Painted Tail Lights
 

so today I decided i would try to red out the tail lights. I am happy with the outcome, I still have to have polish them but the final clear coat came out pretty glossy.

the process for me was 3 light coats of metal cast followed by 2 medium coats, let it dry then with soapy water i wet sanded with 1500 grit. cleaned the surface then 3 light coats of clear and 2 medium coats.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/8...ed4c7b6d15.jpg

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pics

Pics no work

been fixed

looks good, do you have a non instagram pic of them on the car?

Looks nice. Did you use a clear coat on it?

nice contrast with that white

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/8...b5e159ee64.jpg

only pic i took today of them on the car. i was rushing to get to a event.

yeah 3 coats of clear, i still have to polish it.

wow, the result looks pretty good! any plans for a DIY? :)

also, if one were to mess up while doing this, is the tail light pretty much ruined?

Ohh not bad. The lights really stick out, good job.

I did the same,,!
 

[ame="http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RW6KbTq9xOM"]2013 FRS / BRZ: How To Tint Your Taillights - YouTube[/ame]

This is my car,!

No I just used the DIY section for the how to. I am not sure, I didn't even think about that

What clear coat did you use?

Dupli-color acrylic clear

nice job, looks great!

Looks awesome!

Doesn't this mod create a diminishing effect of the purpose of taillights, that is, to alert drivers behind one's vehicle? Seems disadvantageous to me if not dangerous. I'd want my brake lights to be as bright as possible but maybe you use brighter bulbs.

He didnt paint them black, and they are still very clear. Red is an EXTREMELY common lens color for tail lights and red light shiness through red lenses very well. If it smoked/Tinted them then yes the concern would be there. I saw a 370Z the other day with smoked tails and I could not see the brake light in day light. Needless to say I am glad I saw him slowing down from a distance.

turned out great, thanks for sharing!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8537/8...3949b7d7d9.jpg

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I took a pic this morning of the lights shinning through. They seem as bright as before, if you saw them in person they are a very transparent red, so I don't think they are noticeable dimmer

Nicely done. Looks very clean on SWP!

Looks good. It would have been helpful to have before & after photos, i. e. same f-stop, time of day, etc, to see the real difference.

I got a quick question, its probably been brought up before, how well does the reverse lights present after painting the tail lights?

Omg, automatic car wash. Why.

I thought the same thing but the way I look at it if my BRZ is not to be a show car and I do a great job at least once or twice per year on the finish, then why not? When I go to sell it in four to six years it won't make much difference, if any. It'll be a pre-owned car.

The reverse lights are in the lower bumper, the turn signal and brake lights is the only function in the tail lights

The reverse lights are in that little light at the bottom middle, where the rear fog would be on LHD? models.

Wow... uhh yeah.. I completely forgot the reverse lights were located down lower. :facepalm: I really need a power nap right now.

I thought you were being sarcastic for a second, haha

I wish I had and besides I don't usually troll. I leave that for the so-called experts.

so a few days have gone by and I have cleared the tail lights and polished but used a satin instead of a high gloss... im debating sanding and recoating with gloss.. opinions?

this video is today about a few moments ago.. dirty after being driven all weekend and to work so far this week.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Ou_vk6ZKo"]2013 BRZ FRS Taillight Tint During Daylight HD - YouTube[/ame]

did this video because a few people asked how they look during the day since they seem so dark.

if your looking for a smoother and shiny surface then i would suggest using the gloss clear coat, i used Dupli-Color Acrylic Gloss clear from Advance Auto. mine came out glossy and i havent polished them.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8...41a7917d88.jpg

this was after they dried.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8...75d233e7ed.jpg

when I came out from work i took a pic of the tail lights in the sun.

Do you have a picture of the can of gloss clear coat?

Yea I think I'm gonna hit it with a dew high gloss I like the less Shiney effect but the cars are so Shiney... And the carbon hood I purchased is supposedly show finish clear.... So it just won't match. I need to grab a high gloss today.

gah i need to do this, looks absolutely incredible!!

Sorry I don't, I gave both cans to a buddy so hd could do his tail lights, I'll see if he still has it.

I would check to make sure the Duplicolor has some sort of UV protection in it. I've seen picture of tails done with Metalcast red and after6 months the look a sickly pink because of sun fade. I bought Spray Max 2K clear to do mine (haven't used it yet as I did VHT then polished it) it is an automotive grade clear and has UV protection. A guy shows his results with it in this thread http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...hlight=Redding it turns out super glossy before polishing. As for hoiw well the lights work through the paint, mine are quite a bit darker and you can still se them really well.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8138/8...74dc8a99b1.jpg

thanks for that info. i dont believe the clear i used has UV protection, i will probably just put another coat or two then with uv protection clear and hope it keeps it nice and red in the future.

Definitely look in the thread I posted, one guy shows a head light he did as a test with the Metalcast and Spray Max clear, it looks great even pror to any sort of polishing. The Spray Max stuff is more expensive but it is a real two part clear, there is a button on the bottom of the can to puncture a separator inside, one mixed it only has a 24 hour period to use. Also it is highly recommended that you wear a respirator due to the stuff used in commercial 2 part clears.