You have the best walkthroughs, especially showing where all the mounts and screws are. A lot of guys say "yeah theres 3 or 4 screws back there" but i appreciate your level of detail
The factory seal is actually a black silicone seal. That is the biggest issue with installing these lights which I've done recently and everyone talks about on the forums. I was very surprised to see you pop them right out! The procedure is to use a heat gun around the back until the sealant loses it's grip and you can pull it out.. Then you have to clean and scrape it off the edge.. After that you need to put new sealant on the new tail light. I used 3m black silicone. Figured, why not put them on the way they were put on by the factory.. This leads me to believe that yes indeed your rear end was replaced! That's why there was no silicone! Great video btw!!
Interesting. There actually was butyl tape but I wasn’t sure if it was OEM or the body shop that replaced the rear bumper section. Sounds like the butyl tape is the silicone you are referring to. I thought there are a rubber OEM gasket here, but maybe I was mistaken. But either way, gotta add a seal of some type there. Cheers buddy! Thanks for dropping the info!
@@SubaruONLY Turns out my 3m black silicone sealant did not work correctly on the left tail light. Getting water inside the housing! Going to reinstall these with actual butyl tape this time.. Wish me luck! Also, having issues with sunroof leak on the right side (bought an OEM gasket that has not been installed yet), and a leak under the passenger side dash. I was told that leak is due to a corroded rubber piece under the windshield cowl.. Hoping to fix all this stuff all at once! Then maybe i can drive when it rains.. haha. For now she stays in the garage during bad weather!
I'd love to say that in EU we need rear fog light so it's tricky to put these lights on EU gc8 even it's basically plug and play but without fog light. So what have I done is little mod when I take oem eu light bulb housing and put it on my left JDM lamp. I took of jdm housing and put that EU one into it and replace one my parking light with fog light so I don't need to add another light under my rear bumper or plate because it looks terrible and you also need additional paper work for it it's crazy especially in my country (Czech Republic). So I'm happy with this solution so I can enjoy my JDM lights without having problem with police 😄 Great video anyway!
Thanks buddy! And awesome wagon, I love em - had two and seriously looking to get another for the next swap I do. My fav is the green GF wagon, love that color for the wagons! Cheers! 🤙
Good to hear this feedback, was thinking that would be the case if I didn’t add a seal. Looks like the OEM option is using a strip of butyl tape around the hole.
Just found your channel, planning to change my speakers in my 97' 4 door sedan both in the front doors and in the back shelf. How difficult are they to change for better ones? I suggest the doorpanel would have to come off to change them.
That back shelf area can be tight and may require removing the rear package tray. The front speakers are easy, just need to remove the door panels (aka cards). Cheers!!!
Yeah everyone noticed the non hardening sealant thing already. But you also need to be careful mixing dissimilar metals. Stainless touching mild steel can sometimes be problematic causing accelerated corrosion. Those tail lights look good they are extremely hard to get in oz. Ive got the black aftermarket ones in my black gc8. Also amazon hardly delivers to Australia and barely works. It's mainly for the USA. Ebay is the go to. Cheers.
Thanks for the heads up about mixing metals, I really should have thought about that (good catch!), I’ll look into this a bit more. Also didn’t realize Amazon was not a very good option down there, thanks for that heads up as well! eBay is the only good place for rare parts here, that and sellers care about good ratings, which ensures good customer service (big plus for me!). Cheers man! Keep the info coming. 😉
@@SubaruONLY You are all good, it'll be fine. I wish it was as easy here to get parts from a Subaru dealer. They charge insane prices for parts. Also 2 door 22Bs are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in oz. I'd be interested to check out the pricing for them around the world.
Well...It’s defiantly a USDM part, but maybe it’s also a JDM part too...? Lots of parts cover many markets, that’s for sure!!! Thanks for watching - Cheers!!!
Add some butyl tape around the channel @ 10:13. Most GC8s will need heat to help release the old tail lights as they will also have butyl tape/sealant from factory.
