Well for a while ive been thinking about doing a taillight conversion with the rksport bezel and older tails.. but i started to embrace the look so i took the chevy emblem off and like them even more..but it was missing something... so i started looking around and found VHT Nite Shade... and here is the process to tint your tails...
Things you need....
VHT Nite- Shade
Spray Clear Coat
Tape pref masking or painters so it leaves no sticky stuff
exacto knife or razorblade..
at least a decient temp no less than 60 degress
sand papers 320, 600, 1000, or more if you want... i dont see any point..after a thousand if you clear coat...
Directions
1st STEP: Take tails off
2nd STEP: Clean Tails with window cleaner and with a towel that has little lint
3rd STEP: Sand down any thing you dont want on your tails such as little lettering progressive ly 320, 600, 1000
4th STEP: Prep the not to be painted portion by taping over it make sure you over lap the tape edges and press on it so no nite shade leaks through..
this is what it looks like after step 4
5th Step: Cut out with the razorblade or exacto knife exactly what you dont want to be tinted...(READ WHAT IF 2) dont press 2 hard if you mess up which you will .. just retape that little section and cut it out again.. make sure you press on that messed up piece of tape NO Leaks!!!
this is what it should look like after step 5
6th STEP: Spray Nite-Shade to get your desired effect.. it dries really quick so this will only take like 10 to 15 min at most. ( i did 5 light coats )
these pics are between the 3rd and 4th coat and you can see the progress of the nite-shade
7th STEP: Now after its dry pull the tape off your tail.. should look perfect.. if not look below
WHAT IF 1: There is some lint on the tails? Its ok.. we can fix it take that 1000 grit sand paper back out.. lightly go over the parts that have the lint on it now its gonna get cloudy but it will go away with the clear coat.
WHAT IF 2: you press too hard when you cut out your circles? you can buff those cuts out with the sandpaper.. 320 600 1000 grit sand paper. Before step 4 and after step 7
8th Step: Clear coat.. Personal Preferance.. I did 3 and then messed it up rushing to put up on and did another one.. oh well
Last STEP: Put Tails back in..
YOUR FINISHED!!
heres a pic of mine a day after in the rain.
I'd like to thank ANDY LEE aka cogcaviz24 my only friend in georgia... he is the hands in the pics cause i was taking pics.
Wow, nice write up. And very nice pics (but I think it would be nice if they were a little bigger
)
very nice job! I think I'm going to do that this weekend. You said the spray is called nite shade?
Watch out there nah!
yep.. i bought it off of summit...
Awesome write up on this!!! I've been trying to find an alternative to the rksport bezel as well. This is great!!
I'm gonna try to find night shade and get it done this weekend as well, I'll post pics of mine when finished!!
Can you post pics of the finished product with the tail lights on??
Also, how many cans of night shade for the whole project, and how many clear??
Thank's!!
looks good except now the trunk lock sticks out
i was going to get pics but i really am tired of this thread about a 1hr write up at least..
looks good but imho i think it needs a 03 type silver bowtie looks to plain to me.
Juicez99cav wrote:^^^^^Did you miss this last pic? or do you want more pics of the tailights on.
No I was looking for a night shot with the tail lights on, because night shade is a see through translucent right?
yea it is ill get a pic
4 ya 2marrow
Make damn sure the tint is applied EVENLY... I can't count the number of cars I've followed with home night shade paint jobs and the light shines through unevenly..LOOKS LIKE PURE ASS.... I recommend clear cloat...the night shades dry matte and look very dull after a while.
Don't buy from MANTAPART!!
Looks good, but if it's semi-translucent, I'd just as soon paint the bezel and tails to match my car (which is black anyways, but I don't want any light peaking through other than the lights themselves).
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yea thats one of the reason i went this way instead of that... its been done.. 2 many times...
looks good, has anyone outlined the rear section so it apperied that there were 95-02 stlye lights
If it doesnt break then you didnt drive it hard enough!
I drive an automatic, I'll race you... 1 hand and 1 foot.
you can't.. there's holes in the trunk lid that hold it on.. which is why people just swap in a 95-02 trunk if they want that look.
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i think he meant to outline it and then paint it, so that it "appears" to be the older tails. not actually removing the bezel itself.
um it took one can of each.. the nite shade used the hole can but the clear coat i still have a bunch left over..
BlackCav04 wrote:looks good, has anyone outlined the rear section so it apperied that there were 95-02 stlye lights
I don't know if anyone has or not, but I think that has the potential to look awesome.