Trouble finding this material...

Hi everyone...I want to clear out the orange on my taillights on my '97 Max, but I want to do it myself. I searched the forums and saw that I could use an acrylic fluorescent light panel and that it could be found at home depot, so of course I ran to home depot today but came home empty handed. They had 2 different kinds of panels but neither one was white enough and they just didn't look right (I don't think either one was acrylic either but I could be wrong)...they were also very flimsy. For those of you that have done this yourself...what did you use to make the lenses and where did you purchase it? I don't want to blow $150 by buying them. Thanks!

I did this. I don't remember what kind of panel it was, but it wasn't much more than about ten bucks. It was a rectangle panel about 18" by 30"... or something like that... and I got it at home depot. As far as color, I'd just find the one that most closely matches your reverse lights.
I'm not sure what link you've found to create the lenses, but I'll give you a more detailed rundown on how to seperate the housing it if you want.

The only real pain was cutting the panel. You have to kind of roll the original lense on the panel to get the shape. I cut (melted) mine with a soldering iron as the panels crack real easy with a razor or dremel. After that, I heated it up the panel with a hair dryer and crammed it in the housing.

Hey man, the problem with the 2 panels I found was that one was completely clear as glass, which I knew wouldn't work. There was another one that was more whitish in color but it still just didn't look right and both were very flimsy...like the plastic a comb is made of. I was expecting something much harder, but if that is what I'm supposed to use then that is what I'll use. If you could post or email me a picture of what your taillights look like now I'd really appreciate it...just so I can see what the finished job looks like. Thanks

The whole sheet was pretty flimsy. But that's good because you have to bend it to fit in the slot where the amber lens was.

This is not the best pic... but it's the best the camera on my phone could do at dusk.

okay.. I don't know how to post photos here... I uploaded it to the galley, but not sure how to post it in a thread.
Here's the URL I can view it from
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=23669&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

Thanks man, looks beautiful. At home depot I have 2 different choices for the sheet. One is much clearer than the other, but I'm guessing it would be a closer color match to get the one that isn't as clear? Also they don't sell just sheets, I have to buy the actual light cover. Any other pointers would be appreciated

hmmm.. home depot should have just the panels. They're for the common office-type lights for suspended ceilings and come in 2'X4' or 2'X2'.

Some tips I have:
You have to push pretty hard on the bolts from inside the car to get the housing out. The sealant is pliable, but stubborn. It'll reseal itself once you put the housing back in.

I used the oven method to seperate the housing; 215 degrees for about 13 minutes softens the glue pretty well (make sure to take out the tiny screws before you try to pull it apart).
It can be little messy because the glue gets stringy as you pull apart the housing. I had someone else cut the glue with scissors as I held the two parts about an inch apart... kind of hard to explain, but you'll see what I'm talking about.

Aside from that, just take your time cutting the panels. The amber lens just pops out of the housing so you can use that as a template.

Good luck!

Thanks again man, hopefully one more trip will help me find what i'm looking for!