Hello all, this is my first post here so I would appreciate if you would bear with me and maybe give me a helping hand.</P>


I own a 1996 Mustang and have spent a long time trying to decided what appearance mods I would like to do to it. First projector headlights, and then I thought clear taillights (the ones that are completely clear, but still have red bulbs). I was not sure if these completely clear ones were legal here in my homestate of California, but I put that off until later.</P>


Then today I saw a police officer and asked him about it. He said that if it doesn't have a reflector (I assume a red one) then it is illegal, even with the red bulbs. Now judging by by knowledge of lights, the reflectors are the red on the taillights that cause the red light to be dispersed? So in this case putting red reflectors on the outside of clear taillights would kinda defeat the purpose. I also spoke to a guy who did custom show cars, and although he did have NOS in his IS300, he said it was illegal to put completely clear taillights on. </P>


Since I am completely stubborn and obsessed with getting these lights, is there anything I can do to them to make them legal, preferably without drastically changing their original appearance? Or perhaps anyone knows the penalties and chances of getting pulled over for this mod. Thanks tons for any help given, I really appreciate it!</P>

ive never heard of altezzas being illegal

You can buy that reflective crap and put it inside the lights. But, it's so damn ugly...</P>

Dude, why not avoid all legal issues and not do it?

Besides, that leaves more money for other "appearance" modifications I'm sure you'd like to do, like a nice, fat, 95" aluminum 6 decker wing.

hahaha

There isnt really anythign you can do to make them legal, you can put some blackouts over them from GTS or something, but man, clear taillights on a mustang is totally gay, and ricey. I say dont do it at all, if you're going to do appearance stuff, doa steeda or saleen body kit, rims, and a nice decklid spoiler. Anything you do with the tailights unless the car is black will not look good. But even before you think appearance, think speed. You'd rather smoke someone who has a better looking car then yours then get spanked by some pos. Get power now, get prissy later.</P>

Well thanks to Stealth and Dan for somewhat answering my question. Yes, my mustang is black, but since it is a 3.8 there is no point in me doing anything to the engine, so appearance is what I was looking at. As for youguys who think it looks ricey you certainly are entitled to your opinion, but I do not think it does at all as they are not altezzas. I guess nonsense opinions are what I get for asking a question online these days, but you know what they say - ask a stupid question...</P>


BTW jeep you illiterate fool, try reading the post before you robotically click the reply button and type in your same rehashed jargon that I have heard a million times before. Had you had the decency to read and comprehend my post, you would see that I said I am stubborn and obsessed with getting the clear lights. THATS why I won't avoid the issue. Keep dishing out your sarcastic remarks man, but I will fire my own remarks right back at you.</P>

Dude, why not avoid all legal issues and not do it?

Besides, that leaves more money for other "appearance" modifications I'm sure you'd like to do, like a nice, fat, 95" aluminum 6 decker wing. </P>


haha EXTREME DOWNPHORCE YO!!! <IMG src=smileys/smiley3.gif border="0"></P>

"BTW jeep you illiterate fool, try reading the post before you robotically click the reply button and type in your same rehashed jargon that I have heard a million times before.* Had you had the decency to read and comprehend my post, you would see that I said I am stubborn and obsessed with getting the clear lights.* THATS why I won't avoid the issue.* Keep dishing out your sarcastic remarks man, but I will fire my own remarks right back at you."

So sue me for having common sense. I definately read and comprehended your post, and my remarks were far from sarcastic.

Clear tail lights on a Stang...you must really be into the Fast &amp; Furious crowd. Whatever though, it's your money. Jeep...just look at it like this...it makes out cars look better<IMG src=smileys/smiley2.gif border="0">. Riced out Stangs = <IMG src=smileys/smiley11.gif border="0"> BUT HEY...THOSE WINGS GIVE LIKE 30HP DONT THEY...LOL

Hmmm how about you stop using your blown engines to make up for your tiny dick and blow mine instead. It will be the first time you have ever seen one above 4 inches I'm sure you pubesant f**k.

"BTW jeep you illiterate fool, try reading the post before you robotically click the reply button and type in your same rehashed jargon that I have heard a million times before. Had you had the decency to read and comprehend my post, you would see that I said I am stubborn and obsessed with getting the clear lights. THATS why I won't avoid the issue. Keep dishing out your sarcastic remarks man, but I will fire my own remarks right back at you."

So sue me for having common sense. I definately read and comprehended your post, and my remarks were far from sarcastic. </P>


</P>


Would you mind explaining how having an opinion about something and rubbing it in my face is common sense? </P>

Just ignore it ChromeRider. The only thing I can suggest is using some sort of reflective tape, which means taking apart the tail light and doing some work on the inside to make it look presentable. I think what everyone was trying to say, but didn't do it the right way...is people may look at your car and laugh at it, or judge you a certain way because of it. IMO it does look trendy and importish. But hey, to each his own.

Dan just said what I said, but for tactfully. I personally don't care what you think about a "blow" mind though. I'm actually doing pretty well for myself at the moment, &amp; know enough to modifiy a mustang so that it can PERFORM, rather trying to follow a crowd of import tuners who get happy over boost increases that put 226rwhp down. Your money, your car, but ANY SERIOUS car (Mustang) modifier will look down on your car, because you are trying to make you car look like a HOT WHEELS rather than giving it a "blow" engine, so that it can own the streets you drive on. Honestly, those lights make your car look cheaper. Save the money, put it in the engine, or maybe a Mach 1 chin spoiler, &amp; SS Mustang bumper inserts to inhance [read: not take away from] you ride. An Eibah pro-kit, some decent rims will help your car w/out making it look like THE ENEMY. If you get those lights...get a fart cannon too!

yeah and with that fart cannon, get some type r stickers too. that outta get you up to 500hp, or so the ricers think.

