I thought I would do a DIY for the 3rd brake light RX-8 logo and show a step by step instruction.

First, I needed a way to produce the RX-8 graphic to be used as a mask so that I didn't have to take the lengthy time to cut a mask with an Xacto knife. Because I work in education and multi media, I went with what I have on hand which is a transparency film which is printed on by a laser printer and is normaly used for graphics on an over head projector. After some trial and error as to what is the ideal size to be produced through the lens of tht third brake light I came up with an acceptable design.

I found two ways to mount the graphic masking.

One is behind the red lens which I like to refer to as a stealth mount. WIth this method you do not see the logo until the brakes are applied.

The second is the mounting of the graphic on the front side of the red lens and by this method, you see the red outline of the RX-8 logo even with the brake light not lit. I found this method to work best, imo.

Here is the finished look with the brake light applied using the second mehtod.

Here is what the graphic printed out and cut to size looks like.

I found to get a better masking that two of the graphics needed to be taped together with small pieces of clear tape.

Here is how to disassemble the third brake light.

First, you need to remove all of the nylon screws holding up the trunk lid liner and then remove this liner from the lid.

Next you need to remove both mounting 10mm nuts and unplug the lamp socket and remove the entire third light assembly.

After you remove the third light assembly, you need to start disassembling the housing. First take out the two screws mounting the lamp housing.

Next there is a clamp that holds the rear red assembly in place. I also found on the other side two hinge type parts that hold this part onto the center red lens. After taking this all out, I eventually seperated the rear red assembly from the center red lens. To get to that point, it may be easier to remove the two red parts together by pusing in on the slot on both sides and sliding these out of the clear lens part of the assembly.

After disassymbling all three parts here is what you have.

Very nice D....now make me one! =)

Next you have to decide which placement to use to mount the RX-8 logo.

For the "stealth" method, you want to mount the graphic on the inside of the center red lens. To do this I used the same clear tape to afix this inside the lens.

Next you need to reassemble the third brake light. This is a shot with the graphic in place behind the center red lens and the unit reassembled. Note, this was shot using flash photography and normally you would not see anything because it is dark in the area behind the red lens.

Here is a shot with the lamp lit in the "stealth" mounting method.

The second mounting is done on the other side of the center red lens. Here is what it looks like mounted.

Here is what it looks like after assembly. Here you see the logo in red unlit through the clear lens.

And here is a shot of it lit for the test.

Finally, here is a shot of it at night. Rememberr, it's very difficult to take photos of light in the dark. It's hard not to over expose so, this photo cannot do it the best justice as the first in the light at the beginning of this thread.

Beautiful. Now I have to decide if I want stealth or not. Decisions... decisions...

I will be glad to provide more information if anyone cares to ask. If you PM me, I can let you know the availability of these logo maskings if you would not wish to go through the work of producing them. If you would like, I can send you a file with the logo graphic if you have the materials at hand and wish to do it yourself.

A very, very nice DIY, D MENAC 7!!! Gonna sticky this for a while. :D

I hope this works, here is a copy of the graphic. It measures 6.513" wide by 1.556" tall. If you open it up in PS or another graphic program, you can size it to these dimensions and that should take care of it if it is not the exact size after saving the file.

I am still developing one that will fit in the clear lens part of the third brake light and am thinking about doing it in the color of the car, that is still on the drawing board becasue it really has to be opaque from the back otherwise the masked area would be purple on a Winning Blue, orange on a Lightening Yellow, Black on a Black....that might just work on there....brown on a Nordic Green, dark red on a Silver and Gray and may not show up on the best of colors, Red on a Velocity Red.

There would have to be some printing method to print on clear film that would have a first layer of some dark opaque color and then a color on top of that to fully mask out all lighting where you wouldn't want it.

YEA, I made a sticky!!! Wait a sec....maybe that's not good!!:o Oh, you meant a sticky for the forum...that's better :p

Very funny... I may have an idea... uh no not about the sticky. If you could get two to line up you could just do one in black and then put the color of your choosing in front of it. If they lined up perfectly it would solve the transparent issue with the different colors.

Duh...why didn't I think of that??? Thanks! it's off to bed then off to the drawing board I go tomorrow.

Just a tip, most vynil printing shops will do that quite easy. I cheked locally and to do 2 layers of it in that shape and size was all of 10 bucks tops.

where can i get this again?

