Rear "240sx" center garnish question

[mbmbmb23]

(S13 hatchback)

Does this part contain light bulbs to light up the red part? Im not talking about the white "reverse" lights, but.....for some reason I could swear the center red panel lights up when you have your parking lights and headlamps on. Am I wrong?


-m

[Dousan_PG]

nope doesnt light up.
pretty sure i'll double check tonight, but i'm 99.9999% sure

[mbmbmb23]

If it doesn't light up....I wonder if theres a way to fabricate some lightbulb fixtures in there.....and light the entire rear up. I think that would be sweet.....but only if you could distribute the light evenly as to light up every square inch of the center panel. Whadda ya think?



-m

[Dousan_PG]

i havent taken one apart yet. if its open (lots of room) you could wire up a TON of leds or you could add some bulbs back there. i think it would look a little odd though.

but its worht a shot. i cant say good or bad cuz i've never seen it. sounds like a good after school/work/weekend project!

[mrmephistopheles]

All it is is a reflector. You don't really have the room to put anything in there without major modification.

Kevin

[SHINCHU]

i have heard of people with CRX and civic EF lighting up thier center panels by fabricating some sort of light set up. my friend said he saw a DIY guide on the internet somewhere. i bet if you dig, you could find it.

Chris

[DarkRaptor42]

If I were you I wouldnt mess with it. With the age of the car, the plastic will have gotten old and when you try to take the reflector out it will crack. I know this cause I did it.

[mbmbmb23]

Well...what I would do is buy one on ebay for like $30, then try and mod that one. If I got it to work...great...if not....I'd chuck it.


-m

[Anubis]

Originally posted by DarkRaptor42
If I were you I wouldnt mess with it. With the age of the car, the plastic will have gotten old and when you try to take the reflector out it will crack. I know this cause I did it.

I tried to modify a corner light on my 95 and the plastic split. It takes ALOT of delicate work.

[mbmbmb23]

Well....I would probably just use a dremel and delicately cut it apart, rig something up......and find a way to put it back together (hot glue gun, JB weld, etc). I'm sure I can do something cool...but the dilemma is whether to turn it into a middle "brake light" or a running light that comes on with the parking lights....or both using a double filament bulb with 2 stages of brightness. Then...once I decide that, I'll have to splice into the wiring in the back...which will suck...but I do have the FSM. I was thinking how cool it would be to make an LED outline around the black "240sx" print in the center panel (if I were to only light that up instead of the entire center panel). Does anyone have a link to a place that sells LED lights for cheap....and maybe a page that has FAQ on automotive LED's? (like what does clearcorners do...with regard to getting those LED's bundled together and how they are connected to the power source).


-M

[blaqsilvia]

I have my back center piece out on my s14.. pretty interesting- I'm gonna see what I can doo.. when I'm done I'll post pics.. hmmmm ;)

[aqwkmf]

go to twinturbo.net and look up the article on clearing the tails for a Z.....they should be basicly the same thing.