😁 haha, yep literally looked by butyl tape brands and bought a big ass roll last night! Need it for the door panel moisture barriers too!!! Gonna make a vid on that too - stay tuned!!!
Hi. There’s a few random companies making precut rubber seals, but the buytl tape is actually the OEM way it’s installed and that’s just a roll of the seal tape. It’s on my Amazon store if you want to check it out!!!
I installed a set of these then a few months later got rear ended and the guy who hit me smashed em.... but then after insurance went thru I had the body shop order me another set of JDM tails lol. Pretty much a mandatory mod for any gc owner.
Hey Luke, you didn't put any butyl or gasket for the taillights. You might have water come in through the tail lights. Just something to keep in mind. I replaced the butyl in mine with gaskets.
Yes, you are 100% right. I’m trying to source some NOS gaskets, but the butyl is a great backup option (was actually what was used on the old taillights, but this does make it a bit of a PITA to remove at a later time, so I try to use the OEM gasket when possible). Cheers and great comment for others to take note of - thanks!!! 👊
@@SubaruONLY yeah mine had butyl as well, but I sourced some gaskets from the UK. Import Car Parts LTD. A bit pricey for shipping but I needed them so bit the bullet.
Also, thanks to your videos my 05 Saab 9-2x (saabaru) with the ej205 is on the road again. I took the motor out and re-sealed it from the short block, arp studs, new clutch, cyl 4 cooling mod, timing belt, water pump, ps pump, group N mounts, and all new coolant/vacuum hoses... I think that's all lol. Should be good to go for a while
Another good video Luke. That is crazy what the body shop did but good that you found the rust so you could prep it and treat the rust with a converter. The lights are good in both coupe and sedan. Subaru makes it easy to decode part numbers 842XX is lighting, FA is 93-01 Impreza (generally), and odd number is left (DS) and even is right (PS). I love how they look in my racecar. legacycentral.org/images/members/byron/n_back.jpg This was from 2000 when it was at SEMA. but I need to get the tail lights for my GF soon because someone spread holiday cheer in their truck by backing into my wagon and leaving a few days ago...
BAD ASS!!! Wow that is one clean GC man, thanks for dropping the link. And thanks for the kind words and the PN breakdown - taught me something!!! Cheers!!! 😁👊
Yes, I didn’t touch on that but you need to use the large one that goes around the housing on the backside. Or you can use butyl tape, but that’s a bit of a PITA to remove at a later time and it’s not the OEM way. I’ll make a follow-up video discussing all these options once I have the OEM seal in hand - CHEERS!!!
Yes, good spot for something like that. These housing slots are actually the perfect size for some Home Depot universal rubber seals - nice relatively wide, even and flat spot for the adhesive backing to adhere well. 👌👌👌
Yep... looks like it only made its way down a few inches (as show in the video), nothing lower thank god. Good I caught it now actually, but certainly an unexpected little twist. Cheers man! 👊
I don't understand how the aftermarket never did something like this, and the only aftermarket rear lights for a classic Subaru are 100% ricer approved.
@@SubaruONLY That is incorrect GF wagons are a different part number and not in the Subaru of America parts catalog. The 180 & 190 are for coupe and sedan.
@@SubaruONLY which online store did you order from? None of the website show a picture of the JDM tails, so I’m very hesitant and concerned I’ll get USDM stock tails...
I’ve ordered from a couple, don’t recall which one off the top of my head. *But I know what you mean about not seeing the pic, it not shown on any of the sites I’ve looked at. Just got to trust and double check the part numbers, which are actually more reliable than pictures tbh.
My favorite Subaru channel.
Awesome - stoked to hear buddy!!! 😁👊
You have the best walkthroughs, especially showing where all the mounts and screws are. A lot of guys say "yeah theres 3 or 4 screws back there" but i appreciate your level of detail
Thank you. Much appreciated!!! 👊
This video is a lifesaver! Ive been looking for those taillights for my 99 RS for years!
