I'd like to do plain red on everything but the turn signals which I'd like to keep amber. I worry about putting a cutoff there though. I fear it will either look bad or be prone to eroding at the edge.

My thoughts exactly. Kinda wish you went with the smoke tint only and wish it was more glossy. Regardless, the rear now looks much better!

If I do this, I will prob bake the taillights, paint the chrome housings black, remove the red side reflector, and tint the outside w/ 20%.

BTW-you need some wider tires on those rear rims btw:thumbsup:

nice!! i love that red! =]
too bad i would be scared to do this though haha

Looks really good you are quickly becoming my fav member

If I drove down to Portland will you do this for me?

damn, gangster! i can't pull off that look but that's badass.

I think they looked great when they were pure red. Thanks for the DIY

Sure, but you have to wait 30 minutes between coats and then I like to let the last coat sit overnight to completely cure before handling it again. If you pull your tail lights out and bring them I can paint them and give them back to you in the morning or something? Or you could bring your car and leave it overnight in my garage... PM me to work out details.

Hey, and thanks for the compliment!

^^^I second that. The red tails look better to me, and they won't get you hassled by the police.

If I had a red or orange car then I would have done all red for sure... but with the dark color I wanted it to blend a little better and look evil. These cars are TOO CUTE! Hehe.

The color tone is perfect D, but god it looks bad still with a matte/diffused finish.

I really think you should get it finished.

wetsand 1000
clear coat
wetsand 2000
Deep cut compound
Polish
Wax

Finished VHT niteshads
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/4...2008079ff0.jpg

Unfinished VHT niteshades
http://i25.tinypic.com/33crsix.jpg

Yeah, I talked to my bodyshop buddy today and he suggested a similar path, so I am going to pull the lights off soon and gloss those babies out. Should look MUCH better.

Where are the reverse lights? Wondering because I think it would be unsafe to smoke that area.

Should have left them red.

I considered it, but I wanted them to blend in better with the dark gray paint. I'm still 50/50 on how it looks, but it's growing on me. I am going to wet sand and buff them so they are glossy and then I'll decide what to do. I can always strip the paint off easily enough.



Dude, reverse lights are at the bottom of the bumper.

Haha thanks, I thought so, but wasn't sure since I've never seen the car actually reverse.

someone should photoshop the tails all red so everyone has an idea of what that looks like also

This is not my car or picture, but I used it to photoshop the tail lights. If you want me to remove, just say so.


Red
http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/9948/brztails.jpg

darker red
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8752/brztails1.jpg

smoke with turn light cutout
http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/4935/brztails2.jpg

darker red with light smoke turn light
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/1033/brztails3.jpg

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/brztails.jpg/

I like this one, I might attempt at doing mine like that.

Yep, lil chops to show awesomeness

Painted Housing
http://i.imgur.com/hRlL1.jpg

Red (left too brightly red)
http://i.imgur.com/dFOy8.jpg

Black
http://i.imgur.com/WKPAS.jpg

Smoked with red reflector
http://i.imgur.com/sJKMC.jpg

Red
http://i.imgur.com/QBvgF.jpg

As someone who has done a lot of work modifying tail lights, good luck "baking" them to get them apart. They're usually plastic welded.

Working with tail lights is absolutely miserable. That's why you very rarely see any retrofitters who will touch them.

You're right Ham, generally the headlights cant be taken apart and painted, but the rears are just too much of a hassle. I'm curious how hard it will be to wrap them due to the corners on the top and sides

Yeah I doubt I touch mine, but I think I agree that the wrap would be the best way to go. That really goes for those who would attempt to two tone the brake and turn signals! Was an interesting project though!

THIS is the look that I like! I might have to redo my lights. This looks GOOD!

I like red tail lights but not smoked or textured.

+1 iv also worked will plenty of taillights..and they are PITA to mod vs headlamps. Some are much easier than others, and hopefully the FRS/BRZ tail-lamp assembly isn't terribly sealed..although i suspect so since some are getting condensation from their taillights from the factory from improper sealing.

but for you modders, what I hope you guys do is take advantage of the clear lens. Which gives you more versatility when modding. Compared to OEM tails that are already red from the factory.

IMO blackhousing taillamps are F*ckin clean...Makes me wonder what the rear would look like if the housing was painted to match the body color.

**edit**

PSCS5 5 min mockup color matched housing with clear lens

I would LOVE to have black housings, but I'll wait for one of you guys' DIYs first. Oh yeah, and I need to get a car too...

I should throw a JDM Spider in the taillight just for kicks!

EDIT: For those of you who don't know (probably everyone), JDM spiders were a crazy phenomenon where people who bought OEM Supra taillights would find a weird white spider in the light. It totally became a selling point for Supra owners!


http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...ts11/tail2.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...1/SL730317.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...1/SL730316.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...1/SL730314.jpg

I wanted tail lights like on the Si anniversary concept, which sort of had frosted clear lenses. It looked amazing. I mimicked it after a few hundred dollars sunk into a project, but it wasn't up to OEM quality so into the garage they went. I ended up using this spray that is meant to be an inexpensive alternative to frosted glass. Might look good on a white 86.

Edit: That picture you added looks hot as hell. For my silver I will probably leave the border the natural dark that it currently is since I think that really suits the sterling, but I'd do your mod to a red in a heartbeat.

ooo i know what your talking about...i thought that slight frost on those lens added a nice effect when the light hit it. but i dunno how the frosted effect would work with 86 lamps with virtually 3 different major flat surfaces..and multiple contours vs the SI lamps which have 1 sloping surface.

ZOMG, I was thinking to myself "that post is not going to make sense to anyone else since it is such a specific case" haha. That's awesome. On that concept the frosted effect actually comes from a textured plastic piece behind the main lense which on the stock car is mostly red, and the concept was clear. I bought aftermarket tails that looked the same as stock but were clear, but turns out the dimensions were slightly different, and I had to tear one apart just to find that out. RAAGGEEE. Thus the frosted spray.

Yeah I'd be hesitant until I saw a good shop. Speaking of, now that I looked back at yours again, I think that would be ideal for silver as well. Having the red border above and below the clear section flows much better than a sudden stop. Looks like I'll have to bust out the masking tape, red spray, and polish when mine comes in. Nice work.

Should have just kept it red brah

WoW I love that color matching idea! Btw, where'd you get the original pic? I've been looking for one that clean and close for a while.


And Guff, I'm with you and WoW, Black housing tails FTW but let someone else do it first haha

I want like these on a 5 min chop I did on the previous page


http://i.imgur.com/hRlL1.jpg

How well will those spray can paint last? Would they wear of easily?

kinda open ended,

usually when people use spray paint, its because its DIY, and its a cheap and quick alternative. It also lets you skip/neglect prep and finishing procedures.

In a way, yes the paint in a can may not be as good as paint you can use on a HVLP gun. Considering you can mix your own different qualities of paint and control reducer ratios.

but if you do everything right, and with normal maintenance as you would with your car itself..it can stand up to the elements pretty well.

If you happen to be impatient with any steps during the process..you might find yourself with premature wear as one of numerous consequences you could have.

Thanks for the chops people! I'm going to smoke the tall lights on my white 86 :)

Can't wait to see photos!

Dude, I had my JDM white spider when I did my upgrade on my 94... LOL upgrade yo....:bellyroll:

I plan on doing this to my housing, except it will be black chrome

ewww

IMHO, this is probably the best and cleanest look by far! Keep the lense clear and diamond graphite the chrome housing. 100% badassery :thumbup:

:word:

someone put DIY for this..
sex!