smoked tail lights
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 160
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From: california
Originally posted by PhantomZ
i have tinted the tail lights, bumoer lenses and corner lenses on my car by myself, all you need is
1. VHS nightshades tail light tint spray (basically a spraypaint that makes your taillights as dark as a tint as you want, and as soon as you touch the brake lights, the light shows right through)2. clear-coat.
just make sure your lights are on a flat surface, ans spray from about 18" away from the light. dont overlap the lines. wait a few minutes until dry, then do another coat. if you are doing it right, you will barely see the tint after your first coat. By the third light coat, you get a very nice dark look... hopes this helps, the spray is like 15 a bottle in orlando, it,s a smaller can than regular spray paint.
i have tinted the tail lights, bumoer lenses and corner lenses on my car by myself, all you need is
1. VHS nightshades tail light tint spray (basically a spraypaint that makes your taillights as dark as a tint as you want, and as soon as you touch the brake lights, the light shows right through)2. clear-coat.
just make sure your lights are on a flat surface, ans spray from about 18" away from the light. dont overlap the lines. wait a few minutes until dry, then do another coat. if you are doing it right, you will barely see the tint after your first coat. By the third light coat, you get a very nice dark look... hopes this helps, the spray is like 15 a bottle in orlando, it,s a smaller can than regular spray paint.
The smoked signals dont look too bad, I like them. As for the tail lights, those are not smoked.. they are "blacked out." I dont like that "blacked out look," and technically it is illegal to black out a light. As you can see from the above picture, you absolutely cannot see the reflex reflectors which are embedded in the tail light assembly. Plus, the "blacked out" coating greatly reduces the light output from the stock tail lights.
If this is for show, I can understand. As for a street car, I wouldnt want to sacrifice my car's safety (and others on the road) with a tail light that emits LESS light, just to look different. Plus, I wouldnt want to deal with the hassle from the officials.
If this is for show, I can understand. As for a street car, I wouldnt want to sacrifice my car's safety (and others on the road) with a tail light that emits LESS light, just to look different. Plus, I wouldnt want to deal with the hassle from the officials.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 160
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From: california
Originally posted by PhantomZ
It is called VHT Nite Shades, the picture on the can is a very 1980's looking guy with some sunglasses on. The rest of the can has some chrome looking paper on it. It is "transparent black taillight lens paint" direct quote off of the can and it is a 7 oz can. with a black top
yes you spray it on the outside of the lights, some people dont clearcoat, but i did because it'll make them last longer and look better. just make sure you are good at painting stuff first because they will bubble up if you make it too thick or hold the can too close, but when you are done they are completely gorgeous...just dont get all crazy and make them too dark, or else The Man will be all over you.
It is called VHT Nite Shades, the picture on the can is a very 1980's looking guy with some sunglasses on. The rest of the can has some chrome looking paper on it. It is "transparent black taillight lens paint" direct quote off of the can and it is a 7 oz can. with a black top
yes you spray it on the outside of the lights, some people dont clearcoat, but i did because it'll make them last longer and look better. just make sure you are good at painting stuff first because they will bubble up if you make it too thick or hold the can too close, but when you are done they are completely gorgeous...just dont get all crazy and make them too dark, or else The Man will be all over you.
vht nite shades
you can get the paint off ebay, here's the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2420571966
and as for removal of the paint, i think its permanent. also, this paint does dry dull and you will need to clear coat it to add a shine.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2420571966
and as for removal of the paint, i think its permanent. also, this paint does dry dull and you will need to clear coat it to add a shine.
Most of those spray can coatings are poor quality. Think about it, do you paint your car with a spray can? If the answer is yes, then go ahead and buy this product.
Typically, these coatings look good for a short amount of time.. as after a bit of weathering, they start to fade and dull. In addition, the nozzles are poor quality and the cans dont contain much paint. Once the can is used about half way, the nozzles can often times clog or spray un-evenly. Plus, should you successfully coat your tail light, you will need a quality clear coat to protect the base coat. Like all paints, if you want it to adhere the light must be roughened up a bit with some wet-sanding.
If you take into account the time and money involved to *cleanly* execute this project, a smarter alternative would be to have a reputable body shop coat your lights for you. Many body shops have access to transparent paints like candy apple red or smoke. Their equipment is *obviously* better quality than your typical spray can nozzle. Of course, they will take care of all the preparation, painting, and clear-coating -- the result would be a lot cleaner this way.
