As somebody who also does this as a side hustle, it can be very frustrating sometimes. Just be patient is the best advice I can give anyone looking to try it.
The million dollar question. My cover popped off so I need to put it back on. Bought some JB Weld plastic, but wondering how in the hell I'm supposed to apply a bead. Any ideas out there would be helpful.
Brother, I wished I watched your video first, before brute forcing it on one of mine using jet lighter. It is not perfect, but damn I never knew a plastic can withstand such high temperature. Thanks for enlightening me to do better in another remaining unit. This is great.
Good video, thanks! Question: any reason not to heat it from the lens side? Seems to me this method is subjecting the plastic to the same heat (gradually), and from the lens side you can see the sealant seam. This way, the lens should theoretically release clean and then once off, you can use the heat gun to remove the sealant from the housing. Just curious.
Lense melts and warps faster than it does from the housing side. Once sealant is released from housing then you have a direct line to heat sealant that’s stuck to lense and pull off , super easy rather then pulling out of the housing. If you head vise versa it will warp and melt lense.
Car plastic lenses are made of Polycarbonate. That type of plastic MELTS fully at between 200 and 300 degrees C. The backing in black is most likely Polypropylene Melting at 200 to 280 degrees C. So, being that the two plastics making up the whole light case will begin to turn soft as you approach 200 degrees C. I'd be careful and keep the heat gun moving. That's as hot or hotter than a McDonald's hot cherry pie or cup of coffee. I think we all know just how hot that is............About 400 degrees F. Just kidding as water can only get to 212 degrees F but know that it's going to be hot!!!!! Same as if you are opening an Apple phone or an Apple iPad to soften the glue. Slow and steady and I'd also be wearing thick work gloves.
I see that before you started this excellent tutorial, you used that heat gun on your hair. Nice rise!!! Like you, I am a firm believer in that, "Man made it..............man can fix it!!"
@@cody6.6max man I wish I knew the answer. You kinda just have to try to heat without breaking and use your own discretion , if it won’t come apart with heat then cutting is the only way. & also if it’s a factory tail light you must cut.
Just found your channel and you have some good helpful content. I actually wanted to find out if you know what kind of LEDs light up those strips or bars in the spyder tail light. Only half of mine is working and I found this video. Now I’m going to pry it apart and do this and the color matching like your other video
Hi Justin, have you ever worked on a taillight of a Mazda 3, 4th generation (2019 and above)? I want to replace some dead LEDs, but I don't know if the lens can be separated from the assembly.
I just tried mine for my mitsubishi eclipse tail lights and all it did was ruin the plastic when I used the flat head screwdriver because it was so warm from the heat gun.
Where are you located I have a 2006 hyundai tucson with clear taillights from spec d tuning one has water n is foggy i think the seal is bad I would also like to paint then with my lime green there chrome inside with clear lenses would u be able to do them n how much would u charge if u could do them for me im in pa ty
Hello , could you DM my business page on Instagram @rooster_retros , please include photos and a brief description of what you’d like done & I will get you a quote as quick as possible. Thank you!
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH ive been trying to contact u on Instagram under both your pages sent u pics of what I what n u haven't responded back can u pls get back to me thank you I love your truck the color is awesome same color I want my lights lime green
The content is great .... love the way you cover a variety of truck topics .... when putting the tail lights back together I thought you mentioned you use the oven .... correct? What temp do you set the oven to reseal the tail lights ..... thank you
I usually do 200 degrees for about 8 minutes for tail lights , headlights a little longer! Thanks for watching. These temps are when resealing with morimoto retro rubber which I have linked in the description box !
Have the same taillights , I took apart the lens but I'm stuck trying to figure out how to open the part where the led circle part at how does it come apart
I used to disassemble them and paint them the same color as customers trucks full time. Since quit doing it as much due to health risk / paint booth setup.
I replaced my 2006 Tacoma Tail liights. All tabs are broken but the housing units are perfect. I hate to chuck them in the garbage. If you want them let me know.
I have a older video showing painting over chrome but to summarize quickly , 400 grit sand it all , clean with alcohol , adhesion promoter , primer , base coat , clear coat. Thanks for watching !
I’m about to paint my set of Recon’s with that same LED ring around the brake LED’s. Have you ever painted over that LED ring? I’m wanting to fully color match then if possible
I’m guessing it’ll be a similar process. If you’re thinking of paint matching car tail lights that’s a good idea, I’ve never seen something like that before.
