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How to Properly Paint Tails, Pics.

26K views 78 replies 22 participants last post by  NoBounds 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone,

I have been doing some of these taillights lately from the hatchbacks. I don't own an sti but with work ethic and "skill" I am able to produce an OEM quality painted tail light lens. I wanted to post this up to help anyone else with their project, so please ask any questions. I have to ship these back out to MI and as soon as the owner gets them I will post the pictures up. He currently cannot drive his car, waiting on these!

The taillights are "redded" out and then lightly smoked. Everything is topped off with automotive clear out of a gun, not the spray cans. Then wetsanded and buffed.

Enjoy.















 
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#49 ·
if you're going the DIY route, give yourself a full day to do it to be safe. it's really only like 2 hours of labor, but give yourself time for the coats to dry. I used VHT nightshades red (3 coats.. you can go as thin or as thick as you want depending on the shade of red you'd like), and generic clearcoat (3 coats as well). I am completely new to painting, or even rattle canning, so I'm happy they didn't turn out terrible. if I can do it, anyone can do it - I don't consider myself to be good at things that require accuracy or finesse. materials cost was around 20$.

clean the tail lights thoroughly - and clean them again. if you touch them before you spray them, clean them again. make sure they are absolutely clean and dry before you spray.

it helps to have a work bench to work on (like my buddies R33 GTR spoiler! haha). I spent a lot of time masking the centers off with generic painters tape.. and I used a razor to trim the edges a bit where I wasn't happy with them. if you layer the tape properly you can pull it off in one strip when you're ready to. do it cautiously though, you don't want to rip any of the paint off or screw up your edges.

I found it helpful, when laying the coats, to give it plenty of drying time (it was cold when we did it.. so we really needed extra time between coats). don't rush it. I also found it beneficial to alternate the direction that you are spraying the coats to ensure you hit all of the nooks and crannies (up and down first coat, left to right second coat, diagonal third coat). it's also really helpful to have a clean area to do the work in.. it is easy to get contaminates or hair and other stupid things trapped in your paint! we're humans, we're disgusting, we shed stuff all over the place, don't hover over your lights as they are drying :)



here's what it looks like with the first light coat on - it got a lot darker with the 2nd and 3rd coats, I was happy with the 3rd coat.



DIY pros - it's gratifying. it's inexpensive. it's a good learning experience. it's reversible if you botch it.
DIY cons - it will likely not turn out perfect. according to a lot of folks it is prone to fading over time (not sure how long that takes, I am sure it depends on the amount of sun exposure your car sees). store bought spray clearcoat is not great at withstanding UV rays
 
#50 ·
Thanks for posting that up. Looks good from the pictures. I would recommend any DIYer to pick up some 1/8 fine line tape. It is only $10. You can get very clean lines with the tape. The only real difference between myself and a DIYer is the clearcoat and the tint I use. I would really recommended an air bomb clear. It's pretty much the same clear you spray out of a gun except it is in a can. Once you pull the trigger on the bottom of the can it activates the can for about an hour. It runs around $25 per can but you get just about the same results as a paint gun. Once again thanks for sharing your project!
 
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