Hi, my name is Cheeto and I'm a light-aholic. 

H.I.D.s and L.E.D.s....I can't seem to get enough.

Today's story will be about my salvation from the realm of "crappy-dim-stock-taillights". I even cleaned my stock lights in hopes that it would satisfy my cravings for better lights but alas it was not enough. Let's get started shall we?

Not knowing exactly how this would turn out I opted to snag an extra set of lights from the local Pick N Pull. My lights are all red but clearly these have amber turn signals. I don't know if this is a year issue or a Tracker vs Sidekick issue. Not a problem as the existing lens will not be seen. There was an unexpected plus to these though. The reflector portion has a very defined edge that will come in handy later.

In the first pic you can see the main components of this project:
-Oval L.E.D. light with plug and grommet. Commonly referred to as a "Model 60" style, I am using Maxxima brand lights with 60 L.E.D.s each.
-2.5" hole saw.
-Guinea pig taillights.

In this image you can see that I used a metal bracket for these Model 60 lights as a template so I know where to drill my holes. I had some trial and error getting it placed where I wanted it on the stock lens.

Here you see the result of using the hole saw to make the rounded ends of the cuts. I will use a grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut the center section out. I can not stress enough that plastic is brittle. Take your time and let the saw and grinder practically melt the plastic rather than forcing them through.
If you look closely where the red and clear portions of the lens are you can see that there is a metal divider inside. This keeps the tail light from shining through the backup portion. Same for the amber/white section. Once the center section was cut out I grabbed these metal dividers with some pliers, gently twisted them free and pulled them out. They must be removed to make room for the depth of the new light and grommet.

 In this shot I have completed the cuts to the lens and fitted the grommet and new light. Satisfied with the fit I pulled the light/grommet out, masked off the reflector (that defined edge really helped), scuffed the entire surface (including edges) and shot it with some rubberized undercoating.

 The undercoating was all I had on hand. It may not hold up well to UV rays but time will tell. Perhaps this summer I will do another set and have them sprayed with truck bed liner or if I get really enthused I may cover them with some leftover carbon fiber I have.

 I'll add more once the coating dries and I get them installed.

 Here's the finished product. It turns out the fabrication was the easy part. Wiring was a real bitch. I basically made 2 separate trailer wiring harnesses and used one to feed these taillights.

I'll probably replace this image with one showing them lit up but I'm dead tired right now. 

Nice work Cheeto!

That is certainly a different look.  Nice work!

Now what are you going to do for reverse lights? 

Thanks guys.

I'm searching for 3 or 4 grommet mounted 2" clear lights for reverse lights. They'll be mounted in the bumper. If I can't find those I've already made up something that may work.
 I took tiny track lighting bulbs (12v, MR16 style) and used a snap ring to hold them into the same 2" grommet. I'd need to do some testing to see how hot they get and if they explode when they get wet since they're halogen and designed for indoor installations. My original thinking with the track lights was to use them for rock lights. Just trying to think outside the box.

They WILL explode if wet. For reverse lights I went with sealed leds.

They WILL explode if wet.... 

I was afraid of that. These actually have an extra glass lens to protect the sealed bulb assembly but I'm just not sure it's worth the chance.

Picked up the 2" clear lights this evening. Just need to get them mounted into the bumper and wired.
After that I'll be doing a similar L.E.D. mod to the side marker lights.

Very nice!  I am a light freak myself and I had always thought about doing this (inspired by an old magazine article featuring this: http://www.rustysoffroad.com/rustys-metal-taillight-housings-pair.html) but I never got around to having my own metal boxes made up and doing it.
Great job and way to use the old lights---looks even cleaner than any metal box filler probably ever would!