Binger, I applaud your project, but I feel there are better fabrication tools and techniques that could have been used.
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Originally Posted by Binger
I was originaly going to try to heat them up and pry them open to mount them inside the taillight housings. I couldn't get them apart...
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You could've cut them apart with the technique I note below. Then you could've left the OE lens intact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Binger
I traced the LED lens onto the OEM lens. I then drilled a large hole at both ends of the traced oval, and cut the OEM lens with a key hole saw and ground down the edges with a grinding stone.
If you do this yourself use a fresh blade for the second lens. My blade was pretty dull after the first one and it actualy snagged and shattered the lens as I was cutting. Its still a tight fit but it has a bit of a gap...but that will be covered up later.
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You already know that a keyhole saw can shatter the plastic, but you may not know that grinding stones aren't good for plastic, as they load up with melted plastic, get jittery, and don't work well for non-metals. The best tools for the job would have been a hole saw for the ends of the oval and a fine hacksaw blade in a open-end handle. Barring that, a Dremel with a
#199 bit works well this type of plastic (for both curved and straight cuts).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Binger
These LED lights as you can see in the picture have no mounting points...
They make cosmetic mounting gaskets for these housings that I will eventualy put over this gap.
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They have no mounting points since (as you say) they are mounted in gaskets. The gaskets will not go "over" the gap -- they fit over a flange, so you will need to resize and reshape the gap to fit the gasket, then push the lights in. The manufacturer should have a template for the hole.
Good luck!