Perfect!!! Glad it helped!!! 🤙
The factory seal is actually a black silicone seal. That is the biggest issue with installing these lights which I've done recently and everyone talks about on the forums. I was very surprised to see you pop them right out! The procedure is to use a heat gun around the back until the sealant loses it's grip and you can pull it out.. Then you have to clean and scrape it off the edge.. After that you need to put new sealant on the new tail light. I used 3m black silicone. Figured, why not put them on the way they were put on by the factory.. This leads me to believe that yes indeed your rear end was replaced! That's why there was no silicone! Great video btw!!
Interesting. There actually was butyl tape but I wasn’t sure if it was OEM or the body shop that replaced the rear bumper section. Sounds like the butyl tape is the silicone you are referring to. I thought there are a rubber OEM gasket here, but maybe I was mistaken. But either way, gotta add a seal of some type there. Cheers buddy! Thanks for dropping the info!
@@SubaruONLY Turns out my 3m black silicone sealant did not work correctly on the left tail light. Getting water inside the housing! Going to reinstall these with actual butyl tape this time.. Wish me luck! Also, having issues with sunroof leak on the right side (bought an OEM gasket that has not been installed yet), and a leak under the passenger side dash. I was told that leak is due to a corroded rubber piece under the windshield cowl.. Hoping to fix all this stuff all at once! Then maybe i can drive when it rains.. haha. For now she stays in the garage during bad weather!
I'd love to say that in EU we need rear fog light so it's tricky to put these lights on EU gc8 even it's basically plug and play but without fog light. So what have I done is little mod when I take oem eu light bulb housing and put it on my left JDM lamp. I took of jdm housing and put that EU one into it and replace one my parking light with fog light so I don't need to add another light under my rear bumper or plate because it looks terrible and you also need additional paper work for it it's crazy especially in my country (Czech Republic). So I'm happy with this solution so I can enjoy my JDM lights without having problem with police 😄 Great video anyway!
Nice custom fix man! Very clever, happy that make the JDMs work legally! Cheers buddy!
Your such a badass for your informative website.I just bought a first gen Impreza wagon but I’ve always wanted a coupe
Thanks buddy! And awesome wagon, I love em - had two and seriously looking to get another for the next swap I do. My fav is the green GF wagon, love that color for the wagons! Cheers! 🤙
I just used these part numbers today and bought a set i cant wait i hope i got it right lol. Thanks for the info man 🍻
Awesome!
I have those on my 99, but we had to use some 3M sealer because we were getting water into the trunk from replacing the tail lights like you did.
Good to hear this feedback, was thinking that would be the case if I didn’t add a seal. Looks like the OEM option is using a strip of butyl tape around the hole.
@@SubaruONLY that's the same stuff i used
Nice
Those tail lights look great!
They sure do. Does get old, every time I look at it, I’m like damn, looks sooo good. Lol 😂
You are an actual legend man, thanks for all the information!
Happy to help out other subie enthusiasts! Cheers man!!! 🍻
can you give me the part number for the tail light gasket on the JDM tail lights in this video.
You made me wanna go out and work on my 2001 wagon.
Nice. Feel like that’s a good thing... 😁
Total transforms the rear end, looking good !’
I sure think so. Thanks and cheers!
I was able to find a set of these taillights, thanks!
Awesome, sure you’ll be stoked with them on the car!!!
Nice Tail Lights!
Thanks! 👊
Just found your channel, planning to change my speakers in my 97' 4 door sedan both in the front doors and in the back shelf. How difficult are they to change for better ones? I suggest the doorpanel would have to come off to change them.
That back shelf area can be tight and may require removing the rear package tray. The front speakers are easy, just need to remove the door panels (aka cards). Cheers!!!
Going a different direction with tail lights, but awesome video with some great advice for finding parts 👍
Yeah everyone noticed the non hardening sealant thing already. But you also need to be careful mixing dissimilar metals. Stainless touching mild steel can sometimes be problematic causing accelerated corrosion.
Those tail lights look good they are extremely hard to get in oz. Ive got the black aftermarket ones in my black gc8.
