Rear light Change

Thanks to Julian and Steve for supplying information and pictures

Cavalier GSI 2000       Cavalier Lexus Style

Overview The original lights fitted to the Griff are from a Vauxhall Cavalier. The lights are fitted upside down on the Griff and have been trimmed by TVR to fit the individual car. The instructions on this page will detail how to change or upgrade the lights with similarly shaped units. The GSI lights were fitted as standard to many later cars (pre SE), the lights are similar to the originals but have smoked indicator lenses. The GSI lights have an orange filter fitted to the indicators to provide the orange light, the picture above has the filter removed and the bulb replaced with a Philips Silver bulb although this is down to personal preference. Lights are still available from Vauxhall dealerships for around £60 a unit, the ones shown in this pic were from eBay and are probably readily available from scrappers too. The Lexus style lights are also a direct replacement for the originals, designed to fit a Cavalier. They provide a more modern look to the originals and are available new for around £120(a pair) from retailers, they have also been spotted for sale on eBay. With both options, NO rewiring of the bulb holders is required, the original will simply slot into the replacement unit.

Before you Start Very little DIY expertise is required to change the lights. The old sealant needs to be removed with a sharp knife so care should be taken whilst doing this but damage is very unlikely if you take your time. The estimated time to replace both lights would probably be in the region of 3-4 hours. Bits you'll need and costs Rear Lights (Dealer price around £120 per pair) Screwdriver Sharp knife (to remove original sealant), a thin craft knife is ideal Sealant (colour as req'd) (£2-3) Sealant Remover (optional) (£2-3) A file or sand paper Carpet adhesive (£3) A rag (£loads) Drill and bit (possibly)

Steps Removal To gain access to the lights, the carpet in the boot will need to be pulled back so that the whole unit is visible. Once that is done you should be able to spot 4 screws that are attached through the bodywork onto the light units. Image showing the 4 holes in the bodywork securing the light unit, access to screws is in boot. Remove the bulb holder, then the 4 screws. The next step is to remove the sealant, this was achieved by using a craft knife to cut away the sealant that was attached to the bodywork(as opposed to the light unit itself) taking care not to touch the visible paint. Push the knife into the sealant and begin slicing away, the sealant is probably around 5mm-1cm deep so the knife will have to penetrate its entire depth. Once the unit has had a line cut around it's perimeter, the unit should become loose when pushed from within the boot, removal should now be possible with a bit of persuasion/jiggling about. The remaining sealant on the bodywork will now need to be removed. Most of it can be cut/scraped off using a sharpe knife/finger nail etc, sealant remover can also be used if necessary.   New light alterations. Once the unit is out, you will probably notice that the original has had a few bits shaved off it especially on the corners, you will need to reshape the new units to resemble the old ones, the light will not fit flush if this is not done. NOTE it is likely that the units on both sides differ slightly in shape to fit the individual car, they should therefore be altered to match the light removed on either side of the car. Reshaping can be done using an abrasive such as sandpaper or a file. Image showing the light unit with the alterations If you are replacing the lights with the GSI units and are fitting silver indicator bulbs it is probably(can be done after light fitment) a good time to remove the orange filter from the new unit. Access to the filter is through the bulb hole, the filter needs to be taken out using a bit of brute force but taking care not to cause too much damage to the reflective silver on the new unit. Thin pliers and a sharp knife help to tear the filter away bit by bit. Fitting the new lights. The trimmed new light should simply fit into the recess. At this point make sure that the light fitting is flush with the bodywork and that enough has been trimmed off the unit so that it doesn't protrude. Check to make sure the holes in the fibreglass match with those on the back of the light. If they don't you will have to elongate the holes to match the new unit, this is largely trial and error and can be done using a high speed drill. It's useful having a vacuum cleaner at this point to suck away the fibreglass dust. Picture showing the possible adjustments to the fibreglass 200 With the light in place screw it into position using the original screws from within the boot. The light should line up and have the same spacing around it as the original. With the light secured it is now possible to seal the unit using sealant. Sealants need to have a bit cut off the nozzle according to the space being filled, it is likely that only a thin strip of sealant is required so cut the nozzle to allow approximately 2-3mm of sealant to come out. Fill the edges of the light forcing the sealant into the hole, the nozzle can be used to give a nice curved shape to the finish although you can use a finger to get a good finish. If sealant gets onto the surrounding body work it can be wiped off before it drys although it is removable after too. Wait until the sealant has solidified a bit and now refit the bulb holder in the boot. The carpet can now be reattached using spray-on carpet adhesive

The finished article Lexus style lights courtesy of Stesrg GSI (left) and standard Cav light(right) courtesy of JoolzB

to top