I just got the brakelight decal in today and installed it. it is a black decal on the black car. looks good and i will post pics tomorrow. i also have the silver rx8 club decals installed too, will post pics if anyone is curious as to how the colors match up.

nice job

Nice stuff

ONE COOL MOD .

cheers
michael

Just got my Taillight graphic from DMENAC7 and installed it, and i must say i am pleaseeeeed. it took me all of 45 mins which included my desperate search for a wrench to take off the 10mm bolts... i havent gotten the chance to take a picture because i dont haev anyone around at the moment to push the brake, or a good camera. plus its day. but let me tell you i LOVE it! i have yet too see it at night too. i'll try and take a picture with my camera phone :D to see how it turns out at night. thanks D MENAC! Speedy Delivery, and great instructions (except on how to remove the plug... i was too scared iw as gonna snap it off so i just left it plugged in. i suggest an exp on how u removed it, because in my hands it felt like it would snap). Ill def. put u in the good guy section on the forum! Everyone should check out this mod

Edit***: removed link cause... well since hte moderator combined the threads, ur already here. :p

OK, how do I get one of these?

Did D MENAC 7's mod today... thanks to the EXCELLENT directions, it only took me about 20 minutes. I went for the non-stealth mount, and it looks excellent.

GREAT mod... inexpensive, easy, classy, looks factory installed. Very cool indeed. :D

Send a PM to DMENAC 7... he makes and ships them. For a picture, go to the link provided in the first post.

Thanks everyone! I am glad to help others have more appreciation for our 8s. Remember, when you are ahead, as you always will be, flash that RX-8 3rd brake light logo in their faces just to show them who's in front! :D

Great Mod. Just did mine. This is the most bang for the buck mod I've done. I went the stealth route, probably took about 1 hour start to finish including cutting the vinyl and putting it in upside down at first, and cost of materials was about $1.00.

oh yea. dint mention i went stealth... for an embarrassing story, i actually put it in upside down once... a friend of mine was like... um kush... lol. embarassing. but badass now that ive fixed it.

Something you don't know is that when I was taking the pics for this DIY I mounted it upside down for the pics but figured it out since I had this apart several times before I assembled it for the final fix.

It's easy to do. One suggestion is that after it's together look through the clear lens and if you can read the writing embossed at the bottom on the clear lens, and the film is right side up, then it's correct to go ahead and install.

Forum member brownchiro sent me this pic of his lightening yellow RX-8 with my 3rd brake light RX-8 logo installed. Looks great, brownchiro!

Thanks!

i just did the install today.. took about 1 hour.. that included lookin for a dam 10mm socket. Of course thats the one i couldnt find.

i also put it in upside down but lucky for me i noticed it quickly.

i have not got a good picture yet

I did the mod last week-end. Very easy and well explained.
Thank you D Menac 7 for this excellent DIY.

Yup...got mine installed, was easy with your great instructions. Looks great , great price, thanks man.

LOK n LOD


I take no prisoners , flattery will get you nowhere .j/k.ha ha ha

cheers
michael

The Baller got his..........fast.
Thank you

Thanks everybody!

Originally posted by Lock & Load
LOK n LOD


I take no prisoners , flattery will get you nowhere .j/k.ha ha ha

cheers
michael

Sorry wasn't trying to steal your name, I've been using LoKnLoD as my Day of Defeat tag for online gaming for years. :D

Great looking mod...only took a few minutes with great results.
Shipping very fast.
Thanks D MANIC 7

Thanks XcelR8, nice photo!

I have another photo by a forum member that was sent in by RevRaz where he attended the San Diego Rev It Up yesterday with a photo of his Winning Blue RX-8 which he has installed the mod and an X-Men spoiler on. It looks great! Thanks, RevRaz!

And yet another nice looking rear end...errrr, 3rd brake light logo mod...:D This one is from 93rdcurrent. They are starting to come in from all over the country. Can't wait to see pictures from the UK and Australia.

Thanks, 93rdcurrent!

Watch your eyes, this may hurt a bit...:D It's harder than hell to photo light. This one has to be from film because the colors are correct.

D MENAC 7

Looking forward to being the first Australian with a nicer brighter rear end brake light .

I am currently planning a huge drive day to WAKEFIELD RACEWAY IN N.S.W. A 1400km trip from the Goldcoast , then i am heading down to Mlbourne another further 1000 km away to see friends and family .

The whole trip will see some 5000km put on my car so i will miss your mail unless it gets here in the next few days as i leave on the 31 st of march .

However as soon as i get back i will definetely fit the rear brake light and flash it with pride and organize some photos for all to see .

cheers
michael

I have *got* to have this 3rd brake light mod. Way way cool :cool:

D MENAC 7 - you've been PM'd!

Got it, did it, one easy beautiful mod. ;) Thanks D MENAC 7, yu da man!

PS I still like the accelerator more than the brake, but now at least it's a close second knowing the light's back there! :D

Thanks D MENAC 7,

Looks great! I found it to show up much better not in the "stealth" mode. Looks great though, either way!!

