How-To Remove Tails & Third Brake Light for Tinting, For Those Who Want To Know On A Hatch (W/ Pics) Options

[Harold_Fastwaker]

Buy some VHT Tinting Spray from online or a local car shop. I suggest Online, took me 8 car shops to find it. None of the large companies carry it. Found it at a Mom and Pop Muscle Car shop. They only had 2 cans left. I also purchased Krylon Clear Coat to weather guard the tails.




Inside your car, remove rear interior piece. This is what you should have when it is off.




There are 3 nuts that hold the tails in. 2 are easy to access with the back panel removed. The last one if you have a deep enough socket can leave the side panels on. I just unclip them and bend them outward so I can reach behind it.

Once each nut is removed the tails slide out, disconnect the lights from each section. Just twist them and pull out.


Installation is just a reverse of what you just did.



To remove Third Brake light. Pop out the small plastic box by the latch. Should look like this once out.




Next Take a long screw driver and stick it between the hatch and the interior panel. I started at the corner as there is a slight gap to work with. Just push in and pry. The panel is just held in with snaps.

There are quite a few of them so you just need to take your time. You can see some of them below.



Once removed you will see this: (crap picture I know)




In the center underneath the brake light is a piece like this:




Remove the 4 bolts and unplug the brake light electricity line. The metal panel is attached to the wires to let it hang.


To take out the brake light itself. Twist off the plastic bulb case like you do with your tails. Once the bulb is removed there are 2 black screws on either side. (You can see them without taking out the bulb.) These 2 screws are attaching the light to the metal bracket behind it. Once the screws are removed you need to take off the brass nuts holding the metal plate on the hatch. Once out you need to pull on the brake light and push from the outside.

Installation is just a reverse order.

-------------------------


For tinting I used 3M Blue Painters tape to mark off the sections I do not want painted. Hard to see as its an after photo. But I masked off the section between each light as well. Left has been unmasked right is still taped off.

That is 3 coats of Tint with 2 light coats of Clear. I wet sanded after the tinting was done, then laid the Clear. You can polish that however you like.





Final shot with both tails and third brake light done. I also tinted my amber side markers as well. As you can see my exhaust is also blacked out.

NO my paint is not messed up. The rear of my car is wet.



No Brake



Brake



This post has been edited by Harold_Fastwaker: Aug 9, 2007 - 1:54 AM

[cHinaman727]

Well done! It takes a lot of time and effort to put something like this together.

Sticky Vote Right Hur!

[Shocker]

wet sand and buff it or that stuff will look like crap in a few months. It will lose it shine and become a dull color.

[cwlevie21]

req some night pics plz!

[Harold_Fastwaker]

wet sand and buff it or that stuff will look like crap in a few months. It will lose it shine and become a dull color.

Did that. But that is up to the person who is performing the tint if they want to wet sand it.

But even if you do not wet sand it you will be fine. If it looks like crap in 2 months then you did it wrong.

req some night pics plz!

Will Do.

No Brake



Brake

[CelicaST_CALI]

are those stock?I cant really tell help me out

[Harold_Fastwaker]

Yes, stock tails.

[CelicaST_CALI]

sweet

[whatthe]

Re-up pics?

[Harold_Fastwaker]

Sorry man. I reformatted my computer a few months ago and dont have the back ups anymore. I didn't realize I lost the links on my photobucket sometime in the past few months either. (yes, I know they have no relation to each other)

This post has been edited by Harold_Fastwaker: Oct 6, 2009 - 9:00 PM

[SwissFerdi]

Re-up pics?

It's not too hard man...taking off the inside plastic is pretty straightforward, and I don't think removing the tails involves that much work either.