Custom Tails > Aventador Style?, Can it work? Help/Opinions? Options

[Kaiser]

So, noting before anything else that I have very little experience or knowledge when it comes to custom electrical components like tail lights, I was wondering about the possibilities of a tail light conversion. I know there's been posts about the 'LED Celica' with the Aston Martin replica tails, and there are some members around here who have done pretty awesome custom work, so it seems possible.

Anyway, the Aventador tails seem pretty simple in themselves, would they be possible to replicate in a Celica tail? Like, can you actually do that just with a stock tail, take it apart and use LEDs/whatever else to copy the appearance? Obviously Celica tails are shaped somewhat differently but they have that general rectangle shape to them, that the Aventador arrows shouldn't look too out of place, right? Could it work, would it look good? Probably couldn't get an exact duplicate of Aventador lights, but keeping in that style.

I assume that it would be along the same process of the Aston Martin tails made for the green Celica, but even though it was explained somewhere before in the forums I don't know that I could go into something like that with so little detail on the steps. :S Does anyone have input, opinions, something? I'm really just thinking out loud, I like the idea of cars with modifications that make them stand out. I just thought that since Aventador tails are so neat, they might be something to consider. Meanwhile, I did find a demo video of some tails made for a Reventon replica and they seem along the lines of what I was thinking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct2UoEEWFws . But then again the Aston Martin Celica feels closer to what I was picturing in my mind ( http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images...70003_large.jpg ).

Food for thought, I suppose.

[The_enD]

The lenses have to be clear or it will look blurry. I think the JDMs are. I don't know if sanding and polishing the stock ones will make them clear.
Then arrange your LEDs in the desired way and depending on what you want them to do, you may have to get some kind of a board to control them.

[Nihil]

Stock tail-light lenses are molded from colored plastic and have rough surface on the inside to disperse the light, so that's no way of sanding it to clear transparent lenses... But I think that JDM have transparent lens on top and colored lens bellow, but not sure of it.

[Kaiser]

So essentially the stock tails won't work because of the blur, but if I picked up a pair of JDMs it may be possible. I mean I suppose I worded it wrong when I said 'is it possible' anyway, considering with enough time/money/know-how basically anything can get done.

What about the cost? I mean I know I'd have to probably get a pair of JDMs then, in that case. What about the LEDs or any other parts? And for example, in the replica Reventon's tails, the turning signals had a strobing effect. I'm assuming that would require what you mentioned, The_enD. Is that like opening a whole new can of worms, like a lot of extra work/time, or is it not that bad of a process?

Overall I'm just wondering how much money this could run, and how much time and effort it would take to do the right way.

[richee3]

Doesn't matter if you go JDM or USDM tails, it'll be the same amount of work. Both are red plastic with diffusers on the inside. You'd still have to completely fabricate everything inside the light from scratch, so you're probably better off to save your money and start with the much cheaper USDM tails.

[czwalga]

You can look at the RX7 forums. I've done this.




To something like this.

[Kaiser]

Doesn't matter if you go JDM or USDM tails, it'll be the same amount of work. Both are red plastic with diffusers on the inside. You'd still have to completely fabricate everything inside the light from scratch, so you're probably better off to save your money and start with the much cheaper USDM tails.

So I can use the USDM tails for this? O: That makes it easier to bear...
What exactly is everything, I've never taken a tail apart before so I don't know what all is actually inside ha. I guess I'll be doing some research then.

And @ czwalga: thanks for the suggestion + example. I'll be sure to stop around other forums as well. I wasn't really sure if this was a realistic thing that I should consider trying at first, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get involved in a real DIY and go after something 'different'-looking.

Do you guys think the Aventador style lights would flow with the Celica though?

[Nihil]

This is what I've seen on celica-club.co.uk, posted by a user named 25th Anniversary, not sure if it's his mod though (topic)

You might want to turn to him about this clear-lens mod

[CrossCudi]

I LIKE THOSE ! ^^^^^

[Kaiser]

I LIKE THOSE ! ^^^^^

x2 I agree.

Actually I did more digging and found a similar mod from a user that was on 6gc. (I think?) I'm referring to vsideboy, who made custom LED tails? Seems he hasn't been around in a long time and it seems he never got around to doing a write-up on how exactly he did it. But his tails almost resemble those, aren't they kind of a similar deal? (I mean, they don't really LOOK like the ones cited, but they both have that clear outside, and vsideboy's just have LEDs instead of the bulbs, and he kept the black dividers).



That. Isn't that similar, it looks like it has a clear lense at least. I mean I know the interior is set up differently than what I would end up with but the outward appearance at least seems right (though I guess in my case it would be minus the black dividers and the LEDs would be arranged differently); "made myself using the backing of some standard lenses, filler, pcb board, homemade circuit, leds, clear perspex." Am I on the right track here or am I derailing and barking up the wrong tree? This is the thread I'm referring to: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=39180&st=0 .

[Kaiser]

You might want to turn to him about this clear-lens mod

I joined up over there and sent a message to him; unfortunately he doesn't really have much info to give, he purchased the lights from someone and they were just like that. Apparently nothing off the shelf, so little chance of me being able to get anything like that.

Vsideboy mentioned perspex when he listed off materials, which I'd never heard of before and had to look up. Considering it's a plastic material, could it have been that which was used to create the lenses he had? It is clear after all, from what I see. Can it be molded to take the place of the diffused red plastic used in the stock tails? In all the searches I've done I haven't seen any other tails with clear lenses like that, and if the stock ones can't be modified to be clear then I assume new ones would have to be made?