Installed mine last night, just before I took it in to get serviced this morning. Sadly, no one at the dealer said anything about it; bunch of non attention-to-detail having SOBs.

Originally posted by Red8
Thanks D MENAC 7,

Looks great! I found it to show up much better not in the "stealth" mode. Looks great though, either way!!

Thanks! Nice picture, too! Very clear and youu did a great job taking a true looking pic of the mod. It's hard to do light so well as you did. :D

And yet another pic of a 3rd brake light modded. This time this is from a friend on the UK RX8 owners club forum named tab. Here is his black 8 with the logo installed.

Did my mod yesterday - stealth mode. Was skeptical that mine would actually look as good as some of the pics in this thread - but it does!! Nice instructions D Menac 7. Most of my time was actually spent cleaning out my printer after it ate one of the transparencies I was using. Only thing I did different was cutout a 3rd transparent piece (sandwiched three pieces together) as I was afraid if I had to pull off any of the clear tape - I might pull off some of the black with it. Probably didn't matter - looks great anyway.

And yet another picture, this time from a Titanium Gray 6MT GT. Here is God of Thunder's pic of his RX-8 third brake light mod installed. :D

Great work D MENAC 7. Very professional looking.

If you do the masking in the colour of the car, how well does it look? Are all the pics so far with a black masking?

Originally posted by D MENAC 7
I am still developing one that will fit in the clear lens part of the third brake light and am thinking about doing it in the color of the car, that is still on the drawing board becasue it really has to be opaque from the back otherwise the masked area would be purple on a Winning Blue, orange on a Lightening Yellow, Black on a Black....that might just work on there....brown on a Nordic Green, dark red on a Silver and Gray and may not show up on the best of colors, Red on a Velocity Red.

There would have to be some printing method to print on clear film that would have a first layer of some dark opaque color and then a color on top of that to fully mask out all lighting where you wouldn't want it.

Maybe you should hook up with PoLaK. A vinyl "sticker" applied from the inside? Seems he already has lined up supplies of the sticker material in the RX-8 colors.

I like the stealth approach though. I downloaded your graphic but had a question -- Did you intend for the color to be dark purple? I was thinking black but wasn't sure.

Yeah, I noticed a color shift when I posted it. It is intended to be black. If you have some jpeg editing capability, just select the dark purple area and dump black onto it.

Originally posted by pauleta
Great work D MENAC 7. Very professional looking.

If you do the masking in the colour of the car, how well does it look? Are all the pics so far with a black masking?

Thanks for the complement.

Yes, every mask installed so far has been with black masking the film. I'm working on color, that will be Logo Masking stage 2. :)

Originally posted by XcelR8
Great looking mod...only took a few minutes with great results.
Shipping very fast.
Thanks D MANIC 7


yup....yup....yup!

Another thanks - this was a great idea. I chose stealth mode. Looks like it belongs. Anyone who sees it is going to think it's stock. What will they think when they see an un-modded one?

"Mommy"!

"What is it dear"?

"There's something wrong with that car! It's missing the letters"!

I was by the dealership that sold me the car yesterday. I showed them some of the mods I had done and they REALLY loved the brake light.

I like it so much I'm seriously considering taking off the RX8 badge on the back. I'm just worried it will look unbalanced with just the Mazda on the other side. I wish I could find a meaningful and small badge to replace the Mazda with that would use the stock holes.

Would it be ok to just place a badge of some sort over the holes?

Hey Nubo - can you post a pic of yours applied in stealth mode? Mine is in transit and I haven't decided which way to go. That'd be great man.


Originally posted by Nubo
Another thanks - this was a great idea. I chose stealth mode. Looks like it belongs. Anyone who sees it is going to think it's stock. What will they think when they see an un-modded one?

"Mommy"!

"What is it dear"?

"There's something wrong with that car! It's missing the letters"!

were you suppose to put both of them on there? i only put just one. do i need to go back and put the other one

I think using both was/is to ensure no bleeding of the light.

Originally posted by God of Thunder
I think using both was/is to ensure no bleeding of the light.

Is 3 or 4 even better or is 2 more than enough?

Originally posted by God of Thunder
I was by the dealership that sold me the car yesterday. I showed them some of the mods I had done and they REALLY loved the brake light.

I like it so much I'm seriously considering taking off the RX8 badge on the back. I'm just worried it will look unbalanced with just the Mazda on the other side. I wish I could find a meaningful and small badge to replace the Mazda with that would use the stock holes.

Would it be ok to just place a badge of some sort over the holes?

I have been looking for a GT badge that would fit.

I was talking about this at lunch. My current idea was a 1.3 badge, but was told people would laugh at me.

GT sounds pretty good. What about a Celica GT badge?



