Custom made LED's ->
Aidan i'm sure the lads would like to know more about how u made them ..
congrats for the patience & for those many lost Hours
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Aidan's Tail lights
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Aidan's Tail lights
by Sebastian » Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:07 pm
I'm sure u noticed Aidan's ''new'' tail lights sunday .
Custom made LED's ->
Aidan i'm sure the lads would like to know more about how u made them ..
congrats for the patience & for those many lost Hours
Custom made LED's ->
Aidan i'm sure the lads would like to know more about how u made them ..
congrats for the patience & for those many lost Hours
no1. manual GR 96 l no2. tip GR 95 l no3. manual Gpx 95 l no.4 manual Gpx 95 l no.5 manual Gpx 96 l no.6 tip GR 95 - in 2011 took a break from the FTO scene
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Sebastian - Moderator
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by Aidan » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:07 am
Cheers for the kind words Seb.
Ok then, prepare for a long rant
It was a real ordeal putting them together. Didn't realise it was gonna take so long.
I wasn't 100% happy with them when I first got them. The colour wasn't an exact match and they were almost a matt finish.
Spot the difference...
I decided to have them resprayed while I was getting the front bumper done. I took out all the lenses so they'd be done properly. I didn't like the colour of the lenses so I wanted to get clear ones and put coloured bulbs in. I then got it into my head to use LEDs. I wanted the LEDs to cover the inside diameter of the lens so I couldn't use the LED replacement bulbs that are readily available because they are not big enough.
I found these which were designed for bikes, the only come in red and amber because bikes don't have reverse lights they're not available in white. I'm getting the white specially made in America. I should have them in a couple of weeks. They're gonna cost a small fortune though.
I got the same type of lenses as the original ones, only this time they are all clear, from Hella in Santry. I had to modify the lenses in order the fit the LEDs in. I had to cut them in half, I covered the inside edges with silver foil tape so the inside with all the wires etc couldn't be seen. The LED clusters were a couple of millimetres smaller than the lenses so I just filled the gap with strips of cardboard. I put a small bit of plastic glue at the back of the cluster and then completely covered the back of the cluster with clear silicon. Then used the plastic glue to stick the 2 halves of the lens back together. Then the fun bit was bonding them back into the surrounds, I used a sealant called Tiger Seal for this. When set this stuff is like hard rubber and is almost impossible to remove or break. The problem is it takes a couple of hours before it begins to set and about 12 hours to fully set. I had to support the lenses in the surrounds steadily while the sealer was setting and make sure they were all lined up correctly and prayed to all Gods that they would not move untill the sealer was set. When they were about 75% set i was able to move them and start wiring them up to the car. I cut off the old bulbs and connectors from the car and put spade connectors on the car and the new lights. I then had to make sure they were all working properly. Testing brake lights on your own is no easy task
Finally screwed them to the car at about 12:00 Saturday night and dreaded the thoughts of having to get up at 6am to drive to Limerick, but it was all worth it
Phew... rant over.
Aidan i'm sure the lads would like to know more about how u made them ..
Ok then, prepare for a long rant
It was a real ordeal putting them together. Didn't realise it was gonna take so long.
I wasn't 100% happy with them when I first got them. The colour wasn't an exact match and they were almost a matt finish.
Spot the difference...
I decided to have them resprayed while I was getting the front bumper done. I took out all the lenses so they'd be done properly. I didn't like the colour of the lenses so I wanted to get clear ones and put coloured bulbs in. I then got it into my head to use LEDs. I wanted the LEDs to cover the inside diameter of the lens so I couldn't use the LED replacement bulbs that are readily available because they are not big enough.
I found these which were designed for bikes, the only come in red and amber because bikes don't have reverse lights they're not available in white. I'm getting the white specially made in America. I should have them in a couple of weeks. They're gonna cost a small fortune though.
I got the same type of lenses as the original ones, only this time they are all clear, from Hella in Santry. I had to modify the lenses in order the fit the LEDs in. I had to cut them in half, I covered the inside edges with silver foil tape so the inside with all the wires etc couldn't be seen. The LED clusters were a couple of millimetres smaller than the lenses so I just filled the gap with strips of cardboard. I put a small bit of plastic glue at the back of the cluster and then completely covered the back of the cluster with clear silicon. Then used the plastic glue to stick the 2 halves of the lens back together. Then the fun bit was bonding them back into the surrounds, I used a sealant called Tiger Seal for this. When set this stuff is like hard rubber and is almost impossible to remove or break. The problem is it takes a couple of hours before it begins to set and about 12 hours to fully set. I had to support the lenses in the surrounds steadily while the sealer was setting and make sure they were all lined up correctly and prayed to all Gods that they would not move untill the sealer was set. When they were about 75% set i was able to move them and start wiring them up to the car. I cut off the old bulbs and connectors from the car and put spade connectors on the car and the new lights. I then had to make sure they were all working properly. Testing brake lights on your own is no easy task
Finally screwed them to the car at about 12:00 Saturday night and dreaded the thoughts of having to get up at 6am to drive to Limerick, but it was all worth it
Phew... rant over.
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Aidan - Speed freak
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by Muad_dib77 » Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:57 am
Wow mate - that IS a bit crazy..
I like the dedication though...
I like the dedication though...
<->FTO-Ireland ShopTiomáint sé cosúil go bhfuil tú déanach i gcás maise!
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Muad_dib77 - Moderator
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by Aidan » Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:24 pm
Thanks for all the compliments guys.
Makes me feel like it was worth all the time and money I invested in them. I still have a little more to do on them, just waiting on the white reverse leds and I should have them 100% how I want them.
Makes me feel like it was worth all the time and money I invested in them. I still have a little more to do on them, just waiting on the white reverse leds and I should have them 100% how I want them.
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Aidan - Speed freak
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 12:27 am
by jayfromukftooc » Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:58 am
JD wrote:They are the nicest taillights I've ever seen on an FTO.
JD
they are also the hardest to get hold of.
sorry you wernt 100% happy dude when you got them.
as you now no they are time consuming putting them together,i use bluetak or plastercine to hold the lights inplace whilst the tiger seal sets.
i must say tho they were good before but they look fekking awesome now
imo smoked lenses would have suited your cars colour better than clear ones.
got any night pics with the l.e.ds?
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jayfromukftooc - FTO nut!
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