The 1993-1995 stock taillights are shown in the picture
below on the left. In 1996, Mazda changed the taillights to three circles
on each side. The 1996-1999 factory round taillights are available for purchase
for about $480 per pair. However, with a little craftiness and much less
money, a virtually indistinguishable copy can be made using the 1993-1995 stock
taillights. Below on the right is my RX-7 after this modification.
Note: Click on each image to display a larger version.
If you would like to update the taillights on your RX-7, I
recommend purchasing a heat gun, an X-Acto Compass and Swivel Knife, Black
Lacquer spray paint, and clear contact paper for masking.
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First remove the taillights from the
car. When you open the trunk, there are three screws behind each
taillight. When you remove the screws, the taillights slide out away
from the center brake light. |
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There are six screws on the back of each
taillight and adhesive holding the cover to each taillight assembly.
After you remove the screws, carefully use a heat gun to soften the
adhesive around the edges of the taillight cover. I used the high
(1100° F) setting on my heat gun, slowly moving it around the edges of
the taillight assembly from the back (same view as to the left) several
times for about five minutes. If you hold the heat gun in one place
too long, you will melt the plastic, so if you notice the black plastic
assembly begin to get shiny, move on because it is starting to melt! |
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Once the glue is soft, you can pull the
cover off the taillight assembly. It takes some force, and I found
it easier to start pulling at the outside where the turn signal is.
The adhesive can be stringy, so pull slowly and make sure no adhesive
"strings" get onto the lenses. The picture to the left
show the taillights after the cover is removed. |
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There is one screw holding each lens to the
taillight. In addition, there is some more of the same adhesive at
the top and bottom of each lens. I didn't heat this area much, as
the adhesive was soft enough to remove the lenses. |
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I recommend first making paper masks to
tweak the placement in preparation for the final masking. The circle
for the turn signal is 75mm diameter, and the two circles for the brakes
are 80mm diameter. The X-Acto compass/knife made it easy to cut the
circles. The placement of these circles is the hardest part of this
project. I initially placed the circles attempting to have the
center of each circle be directly in front of each bulb. I then
adjusted the circles to be centered vertically and then adjusted the
middle (brake light) circle to be equidistant from the other two circles. |
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Once you have the circles exactly where you
want them, place masking tape at approximate 90° intervals around the
circles. Using a straight edge, draw perpendicular lines (a cross)
through the center point of the circle so that the lines extend onto each
of the four pieces of masking tape. The markings on the four pieces
of masking tape will help you pinpoint the center point of the circle
after you remove the paper circles. |
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Cut out two 75mm and four 80mm circles using
the clear contact paper. Place a square piece of masking tape at the
center of each area where the circle will be. Using a straight edge
and the marks on the masking tape previously placed at 90° intervals,
redraw cross hairs on the new square piece of masking tape. The
contact paper masks will have pinholes in each center point from the
compass used to draw or cut the circles. Line up the center point of
each circle with the cross hairs on the square piece of masking tape as
you place them on the lenses. This is where it comes in handy to
have clear contact paper for your masks! |
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After the masks are firmly adhered to the
lenses, remove the outside pieces of masking tape. I recommend
putting masking tape on the back of the lenses to cover the screw holes
and contact paper on the back of the lenses to keep overspray from getting
onto the back of the lenses. Then use a green scrubbing pad to
roughen up the glossiness of the lenses so that the paint will adhere
better. Finally use a moist paper towel to clean the surfaces. |
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I used glossy lacquer spray paint, which
dries quickly and leaves a nice finish. Make sure you spray the
sides of the lenses in addition to the front so that no light comes
through once you reinstall the lenses. If you are not familiar with
spray painting, spray in straight passes that start before and end after
the object you are painting. Don't let the spray paint get too heavy
or it may run. It is better to use several more lighter coats than
fewer heavy coats that end up running. Remember that the taillights
are bright--make sure you have enough coats of paint (with about five
minutes waiting time between coats if you are using lacquer paint) so that
light will not be be able to shine through the painted area. |
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After about an hour, I removed the masks,
starting by gently cutting a hole into the center (where masking tape was
behind the circles) and then pulling up on the masks. Slowly remove
the masks from where they meet up with the paint to make sure the masks do
not pull paint up from the lenses. I then let the lenses sit
overnight to fully dry. Although I probably didn't need to let them
sit that long, I wanted to be careful since they would be near the heat
gun again. |
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Use the heat gun to heat up the adhesive in
the holes where the lens tabs go, then insert the lenses and screw them
in. Make sure there is no dust on the lenses or the inside of the
cover (I used a Swifter sheet) and then heat up the adhesive on the cover
and taillight assembly to soften it. Heating up the adhesive is
easier this time since you can directly see it, but be very careful not to
get the black plastic assembly too hot that it starts to melt! If
you notice the plastic start to look shiny, move on. After the
adhesive on both the assembly and cover is soft, put them back
together. After you push them firmly together, replace the six
screws to complete the assembly. |
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You're done! Just put the taillights
back on the car so you can admire them. :-) |
