trans ams. They are a 2 peice set up and it says pontiac across the back. It looks really exotic and if i wasnt so picky about origionality than i would get it. BTW if u want the solid black look and u have baseline firebird tailights than get GTS taillight black outs. I have them on my firebird(see sig) and they look so sweet. Not many birds have them mostly camaros.

------------------
1989 pontiac firebird
bright red exterior(just repainted)
grey interior
5 spd
305 TBI (stock)
WS.6 formula wheels
3.73 posi rear end
http://members.aol.com/j007golden/Mikey89.html
-------------------------
1985 trans am
factory bright yellow
4 wheel disks
16 inch wheels
305 TPI
power antenna and mirrors
t tops

Would it be easier to get the sticker of the bird, then put it on, then paint over it? I have a local sticker place here in NY that can make the outlince of the firebird emblem. This place makes window stickers. I was wondering if i could have them make up the firebird emblem, and then place that on so that i dont have to go through all the trouble with stenciling it. Just my opinion, let me know if it will work.

IF it's a segemnted sticker, it would work great. Try it and let me know!

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

Alright. I will try it. I have an extra center piece that i will use. It is an old one....that i got off an '86 TA that i have on my '83. Right now i have the center pice from an '88 which looks really good, and i hope the lighted up bird will look even better.

Sounds like a good idea though! I'm going to try this!

Phase 1 complete.

I sanded off the paint with 400 grit sandpaper, by hand. Thats why it looks so foggy.

I'm thinking if i make the stencil part translucent in red, I'll use the testors paint that the camaro guys use for the "red taillight mod".

But yeah, this is cool.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...27x-june06.jpg

keep this updated i want to see what this looks like when its complete!

yeah its been done. looks pretty good too. ill do a quiock search for you. but a more detailed one will come up with your pic pretty quickly

It has to have been done before but I've never seen pics of it.

ahahhaha thread started by me :lmao:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...ght=light+bird

here you go. looks pretty cool

the firebird stencil looks like it would be difficult to do. Maybe a local graphics shop could help out?

thats so freakin rad! i think im gonna do GTA on mine...

Ok, round 2.

I didn't like how this turned out the first time. The first time I did the mod, I used masking tape. Masking tape just doesn't work well.

This time I printed out my design on a full sticker sheet. (Avery Inkjet Sticker Project Paper from Walmart to be exact). Then I used an exacto knife to cut out the design. I also printed out my design on a regular sheet of paper and taped that paper on the outside of where I wanted the design placed. Then on the opposite side, I let light shine through, and lined up my stickers I cut out.

When I prepped the center piece I sanded the inside down to 2000 grit then polished it by hand with aluminum polish then plastic polish. A buffer would have been better but I didn't have one today and it still turned out clear anyway.

I used Krylon Fusion to paint the backside of the center taillight. Stuff works awesome, even bonds to polished plastic when its 40 degrees F outside.

Anyways, it turned out a lot better than last time. I'm not done with it yet, got to go over the overspray areas, going to paint the design part with testers transparent red paint, then paint the outside with VHT niteshade, then have LEDs mounted behind the center taillight.

Pics:
http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tailmod003.jpg http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tailmod002.jpg http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tailmod001.jpg

really nice looking work man

Got the testers red transparent paint on. The same paint you camaro guys use for the red taillight mod. The VHT niteshade is next

Pics holding it against a light bulb:
http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tailmod006.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tailmod004.jpg

Very cool! On Firebats one, it looks like the left one is the lighted one? Not quite a deep red lighted. If you could change that, it would look perfect!

I've got an extra center section like that. Maybe I should start working on doing that again!

Both pics with the red paint on are both lit up or behind the same light. Its just how the camera took the flash. The red turned out good though. Its same color as the taillights.

Any pics of it finished, and on the car?

Would it be possible to make the light intensity based off of RPM or MPH? I know alot of newer pontiac cars have a button that let makes the music quiet at slow speeds that gets gradually louder the faster you go. It would be pretty sweet if you could sit at a light with just a faint flicker, then burn out with the image really bright.

Your light looks incredible. It turned out much better than I had expected. Good job!

Oh yeah, thats totally possible. I think there is something as simple as a frequency to voltage converter out there to make the circuit somewhat easy to design. As the frequency changes, the output voltage would increase or decrease.

I was thinking about wiring up one of those "fading eyes" circuits for when I have the car parked, the circuit where light fades on and off.

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Hey guys been away for a few years but I'am finally checking back in. With kids in and getting ready to go to college the car has to take a back seat, especially when gas gets to 3 bucks a gallon and insurance for two underage drivers in the great state of taxachusetts takes serious bites out of the paycheck. Now back to the post at hand, this is a mod I did about 4-5 years ago. This is the thread that I posted in about my method and a pic of the results. "https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto-detailing-appearance/281725-lets-see-em-pics-2.html." I did it bascially the same way but I used a transparent red metallic paint and just sprayed a few coats on the inside after stencil removal until I got the shade I wanted and then wired two double filament bulbs behind the panel so they work as park and brake lights.

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

I've seen people do that before and really wasnt sure, but yours looks freaking great! I like it!

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I wanted to post my results as well. I followed the instructions as stated by Firebat. The only exception is that when I printed the "Trans Am/Firebird" stencils, I went into Windows Paint and mirroed/reversed the image so it printed it backwards, that way I can put the sticker on the back of the centerpiece and when looking at the front of the centerpiece, it would be correct. I used an Xacto knife as well and took my time. A few coats of black, then removed the stencils and then a few coats of regular cheapo red spraypaint... Check out the results. I still need to find a few more lightbults and sockets to place on the back, but looks good so far...

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Last pic

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

I love that! I want that with a trans am that I want :(

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Here's mine :cool:

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

let's try that again?

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Nice, but also looks like it is clocked to the right, by just a bit.

Making me want to work on mine again, I just don't enjoy the sanding part.....

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Where are you guys getting the clear plastic center pieces from? (what year of firebirds)?

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

BTW, all of the mod center pieces look really cool, nice work guys!

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

Any 85-90 black one (except GTA). Sand the black off the inside & repaint.

It's the sanding I don't like. I might take mine is & have it soda blasted, then just fine sand/polish it to clear again, to get rid of the "foggy" appearance after blasting.

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

So, this Wont work with my GTA center piece!!!! Ah Crap!

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

You could do very similar, but the GTA piece has am embedded emblem for the 'bird. You could do the whole lens except the 'bird itself. Or maybe the emblem could be sanded & repainted red/gold/blue?

After sanding some tonight though...I started about just having the center piece molded. I already have a source for vacuum molding, from my days doing signs.

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

See, what I was thinking was, is having a thin clear red outline that goes around the embedded emblem. Other then that, I can't think of any other way to us my GTA center piece!

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

yeah i noticed that but it wasn't that important to me to start over.

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

looks like i have something to look for at the junkyard tomorrow!

I want to give this shot!

Re: Firebird Taillight Centerpiece mod and instructions...(getting the bird to glow)
 

The center section was a labor of love. I say that because i went throught alot of trial and error to get it so i would be happy with it. I sandblasted the inside that was the easiest and fastest way to get the factory paint off. The out side was sanded down starting with 100 grit ending with wet sanding 2000 grit. I painted the inside and the outside with testers transparent red model paint. i laid a decal from a local decal shop on the outside. I then spray painted the outside with gloss black enamel paint. I let it dry over night pulled the decal off VERY carefully. I then sprayed it with a clear enamel clear coat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOZbOkXkOsA