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Old 03-05-2014, 12:05 AM   #1
cleansquare
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Thumbs down installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

Had sewn these on a welders rig the other day and liked the blue purple light they put out. Didnt take into account that his tails were way smaller than mine. And probably led. They were aftermarket tails installef in a welding bed.

I ordered the glass ones which are supposed to be the good ones, and installed them today.

Put them in front of the bulb like you are supposed to do..they almost don't even light up lol. They look like black spots on the lenses at night even with brakes on.

Will be ordering new lenses tomorrow...don't have time for this crap lol. My only thought is that the bulb is too far away to focus much light into the dot therefore its not the desired effect. The idea is to have most of the light concentrated thru the dot which is what makes it illlegal lol. I didn't realize how big our tails really are.

With brakes on

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Old 03-05-2014, 02:14 AM   #2
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

lesson learned. usually used on older trucks/cars with fairly small glass lenses. but, even then can cause problems with people behind ride with blue dots not seeing a full red lens when braking, etc.
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Old 03-05-2014, 11:24 AM   #3
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

i hate those things
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Old 03-05-2014, 02:33 PM   #4
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

Maybe you got a bad batch. We used to run them on squares back in the '80s and they lit up pretty cool. And that was before LEDs came out.
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Old 03-05-2014, 03:22 PM   #5
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

What do they look like in the day time? I keep thinking of the blue dot lenses on 50s cars and I think it would be interesting to see how they looked on the squares.
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Old 03-05-2014, 03:25 PM   #6
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

They don't work as well with the larger "wrap-around" taillights of more modern vehicles.
haha, squares being called modern...even there newest ones qualify as antique in most states.
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Old 03-05-2014, 05:22 PM   #7
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

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They don't work as well with the larger "wrap-around" taillights of more modern vehicles.
haha, squares being called modern...even there newest ones qualify as antique in most states.
My '79 is considered antique

Not complaining about not having to get it inspected though!
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:36 PM   #8
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

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Originally Posted by TheBlueBomber View Post
My '79 is considered antique

Not complaining about not having to get it inspected though!
Yeah, here in Ohio, even an '87 is over the 25 year point. That qualifies as "Historical". That gets you a very low 1-time registration fee that lasts for life.
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Originally Posted by Longhorn Man View Post
As for reading directions...
The directions are nothing but another man's opinion.
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself...

Bad planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an instant emergency on my part....

The great thing about being a pessimist is that you are either pleasantly surprised or right.
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Old 03-05-2014, 10:02 PM   #9
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

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Originally Posted by LONGHAIR View Post
Yeah, here in Ohio, even an '87 is over the 25 year point. That qualifies as "Historical". That gets you a very low 1-time registration fee that lasts for life.
Well heck that is nice. In Oklahoma we don't get anything special for classic or antique cars.

To add...I Had never heard of this.

Correction on the registration...our registration allows for 10 years.
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:05 PM   #10
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

Lense needs to be fully enclosed all around to get the right effect, like a 67-72light
glass ones shine better then the plastic ones. Also if you bend the tabs back out straight and then put a 1/4 turn on them so it will hold the blue dot in place and the ring in the Lense itself then you don't see the tabs
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:13 PM   #11
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

Those are illegal here in MD. Guy at work had me drill out the rear lenses on his '64 Impala. He got a ticket a few weeks later and had to chase down another set. Tried to warn him.
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Old 03-05-2014, 08:14 PM   #12
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

They are glass...

They are illegal here too...
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Old 03-05-2014, 09:46 PM   #13
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

if you stand back the light appears purple, it doesnt work up close with the big tail lights
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Old 03-08-2014, 09:32 PM   #14
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Re: installed blue dots in tails...not impressed

Saw an old 30s model restored ford coupe today and it had the blue dots. Ypu could see them a mile away. They looked awrsome! I pulled up behind him at the light and his tails were small, only around 4 inches across. I love the look and wish I had it!
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