***Disclaimer: Lights are DOT approved for the OEM application, Modifications have been for the lights to fit in the Fiero, and/or Gallardo/Murcielago Kit Kar. As with any modification of custom parts installers must know not all parts are always street legal****

ANOTHER FIRST

I have been Fabricating these for the last 8 months to get them to work for the Fiero, and am ready to finally show them. The amount of work, research, and parts sourcing that went into these was extensive. I will break up the process into 4 segments.

1) Searching for lights that will work with the Fiero Style.
2) "Reshaping" & Custom Fabrication of lights to fit within Fiero parameters.
3) Sourcing connectors that cannot be purchased from dealers/not have dealer part #
4) Diagramming the schematics for connection to Fiero electrical system.

Again this is a VERY simple breakdown of the process, that was difficult beyond belief. I was the first & only Fiero owner to successfully connect Authentic Ferrari 355 Tail lights to the Fiero back in 2002, until recently I sold them to another Fiero owner (not sure if he ever installed them?) The reason I sold them was to develop the First D.O.T. approved L.E.D. tail lights from a manufacturer to be fabricated to work with a Fiero. This is an upgrade and like all upgrades their are, legalities to consider, like, chop-tops, lambo-doors, and all the other things we have seen done to automobiles, these lights fall into the same category of high level customization.

I won't immediately give up the SECRETS as to how I achieved this, but I will tell you this, I am intending on selling these. I am not sure if this will be a one off EXCLUSIVE item, or if I want to make a few sets, again it is a difficult process, and even at this point may still take 2-3 months to duplicate. For now I have this completed pair, and am interested in sharing them with all of you.


Will post photos Friday (tomorrow)

[This message has been edited by nightonfire (edited 01-13-2014).]

Here are the inspirations for the tail lights

Murcielago


Gallardo

So, are you saying you've come up with replacement style, DOT-legal LED taillights for the Fiero?

Now this is intriguing!
Brian

Yes these are a DOT-legal LED taillights for the Fiero! They come from a domestic automobile that is mass produced from a major LUXURY name. All I did, was the leg work to get them to fit within the rear body lines of the Fiero

This is not a Stock replacement, this is a custom set up, which will entail glassing, and custom installation. This is for someone who wants to be one of the very few, or even the one person who wants to say "I am the only Fiero owner to have these lights". Just like the Ferrari 355 Tail lights I installed, and fabricated; for the last 12 years I could always say; "I am the only Fiero owner with Real Ferrari 355 Tail lights & custom Ferrari 355 rear bumper" (old version below w/355 back end)


Think of chop-tops, Lambo doors, & wide-bodies; it's all about exclusivity, RIGHT??? Isn't that why we all own FIEROS !!! We want something that few have, that was the whole idea with the development of these tail lights. Look at the Ferrari 355 lights I had installed in 2002, D.O.T. approved for a Ferrari, but on a Fiero, had these 12 years and never had an issue

If you look at the images in the previous, you can tell that it is TWO separate light fixtures which is definitely not a "stock" style plug n play replacement, I did choose these lights for the fact that I could rework them to follow with the lines of the Fiero, and with years of fabrication & car design I strongly believe these are the best choice for looks, styling, & modernizing the Fiero. The lines on the Fiero are timeless; yet the interior, and other aspects definitely have a production DATE written on them. For these reasons I looked for nearly 4 years to find the right lights to work with the Fiero.

quote Originally posted by Doober: So, are you saying you've come up with replacement style, DOT-legal LED taillights for the Fiero?

[This message has been edited by nightonfire (edited 01-03-2014).]

You may want to be careful about your claim of DOT approval. Unless you took a Fiero with those lights installed to the DOT and had them approve the setup, the lights were not DOT approved for the Fiero. Yes, it does matter. Because if you claim DOT approval for the Fiero, and it turns out the DOT didn't actually approve of these lights as installed in a Fiero, it opens you up to a legal feeding frenzy.

I'm not trying to poo-poo your product, just trying to help you cover yer arse.

DP*

[This message has been edited by nightonfire (edited 01-03-2014).]

quote Originally posted by Blacktree: You may want to be careful about your claim of DOT approval. Unless you took a Fiero with those lights installed to the DOT and had them approve the setup, the lights were not DOT approved for the Fiero. Yes, it does matter. Because if you claim DOT approval for the Fiero, and it turns out the DOT didn't actually approve of these lights as installed in a Fiero, it opens you up to a legal feeding frenzy. I'm not trying to poo-poo your product, just trying to help you cover yer arse.

