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I am re-posting this with an edited version, updated with better quality images and, more of them. Additionally, I am making a new post, with images, of other modifications made to date.
So, last January, during a Washington, DC winter that would NOT end, I decided to pass time with an indoor project.... modifying the taillights Ford designed on the second generation Fusion. They are just plain ugly, in my opinion. Look online and there seems to be tricked-out LED aftermarket choices made for every car on the road, except for the second gen Fusion. Even the 2015 Fusion has some aftermarket Euro designs, but none exist for the 2010-12 model years. Anybody know why? Aftermarket headlight assembly with Audi style LED running lights are available but no taillights. So I just made my own.
This literally required major plastic surgery, gutting the OEM assembly using only a Dremel. From the OEM assembly, I used the housing, outside lens, the circuit board with 3 LED's that is the side marker light, only the back-up light section of the clear internal lens and just the framing of the layered decorative, chrome components, discarding much of the ugly grill work. I did kept a triangular shaped section, back-lighting it with a 6" chain of LED's encased in clear silicone. The effect looks sharp. The outside lens is finished with lite smoke tinted vinyl.
Among the pictures of the finished project, I've taken one image and made notations of each component and how each is wired to function. It should be easy to read with the image expanded to full size view. Hard to estimate my how many hours I committed, let's just call it time consuming.
Pictured is the finished project.
The only components not listed is a resistor required for the ten inch electronuminescent strip. The resistor is housed in a small blue rectangular cube, which I glued into a molded recess on the backside of the assembly housing. Also, a TK 50W 8RJ resistor is spliced into the OEM tail light wiring to fix turn signal hyper-flash and an error code.
I no longer grit my teeth in disdain when looking at the rear of my Fusion.
So, last January, during a Washington, DC winter that would NOT end, I decided to pass time with an indoor project.... modifying the taillights Ford designed on the second generation Fusion. They are just plain ugly, in my opinion. Look online and there seems to be tricked-out LED aftermarket choices made for every car on the road, except for the second gen Fusion. Even the 2015 Fusion has some aftermarket Euro designs, but none exist for the 2010-12 model years. Anybody know why? Aftermarket headlight assembly with Audi style LED running lights are available but no taillights. So I just made my own.
This literally required major plastic surgery, gutting the OEM assembly using only a Dremel. From the OEM assembly, I used the housing, outside lens, the circuit board with 3 LED's that is the side marker light, only the back-up light section of the clear internal lens and just the framing of the layered decorative, chrome components, discarding much of the ugly grill work. I did kept a triangular shaped section, back-lighting it with a 6" chain of LED's encased in clear silicone. The effect looks sharp. The outside lens is finished with lite smoke tinted vinyl.
Among the pictures of the finished project, I've taken one image and made notations of each component and how each is wired to function. It should be easy to read with the image expanded to full size view. Hard to estimate my how many hours I committed, let's just call it time consuming.
Pictured is the finished project.
The only components not listed is a resistor required for the ten inch electronuminescent strip. The resistor is housed in a small blue rectangular cube, which I glued into a molded recess on the backside of the assembly housing. Also, a TK 50W 8RJ resistor is spliced into the OEM tail light wiring to fix turn signal hyper-flash and an error code.
I no longer grit my teeth in disdain when looking at the rear of my Fusion.
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