What adhesive do you use to reattach the lens? That’s what everybody wants to know. You show how to take it off but you don’t show how to reattach it. What adhesive do you use to attach the lens?
I have plenty of other videos showing what I use. It’s no secret everyone uses morimoto retro rubber usually. Some use 100% silicone , i some times use both. & then even some plastic weld in a couple small parts to prevent the lense from every pulling away from the housing.
Who ever is doing this in a oven is hetting for disaster and u can use a torch to do it . Heat gun.. torch like to solder that will work even better...👍👍
Call me an idiot but just to spread awareness I tried using this method and ended up breaking my lenses because the taillights I used were plastic welded. Just make sure before you do this that they are glued
too much and too long of a video. just being honest man i think your trying to post way too much little things and not focusing on the bigger more exciting things. hard to watch 13min of tail lights. seeing a truck meet video or something would be better at this point. upload less with higher quality. seems like your just cramming random videos in. take a week off or so and then i think youd feel more refreshed. kinda feels like your youtube burned out like i said before like random crammed in videos.
My channel isn’t just about truck show edits. I’ve had hundreds of messages asking me lots of questions about taking apart tail lights so now instead of responding and taking 20 minutes out of my day to help them I can quickly send them this link. For you it may be a pointless 13 minute long video but for someone wanting to save $100’s of dollars , they’ll appreciate the in depth , informational videos I create and upload. The time will come for truck show montages , reveal of trucks , etc. sorry you feel that way but I’m producing more content than ever I’m far from being burnt out. Views , subscribers , & watch time analytics are all climbing faster than ever. I’m going to continue making helpful videos. Thanks for your input anyway!
Clearly you haven’t been a subscriber long on this man’s channel…. Justin’s channel has been all about DIY / How To videos from the beginning and has showed truck show meets etc in between. Honestly I don’t even think you know what the term “UA-cam burned out” even means because anyone with a brain can tell that this was a well thought out video with time put in explaining and showing someone how to do something and save money lol. Maybe since you’ve had a UA-cam channel for over 10 months now that has been putting out such good car scene and car meetups he can take down some notes and learn from a pro at how to make “MoRe ExCiTiNg ThInGs” for videos.
Justin I would not change a thing I love your content I love your channel it's about DYI and helping others save money and encourage others to work on their own vehicles cuz that's really what it's all about so for anybody that disagrees and thinks that these videos are too long and too boring clearly has no imagination probably doesn't even have a vehicle of their own and is in high school or middle school and is waiting for Mom and Daddy to buy them a already built SEMA truck so they can go to shows and meets without doing any of the work and effort on what it took to make that truck the way that it is. so stick to the truck meet videos and videos of roasting tires and change wheels and tires every other episode cuz that's not boring right I mean woohoo blank and blank got new wheels and tires on this episode yeah you know who I'm talking about I'll give you a hint name rhymes with gay fierro to those who disagree and stop leaving rude comments about DYI videos and get a dictionary and look up what dyi truly means and maybe actually apply yourself to the DYI trade you might surprise yourself or not anyways keep up the great videos don't mean to go off topic
Wtf bro!? Every recent video all you do I bytch and show your ignorance! Justin's the man and his videos are super helpful! If ya dont like it dont watch bro!🤦♂️👌🤷♂️✌
As somebody who also does this as a side hustle, it can be very frustrating sometimes. Just be patient is the best advice I can give anyone looking to try it.
What sealant should I use?
Alot of modern tail lights are plastic welded together now. So very lucky to find some that are glued together still
Great video- what sealant you use and what’s the method to connect lens on again?
The million dollar question. My cover popped off so I need to put it back on. Bought some JB Weld plastic, but wondering how in the hell I'm supposed to apply a bead. Any ideas out there would be helpful.
Butyl glue, comes in a roll just like dumdum
@@vincentprimeau9385 dumdum is butyl
@@johntexan4165put in corner of plastic bag, cut off the corner with sealant inside, twist the top and squeeze the bagged sealant
What do you use to adhere the lense back to the headlight body?
Can you do a video on a 15’ F150 taillight blind w/spot sensor
Always super helpful! Keep it up brotha!
Brother, I wished I watched your video first, before brute forcing it on one of mine using jet lighter.
It is not perfect, but damn I never knew a plastic can withstand such high temperature.
Thanks for enlightening me to do better in another remaining unit. This is great.
Good video, thanks! Question: any reason not to heat it from the lens side? Seems to me this method is subjecting the plastic to the same heat (gradually), and from the lens side you can see the sealant seam. This way, the lens should theoretically release clean and then once off, you can use the heat gun to remove the sealant from the housing. Just curious.
