Clear Tail Interest !

[rileyfuego]

Haven't been active on here in a while, but was wondering if anyone who has done any customization / modification to their trucks would be interested in clear tail lights? ** I know clear tails / altezza tails / whatever else you want to call them aren't everyones cup of tea **

I have found 3 different places that have mentioned they are interested in producing lenses for the trucks. 1 of which I spoke with a while ago and he said it can be done, but he requires minimum orders. The other have a note on their website that states they will almost always fulfill custom orders IF there is a minimum amount of interest from people. The last person I spoke with does custom orders for anyone and any amount but the lens itself is just plain acrylic no texture or stamping so the lights might not be as defined as OE which I am trying to avoid to ensure the light is still visible and not just a blur of light coming from the back. See example below

This wouldn't be a full tail lamp replacement -- just the lens itself. Much like how older mini-trucks / cars had clear tails made by removing the OE red lens and installing a replica of the OE lens just clear. So there would be minor modification that would have to be done to your existing tail lights to make a clear version.

If anyone is serious and would be willing to contribute please let me know so I can have an idea of how many people would be down before contacting these manufacturers to get an idea of cost since the two places both state they require a minimum of 10 orders. Obviously more people = less money.

If no one is interested that's cool too! Just trying to get a feeler out until I can figure out a way to do it myself

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[Sticks]

It's not worth the time and frustration to replace the outer lens only. You can buy a pair of lamps for $200 or less on Amazon, so they probably wholesale for around $50-$60 like this aftermarket set. At that low of a price, you might as well commission full replacement assemblies with clear lenses from one of the overseas manufacturers that already have the expensive mold tooling on-hand. A full assembly would cut down the installation time to a few minutes instead of hours. Plus, the lens is sonic welded to the housing -- it will be destructive to remove, it doesn't have a glue track to hold sealant, and there are no mechanical snap features to keep the lens in place. It would probably be a nightmare to swap the lens for the average DIY amateur, and the cost to pay a pro will exceed that of a full aftermarket assembly.

 

[CNJFF]

I was definitely interested early on to keep the BAP-style going but by now I'm used to having the red lenses and don't mind them.



And, according to this forum, Mavericks are 1000x more likely to get rear ended than any other vehicle on the road ever...

 

[rileyfuego]

It's not worth the time and frustration to replace the outer lens only. You can buy a pair of lamps for $200 or less on Amazon, so they probably wholesale for around $50-$60 like this aftermarket set. At that low of a price, you might as well commission full replacement assemblies with clear lenses from one of the overseas manufacturers that already have the expensive mold tooling on-hand. A full assembly would cut down the installation time to a few minutes instead of hours. Plus, the lens is sonic welded to the housing -- it will be destructive to remove, it doesn't have a glue track to hold sealant, and there are no mechanical snap features to keep the lens in place. It would probably be a nightmare to swap the lens for the average DIY amateur, and the cost to pay a pro will exceed that of a full aftermarket assembly.

I’ve definitely seen those all black LED ones all over. But it’s just a smooth lens so it wouldn’t really work as a proper replacement to an OE tail light in terms of looks. I’m sure I could probably find an overseas vendor to make full replacements, but from the little bit of looking to that idea most of them require bulk order quantities in 3 and 4 digit ranges which truthfully I don’t think I want to dive that deep into.

I actually have a set of the AutoBeeDen ones in grey and they look just like OE but require LED bulbs to still be proper color when running (Red / Amber / White) for all the functions. I’m waiting on some bulbs to get them sorted installation wise.

From my bit of experience with headlights and tail lights even if it’s plastic welded on to any extent a bit of patience and a dremel can cleanly remove a factory lens if you really want to.

Just trying to see if there’s a way to get a decent alternative to the OE tails / Lariat tails / Ford Performance BAP tails. But I do appreciate this insight

 

[rileyfuego]

I was definitely interested early on to keep the BAP-style going but by now I'm used to having the red lenses and don't mind them.



