nepbug
12-26-2014, 08:27 AM
All-Red Tail Lights
I didn't care for the amber in the tails and didn't care to pay the price for JDM tails, so I did the next best thing and made all-red tails to get rid of the amber.
Here's the paints I used to accomplish this:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/JA593ptl-1.jpg
I'm really liking Duplicolor stuff lately, this time around I'm using the adhesion promoter, MetalCast Red and the wheel clear (extra clear I had from doing some wheels). VHT makes a Niteshades Red that would work too, but it was more expensive and I was familiar with using the MetalCast paints so I went with that.
First, I scuffed up the lens with some 1000-grit wet sandpaper. Then cleaned it and sprayed some adhesion promoter over the entire tail light.
After that was dry I masked it off to spray the red.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/Wdif99vl-1.jpg
2-3 light coats and one medium coat of red and I end up with this:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/ysWJEI8l-1.jpg
Now I repeat for the other side (ideally I'd have done them together to ensure a match, but they came out good still).
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/RguhUrWl-1.jpg
Now I do some 1500 grit wet sanding to remove some of the orange peel and marks from the masking tape.
Then I mask it again, this time for clear over the entire tail light.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/InYNosVl-1.jpg
After clear I wet-sanded it with 2000-grit until ALL orange peel was gone and it was a uniformly cloudy and smooth surface over the entire lens.
Then it was time for a buff/polish and voila, done.
Before:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/oHEetkfl-1.jpg
After:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/e3nYJH4l-1.jpg
I didn't care for the amber in the tails and didn't care to pay the price for JDM tails, so I did the next best thing and made all-red tails to get rid of the amber.
Here's the paints I used to accomplish this:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/JA593ptl-1.jpg
I'm really liking Duplicolor stuff lately, this time around I'm using the adhesion promoter, MetalCast Red and the wheel clear (extra clear I had from doing some wheels). VHT makes a Niteshades Red that would work too, but it was more expensive and I was familiar with using the MetalCast paints so I went with that.
First, I scuffed up the lens with some 1000-grit wet sandpaper. Then cleaned it and sprayed some adhesion promoter over the entire tail light.
After that was dry I masked it off to spray the red.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/Wdif99vl-1.jpg
2-3 light coats and one medium coat of red and I end up with this:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/ysWJEI8l-1.jpg
Now I repeat for the other side (ideally I'd have done them together to ensure a match, but they came out good still).
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/RguhUrWl-1.jpg
Now I do some 1500 grit wet sanding to remove some of the orange peel and marks from the masking tape.
Then I mask it again, this time for clear over the entire tail light.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/InYNosVl-1.jpg
After clear I wet-sanded it with 2000-grit until ALL orange peel was gone and it was a uniformly cloudy and smooth surface over the entire lens.
Then it was time for a buff/polish and voila, done.
Before:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/oHEetkfl-1.jpg
After:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/12/e3nYJH4l-1.jpg