Cleared tails - Honda Prelude Forum

munscher · 04-18-2003, 11:21 AM

Ok ok, i know this has been covered many times but i can't find it with the search. I'm looking for a tutorial on clearing out the tails. I know how to do it was trying to be sure about temperatures and that sorta thingg so i dont go and mess something up. Soooo, anyone got a link to a tutorial or thread?

(HPOA.ORG DIY thread is down btw)

PDUNZ · 04-18-2003, 03:46 PM

Took 2 seconds in search to find this Howto thanks to PreludeChick89

http://www.lasalle.edu/~garofom1/wri...hgentails.html

munscher · 04-19-2003, 12:45 AM

ok, so i've got the tail lights apart after i heated them in the oven, one problem...

The first one turned out fine, the second light was actually in the oven for a shorter period of time but this happened. Maybe there was moisture in it that i didnt notice? or maybe my luck just sucks..... so does anybody have just the left taillight that they want to sell? or maybe even just the coverpiece???

MR.CLIFFORD · 04-19-2003, 01:19 AM

did you pre heat the oven? You shouldn't have had that problem unless the oven got really hot. Do you think you could wet sand that spot out? Or is it all the way through? I can't really tell by the pics.

munscher · 04-19-2003, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MR.CLIFFORD
did you pre heat the oven? You shouldn't have had that problem unless the oven got really hot. Do you think you could wet sand that spot out? Or is it all the way through? I can't really tell by the pics.

oven was preheated to 275F, the light was in there for 3 minutes on the dot when i started hearing popping/cracking type noise so i quickloy pulled it out and found that.... yeah its all the way through, no hope of sanding

PÂ®Ã©Â£Ã¹Ã?e95 · 04-19-2003, 03:27 AM

Sorry to see that man. Just get some new ones off ebay, they sell pretty cheap. Run a search on ebay for "92-96 prelude tail" and a bunch of them come out.

munscher · 04-19-2003, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PÂ®Ã©Â£Ã¹Ã?e95
Sorry to see that man. Just get some new ones off ebay, they sell pretty cheap. Run a search on ebay for "92-96 prelude tail" and a bunch of them come out.

yeah thats where these came from (ebay) just in case something like this happened so i didnt ruin my one and only pair.... still have the stock ones on my car, if someone has just the driver side taillight though (maybe right side of the car is wrecked?) then i thought i'd try to pick it up for cheaper than the pair of them.

eu4ik · 04-19-2003, 12:12 PM

i use a heat gun- i dont trust the oven.

an even safer way is to use a hair dryer-it never gets to the point of melting the plastic but it does melt the adhesive, just takes about an hour and 10 per tail. with the heat gun its about 30 minutes at 1000*. theres a 750* option as well, but 1000* works great. you just have to be careful and actually pay a lot of attn to what youre doing. maybe try that next time.

jaybro · 04-19-2003, 05:09 PM

i left mine in the oven for 5-10 min at 250, no problem. removed the cover in one try, a blowdryer will take sooo damn long id rather risk the one in ten chance of running into a prob with the oven

jtcdudeman · 08-18-2003, 12:15 AM

I tried everything the hair dryer and oven method. Neither one got my light hot enough to pull the red from the black. It did, however, get me hot enough to break the rubber seal that the epoxy was holding on. It's cracked in about 5 places leaving one piece completly broke off. Luckily the epoxy is holding the whole thing together. This is one self-mod I'm going to have to give up on. Just going to go buy some clear lights and do it the easy way.

eu4ik · 08-18-2003, 01:40 AM

hair dryers work you just have to be patient.

jtcdudeman · 08-18-2003, 08:02 AM

I could get the epoxy warm enough to become a little soft, but I couldn't get the two pieces seperated. I had me holding onto one end and a guy who can bench 300lbs. pulling on the other end. The thing wouldn't budge.

eu4ik · 08-18-2003, 08:39 AM

you have to keep heating it untill the goo is completely soft, otherwise its not coming off, as you found out. ive opened over 4 sets of tails, and ive done them all on my own, and im a girl and i dont bench probably for **** if that tells you anything. i use screwdrivers to pry it open once the epoxy **** is damn near liquified. to avoid pry marks i use thin plastic pieces to wedge in between the black surround and the front, then i wedge the screwdrivers in and work em. like i said, patience is all it takes.

jtcdudeman · 08-18-2003, 09:01 AM

How long do you use the hair dryer to heat it up? I was going for about 5 minuteson high and that mother is hot. I guess I need to do it a little longer. Lemme get cracking :-)

eu4ik · 08-18-2003, 09:22 AM

an hour for 1 tail. thats why i said **** this **** and went and bought a heat gun. takes 30 minutes to get each tail open with the heat gun safely.

munscher · 08-18-2003, 01:10 PM

it takes me about 30 minutes to get 2 tails apart with the help of the oven... its really not that hard, you just have to be careful to not crack anything and not leave pry marks like eu4ik said...

MidNKight-lude · 08-18-2003, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eu4ik
an hour for 1 tail. thats why i said **** this **** and went and bought a heat gun. takes 30 minutes to get each tail open with the heat gun safely.

i used a head gun, that how long it takes, if you want to do it right take your time, else let some1 else do it

jtcdudeman · 08-18-2003, 03:10 PM

damn, no wonder I couldn't get it done right. I was going for like 10 minutes. Maybe I should just go buy a heat gun.

eu4ik · 08-18-2003, 03:51 PM

heat gun still takes a lot of time, and be careful, i melted the **** out of part of the black surround because i wasnt keeping it moving enough.

cost me 30 bucks from lowes

jtcdudeman · 08-22-2003, 10:38 PM

Cool. I'm not to worried about the black surround as I already broke mine off trying to use a screw driver to pry it apart. I wish I could get the friggin' oven to work.

I've heard several different responses as to temp settings and time. Some people were leaving them in the oven for 15 minutes at 250 and getting good results. I left mine in the oven for 3 at 275 and I couldn't get a damn thing done.