lexus is300 tail light conversion

[ForceFed]

Conversions are not worth it....TRUST ME!
I love them dont get me wrong but I have been there and done that and it takes a good body guy and some $$$ to do it right.If you really SHOW then go for it but for a street car...ummm ...prob not.
My last two cars had tail light conversions that i did to them ....but then again i am a HARDCORE SHOW FANATIC!
I had a del sol with GS 400 inner tails and yaes it was $$$ because i used a REAL GS 400 deck lid to cut up for the pockets and ordered the lights new from toyota .Light were about a bill a piece.

The car before that was a 90 civic si with a true Supra tail coversion and a TON of other stuff done as well.

Long/Short....only for the die hard guys like myself
Matt

 

[SP33D]

well im doing a lot of other body work anyways.. so i figured i might as well add it on when i get an estimate.. might do it, might not... who knows.

 

[Prodigy]

quote:
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Originally posted by MP3skaterNC
conversions = rice
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Just adding on to the quote. I took this pic on my ride up to new york from atlanta.
integra/crx

 

[ZiO]

thats awsome... haha

 

[ForceFed]

Now that is in a different catagory than a simple tail light conversion,
BTW,did you notice the car in the background with altezzas!
Ha!
Great 2 for 1 pic!
Matt

 

[Prodigy]

lol, no I didn't notice the lil kia(hyundai?) in the background, that place was full of rice. I surprise i didn't find any rice fields when I was out there.

 

[LovemyProtege]

is it possible to do an is300 headlight conversion?

 

[AutoBox]

that red car is a mitsu mirage actually...guy down the street has one with those tails also lol.....the teg/crx is ****** ugly...it doesnt line up at all and looks druppy and s***......god its more rice then a damn red-neck weding

 

[SP33D]

so should i get the lights from a junkyard or from a dealership... or is there anything different you would suggest?

 

[MarkSpark]

I say buy something else.

 

[Prodigy]

junkyard. it'll be a whole lot cheaper.

 

[ForceFed]

If you really want to do this ill tell you the BEST way.

1.Go here for search www.car-part.com


2.Get a new(used,junkyard) trunk lid for a protege
est. cost at junkyard between $100 and $400 dollars depending on condition and with/without spoiler.Any protege sedan trunk from 99-on will work I beleive.

3.Locate a Lexus IS300 trunk lid on that site as well.Any color or year.Call to see if they have it.If so ,ask if they will cut the light pockets out of it and about 6'' all the way around.This will save on shipping it.Have them box it up and ship them to you.If they have a set of factory lights ,them great you can skip the next step.If they do have a set in good condition get them and the harness that goes to them,It will un-plug from the trunk lid and be about 12'' long or so.Have them ship it all together.Once again,saving on overall price of conversion.
Est. cost $150-$450(best bet to find one with damage to the lid but not to the area around the light pockets)

4.Call Toyota dealership and order New IS300 rear inner tail lights With the harnesses.They will come with the harness and bulbs.
Est. cost for pair w/harnesses...$300

5.Go to a GOOD custom body shop and talk to them about doing the conversion.They will have to cut the original Pro trunk lid out and fit in the light buckets.They will be welded and finished(filler bondo,sealer)and the trunk lid will need to be FULLY painted to match your car.I think your car is Black mica so matching should be easy.
Est. cost will vary on how many custom shops are in your area,but I would guess no less than $500 and no more than$900


So with all of this said,and going off of all the lowest estimates,you will have AT LEAST $1000 in doing the conversion.
I would only use a HIGH QUALITY and REPUTABLE SHOP for this conversion as doing this kind of work requires special attention to detail.

Just to give you a good idea of how much this costs,I will tell you what I paid to get my two conversions done.
90 Civic(4th gen) with TRUE Supra tails and CBR gas door,parts and labor installing and finishing(NO PAINT) ...$3700

95 Del Sol W/GS300/400 inner tails,fully done finished and painted....$1200

I have been doing custom cars for a long time and also know my way around the body shop.I have done much fibrglassing and a little body work.My buddy also did the Del Sol conversion while we were in the middle of a TOTAL re-paint and that is still how much I had invested in it.

Worth it?....To a normal guy....NO!
To me,who is a die hard show fanatic and X-treme show goer and winner.....PRICELESS...MONEY WELL SPENT to show everyone up when I go to shows and take home a nice BIG trophy,not to mention much respect for having one BAD ASS CAR!

This is a major decision that only you can make.You must decide what you want the car to be BEFORE you start anything.IF NOT,everything will come out looking like an afterthought NO MATTER how good the bodywork is.
PLAN ,RESEARCH AND STUDY....THEN EXECUTE!
This is how show winning cars are put together!
TRUST ME, I KNOW!
Matt

 

[SP33D]

well its obviously going to be a show car...

the shop im going to does rediculous work.. so im sure it wont be a problem.. just might be a little costly. im gonna try to let this thread die maybe.. and make a new one when i make my decision.

 

[Phoenix5]

IMO an IS conversion would look hidious for a MSP,so I agree with MarkSpark...buy something else.

 

[Subghetto]

I say go for the conversion, some guy on cardomain did it on his P5 and I personally think it looks badass here is a pic-

IS 300 inner trunk light conversion on a P5

and about the whole rice thing again, it's only rice if it comes out like s***. But if the conversion comes out extremely well and show quality then I don't see a problem.

BTW.. I would have done the conversion a while back but I'am low on money

 

[Prodigy]

That looks pretty cool. The circle design on the p5's tail lights match the circle shape of the altezzas but it still looks a bit out of place on the p5..I can't make-up my mind.
-cat

 

[nocar]

could you do a g35 tailight conversion

 

[SP33D]

umm probably not.. the shape is too weird. anything is possible.. but it wouldn't look right.

 

[Mr. Win]

i wanna do rx 8 light up front. that would be hot the shape doesnt look to far off.

 

[Protege5Gurly]

Sub beat me to it ... thats Sandro's car. We are good friends. However, he just sold the car to the guy who airbrushed his hood, and from what I hear, its now out of the show scene.

Pe@ce