96reddxj

First tech post on the forum. I wanted to have led tail lights and was surprised to find that no one makes a led tail light assembly for the xj. I have a 96 and was gonna go for just replacing the bulbs with leds from superbrightleds.com. but after adding up the cost of this I decided I would try and make a Led tail light using the stock assembly. I purchased a used passenger side tail light to use to mock everything test and fit everything. I noticed someone tackled a similar project on this forum but they cut the lense from the housing. My question is does anyone know if I can separate the lense from the housing. I have tried baking it in the oven and then pulling the two apart, but so far no luck. I set the oven at 225 and left the light in for 15 minutes. I really want to do this unique mod but I don't want to cut the housing, if anyone has some insight it would be greatly appreciated

96reddxj

so i ended up figuring the problem out, i ended up warping the tail light lens but got it separated. once i am ready to install the led circuit boards into my actual tails i will have to use extra care. i may actually try using a heat gun, that my wife informed me she had once i had already warped the lenses. i figure that way the heat is concentrated only to the area i am working on. i will do a write up of the whole project from start to finish if i am successful.

t_long

If you can get them to look anything like this, I will buy a set. And I bet they'll sell like hot cakes.

andrewmp6

Talk to http://classicleds.com/ hes told me before you send in a set of tail light buckets he will make leds for them,The price last time i talked to him was like 300 a set.

2000chersport

X2

96xjcheapjeep

Please make post picture after it done I am too wanting led taillights and was gonna do what the other guy did but I'm still looking for ideas I'd love to see how you did it and the finished product

kissthis66

You can separate them by tossing them in the oven to heat up the glue and then pry them apart. Just be careful not to over heat them to void warping them. Just my 2 cents.

cruiser54

Hey, Betty Crocker.

What temp and how long?

extrashaky

Maybe he could try a heat gun instead. I bet his wife has one and didn't tell him.

MurderCityXJ

So much sass in this thread.

96reddxj

yea thats a little beyond my budget for the tails, I took on the project because I didn't want to spend over $100 to just replace the stock bulbs with led bulbs from superbrightleds.com. Also, I do love to tinker with stuff and take on projects that will turn into something unique. I will definitely post finished project pics once completed for those that are interested. It may take a bit for the finished product though, between two jobs, two kids, and a honey do list I am working on these at a snails pace. I have ordered all the light emitting diodes and prototype boards, once those arrive I can start mocking everything up and doing my math for the resistors needed for the whole project. I will update when I have made some progress

SpacedOutXj

This is what I do for a living. Tech service for tailight housing internationally. Basically I sell the plastic pellets that they are made out of and keep the people molding them happy. It's Plexiglas. That specific variety of material has a glass transition temperature (temp when polymer molecules can begin to move under stress) is about 115 degree Celsius (240F). I wouldn't go any hotter than that for any more than 2 hours or so. Just a fore warning. You be surprised at how many shells come off the line "warped" or not in spec and then are forced into place and held with glue or ultrasonic welds. So if it comes off and appears warpped, it may have started like that to begin with.

I'm really curious to see how it turns out. You'd be shocked at how much optical engineering goes into tail light, even in the 90s. Typically it's more of a challenge with headlights and forward facing units because you are concerned with light scattering, projection distance, Yada yada. A single incandescent bulb will very efficiently light up the whole interior of the fixture. Where an LED is a very sharp visible point. Manufactures these days go to great lengths to hide the fact that they use LEDs. It's generally more appealing to the customer to see a whole area of plastic light up bright red rather than 20 small dots.

Other warnings I can give you. Don't use isopropyl alcohol. It will craze the surface beyond belief and ruin the finish. Plexiglas is brittle, especially aged 10 or 20 years. Be very ginger handling.

Want to get fancy? You can very successfully solvent weld Plexiglas using trichloromethane. Yes that is chloroform. But dichloromethane is easier to get and works just as good (for welding anyway).

Sorry for the butt load of info but outside of my colleagues you won't find anyone who know more about automotive Plexiglas but me. After all I have about an 80%stake in the market domestically and about 60% globally.

cruiser54

Too funny!! I was just being a smartalec!

bryweb

Once you separate the lense, you could use something like these (one for brake, one for running, one for reverse) LED Lights

kissthis66

LMAO nice, if I remember correctly I think I set mine at 100ish and only baked it for like 10-15min, just enough to heat up the glue to separate them from the housing.