Lense melts and warps faster than it does from the housing side. Once sealant is released from housing then you have a direct line to heat sealant that’s stuck to lense and pull off , super easy rather then pulling out of the housing. If you head vise versa it will warp and melt lense.
Car plastic lenses are made of Polycarbonate.
That type of plastic MELTS fully at between 200 and 300 degrees C.
The backing in black is most likely Polypropylene Melting at 200 to 280 degrees C.
So, being that the two plastics making up the whole light case will begin to turn soft as you approach 200 degrees C. I'd be careful and keep the heat gun moving.
That's as hot or hotter than a McDonald's hot cherry pie or cup of coffee.
I think we all know just how hot that is............About 400 degrees F.
Just kidding as water can only get to 212 degrees F but know that it's going to be hot!!!!!
Same as if you are opening an Apple phone or an Apple iPad to soften the glue.
Slow and steady and I'd also be wearing thick work gloves.
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITHDo that make any clear paint for reflector I have a aftermarket taillight it has red reflectors and I’m trying to get’em clear ?
I see that before you started this excellent tutorial, you used that heat gun on your hair.
Nice rise!!!
Like you, I am a firm believer in that, "Man made it..............man can fix it!!"
I use Hot water and it soften up the sealant then you can open it with a flat head
Yeah I broke a set , and warp a set using the oven method now I'm rolling with stock 08 tails 😎
How u know if u need to heat or cut the lights. Cuz I’ve seen where some cut it
@@cody6.6max man I wish I knew the answer. You kinda just have to try to heat without breaking and use your own discretion , if it won’t come apart with heat then cutting is the only way. & also if it’s a factory tail light you must cut.
What do u charge to do taillights n headlights to paint then n put it back together
Could you do a video opening up a 3rd brake light?
You can use this same method man. Once heated to temp push from back thru mounting hole with Phillips head screw driver
Just found your channel and you have some good helpful content. I actually wanted to find out if you know what kind of LEDs light up those strips or bars in the spyder tail light. Only half of mine is working and I found this video. Now I’m going to pry it apart and do this and the color matching like your other video
Same as mine
Keep it up bro!👍👌🔥 Hates always gonna hate!😂
Hi Justin, have you ever worked on a taillight of a Mazda 3, 4th generation (2019 and above)? I want to replace some dead LEDs, but I don't know if the lens can be separated from the assembly.
Great video.. What would glue would you use to reseal the lens again?
Morimoto retro rubber
Thanks for the info pal🙂👍
What sealant you use to seal this one?
Nice. So how do you assemble it again?
Put shims in after splitting one side to keep have to reheat.
Great idea too , I have a extra flat head I put in on some.
I just tried mine for my mitsubishi eclipse tail lights and all it did was ruin the plastic when I used the flat head screwdriver because it was so warm from the heat gun.
Where are you located I have a 2006 hyundai tucson with clear taillights from spec d tuning one has water n is foggy i think the seal is bad I would also like to paint then with my lime green there chrome inside with clear lenses would u be able to do them n how much would u charge if u could do them for me im in pa ty
Hello , could you DM my business page on Instagram @rooster_retros , please include photos and a brief description of what you’d like done & I will get you a quote as quick as possible. Thank you!
I did u haven't responded ty ill send u another one pics n what I need ty u very much again
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH ive been trying to contact u on Instagram under both your pages sent u pics of what I what n u haven't responded back can u pls get back to me thank you I love your truck the color is awesome same color I want my lights lime green
The content is great .... love the way you cover a variety of truck topics .... when putting the tail lights back together I thought you mentioned you use the oven .... correct? What temp do you set the oven to reseal the tail lights ..... thank you
I usually do 200 degrees for about 8 minutes for tail lights , headlights a little longer! Thanks for watching. These temps are when resealing with morimoto retro rubber which I have linked in the description box !
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH Is it possible to use heat gun instead of putting it into oven?
Have the same taillights , I took apart the lens but I'm stuck trying to figure out how to open the part where the led circle part at how does it come apart
What about a 2018 dodge challenger center taillight? Could this method work?
question have you ever done 2007-13 Silverado Spyder taillights? I have now broken 2 sets and am getting frustrated, any tips?
I am doing the same thing right now. I am struggling so hard
Any chance you could do some Chevy avalanche tail lights
Yessir , dm @rooster_retros on Instagram for a quote.
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH I don’t have any form of social media only UA-cam
There should be more videos this in depth built headlights and taillights for 4-5 years and just had to go for it there weren't videos like this then
Thanks for watching!!
