Kouki Taillights

[cwilson93]

how the hell do i get rid of the gap on my kouki's? (s13)

i tried just tightening down the bolts a little more and that didn't do it..... any help would be appreciated!!

(for the record, i bought the car with the lights, so i didn't install them)

[S13Joe]

Pics!Help us help you.

[cwilson93]

alright, i'll get pics up tomorrow... cuz that gap is aggrivating the hell outta me!

thanks for not telling me to search!! (cuz i already have) lol

[AAV240sx]

You probably need to buy the lower metal trim... I say this because, that's what it looks like judging from the picture in your sig.

buy it here.http://www.courtesyparts.com/j...8683&

[cwilson93]

no, i have the kouki lower panel, thats not the problem..... the gap is all the way around the lights (basically)

tightening the bolts fixed the gap a little bit, but only on one side..... i'll post the pics up tomorrow.

[cwilson93]

heres the pics..... i think maybe the guy before me used the wrong hardware

[ZX88]

thats wired mine look nothing like that maybe they used to much sealent or something. is the lower garnish a 180 garnish?

[KillTheApex]

I have the exact same problem on the hatch I just bought except they're stock tails. Somebody help us out here. Tightening the bolts didn't do it for me either.

[S133P3R]

remove the old rubber gooey bulls*** that is probably caked all over your fenders where the lights sit, take it of the kouki lights also and reolace with BUTYL RUBBER from the hardware store... if you keep tightening it, they may break..

also, take pics of the rear fenders where the kouki lights go (from the outside) but with out your lights in there... (there should be nothing but bare metal).

[cwilson93]

thats wired mine look nothing like that maybe they used to much sealent or something. is the lower garnish a 180 garnish?

its the kouki rear garnish yes..

[elvis240sx]

Yes remove lights and clean off all old sealer. Lighter fluid cleans it up nicely, otherwise it will be all over your hands, clothes, face, and anything else you happen to touch. DO NOT continue to tighten them down, the studs are only molded into plastic. Very expensive pieces of plastic, by the way. Then apply one bead of butyl as stated above and heat up slightly to get good adhesion.

[Shusaka]

cameron, make sure that they are OEM Nissan taillights and not knock off replicas as i know replicas will never fit properly

[s14driver2.4]

shusaka i got a question i got the same car only black how fast are you going in that picture cause without screamin my a** off into a corner on the dry that thing wont keep smokin them and stay sideways,im just curious if you got somethin else done,cause theres a guy around here that drifts a stock s14 but hes got a 75 shot with a wot switch too keep him drifting haha,not the way i want to go,lol just curious thanks

[wynnEZ]

All taillights are like that, push them in hard and tighten them.

[Shusaka]

at that point about 25-30 mph, WOT, Open Diff, and copious amounts of weight transfer, and thats at the infield of the huntsville speedway, wide open in case of mistake, lol. but yes go straight and at about 25 1/2-3/4 throttle, smoothly turn towards the turn, then briskly, as to weight transfer but not induce understeer, clutch kick, turn towards the wall, clutch kick and back towards the turn, WOT, then countersteer. its called the scandinavian flick/feint drift, and takes alot of practice. And the smoke comes from tire choice, those happen to be 225/60R16 Goodyear RS-A Plus from a cop car, but in my experience, most goodyear smoke like a champ but have poor lifespan, while, continental conti touring contact cv95 205/55/R16 last the longest for me, but as of now, my car has a pacesetter header, stock cat back, custom intake and a J30 VLSD

[s14driver2.4]

haha thanks for the reply bud,hows the j30vlsd workin out for ya? ive been thinkin about doing that but i havent heard much about it

[cwilson93]

cameron, make sure that they are OEM Nissan taillights and not knock off replicas as i know replicas will never fit properly

im guessing that they will say 'nissan' on the back or something like that? or what am i looking for?

[S14toRPS13]

its the kouki rear garnish yes..

That's not the 180SX kouki rear garnish. The 180sx kouki rear garnish angles out at the middle to sit flush with the middle piece. That's also why your rear lights won't sit all the way flush either. Your 240SX rear garnish isn't curved right to allow the lights to sit in all the way flush. I don't know who told you, you had the 180sx kouki rear garnish, but they're wrong.

[cwilson93]

That's not the 180SX kouki rear garnish. The 180sx kouki rear garnish angles out at the middle to sit flush with the middle piece. That's also why your rear lights won't sit all the way flush either. Your 240SX rear garnish isn't curved right to allow the lights to sit in all the way flush. I don't know who told you, you had the 180sx kouki rear garnish, but they're wrong.

how is that if it's angled where the lights are to fit the angled taillights? do you mean it angles outward from the car to cover the gap on the center garnish?

[S14toRPS13]

how is that if it's angled where the lights are to fit the angled taillights? do you mean it angles outward from the car to cover the gap on the center garnish?

Yeah, the center metal piece angles out to sit flush with the center black piece. You can see where it angles out on that courtesynissan link too. If you blow the picture up, you can see the line that runs across the lower portion of the metal piece. That's where it angles outward.

I'm in a hurry and not good at explaining it with words. All you need to do is order the 180sx kouki lower metal trim and it'll solve your problem.

[cwilson93]

aav240sx and s14torps13, thank you for your help...that makes perfect sense!

So will using the kouki lower trim essentially change the way they taillights mount, therefore fixing the gap ALL THE WAY around the taillights? Plus using new sealer im sure.....

i should'v known that

[Shusaka]

Cameron, yes they will have nissan and iirc, the ichikoh brand on them, and i agree with the others you need the proper trim, S14driver2.4, the diff is great sometimes i wish i were open so i could drift slower in second, cuz in second im kinda restricted to speeds in excess of 35-40 mph, which is at the edge of space limitations/my comfy zone lol, but as for tight meticulous drifting, (i.e. circling a light pole, roundabouts, and 180 around a median) its spectacular, makes everything more consistent and pretty lol

[cwilson93]

yea....looks like i get to drop 120 bucks for a new trim piece..

you pay for beauty i suppose.

[Shusaka]

its just cosmetic invest that 120 into a suspension or diff first, function>form

[cwilson93]

i know i know, and i completely agree......but since i already have the lights, im not gonna half a** the install. And that gap is bothering the ever living s*** outta me!

[Tixmaster]

how much were the 180 tails?

[S14toRPS13]

Make sure you check your lower trim piece right away when it arrives. Mine arrived twice from ups and twice it was bent.

The correct lower trim will allow your taillights to sit in completely, eliminating that gap. I know because I had to use to original lower trim for a while since I returned the 180sx one.

[White Comet]

Make sure you check your lower trim piece right away when it arrives. Mine arrived twice from ups and twice it was bent.

The correct lower trim will allow your taillights to sit in completely, eliminating that gap. I know because I had to use to original lower trim for a while since I returned the 180sx one.

absolutely true, mine arrived bent as well. dhl was the shipping company and the box was so messed up, i could reach right in and pull the trim piece out without opening it . i had to rn the us lower trim for a while too and it was gay

[wynnEZ]

The lower trim piece isnt going to fix his 1/2 inch gap at the top of the light though guys...

[cwilson93]

The lower trim piece isnt going to fix his 1/2 inch gap at the top of the light though guys...

but i think new hardware and some sealer will...