And 2 layers seems to do the trick nicely. Props to D Menac 7.

oh man i got to go back and add the other one :(

First my name in the phone book and now my car's butt on ebay.

Sweet.

Did the mod on my Sunlight Silver, took about 20 minutes. The directions were very clear. Only problem is that when I went to take the pictures to post here, I found out there was about a 1/4 cup of Iraqi sand in my stupid digital camera. As soon as I get a new one I will take some pictures and post them.

Well,
As I promised..... here are the pictures. I also decided to go with the non-stealth method. I think it shows better.

Okay,
How do you attach photos in your message?

A big thankyou to D MENAC 7 FOR THIS GREAT mod for the rear brake light , easy to install took 30 minutes looks way cool very effective .

cheers
michael

Okay try these links:

Full back of car (brake fully on): http://danielgrifo.com/brakelight4.jpg

Brake fully engaged: http://danielgrifo.com/brakelight3.jpg

Timed this one to take when light going out: http://danielgrifo.com/brakelight1.jpg

I want to get one of them... how ?

Originally posted by takahashi
I want to get one of them... how ?


Send a PM to this guy: http://www.rx8club.com/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=6862 The guy that started this thread ;) If you read the first page of this thread he gives complete instructions on how to install (actually he provides information on 2 methods). I've ordered mine and he shipped it last night :cool: I can't wait!

Originally posted by takahashi
I want to get one of them... how ?

Go to the 1st page on this thread grasshopper and all will be revealed
cheers
michael

And i tought doctors were smart ha haha .

L&L - your install looks gorgeous!

Hey Grifster, here is the first pic posted. :D

Thanks for the great idea D MENAC 7.

Here's a pic of mine I went with the stealth version. The top pic is the mask I used. The bottom left and bottom middle is my test of the un-stealth version (left brake light off, middle brake light on). Bottom right is stealth version brake light on.

Center middle pic is finished job stealth mount.

Thanks again D for the idea.

Mark me down as yet another satisfied customer! I've never touched a car part in my life; I can't believe I could do this by myself. Great instruction details. I chose the stealth install. Thanks D MENAC 7 :cool:

Stealth mode.

s

Thanks D MENAC 7

Looks good. Nice bikes, too. :D

Thank you poolsidenaz, Baller and Pauletta. It's nice to see pics of these all over the coutry, North America, Australia and the UK. I'm internationally reknowned! :D

D MENAC 7

You are what we Aussies call a" LEGEND " YOU ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR 15 MINUTES OF FAME .

Enjoy your time .

cheers
michael

Yup, I got around to doing mine as well. I used the non-stealth method and I used 3 copies taped together. That way the RX-8 logo reflects back almost matching the Ti Gray of the car until you hit the brakes. Camera is dead, will post a photo when it comes back to life.

Originally posted by RX4+30Years=RX8
Yup, I got around to doing mine as well. I used the non-stealth method and I used 3 copies taped together. That way the RX-8 logo reflects back almost matching the Ti Gray of the car until you hit the brakes. Camera is dead, will post a photo when it comes back to life.

I used two one printed regular the other printed reversed. Crazy glued them face to face.

Originally posted by pauleta
I used two one printed regular the other printed reversed. Crazy glued them face to face.

I'm having a problem visualizing this. Regular is black with clear letters, reversed would be clear with black letters. Put them together and you got just black?

Originally posted by Lock & Load
D MENAC 7

You are what we Aussies call a" LEGEND " YOU ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR 15 MINUTES OF FAME .

Enjoy your time .

cheers
michael

ALRIGHT!!! Hey, you Aussies aren't looking for a King are you? LOL Just kidding! Dang, L&L, a legend...maybe in my own mind!

Thanks!

Originally posted by RX4+30Years=RX8
I'm having a problem visualizing this. Regular is black with clear letters, reversed would be clear with black letters. Put them together and you got just black?

I think Pauleta is trying to say that he printed one as shown, the second as a mirror image. Then when he placed them face to face, with both images facing the towards each other, they come out looking normal like it should. I can only guess that he did it this way because he used an inkjet printer instead of a laser printer and this was to keep them from running in case they get wet. This is only an assumption on my part about the reason he did it this way. If you use a laser printer, it will not run, it is water proof. Also, if you can get it laminated, it wouldn't run if using an inkjet printer. OK, now that I have given my secrets away...:D

Originally posted by D MENAC 7
ALRIGHT!!! Hey, you Aussies aren't looking for a King are you? LOL Just kidding! Dang, L&L, a legend...maybe in my own mind!

Thanks!

