DIY - All Red Taillights

[5KWattson]

dude duplicolor as many ppl have said the metalcast fades

[red325]

dude duplicolor as many ppl have said the metalcast fades

?
Duplicolor is metalcast I thought...

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalcast.html

[5KWattson]

nope i just looked at my can by coincidence and its not i have not actually seen metalcast but i think its some crazy color can

[Holland]

Here's mine I did a while back. Testor's candy red and I had the touch up guy on the lot shoot them with clear.





I know the epic ride height, early 318's are monster trucks.

[dvck]

sorry but i don't think your choice of wheels/tires help, in fact they accentuate it in a
negative way.

the lights look pretty clean though.

[JasonC]

Holland, your car looks nice! Needs a drop, but i'm sure you may know that. Did you get those wheels off of Jean?

[joonsup]

I think if you're going to spend all the time to redo them then you should spend the few extra bucks and spray them with urethane clear coat. Grab a can of Spraymax 2-part urethane clear coat, comes in a special spray can. It sells for $20 at automotive paint supply stores.




Here's some tail lights I did last fall:

They are done with Duplicolor MetalCast Red. First sprayed 3 light coats on the amber, then sprayed the whole light with 2 medium coats.

Waited a few days for metalcast paint to cure

Then sprayed with SprayMax 2-part Urethane Clear Coat Aerosol

Let cure for a couple days then wetsanded with 1500 - 2000.

Used Porter Cable 7424, polished out sanding scratches with 3M Rubbing Compound and orange foam pad. Finished off with Menzerna Micro Polish and Gray foam pad.

YouTube Video











Pictures not enhanced at all, that is exactly what they look like in person

i'm in the process of painting mine and i'm waiting for the paint to cure. anyone know how much clear coat to spray on? whole can? half can?

[ck_taft325is]

"td325ic" uses a 2 stage Urethane automotive clear and then wet sands and polishes his tails.

If you're going to rattle can it, follow the recommended painting procedure on the can. In most cases, it's 2 light coats with 10 minutes inbetween and one "wet" (heavy) coat within 30-60 minutes.

After the first coat, let it cure for 1 week OR bake it next to a fireplace (like I do) for 3 days or so. Wet sand until a even "matte" finish. Wash with a mild dish washing detergent mix and then let dry. Re-spray in the same fashion again. Let cure before final polishing.

[joonsup]

damn that means my e30 will be out of commission for a long time. So let me get this straight.

Since i'm rattle canning the clear coat, i'll do 2 light coats with 10min in between, and then one heavy coat within 30 to 60 min.

Then let it cure, and then wet sand, and then 2 light coats with 10 min in between, and one heavy coat within 30 to 60 min. then let it cure again, and then just polish W/OUT wetsanding??

[ck_taft325is]

Yup, I don't wet sand out the last coat. I do believe "td325ic" wet sands with like 2000 grit on his final coat and then polishes out. If you have a few spares around it helps. I highly suggest getting at least one extra set to practice on and really refine the process.

[ck_taft325is]

Here's an example of my red turns/clear without polishing using the above:




Yes, I cleared the black surround. I enjoy the slight gloss and it doesn't look nearly as "glossy" once it's on the car ;)

[Jand3rson]

Those all look great. It's getting about time to re-do mine or do a new set, mine are starting to get a few nicks and dings here and there.

[dnova89]

Okay, so I just read this ENTIRE thread in one sit-down. I have never painted ANYTHING before. Here's the process I'm going to do after reading this thread and all the threads that were linked to from this one. I'm supposed to be studying for finals, HAH wtf am I doing here. Anyway I like td325ic's lights the best so I'll use his method:

Please fill in the blanks, those are the steps I'm unsure about:

1) Mask off light instead except amber part
2) Duplicolor Metalcast Red 3x light coats on the amber
3) ______________ How long should I wait in between steps 2 and 4?
4) ______________ Any wetsanding required here?
5) Unmask light except for reverse light and 2x medium coats on entire light.
-Then unmask reverse light after 2x medium coats
6) ______________ Any wetsanding required here?
7) Let the light cure for ___ days.
8) Spray entire light with SprayMax 2-part Urethane Clear Coat Aerosol <---- This is automotive grade right?
-How many coats?
9) Let cure for a couple days and wetsand with 1500-2000 grit
10) I don't have any machines so can someone describe to me in detail the buffing/polishing process by hand and which products to use?

I'm still a bit unsure about this process, any advice would be reassuring. Also I'm thinking about tinting my lights with either the model masters translucent black like Uber E30 or the VHT Nightshade. How would the process differ if I did that? I have a cyrrus blue 4dr so I'm not sure tint would look good.

Also I thought it was funny how many times that guy linked to the DIY where he used the testors clear coat lol.

Thanks,
Darius

[Jand3rson]

If you have never painted anything before, I would practice painting some other stuff just to make sure you've got the hang of it.

[dnova89]

I don't really know what else to paint haha. It's no worries, I don't think I'll do too bad, I mean I've screwed around with paint before, just never did anything that I was actually going to use. I just need someone to fill in the blanks and i'm good to do. The worst that can happen is I'll need another set of used tail lights, but I highly doubt it'll be that bad.