Sleek Z Posted July 26, 2002 Author Share Posted July 26, 2002 OK Gang, as promised, I've worked up 8 overlay template variations over the rear view shot of Dan Juday's car sitting in his garage. All are similar to one above, but each will show more or less important visible or hidden details, thus giving persons here a chance to download and do his own overlay experiments over the image best related to his design objectives. Link to 8 overlay images is at http://www.zparts.com/showcase/taillight_showcase/overlays/index.html Reason lower suspension appears so prominent is because photo was centered low at level of license plate and because overlay was done on photo of Dan's car when it it did not have typical added weight of a full gas tank and thus was standing rather "tall" in his driveway. All variations were made from 11 layer Adobe Illustrator file. Layered file can also be exported to Photoshop's layered .psd format for further experiments. If any of you want the layered image in either Illustrator or Photoshop file format to play with write to me at eric@zparts.com Note: dashed lines show location of hidden lip behind exterior tail light surround panels, assorted Nissan bracings, bumper mounting bosses and screw holes behind panels, the location of which may be useful to some of you trying to mount up a tail light swap or cosmetic external panel without cutting into your stock body. These dashed lines may help you plan out designs with that aim in mind. Note 2: what appears to be tail light outlines is not that of the externally visible tail light, but rather the factory tail light cut out and related holes that Nissan designed to mount stock lights. The shapes of these cut outs are a bit asymetrical and not all that accurate in shape or exact location. Hope this helps some of you. Please give me some feed back about what other details you'd like added to the Illustrator file for your use. Next overlays may attempt to show different size and shaped flare ideas. Have fun. --Sleek Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 Thanks Eric! Maybe I can print these out and wander the junkyards with them I agree it's tough to make lenses from scratch, but I also think it's tough to find something from another car that would look good. I only wish I could post my pix directly from work instead of from at home! Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleek Z Posted July 26, 2002 Author Share Posted July 26, 2002 Owen & others interested to print the overlays for field use, If the shaded and colored areas obscure the value of these templates, I can turn off all fill and shading and publish one illustration as a simple line drawing if that would help anyone? Also, for those that need larger images to sketch over, I have all 8 images on my website (but not linked) in sizes that are 966 pixels wide and I can scale the line drawings to any size you need, but down load would be prohibitive for most I would presume? Let me know if any want the links to the largest images up there. What is cool about working with vector based drawings is that if you have a vector program to open a vector file, such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand or Corel, you can literally print out a line drawing to the same size as your car's tail light panel if you have a printer cabable of feeding roll paper or if you take file to a place like Kinkos. Lines and shading will be razor sharp no matter what size you print it at. Very cool for building tail light panel card board panels to size with the aim of mocking up an idea full scale or for beginning work on a fiberglass or carbon fiber panel. Question, would having correctly measured dimensions on overlay templates be of any value to any of you? -- Sleek Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KraZ4spd Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 LT4Justin I hope you don't mind me using your pic. I would like to see a set of lights like this. Kind of like the honda tails. Oh Yeah! What do you think of a third brake light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boobala Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Just playing around with Sleek's Z. <---Bad pun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleek Z Posted July 27, 2002 Author Share Posted July 27, 2002 Boobala I like your first experiments with my template. Usually I am not a big fan of large tail lights on a 240Z, but it appears you made a logical extension of Nissan's original theme and I think the total look has pretty good balance. Also like your addition of the texture "realism" in the lights that you added. I've been meaning to take some close ups of tail light refraction surfaces to use as textures in design mock ups I come up with so they won't look so flat and dull as visual concepts. I am looking forward to see what other ideas you and others may come up with using the templates. Bad pun accepted. Good work, --Sleek Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Here is a sorry, but discernable picture of what the tail light panel will look like on blueovalz if/when it's completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleek Z Posted July 28, 2002 Author Share Posted July 28, 2002 I started on my first design theme aiming for a fresh look on a S30 body while trying to pickup where Nissan left off 32 years ago by incorporating elements that would be compatible with several of your car's paint and/or body flares or while also tipping my hat to the direction that Tim240Z has led us with his Firebird like cut-out-slit panel design. I've named this first design "Tail light theme 1a" for the sake of future reference. Several color variations of this illustration and accompanying backgrounds have been published also in the growing Custom Z Car Tail lights Ideas section under the templates page at my ZPARTS.COM website. Not earth shaking in difference, but maybe of some help to a few of you. To really appreciate the strength of the above design you really need to see it in it's intended 3D form from many 3/4 and side views of car because it was envisionjed to show quite a bit of sculptural relief from the rear tail light panel. Once I have worked out a few more themes and decided which ones I favor most, I