Also amazon hardly delivers to Australia and barely works. It's mainly for the USA.
Ebay is the go to. Cheers.
Thanks for the heads up about mixing metals, I really should have thought about that (good catch!), I’ll look into this a bit more. Also didn’t realize Amazon was not a very good option down there, thanks for that heads up as well!
eBay is the only good place for rare parts here, that and sellers care about good ratings, which ensures good customer service (big plus for me!). Cheers man! Keep the info coming. 😉
@@SubaruONLY You are all good, it'll be fine. I wish it was as easy here to get parts from a Subaru dealer. They charge insane prices for parts.
Also 2 door 22Bs are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in oz. I'd be interested to check out the pricing for them around the world.
That’s crazy. Maybe I need to set up a eBay store and start shipping OEM parts out that way!!!
I live in Japan and have a JDM 95 WRX STI 555 Ed. and it has the amber lower that you call a USDM part.
Well...It’s defiantly a USDM part, but maybe it’s also a JDM part too...? Lots of parts cover many markets, that’s for sure!!! Thanks for watching - Cheers!!!
Add some butyl tape around the channel @ 10:13.
Most GC8s will need heat to help release the old tail lights as they will also have butyl tape/sealant from factory.
😁 haha, yep literally looked by butyl tape brands and bought a big ass roll last night! Need it for the door panel moisture barriers too!!! Gonna make a vid on that too - stay tuned!!!
Love those lights. Have the same ones
Loving them more every day... 😁
Any advice on finding a gc8 chassis? There's nothing on craigslist in my state.
That’s a hard one, fb marketplace and groups, NASIOC, what State you in?
Where can I get the seal or gasket for the tailight? Thanks. Love your channel
Hi. There’s a few random companies making precut rubber seals, but the buytl tape is actually the OEM way it’s installed and that’s just a roll of the seal tape. It’s on my Amazon store if you want to check it out!!!
@@SubaruONLY great thank you, love your videos by the way!
Thanks!! 😁
Is the fog light and reverse lights in the same place on the STi ones as on the non STi's?
I installed a set of these then a few months later got rear ended and the guy who hit me smashed em.... but then after insurance went thru I had the body shop order me another set of JDM tails lol.
Pretty much a mandatory mod for any gc owner.
Nice. And yep, agree - Mandatory. 😁
can these fit on a gf8 wagon?
Thank you so much
You need to put gasket maker around the housing where it meets the body or else water will get in the trunk
Good call!!!
Isn’t there a sealant that goes around the hole where the taillight bulbs are?
Yes, there definitely is. Either rubber or butyl tape, I’m still confirming which was OEM on this 98 RS. Prob gonna try to with the OEM seal used.
Sooo part numbers for Amber tails? Do you have those?
Hi buddy. Sorry I don’t. But shouldn’t be too hard to find... cheers!
Hey Luke, you didn't put any butyl or gasket for the taillights. You might have water come in through the tail lights. Just something to keep in mind. I replaced the butyl in mine with gaskets.
Yes, you are 100% right. I’m trying to source some NOS gaskets, but the butyl is a great backup option (was actually what was used on the old taillights, but this does make it a bit of a PITA to remove at a later time, so I try to use the OEM gasket when possible). Cheers and great comment for others to take note of - thanks!!! 👊
@@SubaruONLY yeah mine had butyl as well, but I sourced some gaskets from the UK. Import Car Parts LTD. A bit pricey for shipping but I needed them so bit the bullet.
Ha, I hear ya! I’ve bitten that bullet many a time...😉
I feel like they will. But do these fit the 4 door 1997 gc8?
Yes, should fit the four-door sedan and two-door coupe. Different part number is only for the GF8 (five-door hatchback). Cheers!
@@SubaruONLY love your channel mate. Life saver
Awesome. Glad it helps buddy!
Any dealership or shop in the US that ships internationally?
I think Subaru Parts Wholesale does. Many other too, I’m sure. Cheers!!!
Sucks to find rust, and previous crash damage. Taillights look great though!
