I finally got the rear finish panel painted. It was a lot of work to get it this far, but well worth it.

I bought the rear panel on Ebay and cut the letters out with a Dremel tool. Next I got a tail light lens from a late 80's Olds ninety-eight so the lens would be long enough to go across all letters using one lens. I am using an EL light from Ed at www.beingseen.com for lighting that will come on with the tail lights. I just got the panel painted matte black like the Berger SS's have for a custom look. Now it is just a matter of taking the time to put it together, install the bowtie and SS emblems and install on the car.

Since it is close to winter, I am waiting til spring to install. I don't drive the car during the winter anyway, so it is no big deal.

Here are some pics... let me know what you think.

pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
pic 4

Thanks,
Clarke

 

Very nice!How hard was it to dremel out the letters straight?I may look into doing this as well.Good job!
Kevin

 

that looks good!!!! It's not a photoshop job is it? I think you should try to do it so that it comes on when the brakes are hit. But that's just my opinion. The other way will be sweet also. You'll have something very unique. Good luck on the rest of it great job so far.

 

It took a very steady hand and a lot of filing and sanding to get it just the way I wanted it. Like I said... well worth it IMO.

If you decide to do it, don't try to get right against the edge of the letter. Give yourself some room for error if the bit catches a harder spot of the fiberglass... just a suggestion. It is better to have to file a little more, than have to have fiberglass work done and have to file it anyway. Filing and sanding will need to be done any to get all edges smooth and rounded for a factory look.

Hope this helps.
Clarke

 

Great job! That's one of those mods that lots of people think about and would like to do, but few have the patience or motivation to complete.

 

Wow! That is excellent. Keep us posted on how you do the lighting exactly because I would be interested in this mod for my car, great job it looks really nice.

 

Nice job! How long did that take you?

-Mike

 

It didn't take that long to cut out the letters. The filing and sanding took a lot longer. The most time consuming part was the time spent walking around different junk yards to find the right lens that would cover all the letters using only 1 piece.

Clarke

 

Looks great! Keep us updated.

 

That there is one bright idea. Looks good. Would be interested myself. I do wonder about the red neon light versus a white light behind the lense. Keep us informed, Kudos on the idea.

 

Exactly right. Looks awesome and would like to have it done on my car. But Im happy enough with the RKsports reflective fill ins. Yours is just more of a custom, show quality look that I would like.

 

I see myself doing this soon. If the lens is red, then neon wont show up well, will it? Maybe stick some high power leds in there behind a clear lens? Purple neon that is on when the car is on? How did you attach the lens to the fiberglass? Adhesive? Hmm

 

Hey, how did you get the small bar in the middle of the "A"s to stay in the correct spot?

 

Here is an example of how it will look with the light on!

http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/appea...Camaroneon.jpg

 

I am using an adhesive caulk to keep the lens in place and seal out moisture. The center sections of both A's and the O are kept in place by automotive grade two-sided tape.

The reason I chose neon tubes is for more even light across the lens. I have two 24" red neons, which will be more than enough light for the small size of the lens. I looked for a white neon, but had no luck finding one 24" long. The letters are only 18" across, but on a neon tube, they measure the length of the light with the transformer included. Thus, the 24" neon has a tube which is only 18" long.

I also plan on building a box around the neons on the back of the panel so it will be sealed so moisture can't get in.

Still have some things I need to figure out.

Clarke