Impala Forums banner

about to do quad tail lights :D

25K views 156 replies 19 participants last post by  g25racer 
#1 ·
i found an article on BBEngineering. they say to use an acrylic bowl and stuff like that. but what i did was found 2 cheap tail light assemblies with harnesses on ebay and bought them. im gonna cut that bowl out and use that to make it more of a uniform look cus ive noticed how when people do that mod the center 2 lights look brighter than the outer. this bugs me.

i know there is a way to make the 2 new lights into turn signals and do the progressive turn signals. (like the newer mustangs and some older cars) i know they sell the 3 light ones but i only of course just wanna use 2. is there a part for that? or do i have to make something?

im also gonna try and keep the reverse lights in the same spot also.

ill keep yall posted. im pretty excited about it haha
 
#94 ·
ugg, that stinks bro..

I got a dremel for valentines last year, just to do these lights, still havent opened it, lol..

Update on me, well, not looking good.. I put oil in my Impala, now it sounds like crap, and making belt sqeeky noises.

Im going to take a look at a 2009 impala SS later today, 48,000 miles, $15,000

*shruggs, I dont care for them really, but want an SS, my wife is being a hardhead, she would rather drive around a dang 2.4 liter kia or something..

" Same price, but 3 years newer",

get what you pay for, I like Impala saftly..

Need a newer car tho, like TODAY, lol..

Not to mention the Flowmasters, ( on my 05)she hates them ,lol, Wakes the whole neighborhood up in the morning.. Now, If i get the SS, I gota get the Flowmasters again, like, same day, lol..
 
#104 ·
Im going to take a look at a 2009 impala SS later today, 48,000 miles, $15,000
For $15k, you can get a 2012/2013 Impala LT/LTZ with under 25k miles. While it's not an SS, the 2012/2013's do have the newer 3.6L V6, which is rated at the same horsepower as the SS (about 300HP). The torque is not as high on the V6, but really, for 15k, I would go with a 2012/2013 hands down...


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#95 ·
Get that SS :devil:

Yeah I'm pissed because its going to snow 6 inches tomorrow then remain below freezing until I have to go back to school. Guess I'll just have to brave the cold on one of those days to finish these up. More than likely they won't get finished which pisses me off, because I've been working on them all break, and spent a good deal of money getting things I needed to get this done
 
#96 ·
hey man, just wait it out, why not, right?

If you live on the east coast, its going to be getting bad weather, polar vortex 2, but worse, and slower, and will see blizzard from Newport news to Maine to Ohio..

from 21st-28th, could actually see 3 differant storms, all bad, from the 21st thru Feb 4th, THen bro, early summer from there on out..

80's in march:beer:

Didnt get a chance to go see the SS, figured its a holiday, and I need financed..

But, its looking like good odds 8/10
 
#100 ·
hey man, just wait it out, why not, right?

If you live on the east coast, its going to be getting bad weather, polar vortex 2, but worse, and slower, and will see blizzard from Newport news to Maine to Ohio..

from 21st-28th, could actually see 3 differant storms, all bad, from the 21st thru Feb 4th
, THen bro, early summer from there on out..

80's in march:beer:

Didnt get a chance to go see the SS, figured its a holiday, and I need financed..

But, its looking like good odds 8/10
hit the nail on the head there, lol.. NYC is a mess,

*PS, Found another 2009 SS-- 28,000 miles 9/10 odds

Black on Black,
 
#97 ·
The problem is I start school on the 27th and won't have the time or space at my apartment to get it done. So its now or 6 months from now :gaah:
 
#98 ·
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, oook

I see, Man up, LOL

I have to fix my dang wipers AGAIN, for the 4th time this month. Had to do it 2 times in the -35 weather, and it broke again.. Take arm off, ( which is dang hard) take plastic cover off, tighten, but it doesnt seem to stay tight. I just kinda cant wait to just get rid of it, even $2,000 Ill be happy, with rims, lol, just gone..

Get them lights done brother, and be safe, and stay in school. Or trade Forex, lol.. Whats your major?
 
#99 ·
Business major, wanting to do trade school for auto body when I graduate in spring.

I was moving along, trying to get as much done now, so there wouldn't be much left to do in the cold, but somehow I fucked up the reverse lights and have no reverse lifts now :gaah: this things been fighting me every step of the way
 
#101 ·
Yeah we got about 7-8 inches down here in MD.

And sounds like a nice ride :eek:k3:
 
#102 ·
She is pretty, had to sway the wife, but its a go now.. I told her id buy her a new 2014 Chevy SS in the summer.. She loves them..

