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So i got a question, does anyone know if you try to do like frs8six's, could you do the vht niteshade black with a really light coat and then cover the signal with tape and do 3 medium coats of red nite shade(or 4) will work out? Then sand it and then do clear coat?
edit: oh i meant to put that you take off the tape before clear coat |
Some vht diy videos I have seen on youtube did some wetsanding prior to applying coats of the nightshades. Based off your results here, it seems that isn't necessary? I would prefer to not do that incase I eff up and want to reverse it. Ultimately, I want to do this right. If I permanently eff up, I guess I am going to buy those valenti tails a hell of a lot earlier than I originally planned LOL. Great write up, definitely impressed with all of your write ups; ESPECIALLY that wheel directory which is amazing, especially when trying to figure out offset.
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Tape off the blinker, paint tails, once dried removed tape from blinker and tape off te rest of the tails, smoke blinker, let it dry, remove tape and sand everything lightly with 2000grit sand paper then clear everything, once done, sand again lightly, then rubbing compound, polishing compound, and wax... Should be just as clear and glossy as a pro shop
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Also, if you plan on doing the clearcoat, wait about 7 days or more before wetsanding. |
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So far i've done pretty good with this.
Step 1: i did was to tape it http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...7/IMG_1476.jpg Step 2: I used mineral spirits to clean it off from any bacteria/dirt/anything bad off of the tail light.http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...7/IMG_1474.jpg Step 3: I put it out on card board and started using VHT nite shade-red This was right after a coat or two. http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...7/IMG_4577.jpg Step 4: I did 4 coats of the red and waited around 15-25 minutes in between each(pretty sure i should've waited longer because it's pretty cold over here) but this was right after that http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...7/IMG_1477.jpg I'm getting 2000 grit paper tomorrow and i'll finish it up by smoothening it out (little fisheyes and etc.) and then i'll do the clear coat. |
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When I waited 7 days, the clearcoat was still a little soft, and started with a heavier polish to remove the wetsand marks, then had to follow up with a very good polish that removes light haze (3M Ultrafina) on a soft finishing buffer pad at a low RPM on the rotary, and that did the trick. |
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Here's a before and after comparison :)
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk |
So continuing on to my last post (i would do an edit but i also have a question in this one)
I got the 2000 grit wet sand paper- wet it down and sanded my tail lights very smooth and soft and it came out to be a haze dull look to it (pretty sure it happened to everyone) but then i apply 5 clear coats (30mins to an hour between each) and it looked decent but pretty dull. So i wet sanded again and then used meguirs UC to polish it(maybe it was a little soon but i waited a day to do this) And i applied it and buffed it out several times for each tail light trying to get it more glossy but it still seems sort of dull. Any help? Pictures:http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...7/IMG_1488.jpg http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/t...7/IMG_1484.jpg |
@MrMarinakos it seems like you are rushing it! If you're wet sanding it should be on a paint that has completely cured. For most clears that means a Minimum of 12 to 24 hours in a hot/dry environment.
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Can't remember how many coats, somewhere around 5 or so. 3 coats of clear coat. A few pitted spots and one or two fish eyes but they're crystal clear and I'm super happy with them :) https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...24969121_o.jpg
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Thanks for this guide...I'm going to redout my Ultramarine's taillights. Far less intimidating than I thought. :]
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1. Would you recommend sanding with 2000 grit before the 1st coat of red is applied? 2. When you wet sand, are you going left to right or up and down, or both ways... sorry... if this is a stupid question :iono: 3. Where can I purchase Dupli-Color locally? Home depot, Napa...? |
@sissupr
1 I didn't incase I messed up I could use alcohol to undo it but you can. 2 I just did it from side to side, some areas I had to do up and down, just don't over do the corners cause it might remove the paint and you'll have to re do it. 3 I purchased the paint at advance but most of these store carry it. Note, since that pic Ive redone it twice cause the clear wouldn't hold and it would fade, painted it 3rd time and had prof cleared $40. Photobucket messes up the resolution, tails are as clear as oem.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...701_183035.jpg |
I got duplicolor metalcast and spraymax2k off Amazon. The spraymax is an awesome clearcoat
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@sissupr I sanded before painting red. You need the surface to have something to stick to. Sanding direction really doesnt matter here, I sanded every which way.
People I've showed were surprised it was a DIY job. I highly recommend spray max 2k if you are going to do clear yourself. |
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Here's what I got... little hazy/dull on the inside to my liking, but overall really happy for $30 of materials and my time. I put about 6 coats on (little heavy I know), so I need to get clean up the red paint a bit to make it shine clearer. It doesn't have a clear coat yet because I sanded it off to clean up the red paint a bit more... All this has is red sanded down with 1500 and 2000 + sealant. I wanted to make sure it was heading down the right direction before I put clear coat on again. I'm going to hit it again with 1500 and 2000, polish it down with Meg UC or 105 with my XP7424, clean up with soapy water, add 3 layers or clear, let dry, wet sand again with 1500 and 2000, polish, and lastly sealant/wax.
[IMG]http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/...ps44db76fc.jpg [IMG]http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5d42e726.jpg |
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After 3 weeks, mine are fading to pink instead of red. Deffinetly getting professional clear sprayed next time but went with spray paint clear this time after I got a few pieces of crap in the tint layers and knew I would have to redo.
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Did you use metalcast and a good clearcoat? Mine look like factory red still after a year--you can fix this yourself
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Some nice stuff In here
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how well are you guys painted lights holding up? and how long has it been?
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My painted lens are holding up just fine.
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Mine still look like the day I redded them 1 year ago. Still glossy and the few people that noticed and asked me about them were shocked that it was not stock and a DIY job.
I highly recommend spraymax 2k spraycan clearcoat or a professional clearcoat. |
Mine are starting to fade a bit around the areas that didn't receive enough clear. Any suggestions on how to fix/respray? Can I just respray some clear on them? Or should I just redo the whole thing?
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Thanks for the detailed write up and suggestions from every one else. I am tired of looking at the stock tail lights, but could not afford aftermarket red tail lights at this time
Did mine today, I used duplicolor metalcast and spraymax2k. they still look foggy, I will keep them on my car for a week, then remove, wetsand the hell out of them and will polish them for the glossy finish. |
Weird that they are not clear. Mine came out shiny using the same paint/clear. What kind of sanding did you do, if any (at what stage(s) in the process). They don't look that bad in the pics.
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Good, don't sand the clear coat. Hmm
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I would definitely try a polish before stripping it--salvage it if you can. I'm really curious why it didn't come out shiny though.
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I would say it looks like maybe you were using too much pressure when you sanded. FWIW I went all the way to 2000 grit. I don't see how people get a decent finish without it.
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Yeah. I sanded it too much. I will try to polish it. If it doesn't turn out good, I will re-do it. Any idea how can I remove the paint?
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I used the VHT niteshades smoke and it had a real nice finish to it. Then I had a Rustoleum clearcoat can so I figured it can't hurt right? This clearcoat totally hurt the finish and I was pretty pissed. I'm going to have to pull them again. I also got carried away and made them too dark and I'm a ticket magnet now lol. So should I wet sand with 2000 first and see what I get? Will this lighten it up plus give me a better finish? I'm assuming....
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