Tinting Tail light?

[Dead91silvia]

Ok, so I kinda want my car to look not so stock.... But also dont want to go rice...

I figure I could do a mild tint in my tails on my BD and not be too ricey. The method would be using using clear coat with a small amount of PPG 9700 Base coat mixed in to tint the clear. I'm going to try it on an extra light before I do it to my JDM ones, but I'm really thinking about this... what do you guys think?

I was also thinking, mind you just thinking, about tinting them white... heh heh...

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/IMG_9104-1.jpg

[Dead91silvia]

Leave some feedback... I really do want to know what you think...

[Thomistopheles]

I threw it into photoshop to see what it'd look like tinted black and white. White looked terrible, slight black tint was ok. I voted to leave them as they are, I thought that looked best.

[Huffer]

The BG/BK in Japan had the option of clear taillights and smoked... both look good on a white car.

[Dead91silvia]

The BG/BK in Japan had the option of clear taillights and smoked... both look good on a white car.

Thats kind where I was going with it. I know the JDM wagons had them, just not the sedans.

[Huffer]

Don't do it. Do a power antenna delete instead.

[Yokosilver]

I think that if you tint the tails, you should also tint the badges. I love a good black on white contrast (that's what I plan on doing to the wife's Jeep when I get back to the states). I think that if you could find clear tails, that might look good, too. I don't know how clear would work for the center piece, though.

[amgarrety]

If you're going to do it, do it right. General information follows, not relating to your idea of tinting white, although i'd like to see that.

First of all, I wouldn't tint your reverse lights. I looks so much better having a white and dark red combination in my opinion.

Secondly, don't tint black (unless your car is solid black). Tint should be a dark cherry red. There are two ways that I know of to go about this.

The cheap way is to use the VHT spray. While that tints black, like I highly advise against, doing it right can still look nice. Wet sand your tail lights, spray enough coats of VHT until you reach the shade you want, wet sand the tint, clear coat, wet sand, polish, boom. Please, never keep a matte finish on your tail lights. It looks horrible and glares in pretty much any sunlight.

The right way to do it, but ultimately more costly, is to wet sand your tail lights and have them *professionally* painted with a layer of candy black, then a layer of candy apple red, finished off with clear coat. It will give the closest to factory tint look. I don't know the exact process step by step, but I know it involves a candy black, candy apple red, and clear coat.

I mean, this is all my opinion, because I love the dark red tint as opposed to the ricey VHT black tint, but thats how I would do it.

Oh, and yes, I'd say tint. Especially on a white car.

[Dead91silvia]

Ok, my basic goal would be more like the smoked tinted ones on the JDM lights.

Also, if I do this, it will be done with all PPG products. Most of you dont know my education is in Autobody, so anything I do when it comes to paint, WILL be done the right way, unless I dont care about the car, but White Lighting is my baby...

As for using other lights, it would be on these. I would also tint the reverse light, but thats because I cant see crap with them anyway. Also if I didnt, it would look competently off from the rest and look odd.

So to be clear, this would be a slight tint. Not like what the VW and BMW guys do. Most people wouldnt even notice it...

[MarkSubi]

Holy crap!!!! :shock: I've never seen you're car damn its sexy!!!! :smt007

[amgarrety]

That's fair then. Good to know that you know what you're doing. I didn't know your background but it sounds like you've got good discretion. I light tint would look really good.

[Dead91silvia]

Holy crap!!!! :shock: I've never seen you're car damn its sexy!!!! :smt007

Really? Here ya go.... And thanks! :grin: Wait till you see the front...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19150 (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19150)

[dodik]

truthfully i wouldnt use paint, i did it a few years ago with VHT and it still ok but its not as shiny as the JDM corner lights, and they will have a dull look to them, maybe not at first but give six month and it will be noticeable enough. From what i've seen the best is to use a film like tint for the car only very light. Im sure you can pick up a sheet relatively cheap and its removable.

[Yamazaki]

To set the record straight, the smoked wasn't an "option" in Japan. It was on all turbo '96/'97 models of Legacy wagons (I think it was also on all non-turbo models, but since I cannot verify that at the moment, I didn't include them). So if you are still wanting to make a "GT-B sedan", then it would be smoked since all GT-Bs had smoked taillights.

However, I voted leave it well enough alone because I think it matches your car better the way it is now.

[Wiscon_Mark]

It looks good now, but I do like smoked on a light colored car.

Photoshopped for you dark:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/OWR99-1.jpg

Lighter:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/8kHF9-1.jpg

Stock for comparison:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/IMG_9104-1.jpg

[amgarrety]

I really like how the first option looks. The darker tint is sleek.

[Huffer]

I'm telling you. Delete the antenna (go with a windshield mounted one), and install JDM door strips, and delete the black strip in front of the rear wheels.

[Dead91silvia]

I'm telling you. Delete the antenna (go with a windshield mounted one), and install JDM door strips, and delete the black strip in front of the rear wheels.

All of that are in the plans... I hate the antenna, the side trim no joke has been a life saver with the gate (hit it a few times in the last few years), and the black pieces might go too, but they dont bug me that much...

Keep the feedback coming.... I'm still on the fence... :smt023

[Wiscon_Mark]

That little black strip along the wheel well - that creates rust.

[Dead91silvia]

That little black strip along the wheel well - that creates rust.

Whats rust??? :smt017

LOL... Mark, 90% of our cars over here have 0% rust for a long time... My 1980 Datsun truck has one small bit by the bottom of the fender... You should take a trip out this way, you would go nuts with what our cars look like. :grin:

[Thomistopheles]

Wisconsin is terrible.

I moved one county over in the middle of winter, and my Cressida had to come here first. It had several coats of Collinite detergent-proof wax before the short trip and I washed it as soon as I got it in my driveway... twice. It didn't survive 275,000 miles and 24 years rust free just to get cancer in Wisconsin, dammit!

[Rammster]

don't combine the car with smoked lights

[camroncamera]

It looks good now, but I do like smoked on a light colored car.

Photoshopped for you dark:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/OWR99-1.jpg

??????? Perfect.

I recently installed JDM tinted tails to the wife's wagon; I noticed that they seemed to be tinted from the inside... even USDM tails seem to have a silvery coating on the backside of the lenses.
(JDM Wagon Garnish closeup):
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/IMG_2107-1.jpg

Can the tails be oven-baked and split open like the headlights are often done? If so, perhaps you could darken them from the inside out (might be a pain trying to fit the center garnish in a regular-sized oven, lol, though you could try spitting it with a heat gun). I also see some separation tabs on the wagon garnish, maybe it doesn't even requite heat to separate the lens from backing?

[Dead91silvia]

The tint is in the plastic for the JDM ones. Baking them can be done, but tinting them from the inside would not work because of the mold lines inside.

I'm still tossing tossing this around... we will see what happens.