Dennis maybe a LEGEND in your own lunchtime .HA HA HA

Sorry we dont need a KING , however i am sure you can buy your own kingdom somewhere if you make enough selling your third rear rx8 brake lights . ( iRAQ IS ON OFFER TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER )

cheers
michael

Yesterday after stopping at a light, I noticed the two guys behind me pointing at my 8. I watched the in the mirror for a minute and the passenger made a oval with his fingers. I figured out they were talking about the brake light. Since, I had let off the brake while sitting at the light I tapped it and the passenger pointed again. So, needless to say I played with them a minute by tapping the brake on then off. Bad ass car and they notice the RX-8 brake light. I'm sure they thought it was stock. Again great job D MANIC 7.

Had pretty much the same experience the other day. It's fun to watch them point as you press and release the brake.

Originally posted by D MENAC 7
I think Pauleta is trying to say that he printed one as shown, the second as a mirror image. Then when he placed them face to face, with both images facing the towards each other, they come out looking normal like it should. I can only guess that he did it this way because he used an inkjet printer instead of a laser printer and this was to keep them from running in case they get wet. This is only an assumption on my part about the reason he did it this way. If you use a laser printer, it will not run, it is water proof. Also, if you can get it laminated, it wouldn't run if using an inkjet printer. OK, now that I have given my secrets away...:D

Actually I printed onto a transparency from a laser printer. I hadn't decided yet if I was going to go stealth or not. I thought the backside of the transparency looked better on the printout. It gave the black more of a shine, the colour wasn't as dull. It's up to you what look you're looking for. It didn't end up mattering to me because I went stealth and you can't see the black.

OIC, you did a mirror image and glued them together. I just used 3 layers with a clear inbetween each one and went non-stelth. This way it just shows up as a shiny gray piece behind the clear lens and red letters show up when I hit the brake.

The shiny gray almost matches the Ti Gray paint which all but makes it disappear until I hit the break.

D Menac 7 that is by far one of the coolest things i have seen yet

Originally posted by liqiud
D Menac 7 that is by far one of the coolest things i have seen yet Thanks! It came to me in a dream...about a week after buying my 8.

Actually, I got the idea because my EX-wife has a Pontiac Sunfire...eeeeeyeeeew. Anyway, the end of her car I always liked to see was when she is leaving is the rear...he he he...and it lit up Pontiac when her lights were on.

I thought that would be cool with the application of the brakes and viola` now you have the neatest little mod of them all...the Original RX-8 3rd brake light logo mod.

I am not kidding when I say this...there are litteraly hundreds world wide...they are now in Japan, Australia, Canada, the UK, Greece, Germany and Switzerland.

ANd the reasons for this? They look so damned cool, easy to do and costs is very low. This is the least expensive most effective modification you can do to your RX-8.

Originally posted by pauleta
Actually I printed onto a transparency from a laser printer. I hadn't decided yet if I was going to go stealth or not. I thought the backside of the transparency looked better on the printout. It gave the black more of a shine, the colour wasn't as dull. It's up to you what look you're looking for. It didn't end up mattering to me because I went stealth and you can't see the black.

Well, it was only a guess on my part. When I make these, I always print them in a mirror image because, I too, like the shiny side and I did not install mine in the stealth method, it's out on top.

I finally installed mine in stealth mode! Thanks Dennis you are a patriot and a gentleman! ;) I decided on stealth since I already had the Polak RX-8 sticker installed as a gift from my family. Together they look great! The red sticker gets noticed and then I tap the brakes and watch a whole new "check that out" wave of looks and pointing in the cars behind me. It's fun to play with the easily amused.

Thanks again Dennis!!

I always wondered what the combiination of the two would look like. Is it possible to get a pic somehow?

Sorry it has taken so long, but here is the mod, non-stealth with three copies of the logo with a clear inbetween each one. When you hit the brakes, it looks very much like eveeryone else's.

Thanks D MENAC 7

D MENAC! thanks! i finally got around to putting mine in last. stealth mode for me. it looks great! many positive comments today as i was showing it off at work. very cool thanks again.

D Menac... Wanted to publically thank you for the speed at getting me the breaklight! It looks great and the Army is only now that much more jealous of the Marines (still the only RX8 on base with about 2 to 5 comments on the car a week)... I liked it better when I was one of the only RX8's in the state! Again, thanks!

D MENAC,

Its been a few weeks, but I had finally gotten around to spending the 10 minutes it took to install mine. Really looks great. And while going thru the gate at my Air Force base one late evening, one of the gaurds stopped me , for what I thought was going to be a random security inspection. Him and a few other security guys got behind the car and asked "sir, could you please check your brakes". At first, I thought it was some new stupid safety inspection, or I had a tail lite out. But after I saw them all smiling after they waived me on, I knew what was going on. :)

Thanks again!