Excellent procedure Mate....Thank's.
Gonna see if this works on my fiesta ST tail lights because they are a pain to cut open
Which Wagner heat gun do u use 300 or 500?
You seem to have several sets of tail lights on your bench.. do you repair them or something?
I used to disassemble them and paint them the same color as customers trucks full time. Since quit doing it as much due to health risk / paint booth setup.
Great video. Did You had a chance to do it with Ford Fusion 2013+ taillights? I'm wondering if heat them up would be enough...
thank you for this tutorial man I appreciate it!
Is it possible to open 2003 chevy malibu taillights ?
Would a 3rd brake light be similar to these
Can be. I’ve found pre hearing third brake in oven for about 7 minutes at 200 works good. Then use heat gun while it’s warm
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH awesome thank you, had to cut my tail lights open and was hoping it wasn’t going to be the same for it
Do you fix 2018 expedition tail lights?
I replaced my 2006 Tacoma Tail liights. All tabs are broken but the housing units are perfect. I hate to chuck them in the garbage. If you want them let me know.
So do you have any experience with an 07-14 tahoe/suburban/yukon?
If you have to cut the tails open, how do you reseal them? I have to reseal some aftermarket 2015+ wrx tail lights. Great vid btw!
Silicone & JB plastic weld 1 minute epoxy
Excuse me You know what kind of leds use a 08 Mitsubishi outlander tail light?
Yes how can I get up with you to do some Denali tail lights and to get a price thanks
Yo not sure if you will be seeing this comment but the tailights i want are only avalible in a chrome inside instead of black, can i paint over that?
I have a older video showing painting over chrome but to summarize quickly , 400 grit sand it all , clean with alcohol , adhesion promoter , primer , base coat , clear coat. Thanks for watching !
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH alright thanks
Where can I get the replacement parts?
I’m not sure
2020+ chevy recon lights, have you done them, and do they need to be cut open?
Never done them
I hope this is not a stupid question but could you use a blow dryer and make it so that it’s hot.
No
Wait, but how do you put em back together
Morimoto retro rubber
I will gladly send them to you, I live in the Nashville Tennessee area.
I’m about to paint my set of Recon’s with that same LED ring around the brake LED’s. Have you ever painted over that LED ring? I’m wanting to fully color match then if possible
I'd use a tint wrap, or a cheap vinyl wrap if it's bright enough
Have you ever worked on 1997 Ford F350 tailights?
Do you have to cut 2014 f150 tail light or can you heat them up to get them apart?
Gotta cut them open
Please show what glue u use for putting this thing back
Morimoto retro rubber
Hi,like your videos,u show how to open a tail light ,but you did not show how to seal it back,what kind of solution should we use.
with what sealant do you glue the parts back together ?
Morimoto retro rubber
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH Thank you very much
i want to try this but the replacement taillight for the flex is like 500 if i screw it up lol
Hey man what’s do you use to reseal them
Morimoto retro rubber
So does high on a heat gun Equal 200 or 400 degrees Celsius??? Just saying high is so confusing
I have the same exact set. Would you paint match them if I pay you and pay for shipping?
Dm @rooster_retros on Instagram for all quotes & inquiries
Which aftermarket companies u use? DNA motoring etc? Thanx bro
SPYDER is the best brand of tail lights.
Great Video! Officially Subscribed
I think the sealer is called permaseal
I think so’
This is the way I did my headlights for my oracles
Hi guys does anybody know how to remove range rover l320 taillights glass cover
Great video , thanks! Have you opened 2013 focus hatchback tail lights? Any pointers would be appreciated.
I’m guessing it’ll be a similar process. If you’re thinking of paint matching car tail lights that’s a good idea, I’ve never seen something like that before.
What adhesive do you use to reattach the lens? That’s what everybody wants to know. You show how to take it off but you don’t show how to reattach it. What adhesive do you use to attach the lens?
I have plenty of other videos showing what I use. It’s no secret everyone uses morimoto retro rubber usually. Some use 100% silicone , i some times use both. & then even some plastic weld in a couple small parts to prevent the lense from every pulling away from the housing.
Does masking tape on the interior of the lenses leave scratches or residue?
No scratches at all , and no residue when good quality masking tape is used.
@@JUSTINHAWKSMITH thanks man! Ordered that tape
What if you took a soldering iron with the razor/cutting blade to cut the glue and you stay more to the opposite side from the lense
It will melt and distort the mating surface and when you go to seal it won’t fit well and it won’t seal well.
