Altering PCBs

No way to pull over a heavy commercial vehicle after knocking off its tail light even if you wanted to so even though it must represent a small fraction of unreported minor accidents, freeways are littered with perfectly functional tail lights.

The question is, what is the easiest way to convert the 3s X 8p 12v wiring of the LEDs to 8s X 3p?

And do I really need a resistor in each series?

It's possible to grind through the insulating layer but the current is so low drilling might be faster and easier.

This doesn't need to be pretty or last forever.