Jeff

LOL that's a cool story! I haven't gotten any feedback on mine. I just have the silent joy of knowing it's there for others to see :D

Originally posted by N5TEV
D MENAC,

Its been a few weeks, but I had finally gotten around to spending the 10 minutes it took to install mine. Really looks great. And while going thru the gate at my Air Force base one late evening, one of the gaurds stopped me , for what I thought was going to be a random security inspection. Him and a few other security guys got behind the car and asked "sir, could you please check your brakes". At first, I thought it was some new stupid safety inspection, or I had a tail lite out. But after I saw them all smiling after they waived me on, I knew what was going on. :)

Thanks again!

Jeff

where can i purchase this brake light cover?..its very cool.. i really want it..thanx

installed in about 20 minutes. did the non-stealth look for now. took it for a ride and couldnt wait to hit the brakes. looks great D thanks!

Thanks Big D. I used your templates and made myself your brake light mod. Looks really great.
One necessary improvement is to make the R and the 8 as bright as the X. The X is much brighter because of the position of the bulb. Has anyone put additional bulbs, LEDs in there to make the emitted light more evenly spread?

Not yet they haven't. It has a great deal to do with the red lens and how it disipates the light. I have had some try a difuser method where as to use a material that tries to spread the light more evenly across he lens but nothing really does the trick. I did see a replacement assembly recently that used a row of LEDs rather than one incadescent lamp as they presently are made. This looked like an entire assembly and was not for sale as of yet.

Thanks much, D Menac 7.

I installed my 3rd brake light RX-8 logo this evening on my Winning Blue 6-speed. Looks super!

I just used your template and transparencies for inkjet printers and married together the ink sides mirror-image style.

I wonder how long before I see this great idea spread to other cars that have large enough 3rd brake lights to accommodate readable lettering?

Now we need a clutch light installed that lights up the rear rotary accent when shifting. Okay, maybe that would be overkill. ;-)

Thanks again for sharing your cool idea.

Brendan

this past weekend i was driving along the Oregon coast and got stuck in some traffic. at on epoint i saw a bunch of commotion in the car behind. i watched in my rear view mirror for a minute and i realized that one of the people was pointing to my DMenac brake light mod and showing it to his freinds in the car. First time i noticed this with my car. Thanks again Dennis!!

Same thing here, happened yesterday, except it was 2 hotties in the car behind me. ;)

THANKS DMenac. i just installed mine today and found it INCREDIBLY simple with your directions. Looks great.

hi guys,

i tried to do the RX-8 log on my 3rd brake light, but have a problem, seen that you all have done it without any problem.

- I removed the 10 mm mounting nuts (1)
- I unplugged the lamp socket (2)
- I unplugged the the light bulb (3)

but then i don't know how to remove the all light ! i'm affraid to break all the thing.
i tried to pull it down but made lot of noise so i stoped it.

Help pliz :(

ps : i read lot of time your help but maybe i don't understand some word or i don't know why but i'm the only one who can't remove my light :(

ps2 : maybe dont understand because i'm french :D

Here is an updated photo with instructions from the one I send when I sell these on e bay. Sorry about that. There are two clips and one of them needs to be pryed to release the entire assembly.

thank you very much, i just removed my light !
tried since yesterday afternoon and this afternoon !!!!

now i can finish the work ;)

This is indeed a cool mod that anyone can do; thus its popularity.

But I can't resist the urge to make a logo that says other words for my brake light.
What sorts of things would you write? Of course, I keep trying to think up funny words:

STOP!
SHIT!
2CLOSE
SLOW
TAILG8R
HI!
ZOOM!

Of couse you can't fit long words, but just some crazy ideas. :)

How about ZUM-ZUM
This is indeed a cool mod that anyone can do; thus its popularity.

But I can't resist the urge to make a logo that says other words for my brake light.
What sorts of things would you write? Of course, I keep trying to think up funny words:

STOP!
SHIT!
2CLOSE
SLOW
TAILG8R
HI!
ZOOM!

Of couse you can't fit long words, but just some crazy ideas. :)

This is indeed a cool mod that anyone can do; thus its popularity.

But I can't resist the urge to make a logo that says other words for my brake light.
What sorts of things would you write? Of course, I keep trying to think up funny words:

STOP!
SHIT!
2CLOSE
SLOW
TAILG8R
HI!
ZOOM!

Of couse you can't fit long words, but just some crazy ideas. :)
Most have been suggested, I have the Zoom - Zoom available as well as Stop and the Batman symbol. Even done the Gators football logo.

How about ZUM-ZUM
How about been done done... :D

D MENAC 7,
I used the zoom-zoom logo in stealth mode.
I have enclosed a copy of my stencil

Cool, I also have a stencil of this that I designed for the Miata. It could very easily be transferred to the RX-8 mask.

