Smoking or Redding BRZ/FR-S Tail Lights

[MrMarinakos]

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:

[headlikeahole]

@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.

[MrMarinakos]

Originally Posted by headlikeahole

@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.

should i wait another day and do it again and then polish?

[headlikeahole]

Originally Posted by MrMarinakos

should i wait another day and do it again and then polish?

That depends how much clear coat you have on there already. If its thick enough you could probably wait and simply restart the polishing process with better results.

[MrMarinakos]

Originally Posted by headlikeahole

That depends how much clear coat you have on there already. If its thick enough you could probably wait and simply restart the polishing process with better results.

5 clear coats, but would you suggest sanding it again then polishing or just polish a couple more times?

[headlikeahole]

Originally Posted by MrMarinakos

5 clear coats, but would you suggest sanding it again then polishing or just polish a couple more times?

Polish could be enough to get the look you want but it might take quite a few passes to get the level of shine you want. Its hard to tell from the pictures just what is required.

[6-Shift]

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

[frsgal]

Thanks for this guide...I'm going to redout my Ultramarine's taillights. Far less intimidating than I thought. :]

[sissupr]

Originally Posted by Ric0

If anyone is debating doing this have no fear! If I can do it so can you
Steps on how I did mine.
1) clean tails and make sure you mask everything off
2) VERY light 1st coat of Dupli-Color Metalcast anodized red
3) after 15-20mins another light coat of paint (repeat this step 3-4 more times)
At this point you might be taking shit as the lamp may look dull and you can't see thru it.
4) Using 2000 grit sand paper wet sand it with soap until it's smooth (becareful you don't over do it, if you do... paint, wait to dry and wet sand again lightly)
5) VERY light coat of clear (I used Dupli-Color acrylic enamel clear coat)
6) after 15-20mins another coat of clear (repeat these steps 3-4 more times)
7) Wet sand with soap, don't over do it just enough to get rid of the orange peel
8) Rubbing compound (removes scratched from wet sanding)
9) Polish (gets it's smooth and almost shining)
10) wax the crap out of it to bring out the shine.

looks good... may tackle this over the weekend... couple of quick questions...

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
3. Where can I purchase Dupli-Color locally? Home depot, Napa...?

[Ric0]

@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.

[B-R-Z]

I got duplicolor metalcast and spraymax2k off Amazon. The spraymax is an awesome clearcoat

[B-R-Z]

@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.

[vroom4]

[sissupr]

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.

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