If i get this SS, ill be doing the headlights and tails, lol. for sure..

Be safe in this crap weather,
 
#103 ·
Id get the SS for myself, give the Impy to the lady :lol:

Can't wait to see what you do with it :beer:
 
#105 ·
Some process pics for g25 :beer:

You're gunna need 2 packages of three-color stranded hookup wire, 15 feet each color.



Also will need the metal cutting bits for the dremel (the regular cutting bits won't do)



Also a grinding bit to smooth out the sharp edges



As well as a spare set of tail lights with harnesses, and a number of other common tools (razor, pliers, crimpers, etc.) A wire clothes hanger also comes in handy for running wires behind the bumper without having to take it off.

First thing is to make the actual quad tail light panel. I didn't take pics of the process, as it's already been documented in this thread. Just dremel out the tail light buckets using regular cutting bits (not the metal ones mentioned earlier), dremel out the "dummy lights," trim the tail light buckets to fit, then attach them using JB weld or similar (mine are actually just wedged in atm, I'm going to re-do them at some point when it's a little warmed, and I'll JB weld them in then)

Next was to make the clearance holes. First, you have to take these guys out of the trunk panel. They're a little tough to get out, but not that difficult. Some prying with a flathead, with persuasion from the back makes them pop right out.





By holding up the quad tail panel to the trunk lid, youll be able to see where your clearance is needed. Mark these spots with a marker. Then, begin cutting with the metal cutting bit and the dremel. Check the fitment of the quad panel, and make adjustments as necessary. Be sure to wear safety goggles and work gloves for this part. Here's what my clearance holes ended up looking like: (note the pieces of cut metal on the bumper)



Once you've ensured the fitment of the quad panel, you can start on the wiring.

First thing I did was twist the three-color wire into a single "strand" using a drill. Each package makes ~15' of wiring, enough for one side.



Next, I tapped into the tail light wiring. Green to green/yellow, red to brown, and black to black.



Run the wiring down the hole into the bumper cover. There is a grommet on the passenger's side, but there is also a space for one on the driver's side, with a plastic insert. I used the one on the driver's side.



I cut out the center of the plastic grommet-thing, so that I could run my wires through. Here, only one side is run. the other wires coming through here are for the reverse lights.





Run the wires through that rear panel, to the passenger's side, then up through both grommets to the trunk lid.



Connect the wiring to the female side of the harness for the quad tails (still left to do tomorrow)

That's as far as I got today, but here are some more pics of the quad panel next to a factory panel, as well as me re-attaching the cover to the quad panel.











I had to roll around like this for a while today, wasn't too happy about it! (even though my car is dirty, I HATE when it looks jacked up)

 
  • Like
Reactions: IceMachine
#107 ·
Thanks man, can't wait to finish it up tomorrow!
 
#108 ·
Thanks RYD!! Looking good. One thing I am not liking about this mod though is that you lose 4 mounting points for the center section :cool:

Shouldn't be too much worry as there is plenty of support in the middle. I think GM went a bit overboard in the center when it comes to the attachments. :yahoo:
 
#109 ·
I would definatly but some foam or felt spacers over the mounting points to reduce vibration though. I think darkeyec or whoever had a thread on it. It helped with my subs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkeyce02
#110 ·
^^ Indeed I have also done this a while back
 
#111 ·
I plan on reattaching the missing mounting points when I revisit this project in spring. I have some that I dremel'd off, I just need to grind them down to the proper shape and size, then JB weld them on.

The red vinyl I used to tint the front of the lens didn't come out that great. Okay, but not great. I plan on redoing that with some candy red spray paint in the spring as well. Maybe I'll move to LEDs and sequence them as well, we'll see how much I'm up for
 
  • Like
Reactions: g25racer
#112 ·
Done!







 
#114 ·
On the 7th gen, the center mounted lights are not actually lights at all. Well, they're the reverse lights, but the large red section is just a reflector. What I did was to make these center lights functional as tail, brake, and turn signal lights. This is why I had to relocate my reverse lights, so I could have a full tail light on the center mounted portion. On the previous page, there are pics comparing the modified panel with the stock panel, so you can get an idea
 
  • Like
Reactions: jtrosky
#118 ·
Awesome job man!! I am seriously considering doing this once it warms up and if I can find a set of tails cheap at a local yard. My GF also has a spare junk set of headlights that I want to try and take apart to mod a bit.

Video please!! I'd love to see those turn signals in action!
 
#119 ·
I'll see what I can do about a video. The turn signals aren't that interesting, not sequenced at all. Gunna grab some night pics here in a bit
 
#120 ·
Ya but still would be cool to see :beer:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top