I thought I would do a DIY for the 3rd brake light RX-8 logo and show a step by step instruction.

First, I needed a way to produce the RX-8 graphic to be used as a mask so that I didn't have to take the lengthy time to cut a mask with an Xacto knife. Because I work in education and multi media, I went with what I have on hand which is a transparency film which is printed on by a laser printer and is normaly used for graphics on an over head projector. After some trial and error as to what is the ideal size to be produced through the lens of tht third brake light I came up with an acceptable design.

I found two ways to mount the graphic masking.

One is behind the red lens which I like to refer to as a stealth mount. WIth this method you do not see the logo until the brakes are applied.

The second is the mounting of the graphic on the front side of the red lens and by this method, you see the red outline of the RX-8 logo even with the brake light not lit. I found this method to work best, imo.

Here is the finished look with the brake light applied using the second mehtod.

Dennis,

That was the quickest mod ever (mostly becuase you supplied the graphic!) It looks cool too! Here is a photo of my go at it! Thanks a million!

Jazper!

Thanks!

There are litteraly 100s of these out there world wide.

Be they from the Do It Yourselfer, from sales on Ebay and now my DLS CUSTOMS vendor forum @ http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=37845.

If you do not want to Do It Yourself I am selling them there for a mere $8 which includes postage. Also, the graphic has changed just slightly in size and this product is laminated between 5 mil plastic lamination pouch which makes it easy to install.

In addition, I now do custom graphics to order. The price starts at $10 for those, depending on artwork involved. Most are priced at the base price. For estimates on a custom brake light mask, contact me via DLS CUSTOMS (dkmdk1@ameritech.net) email link.

Thanks! :D

Well, I had good intentions of doing it according to D MENAC 7's directions, but I made a mistake when I went from Microsoft Paint to printing the transparencies. I didn't catch it until after I'd already stuck three together and made a cutout of the 4th. Anyway, I wanted to see how it looked, so I attached it temporarily (stealth mode). I actually like the smaller logo a little better, and having the light around the edges would be kinda cool too. I think I'll play with a couple more sizes, maybe make the exterior light ring a uniform thickness. Anyway, here's my first effort. Comments (negative or positive) are welcome. Thanks for giving us this great mod, D MENAC 7!

Looks nice!

Actually this is on my list of things to do this week at work, as I find some time. I was planning on making a slight redesign of the ones I sell by maknig the logo slightly smaller and leaving a clear even area around the edge.

Because I now laminate those that I sell, this allows the purchaser who wants to put it in the stealth position, to trim closer without the trouble of having the laminated film from coming apart because they cut into the area between the two films which lay atop of each other. The big difference would more so show on the non-stealth mounted version in which it would have a small light emitting edge which would be even and not have the broad boarders on the ends.

I have also started to enclose some Very High Bond doble sided mounting tape with every brake light mask.

OK, here's the one I went with, and there's no going back. I used some very strong 3M 2mil tapeto adhere the different layers and to adhere to the light. There's a slight edge around the logo. I made a larger one with no border, but after trying this one I just went for it. Thanks again D MENAC 7 for the great mod. I've already gotten some stares with my first one. I'm sure I'll get more. OI just hope the people behind me remember to brake :)

OK, here's the one I went with, and there's no going back. I used some very strong 3M 2mil tapeto adhere the different layers and to adhere to the light. There's a slight edge around the logo. I made a larger one with no border, but after trying this one I just went for it. Thanks again D MENAC 7 for the great mod. I've already gotten some stares with my first one. I'm sure I'll get more. OI just hope the people behind me remember to brake :)
I have the same tape that I send to mount these with now. That tape really sticks well.

No one yet has reported anyone hitting them in the rear with this on...or at least not by accident caused by staring at the light...:D

This was my first brain storm for the RX-8 to make these and they still are popular and are still the best method of doing this effect to the 3rd brake light. Thanks for the compliments.

I'm still wanting to add maybe a couple of LEDs on each side of the brake light so as to make the whole logo more evenly lit up.

I have a laser cutter at work and played with 3 mil thick magnetic stick and peel
Material, the stuff refrigerator door magnets are made of....
Works great, and no bleed on the rear break light neither.
Cool, now I can make any logo or text I want!

Just did this mod this evening. Love it! And so easy to do. D MENAC 7 thank you! Now Im thinking about something else as the message. How about

Back Off!

I've often thought I would like to have a rearward pointing spot light to activate just about the time that tailgater is so close at 65mph that I can't even see her front bumper in my rear view mirror because she is so close! (Why the female reference? - because at least 4 ot of 5 times is see a tailgater in my rear view miror, it is a teen or 20 something female! Who taught them to drive!!! - Oh, I know I'll get flamed for that one - but think about it! Guys do stupid things too, but tailgaiting seems to be a "girl thing".)