Anyway, aside from the belligerant opinions in this topic, you should definately get blackouts on a black stang, it looks sweet. And the good part is, that you will still be able to tell you have clear lights in back when you break and stuff, it will look nice. But you have to understand where most of these guys are comming from, because in all seriousness, clear lights on the back with no other appearance stuff looks kind of skanky to say the least, but you do what you think looks cool. If your going body kit and rims and stuff, blacking out the lights will look awesome. </P>


Dan's right too, you could put some tape over it, but then you get a high margine for error in the fact that if you accidently fold the tape over wrong or crease it around a corner, it will look nasty.</P>

he is talking bout those totallyclear light not altezza...hey guy have u looked into altezza tails I wouldnt approve of em in anyway but if u like em go for it...</P>


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&amp;category=33716&amp;item=2444332 052</P>


they also sell ones that are black and I think they look some what better then the chrome ones </P>


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theres probably nothing you could do to make them legal andmake you happy. just put them on, the worst that could happen is that you get a fix it ticket. if so take them off and call it experience. i don't think too many cops would really care to pull you over for something like that.

he is talking bout those totallyclear light not altezza...hey guy have u looked into altezza tails I wouldnt approve of em in anyway but if u like em go for it...</P>


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&amp;category=33716&amp;item=2444332 052</P>


they also sell ones that are black and I think they look some what better then the chrome ones </P>


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if it looks like ricer s**t and its a tail light its an altezza to me.</P>

the black outs are illegal too
I see the new guy is strating off on the right foot huh?
might want to try the smoked ones
I got pulled for having them on the front @ noon<img border="0" src=smileys/smiley7.gif border="0"> <edited><editID>vfast</editID><editDate>37949.7374074074</editDate></edited>

if it's stamp dot than your good to go

That's true, if it has the DOT stamp, then it's 50 state legal. But, I had DOT approved drag radials on my Iroc-z...I was caught out in the rain one night and a cop pulls me over after he saw my rear tires and he said although they were DOT approved, technically I'm not supposed to be driving them in hazardous conditions. Weird huh?</P>

olright check it, this stupid ricer bickering needs to stop on all boards!</P>


to answer your question more then anyone else has...</P>


i like cleartail lights, ihave a black 99 gt, and i just ordered them. NOT ALTEEZAS, i dont hate alteezas for the most part, ive seen them look trashy, cheap and ricer, and ive also seen them look clean, i considered them but actually found andbought completly clear taillights, ive never seen complettly clear tail lights for a 99, and when i saw them on ebay, i bought them right away, im still yet to see them on any car or anywhere else. its way illegal, the ticket was no more then 100 bucks. ive gotten it for clear headlights, im sure its about the same. it use to be free, but now fix it tickets cost money,...i actually have heard but dont know ifits true but...that copscaneither makeit cost money or not, depending on how they write you up.</P>


ive gotten a ticket for just about everything you can imagine. last year i got the clear tail light blinker, and all i had to do was go down and have my car inspected.they busted me for headlights thattime to, so ijust had to change it for hte inspection and right after i switched it all right back.it was free, however now fix its cost money, its part of hte whole street racing scene crackdown. </P>


ive seen the completly clear taillights on the older stangs and i think it looks sick. if you like that style, then do it man, whats a fix it ticket, its no moving violation, just a small fine, </P>


getting pulled over is luck, some have it, and some dont, ...i dont, my friend fully limo tinted hisstang the same day i did, and ive gotten 2 tickets for tint already, and pulled over for it once and let go. he has never got pulled over for it. </P>


im a stubborn bitch, and still have full limo tint all around, clear corners, and my clear tail lights on the way, im bound to get pulled over , but i think its worth standing out from hundreds of stangs you drive next to on the freeway every day. in my opinion, performance mods are definlty more important then appearance but, if you dont do anything at all, its just not showing any love to your baby cmon, you dont dress your one true love who will never let you down in rags do you??? id buy car new shoes (tires) and shades (tint) way before buying my girl a meal at mcdonalds. i wouldnt want my baby's feet and eyes to get sore... would you?</P>


sorry bout the long post, but hopefully some usefull info came of it, and if not, i guess you rice bashers can continue your battle</P>


o and my car has been bashed in other forums, so your not alone buddy, ill post a pic of my car as soon as i get the tail lights and hten you guys can tell me how lame it really looks....peace out!</P>

o just to clarify the law, i believe relflective amber in the front is mandatory, and reflective amber or red in the back. pretty much if its totally clear its illegal, you need some sort of colored relfector.

In MA all these things are MOVING violations..so they count towards your insurance rates..</P>

Ive got the smoke "blackouts" in front and back, and cops dont care so long as you have some bright fog lamps.

Hey thanks for all the help Norman, I appreciate it! I would love to see pics of your stang, if you can't post them here perhaps you could email me at chromerider@hotmail.com with them? That would be tight! It also helps that we are from the same general area, I actually work in Glendale so we are kinda close. </P>


How much did it cost for you to get your windows tinted may I ask? I am real interested but don't know the $$ amount. </P>


Thanks to the others as well who responded with informative data <IMG src=smileys/smiley4.gif border="0">.</P>


Stealth, your idea regarding clear taillights with blackouts sounds awesome, but I have4 questions maybe you (or someone else) could answer - </P>


1. Where can I get theose black covers? I couldnt find them on ebay.</P>


2. Do you think that I would be able to see them only when I brake? Obviously I wouldn't be able to see them but you get my drift. Wouldn't be visibleunless I was brakinghuh?</P>


3. How easily do they install, do they just snap in?</P>


4. Anyone know if they are definitely illegal in CA?</P>


Thanks again all who helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</P>