Who ever is doing this in a oven is hetting for disaster and u can use a torch to do it . Heat gun.. torch like to solder that will work even better...👍👍
Was anyone else counting the amount of times he touched the lamps when they where on the desk ?
You make me wanna make UA-cam videos keep up the grind dawg!
Very informative video. Keep it up!!!
Well 275 for 10 mins was too much guess I'll buy another set and try this method
I don't understand why you want to open the taillights what's the purpose of this
Paint the insides the same color as the vehicle
Try to do it with european cars😂. They're all welded front to back with some weird vibrations method. Cutting it is the only way to open it.
That does suck , no biggy tho. Anytime heat gun method doesn’t work we resort to cutting.
Good video
Call me an idiot but just to spread awareness I tried using this method and ended up breaking my lenses because the taillights I used were plastic welded. Just make sure before you do this that they are glued
this wont work on factory tail lights because the plastic is melted together
Things I didn’t think I’d hear today,-5:30- lol
Dude that was so outta pocket of me. Lmao. I look back at some of the videos from the past and I’m like bruh what hahahaga
And around and around and around
And around!
I cracked my lens trying open 😔
Yeh that's ok if it's NOT sonic welded.....
bro is profesional yapper 🗣️
Hey dude watch indian and Pakistani do this in video an learn the eazy way to do this that's why they have UA-cam videos 😁😁😁
I just buy whole new assembly. Problem solved 😂
Most of these aftermarket tail lights look like some eBay special junk
A lot of them are , have to definitley know which ones are quality and which ones aren’t!
I guess your not gonna answer my messages
i fucking hate my life
too much and too long of a video. just being honest man i think your trying to post way too much little things and not focusing on the bigger more exciting things. hard to watch 13min of tail lights. seeing a truck meet video or something would be better at this point. upload less with higher quality. seems like your just cramming random videos in. take a week off or so and then i think youd feel more refreshed. kinda feels like your youtube burned out like i said before like random crammed in videos.
My channel isn’t just about truck show edits. I’ve had hundreds of messages asking me lots of questions about taking apart tail lights so now instead of responding and taking 20 minutes out of my day to help them I can quickly send them this link. For you it may be a pointless 13 minute long video but for someone wanting to save $100’s of dollars , they’ll appreciate the in depth , informational videos I create and upload. The time will come for truck show montages , reveal of trucks , etc. sorry you feel that way but I’m producing more content than ever I’m far from being burnt out. Views , subscribers , & watch time analytics are all climbing faster than ever. I’m going to continue making helpful videos. Thanks for your input anyway!
Clearly you haven’t been a subscriber long on this man’s channel…. Justin’s channel has been all about DIY / How To videos from the beginning and has showed truck show meets etc in between. Honestly I don’t even think you know what the term “UA-cam burned out” even means because anyone with a brain can tell that this was a well thought out video with time put in explaining and showing someone how to do something and save money lol. Maybe since you’ve had a UA-cam channel for over 10 months now that has been putting out such good car scene and car meetups he can take down some notes and learn from a pro at how to make “MoRe ExCiTiNg ThInGs” for videos.
Justin I would not change a thing I love your content I love your channel it's about DYI and helping others save money and encourage others to work on their own vehicles cuz that's really what it's all about so for anybody that disagrees and thinks that these videos are too long and too boring clearly has no imagination probably doesn't even have a vehicle of their own and is in high school or middle school and is waiting for Mom and Daddy to buy them a already built SEMA truck so they can go to shows and meets without doing any of the work and effort on what it took to make that truck the way that it is. so stick to the truck meet videos and videos of roasting tires and change wheels and tires every other episode cuz that's not boring right I mean woohoo blank and blank got new wheels and tires on this episode yeah you know who I'm talking about I'll give you a hint name rhymes with gay fierro to those who disagree and stop leaving rude comments about DYI videos and get a dictionary and look up what dyi truly means and maybe actually apply yourself to the DYI trade you might surprise yourself or not anyways keep up the great videos don't mean to go off topic
Wtf bro!? Every recent video all you do I bytch and show your ignorance! Justin's the man and his videos are super helpful! If ya dont like it dont watch bro!🤦♂️👌🤷♂️✌
@@AA_RON86 lol I can have my own opinion. 🤡
Intro is UP to SHIT
Petrol in a syringe dissolves the glue that's like a pro mate 👌
I messaged u but u never answered can u give me message back
Are u getting my pics n info I messaged u on ur instagram you have responded pls get back to me ty