Contrary to popular belief, the DOT doesn't "approve" things. Saying DOT approved is just a misnomer in any sense. The DOT publishes requirements for certain equipment. The equipment may meet or exceed DOT standards, and it may even only be legal for off-road use in such cases (it depends on the standards and what is requirement for road legal use). Included in these requirements is that equipment which meets these standards, must state so (which is why you see DOT stamped into aftermarket headlights, license plate covers, etc…). The DOT does not actually test and approve every piece of equipment with a DOT stamp on it. It is up to equipment manufacturers to test their equipment against the standards. However, as a manufacturer it would be reasonable to expect a possible audit at some arbitrary point in the future, if one were to start selling equipment with a DOT stamp or advertising as meeting DOT requirements.

Nightonfire,

I love that people are still taking the time to be innovative with the Fiero. Can't wait to see some pics!

Brian

Kudos for all the work. I had my european tail lights on my Ferrari 308 kit wired to work like OEM european ones in 1999 with the amber turn lites and red tail and brake lites. In Ohio anyway, ANY lites not installed by the manufacturer, or exact replacements...are illegal. Not saying its strictly enforced but a smart cop with a bad day would know a Fiero didnt have LED lites. I know people who have gotten tickets by adding fog lights. My Ferrari kit had driving lites installed as my headlites under a clear cover. Illegal as it goes, but I never got stopped for them.

Hey Dobey, I never did the corvette lights, I was using it as an example of an O.E.M. light, being placed on Fieros, and you emphasized my point; "it has been done time and again" but this light housing that I have Fabricated is a FIRST

quote Originally posted by dobey: Not a first. You are not the first person to put OEM Corvette lights on a Fiero. It's been done time and again for at least the past 15 years.

Very cool and unique! Do you have an pics of them installed on a car? How much are you thinking of charging per set?

Arent those Cadillac Escalade turned on their side. I think they might look good, have to see them in a car for final opinion.

I understand you saying theyre approved, as they are for the car they came from. Most places may not have any problem at all with the DOT stamped into the lense. Everyone has to check their own state to be sure. If they have a tough inspection, they may not get thru. Cincinnati for example does have inspections (not statewide) and wont pass a car with open rust holes in the body. You have to fix it or sell the car somewhere else or you dont get tags.

Are these lights mounted in the exact same orientation position as the vehicle they were designed for originally ? If not, then there's a very good chance they will not conform to D.O.T. Requirements. Some Police, if they notice something different about the car, will check for MFG date stamp on lens, if it doesn't match the car model, you might have a fight on your hands.

I have not fully installed them, since this will be permanent, but had done placement and
Preliminary fittings and photos, and it looks great, I will try to get some newer photos with a members Fiero to show what it will look like in a stock Fiero and do some photoshop to buildin the area that will be fiber glassed.

As far as price goes. Just for the parts, lights left and right were $550 & pigtail c
onnectos $60, not including the miscilaneous plastic welding & labor. So just on parts easy $600..., but again these maybe a one of a kind or at most only produce 4 more sets depending on interest.

quote Originally posted by bmac: Very cool and unique! Do you have an pics of them installed on a car? How much are you thinking of charging per set?

Look like the taillights from my CTS coupe.......yes?

Here are a few more photos of the light buckets fabricated to glass them into the body. The boxes were another $100 to have made.

Driver Side



Here are two shots showing different ways you may want to set the lights, this would be down to a personal preference & styling
1st shows a deeper recess of the light inside the box

2nd shows a more flushed look


Here is a shot of the back side where the pigtail & bolts will be secured to the box ; the box is intended to be permanent attached to the Fiero & Light is removable.

As of now I'm redoing the rear of my car and looking for a alternate light solution. I'm liking this so far and looking forward to how this will look

Boz

------------------
http://i252.photobucket.com...ec/2007_12240001.jpg

Hey Bozzie, always nice to get compliments from the greats who are really pushing the boundaries (I've been following your build). So as for very simple dimensions the light itself not in box is L 14" x H 6" x W 4.5" the box was designed to accommodate the light housing and has extra Width to allow installer ability for placement, shaping and grinding edges.

We can connect and I can give you more details & info, like I said this set will be up for sale.

quote Originally posted by Bozzie: What is the overall dimemsions of the light ?

[This message has been edited by nightonfire (edited 01-04-2014).]

I suggested to Carlo to use those lights for his RBS2 turned sideways like you are doing, a long time ago. The lights are like fine lewelry and will look awesome when done.

I was following Carlo's thread and remember him posting a photo of the lights, and I just started LAUGHING; two worlds apart and we were both working with the same lights and had absolutely no idea. I remember posting a picture or two of what I had at the time, but for the most part just kept my work under wraps until the other day. I love the look of the lights, like you said they really set off the Fiero.

quote Originally posted by turbodad: I suggested to Carlo to use those lights for his RBS2 turned sideways like you are doing, a long time ago. The lights are like fine lewelry and will look awesome when done.

