Hey,

Just wanted to share my mod of a 3rd brake light insert to mask the bulb to show "Fit" while braking.

I started by designing a "Fit" logo design in photoshop



After I finished I printed out the design to do a test fit and size



I didn't think to take a picture of the plastic while cutting and using the template to mask it, but you'll see how it turns out when mounted in the brake housing.

You should invest in a set of these for starters. They are plastic trim and body panel removal tools. A must have for any interior modding or stereo do it yourselfers. You'll never scratch a panel again. AND CHEAP! This set ran me maybe $6 at Harbor Freight tools.



You also need to own these. A 10mm socket with a ratchet. The bolts are the stock bolts to hold the brake light housing, and a roll of electrical tape (what I used to mount my insert instead of glue)




Locate the housing on the rear hatch and pop it off with your panel removal tool. If you don't have these...buy them in the future...and use a flat head screw driver with the head wrapped in electrical tape to avoid scuffing or scratching the tail light casing.



No you should be looking at this. It's pretty straight forward. Two bolts hold the 3rd brake light on and a wire connected powers the bulb.




Use your 10mm socket to loosen the bolts holding the 3rd brake light on. You can eventually use your fingers if the ratchet restricts movement.



After you have the bolts out, you should be able to pull the whole assembly away and disconnect the wiring connector like so.



That leaves you with this business:



Like I mentioned before, I didn't take pictures of the insert between masking and mounting it on the 3rd brake light assembly. So, you go back inside and do that
Here's what it looks like:



Make sure that the insert doesn't have a lot of play to prevent having to adjust it later.



After mounting the insert, you can go back outside and feed the wiring connector into the clip on the assembly to avoid pinching it.



Reconnect the connector



Bolt the assembly back up.


If you didn't lose your cover, put it back on.




This is what it looks like with no depression on a stock rear window.



And with brakes:



Whole car shot:



Comparison to stock light again:



And another shot at night:





And that about does her.

 

Looks good. About how long did it take?

 

free mods are always good..
id make one that says 'f*ck off'

 

Took maybe a half an hour to design the logo on the computer, another half an hour to cut the plastic, make the stencil and mask it off, and 20 minutes to take off the light, install the insert, and put it all back together.

So really, this couldn't have taken more than an hour and a half. I remember being surprised at how quick I made it happen.

 

I went the easy way and just bought a decal with "FIT" cut out and stuck it on the outside. It is gloss black. Being up under the spoiler it should last for awhile. Not as neat as yours CB but it works.

 

I want that one too.

 

that fit logo looks good on the light!

 

Awesome mod!

 

Thanks for the kind words everybody. I have a ton of lexan and other plastic at my storage unit, so I figured I'd take a crack at this technique instead of buying one of the overlays sold online from $10-30.

Plus it sits right inside the light housing so I like how it looks close up.

I was going to do some masking using transparencies, but I didn't have any and I've only found them in big boxes for $25-40 depending on count.

I still like how it turned out, I've already gotten compliments on the road.