Flush Mounted Taillights - Easy how to do

[Don&Patty]

Was thinking about flush mounted taillights but didn?t want to spend $30 or $40 bucks and wait a week for the kit to be delivered. I read a how to somewhere but here is my rendition. I had a few ½? and ¼? nylon spacers left over from a home project and decided to give it try. My first attempt was not that great and resulted in the lights being flush mounted but there was a gap around the lights and you see all the way inside the bumper surround. Solved the problem by purchasing some black weather stripping (sticky one side) and placing that in bumper cover opening for each light. Worked out great and the cost was $6.00.

Here?s what you need and it cam be obtained from your local hardware store or home center.

8 - #8 X 2? screws (Replaces the factory screws you take out)

8 ? ½? X ½? nylon spacers

6 ? ¼? X ½? nylon spacers

1 ? roll of weather-strip. I used marine/auto 5/16? X 10? black.

Some black paint to paint the screw heads

A bottle of 70% alcohol

Masking tape

Take a ½? X ½? and a ½? X ¼? spacer and tape them together using masking tape, you need 6 of these.

Paint the 8 screws tips black

Take out your taillight and unplug them.

Clean the inside of the taillight opening with the alcohol, makes it easy for the weather-strip to bond.

Unroll some of the weather-strip and place it next to the far edge of taillight opening. I did one light at a time.

Starting on the left rear the far left side taillight take one of the painted screws and slide it through the opening and place a ½? X ½? spacer on it. If you can start the screw into the screw hole (just a coupe of threads) do so. On the right side of the taillight do the same thing except used one of taped together ½? and ¼? spacers. Hold the taillight in place and tighten down.

Next is the left inside taillight. Do the weather-strip thing as explained above. On this taillight use two of the taped together spacers (1/2? X ¼?).

On the right side of car, reverse the above steps starting with right inside taillight.

The whole process took me about a ½ hour to complete.

NOTE: I have aftermarket LED taillights and the process was easy. I have a friend who?s car has the original taillight and the process was a little harder due to the thickness of the taillight and had to play with the weather-strip some. The result was the same, great.

[BSeery]

Very cool looking!!

:thumbs

[Desertdawg]

I always like do-it-yourself projects, yours looks great

[P51tj]

Lookin good! Good and cheap DIY project!

[Guest Sidewinder]

Thats exactly how I did mine. Looks good and you beat the "corvette" price.

[anmracing2]

Good job and great pics, good job with the instuctions too...

You could have at least washed the car before you took the pics...... That is one clean car you have there....

Andrew