Personally, I dont see the benefit of doing all this work.. because you just end up with LESS light output than what you originally started with. You might as well "window-tint" your lights, atleast you can remove that and wont have to have your lights resurfaced and restored. Removing paint from a tail light is VERY tedious work and will involve lots of wet-sanding and polishing -- a big job.
- Mike
Typically, these coatings look good for a short amount of time.. as after a bit of weathering, they start to fade and dull. In addition, the nozzles are poor quality and the cans dont contain much paint. Once the can is used about half way, the nozzles can often times clog or spray un-evenly. Plus, should you successfully coat your tail light, you will need a quality clear coat to protect the base coat. Like all paints, if you want it to adhere the light must be roughened up a bit with some wet-sanding.
If you take into account the time and money involved to *cleanly* execute this project, a smarter alternative would be to have a reputable body shop coat your lights for you. Many body shops have access to transparent paints like candy apple red or smoke. Their equipment is *obviously* better quality than your typical spray can nozzle. Of course, they will take care of all the preparation, painting, and clear-coating -- the result would be a lot cleaner this way.
Personally, I dont see the benefit of doing all this work.. because you just end up with LESS light output than what you originally started with. You might as well "window-tint" your lights, atleast you can remove that and wont have to have your lights resurfaced and restored. Removing paint from a tail light is VERY tedious work and will involve lots of wet-sanding and polishing -- a big job.
- Mike
get it done professionally should cost like 100$ or so.
window tint wont work for many reasons including that you probably wouldnt get it right, the curve is so sharp, youd never get it bubble free.
window tint wont work for many reasons including that you probably wouldnt get it right, the curve is so sharp, youd never get it bubble free.
Originally posted by SmokinZ
You CANNOT use window tint film on plastic lenses!!!!
Plastic on Plastic does not work. Trust me, hell ask any window tinter>
You CANNOT use window tint film on plastic lenses!!!!
Plastic on Plastic does not work. Trust me, hell ask any window tinter>
I am not a window tinter, but I dont see what the problem is on tinting something that is plastic -- what appears to be the difference? As long as the surface is smooth with no imperfections, it should work fine.
I am not trying to say it is or isnt possible, I am just asking you why you say its not a good idea to tint plastic, thats all.
I know several professional tinters who tint homes (in addition to automobile tinting). Not all the windows they tint are glass, some of them are plexiglas. In addition, we have a display window at our shop that shows the various tint percentages, and that too is made of plexiglas.
I know several professional tinters who tint homes (in addition to automobile tinting). Not all the windows they tint are glass, some of them are plexiglas. In addition, we have a display window at our shop that shows the various tint percentages, and that too is made of plexiglas.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 103
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From: Cincinnati, Ohio
Okay... Plastic film is made to stick to glass surfaces. Eventually the tint WILL bubble, turn yellow underneath and peel off.
It will not work! As a matter of fact it probably won't even stay good for a day or two.
I'm not gonna use up this forum to explain the chemistry of window film or the physics of plastic vs. plexiglass, so you do what you want to...
I'm just giving some advice... I am in the business.
It's not a good idea because it doesn't work!!!
It will not work! As a matter of fact it probably won't even stay good for a day or two.
I'm not gonna use up this forum to explain the chemistry of window film or the physics of plastic vs. plexiglass, so you do what you want to...
I'm just giving some advice... I am in the business.
It's not a good idea because it doesn't work!!!
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 290
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From: orlando
Originally posted by SmokinZ
Okay... Plastic film is made to stick to glass surfaces. Eventually the tint WILL bubble, turn yellow underneath and peel off.
It will not work! As a matter of fact it probably won't even stay good for a day or two.
I'm not gonna use up this forum to explain the chemistry of window film or the physics of plastic vs. plexiglass, so you do what you want to...
I'm just giving some advice... I am in the business.
It's not a good idea because it doesn't work!!!
Okay... Plastic film is made to stick to glass surfaces. Eventually the tint WILL bubble, turn yellow underneath and peel off.
It will not work! As a matter of fact it probably won't even stay good for a day or two.
I'm not gonna use up this forum to explain the chemistry of window film or the physics of plastic vs. plexiglass, so you do what you want to...
I'm just giving some advice... I am in the business.
It's not a good idea because it doesn't work!!!
