[Zatrekaz]

Originally Posted by Rich J I untinted them because I started liking the stock look but that went away after about 2 weeks.

I think this may be your underlying problem. How did you untint them... sanding? Were they smooth when you got done? If not, then that would cause your new paint to not come out the way you want it to.

A very simple guide to painting almost ANYTHING:

1. Clean
2. Scuff with Scotchbrite (if already painted)
3. Sand with 600 grit
4. Sand with 800 grit
5. Apply desired tint/color. Use smooth even strokes acorss the surface. Apply thin. Allow time for the coat to become "tacky" before adding another coat.
6. Allow last coat to become "tacky"
7. Apply layers of clear. For rattle can clear, you want to use heavy coats and good ammounts of heat to aid in the adhesion.
8. Let dry overnight
9. Wetsand with 1000, then 1500, then 2000
10. Compound
11. Polish
12. Wait about a week, then wax/seal.

This was my result, and I have used this method on countless projects:




This is a write up I made a while back about painting interior pieces. However, it can be applied to almost anything. It goes into more detail on the processes: HOW TO: Paint Interior Plastic Trim

[whyxitx]

repped for awesome-ness

[stang0246l]

first time i did mine i folowed the steps from this site Smoked Tail Lights: Tutorial
they came out pretty shiny after all the coats of compound. takes a little while but it helped me a lot i thought maybe it might be useful for you too

[6ER THEN I 8ER!]

i just sprayed mine with 3 coats within 30 minutes then put them on the car after another 10ish minutes of driving then drove to work....

shiny enough for me lol....now i like the red lenses and a blackout panel look so the tints gone



now it looks like this...

[tommy93]

Originally Posted by 6ER THEN I 8ER i just sprayed mine with 3 coats within 30 minutes then put them on the car after another 10ish minutes of driving then drove to work.... shiny enough for me lol....now i like the red lenses and a blackout panel look so the tints gone now it looks like this...

pshhhh not even glossy enough... hahaha
this is where its at yo

[V8ornothing]

Originally Posted by 6ER THEN I 8ER i just sprayed mine with 3 coats within 30 minutes then put them on the car after another 10ish minutes of driving then drove to work.... shiny enough for me lol....now i like the red lenses and a blackout panel look so the tints gone now it looks like this...

How'd you get the tint off?

[6ER THEN I 8ER!]

Originally Posted by V8ornothing How'd you get the tint off?

there was a GT in a parking lot...i said hey do you like my tail lights..."yes" was the reply....i then said wanna swap really quick...10 minutes later thanks to my deepwell 11mm socket i had red tails and he had blacked tails...

same way i got rid of my old tinted headlights for some black housing stockers

[V8ornothing]

Originally Posted by 6ER THEN I 8ER there was a GT in a parking lot...i said hey do you like my tail lights..."yes" was the reply....i then said wanna swap really quick...10 minutes later thanks to my deepwell 11mm socket i had red tails and he had blacked tails... same way i got rid of my old tinted headlights for some black housing stockers

Oh wow I can't believe I didn't see they were two different cars.

[6ER THEN I 8ER!]

Originally Posted by V8ornothing Oh wow I can't believe I didn't see they were two different cars.

they are the same car...the tails are from different cars though

[RZNCAIN]

^6er is the 8er still for sale?

[V8ornothing]

Originally Posted by 6ER THEN I 8ER they are the same car...the tails are from different cars though

stop changing your cars and confusing me. One has spoiler other one doesn't

[6ER THEN I 8ER!]

Originally Posted by RZNCAIN ^6er is the 8er still for sale?

yeah...might have a buyer though coming in the next week or so. if he buys it then im banking the money to put toward my starter home after i get married in the spring.

[SNmustang95]

Originally Posted by whyxitx He did his with VHT, and they came out really nice.

i cleaned mine, wet sanded with 1500, sprayed 3 coats (2 wet and one light coat in between), clear, wet sanded VERY lightly with 1500 till it was completeley fogged over, then buffed with mequires ultimate compound. ive notice rubbing it with hand works way better. IMO.

[04gtvert]

I just took the vht plunge and mine are not glossy at all. Oddly my side markers and 3rd brake light turned out pretty good.

[chrisv_10]

Are you hand polishing them? I would wait a couple of days before you sand them and buff them. I used duplicolor clear that comes in a quart can from autozone and tinted them with some black and they came out pretty shiny.

[Kohrs93]

Try these. I am very pleased with them.



99-04 MUSTANG SMOKE TAIL LIGHT TINT COVER BLACKOUT GT | eBay

[Rich J]

Originally Posted by Kohrs93 Try these. I am very pleased with them. 99-04 MUSTANG SMOKE TAIL LIGHT TINT COVER BLACKOUT GT | eBay

I appreciate the link, but if I got those I know they wouldn't last long. A week would go by and one of my friends would go up to them and say "Is that vinyl" as they are trying to peel it off.


I have noticed after seeing my friend use the same lens tint I did on his Evo that it comes out more shiny if you don't sand at all. He just sprayed 3 coats, didn't sand, polish, buff, wax, anything and they are more shiny than mine.

I give up

I will probably try to find some stockers at a junkyard and try that just to see how it comes out. Local yard a co worker told me about is doing this thing where if you can carry it by yourself its $20 no matter what.

[BadassSN95]

Looking at the pics here I need to rebuff and polish mine! lol

[tommy93]

Originally Posted by Rich J I appreciate the link, but if I got those I know they wouldn't last long. A week would go by and one of my friends would go up to them and say "Is that vinyl" as they are trying to peel it off. I have noticed after seeing my friend use the same lens tint I did on his Evo that it comes out more shiny if you don't sand at all. He just sprayed 3 coats, didn't sand, polish, buff, wax, anything and they are more shiny than mine. I give up I will probably try to find some stockers at a junkyard and try that just to see how it comes out. Local yard a co worker told me about is doing this thing where if you can carry it by yourself its $20 no matter what.

then i guess youre doing it wrong?
the sanding is just so the tint has something to grab on to... But yea, i guess you can experiment with whatever and see what works. Or just send them to me and ill have a go at them

[Silver2000GT]

Originally Posted by 6ER THEN I 8ER i just sprayed mine with 3 coats within 30 minutes then put them on the car after another 10ish minutes of driving then drove to work.... shiny enough for me lol....now i like the red lenses and a blackout panel look so the tints gone now it looks like this...

Looks a lot better in the second pic imo