probably will next move the vector illustration layers into Photoshop to attempt more 3D realism with more convincing "lighting" because what is not shown in present image is the 3D sculptural protrusions and recesses intended to enhance this design from many view angles of the car. Definitely, I envision all the lights as rounded protrusions coming out of the sheet metal or fiberglass panel embedded in the stock S30 tail light body area. Being a theme rather than a finished design, the idea with this one is that many of the elements can be tweaked, repositioned, scaled relative to each other and possibly, logical new components added (or subtracted) without the feeling of the theme being lost. btw, I think the weakest part of this design that needs tweaking is the equal length of the 4 stacked, off center, horizontal lines inboard of the main light. I suspect that the inboard ends of these horizontal lines need to be arranged asymmetrically by shortening the upper widths progressively or altered to create the illusion of an invisible oval-like circle forming the inboard end points. Your comments, both pro and con, would be most welcome. I'd like to see some more design ideas also. ps, Dan Juday just informed me that he's got access to a digital camera and some surprise tail lights off ebay to show us all. Of course, he is persevering with his "swap stock, from 'scratch be damned" philosophy, but I think he may be onto a pretty good idea. When he gets the pics ready, I'll put them up for all to review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 29, 2002 Share Posted July 29, 2002 Did some messing around with photoshop tonite, http://www.zparts.com/showcase/taillight_showcase/pictures/dcp_3319.html Colored the rear garnish red on one of Eric's pix to see what it would look like. This car changes a lot with a few simple color changes. Got rid of the blacks on the bumper as well. http://www.v8zcar.com/sanmaruz/z-redtail-00.jpg http://www.v8zcar.com/sanmaruz/z-redtail-01.jpg I uploaded this so people can play with it. http://www.v8zcar.com/sanmaruz/z-redtail-02.jpg Also did some messing around with Supra lites but I don't like the way it came out. I liked the tinted tail lites from before but couldn't find a good picture, I ended up tinting them some more too. http://www.v8zcar.com/sanmaruz/z-redtail-03.jpg Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geotek Posted July 30, 2002 Share Posted July 30, 2002 Those are some great suggestions! It's amazing what a difference a small change can make! In DCP_3319, where did those lights originate, and what color is that rear surround area? It looks like a gunmetal color. Small change, nice effect! I bought my labor of love (a rust bucket '73) last weekend, so I'm a long way from making this decision. This thread has really opened up the possibilities in my mind. I like the stock look, but the rear end leaves many options. Owen- great job using photoshop! That would have taken me months! George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted July 30, 2002 Share Posted July 30, 2002 Nice Job, Owen! I really do like the same-color surround as you showed it. Makes a huge difference, especially on a light/bright color like the red. Eric, interesting design! Looks pretty good to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 A really great thread Eric started with excellant posts. I got so excited Saturday that I replaced the Tomahawk rear skin with the Origin convertible cap and full Jim Cook Racing flares which provides a big flat slightly contoured expanse in the rear to incorporate some of these ideas posted here. I am looking for a piece of flat fiberglass sheet to bond on the rear of the cap and flares. I want some recessed tailights/license plate holder etc etc etc LOL I am thinking turning 2 Jeep CJ tailights sideways on each side so the back up light sections are together with some stainless steel trim and slots around them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zphreek Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 heres my Zs rear end <a href="http://www.members.tripod.com/zphreek/id33.htm">round lights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 Try it now: round lights Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 man you guys are such ricers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zphreek Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 ah! thank you davy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zphreek Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 no, if we were ricers we would just fart our way down to the local "import tuner" shop and buy ourselves the latest clear tails from APC for our honda four-door. Then we would go home and install them on the street in front of our parents house in about ten minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 it's mostly a honda thing but what about those guys with the ford or chevy trucks who get the clear tail lights for them? this must mean theyre even lower than ricers cuz theyre copying the fad instead of avoiding it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted August 1, 2002 Share Posted August 1, 2002 a ricer in denial is a ricer nonetheless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geotek Posted August 1, 2002 Share Posted August 1, 2002 Yes, this is off-topic: (somewhat) I saw a Lexus SC 430 today. I need those side lights! I've been looking at side light markers. I want a flush, sharp oval shape, that would look good with the lines of a 240Z, and offer low wind resistance. I'm going for the smooth look. The Corvette has some oval rear side lights, but none in the front. Are there any other cars, easily obtainable, that have front and rear oval side lights? I think the flat oval lights really go with the curves of the early Z's. My wife's '97 Sable wagon has front and rear oval lights, but they're too large. The scale wouldn't be 'right'. I have seen the Hyundai conversion, but I don't like the shape of those lights. Too angular. I'm looking for curves. What are you using, or what have you seen that would fit this criteria? 1. flat 2. oval 3. has front/rear George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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