What a little YouTube video can lead to. All three of us getting to work at the same time!
Customizing the MX-5 to suit your own taste is the norm rather than the exception. There are many sources of inspiration for modifications, and YouTube is one of them. The idea had been around for a while, so there wasn’t much discussion about it. The instructions in the video were very clear and included enough information to place an order in the United States, the cost of which we were able to split.
Once the materials had been successfully cleared through customs and delivered by a courier, we were able to plan a day for the project. It’s always fun to do something like this with a few people at the same time. A few extra hands certainly didn’t hurt in this case. Before long, there were six taillights on the kitchen table, ready to be further disassembled and put in the oven for the first time.
In the oven, the adhesive used to attach the colored lenses to the housing becomes warm and flexible. The lenses can then be removed from the housing. You’ll want to carefully guide the long strands of adhesive that pull away back into the designated channels, because it’s very difficult to remove.
Next, it’s time to prepare the wiring for the LED rings. You’ll basically just need to snap them all into place. Before you get to that point, however, you must first fill the reflective ring with clear silicone sealant. This is used not only to secure the ring in place but also to achieve better light distribution. Once the sealant is in place, the LED ring can be permanently positioned and pressed into the sealant.
After that, there’s still a second round in the oven, even though the taillight assembly has already been reassembled as best as possible and the lights have been tested. Reheating is necessary to restore the original kit to a warm, flexible state. Only then can the cover with the colored lenses be permanently pressed back into its original position. You’ll want to work carefully here to prevent leaks in the taillight.
A little while later, the three of us took a drive at dusk for a photo shoot. As far as I’m concerned, the results of our work and the photos are quite impressive.
