changing and xf rar end into an xe

[Pinkie]

exactly how hard is it.....ide like to do it.......but if its a huge warry i wont but if its just cutting rewiring and drilling n stuff that i can handel

mainly because i like the xe ass end more than the xf.......i posted this on the old xfalcon but its gone now and i didnt write down the instructions lol

[TheMaDDeSTMaN]

Apparently it's a surprisingly big job, I know of someone who did it who said they wouldn't do it again. I think they're a member here now, so they'll probably see this and reply. :)

[Xfish]

if u like XE taillights by an XE. far more easy than changing the end over

[logan]

exactly how hard is it.....ide like to do it.......but if its a huge warry i wont but if its just cutting rewiring and drilling n stuff that i can handel


I've done it. It's quite a big job, more than meets the eye. You need the taillamps, trim pieces that go under the tail lamps, rear bumper, rego plate mounting panel, and then there's quite a bit of recutting of the rear panel needed. I'll try to post pix later but I can maybe write a longer how-to if you need it?
Logan

[Pinkie]

so i need to use an xe bumper aswell........jeez im not liking this lol....im not to fong of the xe bumper

[Ridin_Oldskool]

y not just buy an xe there not expensive ither u can pik an awsume 1 for under a grand :P

isnt the xe meant to have a better front end aswell? i dont mind it really i like all x-series :)

[Pinkie]

not interested....i just want the xe tail lights in mine if i get an xe ill hav2 redo everything again

[TUFE]

Take off the surrounds on the lights, that may give an XE look but they wont look xf anymore

[Pinkie]

nah i want xe tails....logan can i do it without the bumper?....i looked at an xe last night....i dont see why you need an xe bumper

[ReD87GL]

there is a guy on xford that had done it ill try and find the post 4 ya

[TheMaDDeSTMaN]

there is a guy on xford that had done it ill try and find the post 4 ya
Yeah, that was/is Logan who has posted above in this thread :)

[ReD87GL]

lol i didnt c that

[logan]

nah i want xe tails....logan can i do it without the bumper?....i looked at an xe last night....i dont see why you need an xe bumper


XE tails are narrower - by quite a bit - than XF's. Firstly you need to do quite a bit of accurate cutting just to get the XE units in there. The attached pix shows what you need to do with the cutting (plus re-drilling all the mounting bolt holes, which are in different locations). (Sorry I don't know how to insert a pic in the message, I only know how to attach pics).

So now you've done the cutting and drilling (pretty big job), and got the XE lamps in. Lot's of fiddly filing of bolt holes to allow adjustment to get them dead straight and looking smart (let's face it, wonky fitted lamps, trims, etc, looks like shit). You then have big gaps between the inner end of the lamp, and the rego plate mounting panel. YUK. Plus a big gap underneath the tail light (the XE's have that trim panel running under there, mounts with two bolts each trim). Your choices are - leave the gaps (horrors) or put the XE trims under the lamps, and replace the rego plate mounting panel with an XE one.

If you install the XE rego plate panel, you either have to significantly cut your XF bumper (because the bumper simply won't fit with the XE rego plate in place), or fir the XE bumper.

Trust me, it looks easy (I was told by some Falcon guys that "they go straight in" but it's far from that simple. You're really looking at a good deal of what amounts to customisation work. I only found each of these dramas out by doing it. One problem just led to another.

Any tips I can give, just holler.

[ReD87GL]

thats something i would 1 day like to do, if not paint the fuel flap and tail light bezel;s black

[logan]

thats something i would 1 day like to do, if not paint the fuel flap and tail light bezel;s black


Yeah there's something about the blacked-out rear end on a Falcon that makes it look a bit tougher.

[ReD87GL]

lol yup makes them look unbeatable

[Pinkie]

fawk that .......im not using an xe rear bumper....period

and if they leave a gap without it then i wont warry about it....

ill just buy clear xf tails....problem solved

[logan]

fawk that .......im not using an xe rear bumper....period


Yeah, switching to the XE bumper, you ditch those bumper extension trims that run forward on the rear quarter panels to the rear wheel arches - the XF rear end with those looks a lot more modern than the XE 'old school' bumper style. That was just another thing I learned as I went along. It was kind of turning into "jeez, what next?!"

[ReD87GL]

just keep cutting untill they fit lol

[DXD351]

Correct me if im wrong, but dont the XD/XE tail lights wrap around the body more than the XF's. Lots of cutting, closing and moulding to do i would think.

[logan]

Correct me if im wrong, but dont the XD/XE tail lights wrap around the body more than the XF's. Lots of cutting, closing and moulding to do i would think.


Nah, they wrap around exactly the same. All the cutting is in the rear panel.

[XF-Arnold]

Ive been thinking of using FE or FD LTD taillights on my xf, am i going to have the same problems as using the XE lights.

[PMP_WGN]

Red87Gl, Ill agree with you on the blacked out rear... used to hav an xe with blacked out taillights and numberplate panel.... made it look so much tougher

[logan]

Red87Gl, Ill agree with you on the blacked out rear... used to hav an xe with blacked out taillights and numberplate panel.... made it look so much tougher


Did you use that aerosol spray-on stuff? I have some of that and am thinking of doing the taillight treatment but don't want to bugger it up or think "yuck" when it's finished - meaning I'd have to find new lamps. Got any pix of what you had?

[drew442]

the only thing that looks better than the blacked out XE rear is the FD LTD rear, but this only looks good on and FD LTD :)

[Dan347]

dont now bout vic or nsw but blacked out lights in qld is illegal, go the clear xf taillights they look sweet and xe lights would look good imo if the rest of the rear matches them. however if you dont care for legalitys then black em out coz it does look tough.

[DINO]

yeah its illegal in most places im pretty sure.. but you can buy the lens tint from most auto shops. but if you read the label, it says for off road use only, (with a picure of a supra or something with its lights tinted right next to the waring??) thats how the get away with selling it.