tail lights for ra23

**buztoy** · 12-09-2006, 10:55 PM

hey guys
i ve seen them around but not common, i was wandering if they ever came out with a style of tail light like a rx3, or could this have been custom.

thanks

**suss_slide** · 13-09-2006, 12:27 AM

deffinenlty a custom job mate.

**IN 05 NT** · 13-09-2006, 07:35 AM

osix, (check forum members rides) has fitted jza80 supra lights to the rear.

....loook dang hawt!, lol

blake

**IN 05 NT** · 13-09-2006, 07:46 AM

http://www.toymods.net/forums/showth...?t=2789&page=2

bout 1/2 way down!///they look mean!

**Hash_ra23** · 13-09-2006, 10:52 AM

Just on the topic of tail lights, has anyone thought of making flat lenses for ra23s? I was thinking if it wus possible to do this maybe making out of red perspex and glueing on reflectors. Have them totally flat and all red (like the f20c celica) with orange leds for the indicators. Possibly the hardest part would be to modify the housing so they'd take the flat lenses.
What do you guys reckon?

**ace** · 13-09-2006, 01:37 PM

What do you mean by flat??
Have you ever seen the 'flat' tailights that came out on the really early TA22s?

**"Z" UTE** · 13-09-2006, 01:56 PM

I have a 1972 TA22, the tail lights are "concave", or slightly curved, definately not flat.
I looked at swapping this style of tail lights into a later 1975 Celica. Was all too hard, as there would have been substantial metal fabrication and removal involved.

Has anyone got access to a firm, that blow moulds plasic? Make up a die, and use any colour acrylic you want.

cheers Chuck.

**o_man_ra23** · 13-09-2006, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by ChuckLandwehr

I have a 1972 TA22, the tail lights are "concave", or slightly curved, definately not flat.
I looked at swapping this style of tail lights into a later 1975 Celica. Was all too hard, as there would have been substantial metal fabrication and removal involved.

Has anyone got access to a firm, that blow moulds plasic? Make up a die, and use any colour acrylic you want.

cheers Chuck.

wheres the metal fab involved?? I was under the impresson they are a direct fitment, you just need to use the flat light surrounds as opposed to the bulged light surrounds. Dead flat would look a bit too home dodgy backyard, even if done really well. As suggested, if you want some cool custom tail lights, find somewhere that blowmoulds plastic, and make up a die (really not that easy tho, very time consuming) Also something to consider is that the RA23 taillights dont seem to fade/crack nearly as much as most other taillights. The pair on mine are originals and have spent most of their life in North Qld... no fading or cracking whatsoever, so there seems to be merit in the design which isnt just aesthetic.

Cheers, Owen

**"Z" UTE** · 13-09-2006, 04:31 PM

Owen, I just ran a tape measure across the tail lights of my '75, and' 72 Celica's. The centre panel on the '75, is 35 mm wider than the '72. Each of he Tail lights on the '72 are 16mm wider than those on the '75.

So one would have to remove the metal from the centre section to fit '72 lights to '75. Or conversely add metal to fit the '75 lights to the '72.

Metal removal is not so hard, but getting the radius of the corners correct, and ensuring you include the lip, increases the work load. A job really best suited to a panel beater, rather than your average bog specialist back yarder.

cheers Chuck.

**o_man_ra23** · 13-09-2006, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by ChuckLandwehr

Owen, I just ran a tape measure across the tail lights of my '75, and' 72 Celica's. The centre panel on the '75, is 35 mm wider than the '72. Each of he Tail lights on the '72 are 16mm wider than those on the '75.

So one would have to remove the metal from the centre section to fit '72 lights to '75. Or conversely add metal to fit the '75 lights to the '72.

Metal removal is not so hard, but getting the radius of the corners correct, and ensuring you include the lip, increases the work load. A job really best suited to a panel beater, rather than your average bog specialist back yarder.

cheers Chuck.

I get ya, its the reversing lights adding the extra width... all makes sense now.

**Hash_ra23** · 13-09-2006, 06:38 PM

Yep i know that the 22 tailights are concave. But i have seen custom flat taillights made out of perspex (im pretty sure) on an ra23 somewhere in europe. I saw it on the web somewhere and now i cant find it

. It was a white convertible and there wusnt many photos because it was in a garage or something. Anyway thats all i remember of it, i'll try and find it.

**buztoy** · 13-09-2006, 10:01 PM

what i was planning to do was make up a whole rear end, make a frame, then have a steel .8mm, (thats what we use at work), wrapped around the frame and have it chromed with hotrod or rx3 style lights, thought this thing is gonna weigh at least 2 kg fully loaded,