Never been very fond of the pre facelift tail lights they were dated even when the vehicle was released (think its the inner round circles that looked off..unsure exactly what it is) even if the xk came out with clear tail lights they would look 100% better.

That been said what do you guys think of quaker13 lights ?? (first pic)

Also could anyone out there be able to modify / re fab someone up to look remotely close the ALC lights ???

 

I think the easiest effects you could do with a black car, is go body color on the rear trim piece between the lights; then remove the XK badge.

Tinting the lights looks good, but it is an invite to get rear ended. People inherently base their idea of how far the car is in front of them from light intensity. They will think your car is farther off in the distance than it really is.

Unless you can work out a system that puts brighter lights behind the darkened lenses, its not something I would do.

I have black anodized brushed for my rear trim piece, and I would recommend going body color over what I did.

The problem you will face here, is that the rear trim doesn't line up with the taillights. Only by making the rear trim less obvious, or a complete change of taillight design that carries the lines of the rear trim you will get something better.

 

Steve,

I think you'll appreciate the tail light design better from a historical perspective. The inner round lens of the 4.2L X150 tail light design pays homage to the original design of the E-Type. The 5.0 LED lights does the same thing, just better in my opinion.



I'm not a fan of blacked out tail lights.

Stuart

 

I'm a BIG fan of slightly tinted tail lights. Blacked-out are dangerous.

 

I have have mine tinted with plasti-dip, also the brake light, works for me

 

I live in a place with a higher proportion of death's to drunk driving than average. For me personally and my locale, I'd be spooked crazy while driving if my car had covered/painted over reflectors and lights.

I'm glad it works for you in Ireland.

 

I prefer a light tint where the actual transmission of light is scarcely affected by the tint, but it makes a good bit of difference without the lamps illuminated. 10% tint, same as the headlights.

 

Powerhouse - Please tell me about the diffuser on your XK. It does not look like it is stock to me. Where did you get it? thanks.

 

Very nice, particularly with your gray body color. The tint improves the look of the headlights - there's less contrast and they flow better into the fender. I can't tell that the tail lights are tinted from your photo. Very effective and easy DIY mod. 👍👍

 

I just think we missed the mark with the taillights the alc project and the aston definitely delivered

 

Far out, fix your R badge it looks like you got a toddler to put it on there....

And btw pull the chrome indicator bulbs out of your old rear lights and put them in the headlights, get rid of the egg yolk look...

 

No. For the simple reason of not having any clear tail lights out there to steal the lenses from. The factory lights, be it 4.2 or 5.0 variants, are of red and clear plastic. The only way you're going to get a clear lens on the car is if you make it yourself. Google vacuum forming plastic and start reading. Fortunately, the tail light is not an overly complex shape, but unfortunately, if the lens doesn't have "DOT" molded into it, it's not legal. At least, here in the states. Then again, you can swing a dead cat around here and hit at least a few cars with aftermarket non- DOT lights on them.

This reminded me of something I'd completely forgotten about... Remember back in '02 or '03 when the clear tail light craze was hitting hard and every Civic with a fartcan had clear tail lights? My girlfriend and I were at a stop light behind an IS300 one day, and she asked me why they put Honda tail lights on their Lexus.

 

Huh, never noticed anything about that //R being off center, them dang Toddlers in Coventry.
Also, difficult to take anything out of the tail lights (old ones? What old ones?) and put them anywhere else, as the LEDs are a part of the assembly.

 

...And yet there is an Aston Martin owner out there somewhere complaining about his taillights and wanting to change them out for something 'better'.

 

 

I'm not disputing a crooked //R, just wondering WHY mine is weird in the first place. Must have been tea-time, or late on a Friday at the factory? Now I want to get some mounting tape and fix it.
Probably swap out the marker lights soon also, as I've had that task on my To-Do list since I tinted the lenses.

 

Repainted before you bought it?

 

I got it off a Lease Return, and had the dealer repaint the hood and replace the somewhat 'sand-blasted' windshield, but nothing with the back end. Maybe they found a bad spot and fixed it anyway? Possible. More than likely, as the factory uses templates to place the emblems.
I accept your speculation as very possible.

 

And I guess the ALC being a prototype would mean no part numbers available

3D printing a lense maybe ??

 

My original //R badge was replaced by my dealer under warranty because the green part was peeling. The red and green parts are stickers and should have been enamel for durability. I suspect that's why yours is crooked. Either the dealer or previous owner replaced it.