Hey, all! Please forgive my stupidity, but how do you remove the outside parts to a 1977 280Z tail light housing (as shown in this photo)?

 

 

How do the plastic parts on top (they are the three circular piece on top) come out? Do I have to remove the interior rear plastic piece and undo all the nuts holding the light housing in place?

 

Any help or step-by-step would be much appreciated. I want to sand this piece down and prep it for primer and painting.

 

Thanks!

The "rivets" on the top have a small plastic dowel in the center.  That dowel has to be pushed through the rivet to allow the part on the other side to collapse and squeeze back through the hole.  Usually, every part of that operation is difficult, the dowel will be stuck, the other side won't want to collapse, and it will be hard to get under the edge of the rivet to pry it up and out of the hole.  Then, when they're finally out and the part is removed, you have to search all of the cracks and crevices for the little dowel.  But that's how it's done.

 

But, to get the tail lights out, you also have to remove the inner panel and remove a bunch of small nuts on long studs.  Then carefully pry the light housing off of its old weatherstripping.  In concept, it's quick, simple, and easy.  In practice, things happen.

 

THEN, to get the black part off of the lens and chrome so it can be painted, there are more tiny Phillips head screws.  That will also be problematic.

So, let me see if I understand this. There are the three "rivets" holding the top of the external light housing in place. But are the lights also attached to it somehow? In other words, do I have to remove the small nuts on the long studs, slide out BOTH the external light housing AND the lights (all attached), and then remove more screws to remove the actual lights (the colored lenses and chrome frame, etc.) from the external housing? Or does the external housing simply come off when the plastic "rivets" are removed?

 

It seems like the external housing is too firmly in place to just be held there by three plastic rivets.

 

(oh, and, thanks, btw )

Download the 77 manual from http://www.xenonZcar.com and go to section BF. It is described there.

Download the 77 manual from http://www.xenonZcar.com and go to section BF. It is described there.

 

Thanks! That was a big help. Now I know and, as they say, knowing is half the battle!