Also, thanks to your videos my 05 Saab 9-2x (saabaru) with the ej205 is on the road again. I took the motor out and re-sealed it from the short block, arp studs, new clutch, cyl 4 cooling mod, timing belt, water pump, ps pump, group N mounts, and all new coolant/vacuum hoses... I think that's all lol. Should be good to go for a while
Nice! Got all the major upgrades covered! Should go for 100K - 200k mi easily. Thanks for dropping the message, cheers! 👍
Another good video Luke. That is crazy what the body shop did but good that you found the rust so you could prep it and treat the rust with a converter.
The lights are good in both coupe and sedan. Subaru makes it easy to decode part numbers 842XX is lighting, FA is 93-01 Impreza (generally), and odd number is left (DS) and even is right (PS). I love how they look in my racecar.
legacycentral.org/images/members/byron/n_back.jpg
This was from 2000 when it was at SEMA.
but I need to get the tail lights for my GF soon because someone spread holiday cheer in their truck by backing into my wagon and leaving a few days ago...
BAD ASS!!! Wow that is one clean GC man, thanks for dropping the link. And thanks for the kind words and the PN breakdown - taught me something!!! Cheers!!! 😁👊
what can i do to access your page?
My webpage?
www.subaruonly.com/
You should be able to access it by clicking on the link above. Thanks and cheers!
Thanks. What about the seal?
Yes, I didn’t touch on that but you need to use the large one that goes around the housing on the backside. Or you can use butyl tape, but that’s a bit of a PITA to remove at a later time and it’s not the OEM way. I’ll make a follow-up video discussing all these options once I have the OEM seal in hand - CHEERS!!!
@@SubaruONLY ok thanks!
Thanks for asking, good one for everyone to catch!!!
make some diy foam gaskets and slap em on!!
Yes, good spot for something like that. These housing slots are actually the perfect size for some Home Depot universal rubber seals - nice relatively wide, even and flat spot for the adhesive backing to adhere well. 👌👌👌
👍
😁
WHERES THE THE WEB SITE???
What are the light bulbs t15 ?
Hmm, not sure! Maybe 🤔
Damn Rust under the Seam Sealer
Yep... looks like it only made its way down a few inches (as show in the video), nothing lower thank god. Good I caught it now actually, but certainly an unexpected little twist. Cheers man! 👊
@@SubaruONLY I have this issue but its more advanced
Gonna try to put a video together to address it, maybe it’ll help. I’m no expert though. 😁
car is gunna be MINT when it's all finished
Heck yea it will. And it gonna run beautifully too ! 👌
I don't understand how the aftermarket never did something like this, and the only aftermarket rear lights for a classic Subaru are 100% ricer approved.
😂 totally agree. Super rice. Baffles me too!
You're missing the big rectangle foam gasket on each that go around the bulbs that keeps water out of your trunk!!!!!
That’s Part 2! Had to pick up the butyl tape. Stay tuned - coming soon!!! 👊
Part number for the GF8?
EDIT: Looks like the sedan and coupe tail lamps will NOT fit GF8s, have to look into this more, cheers!
@@SubaruONLY That is incorrect GF wagons are a different part number and not in the Subaru of America parts catalog. The 180 & 190 are for coupe and sedan.
THANK YOU!!! Good catch and no shit! Good to know, Cheers!!!
@@SubaruONLY The wagon tail lamp assemblies are actually a bit thinner vertically if I remember right.
Hmm. That would make sense, based on the hatch angle. Gonna have to look this up later today...
My local dealer was going to charge me $280 each...
Those guys. They always start high, might need to buy online.
@@SubaruONLY which online store did you order from? None of the website show a picture of the JDM tails, so I’m very hesitant and concerned I’ll get USDM stock tails...
I’ve ordered from a couple, don’t recall which one off the top of my head. *But I know what you mean about not seeing the pic, it not shown on any of the sites I’ve looked at. Just got to trust and double check the part numbers, which are actually more reliable than pictures tbh.