I just bought some '93 Caddy tail lights for my '52 Dodge. I want to french them in alittle and make them removable to work on. Plus eventually I want to put LED's in them to kind of give them that neon sign look. Any tips or suggestions in recessing them or cutting the hole for them to go in. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Really don't want to mess this one up. Thanks -Tyler
lol! oh dear... here we gooooo! just a heads up.... using "1993' tail lights on a "Traditional" message board, isnt going to go over well here..... thats more mini- truck, than traditional custom.... just saying. you got a cool lil project there tho.. have fun
To each thier own. But in my opinion......... ditch those tail lights, lots of stuff around that looks cool and is a tad more traditional. Just my 2 cents worth.................
Oh come on,, somebody set him on fire PUHLEEEAAASE!!! I cause enough trouble round here, time for someone else to hit the shit list.
Hey, i've got some tail lights off a '68 Caddy i'll sell ya. Not traditional, but still better than those '93s.
At the risk of getting burned here.......depending on how you do them they could look good.....if not trad!so make a box up the same shape and size as the light unit so the unit fits nicely insidetrace the open end on to paper and transfer that to the truck body where you want the lights to fit...use a sawsall or jigsaw to cut out the hole, this is gona need some adjustments to get the box to fit nice but once it does tack it on to place and cut off any excess box protruding out, finish welding (inch at a time and opposit sides, hammer welding and cooling with a wet rag between welds to prevent distortion), grind to a smooth finish...
I'm already on the list. Its a good thing you got two of them now you have something to shit on and something to cover it up with. I guess you could make buckets to bolt them into. That's what a traditional hotrodder would do. Oh yea traditional hot rodder, now there is a concept. Someone ought to start a traditional rod and custom message board!!!! Oh I forgot Ryan did that ages ago. I think he called it the HAMB does anyone know how I can get there? You can use them on a custom then go park with the rest of the posers at one of those big time car shows. This is not to say that way back when someone didn't build a mail slot looking tail light, but they didn't scab them off a late model car. They built a bucket and then carved up a piece of plastic to fit the bucket. They also didn't resemble something that they scabbed off another car because there weren't any other cars that had them. Ah hell all you streetrodders build what you want I'm a rodder and it really doesn't matter to me anyway. its like talking to the wall around here any more.
cause they look like real ass. . . sorry. those lights a custom does not make... those, make a street rod
You can if you don't give a rip about it being a traditional custom and have a full supply of flowered tropical shirts to go along with your color matched car logo'd lawn chairs. But you will be out in the back row of the spectator parking lot at a lot of HAMB friendly events with the car and not sitting inside with it. They even look decent in some non traditonal pickups. 52Mildcustom, see what you started now? One guy has to clean his first cup of morning coffee off the keyboard and screen. Another is thinking "don't those FNG's ever read the top line on the board that says "traditional Rods and Customs" and shaking his head for the 20'th time in the last week and the rest are thinking up some smart assed remark to say to the FNG to add the collecton. If you haven't figured it out yet. Those tail lights are too new and all wrong for the way the majority of the guys on the board like to see custom cars done up. In fact a lot will argue that 59 Caddy bullets are on the verge of being too new in style. Those Cad taillights look great on the Cads they came on. They look pretty decent on 88 and up GM pickups if done right but they are all wrong when stuck on 99% of the early cars.
Dont look like the folks think much of your idea,very hard bunch to please. But they can look good ,I put a pair in a 30 sedan a while back. Took my time cutting out the mounting holes so the trim ring just fit flush, even used the original mounting bolts. Came out great and they fit the rear as if they were made for it. Good luck.
Here's a tip: Don't. And since I don't believe in being a dick without being able to offer some insight, please check out this thread for ideas: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286568&highlight=mother+of+tailights
Geez, lighten up fella's......Perhaps you can deduct points for any equipment or modification that does not meet the "Traditional Hot Rod Rulebook" instead of ridiculing the guy. I thought traditional hot rodders also had traditional values which meant they always show others respect. At least the traditional hot rodders I know do.
Oh common Joe they don't look bad they just don't look trad. Damn I was a poet and didn't know it. The truth is that at the majority of custom shows a real refined custom guy will overlook the tail lights to see the craftsman ship it took to install them. Chaos' car shows some metal working skills and I will give it that. But as has been pointed out they look a little on the street rod end of the spectrum. The only real problem with them is that anyone that has been at least halfway around the block will recognize them as late model tail lights installed in an otherwise great car. The car will still pass as a great custom it will just never pass as a great traditional custom.
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