Brock's is my new favorite. I can't wait until the rest of my parts get here so I can start!

 

That last one is exactly what I was thinking, but really any design is going to look cool.

 

If you can pull this off its really going to look dynomite! That last one was perfect - they all look good. I'd be concerned about getting them all pointed in the same direction cuz LED's cast light sort of directionally. This is a very fun project

 

I think you should put a long brakelight in the center across the trunk, the section that your backup lights are in. It would look nice and you could have LED across the whole back of the car then!

 

Heres what I like....

I like the first pic.....It almost represents an arrow...If the leds were just connected to the turn signal then it would definately indicate which way your turning....

Kinda reminds me of the older T birds with the sequential lights that flashed from the inside to the outside .... --------->

I think that would be Unique! especially for a MONTE!

Once you figure out how to configure everything....I just maybe interested in getting a set for mine from ya!

 

You're right about that. It will be difficult to get them all to look good, especially since they are behind that diffuser. I'm not sure how they will look until I get started.


That reminds me of the Audi's that have the brake light across the rear window. That does look pretty cool.

Sequential lights are awesome! I've been researching some LED tail light retrofits and have seen some guys that put sequential into their circuits. Looks complicated I think I'll stick with the single blink circuit haha.

 

Great project! I contemplated converting a pair of OE tail lights over to LED before buying a pair instead. I just didn't have the time to dedicate to the project. I was thinking of using a board as support to lay my design out on and mounting them behind the lenses. Have you looked into LED strips to aid in keeping the lights aligned? I was looking at this place when I was doing research:

LED Taillights

Scroll down the page and they have LED strips with up to 60 lights in each strip. Good luck with your project!

 

Did they ever make chrome tail lights for the 5th gen? If they did, I would almost want to start with those. Paint the inside of the housing black, then tint the heck out of them.

 

Thanks Mike! I had thought about LED strips but decided against them for a couple reasons. One was cost. Using a PCB board and individual LEDs I can make my own for about half the cost. Also, since I was almost guaranteed I was going to be doing some sort of curve, I thought I'd be better off making my own board of LEDs rather than trying to find a flexible strip that would conform right.

Thanks for the links. There are some cool things in there!!

Unfortunately no. There are zero aftermarket tail lights available for the 5th gen. I was planning on painting the inside of some stock housings black to help darken the look of them. However, I will not be tinting the outside of the lens because I have been hassled quite a bit from the cops about my tinted lenses. This is the main reason for this project. I want some legal looking taillights, but I want them to look sweet

 

That would **** me off. Not sure if your state has the same law, but you have to be able to see the lights from 500 ft. My friend actually used black spray paint on his, and still gets by.