logan1 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Hi, I would like to open the my 240z tail lights and clean them. If anyone could provide some guidance as to how to go about opening the tail lights it would me much appreciated. I just want to make sure that i dont break then in the process of trying to separate the the lens from eh body of the tail light. Currently the tail lights are off the car and i have removed all the wiring and bulbs out of the back. thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceVance Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Oven. I put my 280z tail lights in the oven at the lowest setting (think around 150°) and the adhesive softened to a consistency similar to that of bubble gum. Plastic was almost cool enough to touch (but the metal bits that were still attached were VERY hot...) I was able to pull the lenses out by hand with thin gloves, and I used a metal hook/pick to remove the left over adhesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stravi757 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 While some people have luck with putting them in the oven, I just feel like it too risky for a person like me who fails at anything in a kitchen. I just left mine outside in the sun on a hot day. Once it got pretty warm, I used a thin knife to SLOWLY pry it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 The housing is held togther with a heavy caulking type material. Remove the bulb sockets and soak the housing and lens in hot tap water. I fill up my kitchen sink with hot water, submerge the lens/housings, and let them soak about 30 minutes and then gently pry and pull the lens away from the housing. Re-heat as required as you don't want to force the lens and housing apart. To re-assemble the lens and housing go to your hardware supply place and buy a roll of cauking rope aka "Dum-Dum". It is a soft gray material that looks like modeling clay. Place the "rope" where the lens and housing interface and then apply even pressure around the perimeter of the lens to press the two parts togther. Then trim off any material that squeezed out around the perimeter. I used plastic polish to clean the lens, but you can also buff them. There may be a post here that tells how to polish the lens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logan1 Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 The housing is held togther with a heavy caulking type material. Remove the bulb sockets and soak the housing and lens in hot tap water. I fill up my kitchen sink with hot water, submerge the lens/housings, and let them soak about 30 minutes and then gently pry and pull the lens away from the housing. Re-heat as required as you don't want to force the lens and housing apart. To re-assemble the lens and housing go to your hardware supply place and buy a roll of cauking rope aka "Dum-Dum". It is a soft gray material that looks like modeling clay. Place the "rope" where the lens and housing interface and then apply even pressure around the perimeter of the lens to press the two parts togther. Then trim off any material that squeezed out around the perimeter. I used plastic polish to clean the lens, but you can also buff them. There may be a post here that tells how to polish the lens. sweet that worked awesomely well..... thanx for the help guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 If you don't already have it, get the book "How to Restore Your Datsun Z Car" by Wick Humble. It is full of neat tips on how to dismantle, install and repair Z car parts. I used it extensively when I rebuilt my 240Z. I got mine from MSA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giorgio61 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Check out this thread, lots of step by steps and pics. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/39295-cleaning-tail-lights-pics/page__view__findpost__p__317844__hl__%2Bcleaning+%2Btail+%2Blights+%2B%28pics%29__fromsearch__1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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