And, according to this forum, Mavericks are 1000x more likely to get rear ended than any other vehicle on the road ever...

You definitely aren’t wrong LOL I think early on when I was active on here before I bought my truck every accident post seems to involve the rear end to some extent

 

[Tim d]

Haven't been active on here in a while, but was wondering if anyone who has done any customization / modification to their trucks would be interested in clear tail lights? ** I know clear tails / altezza tails / whatever else you want to call them aren't everyones cup of tea **

I have found 3 different places that have mentioned they are interested in producing lenses for the trucks. 1 of which I spoke with a while ago and he said it can be done, but he requires minimum orders. The other have a note on their website that states they will almost always fulfill custom orders IF there is a minimum amount of interest from people. The last person I spoke with does custom orders for anyone and any amount but the lens itself is just plain acrylic no texture or stamping so the lights might not be as defined as OE which I am trying to avoid to ensure the light is still visible and not just a blur of light coming from the back. See example below

This wouldn't be a full tail lamp replacement -- just the lens itself. Much like how older mini-trucks / cars had clear tails made by removing the OE red lens and installing a replica of the OE lens just clear. So there would be minor modification that would have to be done to your existing tail lights to make a clear version.

If anyone is serious and would be willing to contribute please let me know so I can have an idea of how many people would be down before contacting these manufacturers to get an idea of cost since the two places both state they require a minimum of 10 orders. Obviously more people = less money.

If no one is interested that's cool too! Just trying to get a feeler out until I can figure out a way to do it myself

Possibly dumb question but wouldn't these be illigeal? Don't they have to be red? Or would you use red bulbs.

 

[rileyfuego]

Possibly dumb question but wouldn't these be illigeal? Don't they have to be red? Or would you use red bulbs.

nah not a dumb question at all. I’m sure the legalities vary from country to country. I know once upon a time the lenses would have to be the appropriate color. However with newer cars having clear lenses and silver housings I can’t see why it would be an issue. Most EV have full “white” looking tail lights that utilize LEDs the correct color.

but then again, it’s only illegal if you get caught right?

 

[rileyfuego]

Or if in my state it fails the yearly inspection. Also when you get rear ended the insurance will claim the illegal tail lights caused their driver to not see the brake lights. yes you could go to court but it will cost more than the bill to repair.

100% agree with you on the visibility part.

That’s why it’d be key to ensure the light bulbs used would be LEDs in the correct color like what Diode Dynamics sells. Even a Toyota sienna where I’m from come with clear lenses and silver housing from factory it’s just the light bulbs are what produce the correct color light.

It’s not for everyone that’s for sure. But I’ve seen different manufactures use clear tails from factory it sell it as an accessory after. Like Porsche, Lexus, even Ford offers “Euro” tails for the mustang which are fully clear when not on.

 

[DavesMav]

Main thing stopping me from pulling the trigger in these is that they are 100% halogen. Waiting for them to offer the Lariat LED/halogen equivalent but even then I’m a little leery as most aftermarket assemblies are not as robust as OEM; not all, but most.

 

[Tim d]

Main thing stopping me from pulling the trigger in these is that they are 100% halogen. Waiting for them to offer the Lariat LED/halogen equivalent but even then I’m a little leery as most aftermarket assemblies are not as robust as OEM; not all, but most.

I have 4 vehicles, 3 of them still have incandescent bulbs for lights lol. I'm sure the halogen will be fine

 

[rileyfuego]

Main thing stopping me from pulling the trigger in these is that they are 100% halogen. Waiting for them to offer the Lariat LED/halogen equivalent but even then I’m a little leery as most aftermarket assemblies are not as robust as OEM; not all, but most.

I can say these feel just as solid if not almost solid as the OE ones. Biggest difference is the lack of tabs for the tail lamp harness clips to attach to. Otherwise the lens and body feel same as OE. You would just have to buy LED replacement bulbs for the halogen light bulbs to ensure the tail lights when on are red. Which I’m waiting on before I install them in my ‘24 XL

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