They are very nice lights, but they don't really fit the lines of the Fiero at all. :-/

I agree. It would take a LOT of quarter panel and deck lid mods to match the outside end and top lines on the light. I just dont see it looking right stuck in a wrap around flat panel like Corvette or Ferrari lights have. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though.

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/Ta...vX5bsCFawRMwodqDcAsw

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 01-04-2014).]

Id use them as a back light and make a skin like on a lambo to fill in the missing upper left hand corner. then they would match the fiero lines and still look good. Can you fit them within a stock lens perhaps? then black out the void area or even possibly give it some desired shape depending on taste and look going for?

There are definitely a few ways of working the housing & fiber glass to match the stock lines, or for some one who is looking to rework the back end of a Fiero with a custom back end can choose how to do this. Fiber-glassing is the easy part, or plastic welding the lens to add shape is also the easy side. Spending 8 months to get to this point was the nightmare, as anyone here who has produced a FIRST will agree with Like you suggested it would take masking tape and some black paint to shoot the inside of a stock tail light skin, I actually really like the idea ALOT, maybe that is the way to go, From this point its all piece of cake.

quote Originally posted by jetsnvettes2000: Id use them as a back light and make a skin like on a lambo to fill in the missing upper left hand corner. then they would match the fiero lines and still look good. Can you fit them within a stock lens perhaps? then black out the void area or even possibly give it some desired shape depending on taste and look going for?

So you're saying you had to go through some process to get this approved?

I don't see much besides mounting some factory taillights in buckets so far.

Doober;

To restate, The D.O.T. approval is of the taillight as received from the manufacturer for the Cadillac CTS Coupe. The lights were not put together from off the shelf parts from an electronics store.

The "process", had to do with the research & fabrication of the tail light itself so that it would fit in the rear of the fiero. Im positive you know from projects you have done on your Fiero the many stages of development it takes to go through the process. As you have seen in the photos above, this was done on a another Fiero as a quick mock to see how it will look on a stock bodied Fiero, not the one at the shop I had originally been using. At this stage, I am showing the lights to get response & feedback to see what direction I will move next. There are many different ways to go with this
1) French & Fabricate lights into my Fiero
2) Sell to a member who wants them for a custom project
3) Rework the shaping to follow rounded outer edge, and retain stock style
4) Rework light housing to fit with in stock Fiero taillight cover
5) Selling them on Ebay for a Lamborghini Gallardo or Murcielago Kit Car

As you can see, the list of options and routes take this project from here go on. So at this point the lights have been simply placed in buckets for perspective

quote Originally posted by Doober: So you're saying you had to go through some process to get this approved? I don't see much besides mounting some factory taillights in buckets so far.

It was just a little misleading, the beginning of the thread sounds like you've come up with your own design, outside any manufacturer (Ford, GM, etc.) that was DOT-approved, and allowed for the Fiero. I just don't see anything much outside the realm of frenched in Caddy taillights... I'm willing to bet a more fitting taillight can be used for this application - however novel the DOT idea may have been.

Doober;
I did take a look at these lenses above which use the older bulb technology, and debated making a LED panel to fit, but really wanted to get an O.E.M. D.O.T L.E.D housing such as the CTS.

Again with the CTS coupe lights there was a lot of work that went into making these fit: that was the challenge, is going to be the challenge with any other tail light that is transplanted into a Fiero. Here is a synopsis of what had to happen to get these lights to fit correctly

Here you can see the extreme "L" shape of the O.E.M. part. Making a box for this that would fit n the Fiero body was not feasible for practice reasons, clearance issues where the first objective to tackle.


Here is where the surgical aspect comes in , this included splicing, chopping, heating bending, welding plastic, fabricating, and reconfirming every aspect to fit with in the new dimensions of the Fiero.


After working all the internal aspects, it was time to address the light housing itself, again chopping, heating bending,welding plastic, fabricating, and reconfirming the outer transparent housing.


Next was plastic welding the housing back to an air tight/water resistant factory seal.


Finally sand, polish, & buff plastic welded edges.

[This message has been edited by nightonfire (edited 01-06-2014).]

They look nice from the rear view, but I'd like to see a top view showing the contour of the lens while it's set in the car as you've done from the rear view. That will give a better idea how easily a new rear valence panel can be made to suit both the Fiero body and the lens contours. For example, how much does the lens curve? Is the lens tilted top to bottom? Given that it was originally designed to be a vertical lens, how does that affect the light being thrown properly when installed horizontally?

BTW, I also believe that your title was misleading... now that you've modified the light significantly, it no longer would meet the DOT specifications for which it was designed.

Interesting, but I think this looks out of place on a Fiero. The lines just don't match well.