Harley#356’s How-To’s
Separating L Tails, Stripping Chrome, & Resealing
Purpose behind the Mod:
The stock L tails were all the rage till everybody and their mother started getting them. Aftermarket non-OEM are usually junk, and have funky bubbles or weird reflectors, etc. This how-to shows you how to separate your stock L tails so you can do whatever you want with them. Paint them to match the truck, or simply strip the chrome and have a perfect glossy black OEM lightning tail without any need for paint! I was skeptical at first on just stripping the chrome, I knew it'd be black behind it, but I didn't realize how easily the chrome stripped off, and I didn't realise how glossy and shiny the black plastic behind it really is. They will look as if they were painted absolutely perfectly with no orange peel, dust, etc. in the paint, because its actually just the uber-glossy black plastic! Its a great free mod that'll have ton's of people asking you where you bought your taillights at.
Need:
-Set of stock 01-04 Lightning taillights
-Popsicle sticks
-Electric oven
-Gloves
-Rubbing Alcohol (91%)
-Soft rags
-Q-tips
-Clear Silicone
Tools Needed:
-Nutdriver
-Flathead Screwdriver
-Razor Blade
-Butter Knife
Process:
-There's a LOT of photo's for this how-to, so rather than referncing pics in the process, I'll just make the photo titles the step-by-step instructions.
PART ONE: Separating the Lenses
PHOTO # 1: Open tailgate & remove 2 bolts on each side of jamb to remove taillights.
PHOTO # 2: Twist to remove the 4 bulbs so you dont have to worry about heat damage in the oven.
PHOTO # 3: Preheat oven on bake to 200* to 225* depending on your oven.
PHOTO # 4: While preheating, get your separating tools ready. You'll definately want at least a small phillips head screwdriver to start popping it loose, and popsicle sticks to keep it from snapping back shut and regluing itself shut.
PHOTO # 5: Bake for 10-15 minutes. The plastic will remain rock hard at only 200*, so dont worry about melting it.
PHOTO # 6: Using the small flathead, start prying at one corner. The glue gets very rubbery when warm. I found it easiest to start at the back edge of the tails (the side thats adjacent to the tailgate seam) because there's 2 little clips. Pop the clips off 1st without breaking them, and slide popsicle sticks in to keep the glue from sticking.
PHOTO # 7: Work your way around the top & bottom. The side of the tail towards the front of the bed has a lip tucked inside the back chrome portion of the tail so separate this area last.
PHOTO # 8: Don't be afraid to stick the tail back in the oven for another 5 mins after you've been pulling on it for 5 mins. The glue hardens up fast, so rather than rush, throw it back in for 5 more mins.
PHOTO # 9: I did the tail in this pic backwards, its easier to separate the tailgate side 1st, then the front side towards the bed, but when you get 3 sides separated, pull upwards and the last side should pop out pretty easily.
PHOTO # 10: Remember to be careful with whatever you're using to separate the lenses, they can scratch easily!
PHOTO # 11: Here's a pic of those clips I was talking about earlier. They break easily so be careful. The second taillight I did I started from the clips and worked outwards.
PHOTO # 12: My tool of choice came down to popsicle sticks & small flat blade screwdriver.
PHOTO # 13: When its all separated, you'll see lots of nice nasty hard rubbery yellow silicone.
PHOTO # 14: One at a time, stick the tail back in the oven, then later the lense, to heat up the old glue to remove it.
PHOTO # 15: When the glue's warm, it'll pull out somewhat easy. When it starts to cool off it'll break off in little pieces, so stick it back in the oven. You may have to heat it 2-3 times to get all of it out because it cools off fast.
PHOTO # 16: Same process for the clear lense.
PHOTO # 17: You're half way there!
PART TWO: Stripping the chrome *****You can skip this step if you don't want black tails. Can paint right over the chrome after a light scuff prep for primer, paint, & clear. Don't need to strip it to the plastic if you're going with silver/dsg/etc. paint*****
PHOTO # 18: Out of all the stuff I tried, 91% rubbing alcohol worked best. Purple Power also worked out okay. Windex was recommended before, but it takes a LOT more rubbing so I wouldnt recommend it. The butterknife & popsicle sticks are for wrapping the rag around to get into the tight crevices, q-tips are for getting into corners and edges. Make sure the rags are nice and soft cotton, because the black plastic behind the chrome WILL swirl and scratch just as easily, if not even easier than your paint!
PHOTO # 19: Spray the Purple Power or wipe the rubbing alcohol on and let sit for a few seconds. Don't soak the lights, because the clear reverse lense and red brake lense isnt sealed off, so excess liquid can run behind them and dull or strip the chrome behind the lamp lenses, and decrease the light output from the bulb!
PHOTO # 20: Start rubbing with the cloth and you'll quickly be amazed!
PHOTO # 21: Some parts will wipe off easily, other parts will be hard.
PHOTO # 22: Could leave part of the chrome for a different look if you wanted.
PHOTO # 23: The difference is literally night and day!
PHOTO # 24: And no, this doesn't decrease the light output, and isn't illegal. The brake lights are still red, reverse light still white, and there's still chrome reflectors behind the lamp lenses so its just as bright as ever.
PHOTO # 25: Test fit without lense.
PHOTO # 26: Test fit with lense.
PHOTO # 27: No longer do the taillights stick out like a sore thumb!
PHOTO # 28: Looks 100x's better IMO when you notice the rear end as a whole, rather than notice big chrome taillights, then notice all the other mods & details of the rear.
PART THREE: Resealing the Lenses
PHOTO # 29: I just went to home depot and picked up clear silicone in a small tube.
PHOTO # 30: Layed a thick bead around the entire channel in the light housing.
PHOTO # 31: Don't worry, it goes on whitish, but dries clear.
PHOTO # 32: While the tails were apart, I had deebee53 make me some cool black HD outline vinyls to put on the tails to be a nice subtle touch to the HD theme of the truck.
PHOTO # 33: They're a little off center lol, so try and aim a bit better than me! haha
PHOTO # 34: Finished up & installed at night!
PHOTO # 35: The thin HD outline makes a nice touch. Feel free to copy my idea! lol
PHOTO # 36: Color matched gives the hooptie a much sleeker look.
PHOTO # 37: Ready to race?!
PHOTO # 38: Last shot!
Sorry for sooo many pics! Figured for a how-to like this though, it would help a bit more. One last note I want to mention, do NOT put any wax or polish on the black plastic after the chrome is stripped! I figured "hey lemme zaino the black plastic before I seal them up." BAD IDEA! Luckily I was waiting for deebee to make me those HD decals, so the tails sat on my table for about a week and a half. A week after I polished them, I noticed a weird haze on the black plastic that I couldn't get off. It wasn't there before, but whatevers with that plastic, it didn't like polish! I ended up having to sand them down and have deebee paint my tails black, so just take my word and don't apply any polish to the black plastic before sealing them up!LoL!
HUGE thanks to deebee for hooking me up with the decals & paint!!!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by 1niceharley
been wanting to do this mod for years, but didnt have the balls to stick my tails in the oven lol. now that they have droped a lot in price, I took the gamble, and worked out perfect! Always wanted black tails, but nobody can make a clean looking one, and the only one that I would consider, the black bermudas, have to go with retarded flat black instead of gloss! 
)