Here's the current mod.

Sorry to be an idiot, maybe it because Im bored at work, but what font are you guys doing the RX-8 in

Are the RX-8 3rd Brake light masks still available?

Nice DIY! Just done mine this afternoon....

Little Hint... Dont try it with ultra thin sign vinyl, the damn stuff took me hours and numerous attempts to get right, the RX-8 logo is so fiddly (but so damn good).

Hey what and where do you get the material for this I keep reading vinal but what kind exactly lil help please?????

Hey what and where do you get the material for this I keep reading vinal but what kind exactly lil help please?????

I used Vinyl which you can get from a signwriters store, i cant help you any more than that.

I cut the vinyl using a plotter, i suppose you could do it by hand, but thats gonna take some skill!

Thank you for your explanation :score:

I finally got pictures up of my installation, which is pretty standard. I made a pretty precise vector image of the logo and printed that out, so it matches the logo on the trunk lid pretty well. I also ended up with a slight border because the stencil I made was a bit small than the actual brake light. Anyway, here are the pictures:

looks good

[COLOR=Blue]Awesome DIY...i just printed out Dmenac7's actual size picture and took it to kinkos and had them print me out 4 transparencies for 3.19 and 20 min to install. i did mine in stealth mode and it looks great....thanks

Just did this mod. Looks great and love it. I went to staples and bought clear window cling decal sheets for like 10 bucks, they work in your inkjet printer. I also went with black background instead of purple. Worked better for the look i wanted. I went with the non stealth placement. Because i did this, i think i'm going to remove the mazda, and rx8 badges and put Renesis. I saw someone else do it and it looks sharp.

Thanks for DYI

I hope this works, here is a copy of the graphic. It measures 6.513" wide by 1.556" tall. If you open it up in PS or another graphic program, you can size it to these dimensions and that should take care of it if it is not the exact size after saving the file.
Hey thanks for this great DIY I am going to go it this weekend!

My first post!
I did this simple mod tonight in twenty minutes. Great site and great info!
Now if I can just get this acount setup how I want it!
Hey..........just a thought............has anybody tried a Stealth bulb here to somewhat act as a small difuser in order to more even spread out the lighting?

Bump for a great mod :) Did it in about an hour total.. Looks hot!

Bump for a great mod :) Did it in about an hour total.. Looks hot!

An hour?!?!?!?!? What part took you that long?

Dude it is 2 bolts and a few clips

Great mod I have had it for years but it should take you 20 minutes TOPS from start to finish

Lol you're an onforgiving bunch... If you must know, I had staples photocopy the template onto transparent film, and since one wasn't dark enough I used 3 superimposed. So cutting those out properly and taping them together so they match, and taping them into the light, took the bulk of the time.

well, I found this, and since I'm dirt broke cause I just bought the car, I did it. I love it. Awesome idea, and thanks for the image to make it :D

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj208/bluefalcon13/CIMG2120.jpg

Looks good man.. one of the best mods from the bang for the buck perspective ;)

do i put it inside the light? or just stick the decal on the outside?

Inside the light. It is very easy to take out..

alright i just bought a custom one whats this iam reading about a stealth way and a not stealth way? is there two places i can put it? which way is better?

I like the "stealth" way - open it up and you will see what's what.

whats the difference of stealth and non stealth way?

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=21092

:icon_no2:

alrght well thanks ofr all the help i got this installed, it was really easy lol, thanks. looks great too.

haha congrats.. yep definitely one of the best mods for the money :lol:

I have the Rx8 Strakes stealth brake light decal mod and want to apply it today for the stealth look. Are there any special instructions for mounting it? Should I peal off the paper and apply if with a squeegee, or should I just attach it with tape? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I completed this mod today. I inverted the colors so that the dark part is now the RX-8. I did this to allow for light from the brake light. I also used red transparency paper.

James

Help,

I have read 5 pages of this thread, and I am only at the start of this job..

I can't get the inner handle off the trunk trim.

How do you remove that black handle..

Mine just won't move at all...

Thanks
ASH

It just pops out. It was really tight when I did mine.

James

Here is the one I made for my 8 with 'rotors' for the 'O's".

nice.. is that the same one from rx8strakes?

where did you guys get the paper to do this mod?

^ transparency paper works for me ;) ASH8 you need to pull it harder without breaking it :)

My son did the graphic work for the 'rotors' and I used it to cut a sticker for the back window of my RX7 - thought it would work out for this as well. Looks good. I just printed it onto some reasonably transparent tracing paper with my laser printer then laminated it in a small desktop laminating machine.