DIY - All Red Taillights

[dvck]

deer dnova89...

Follow the work process of td325ic youre bound to get good results if youre patient
and follow along. I edited his instructions to be as clear cut as possible.

All red tail lights based on method used by td325ic.

1. Mask all but amber portion of your lights.
2. First spray 3 light coats on the amber.
3. Unmask and mask off reverse light.
4. Sprayed the whole light with 2 medium coats.
5. Remove masking of reverse light.
6. Wait a few days for Metalcast paint to cure.
7. Spray with SprayMax 2-part Urethane Clear Coat Aerosol over entire light.
8. Wait a few days for the urethane clear to cure.
9. Wet-sand with 1500 - 2000.
10. Polish out sanding scratches with 3M Rubbing Compound and orange foam pad.
11. Finish off with Menzerna Micro Polish and Gray foam pad.



I'll be following these directions as soon as i can pic up a nice extra set of tails.

[ck_taft325is]

1) Mask off light around Amber turn and on the clear reverse light (disregard if you're deleting the reverse light)
2) Duplicolor Metalcast Red 2-3 coats on the Amber turn with 10 minutes inbetween
3) Unmask light no longer than 10 minutes after last coat applied (except reverse light if applicable)
4) Within 10-15 minutes spray entire light to desired "red" shade

5) Remove masking tape and let light cure for 5-7 days (heavily dependant on temperature - I place mine in front of a gas fireplace, about 2' away for 2-4 days before step 6)
6) Light wet-sand after "cured" with 800-1500 grit
7) Wash with mild soap/water mixture and let dry
8) Spray entire light with clear of your choice (SprayMax 2-part Urethane Clear is a good product) in 1 light coat followed within 10 minutes by 1 medium and 1 'wet' coat (use your judgement on this so as to not get any sags in the paint)
9) Let cure for 3-7 days (again, temperature dependant)
10) Wet-sand with 2000-2500 grit
11) Polish and buff out

As for products, I'm not sure what these pro's use (ZM Blue Devil and td325ic).

[dvck]

did you find that the clear adheres that much better when you sand after the red
is cured?
also i think i'd be tempted to use a finer grit count on the red, 1500-2000?

[ck_taft325is]

Adheres, I don't know. The metal cast has a gloss in it and I prefer to get the color I want, knock the clear in the metal cast off and then use the final (urethane) clear as my finish/top coat. On two sets of lights, I polished on the final step and didn't bother with nearly any sanding except where I had a sag.

The finer grit the better. I used 800 on my first set and 1500 on the second. Couldn't see a difference in the final product.

[dnova89]

Thanks guys I really appreciate it! Gonna start it as soon as my spraymax gets in, I'll post pics when I'm done.

[DonkeySlide]

That candy apple red looks on the spot. No ugly blotches. Very Nice
__________________________________________________ ______________________

FT:FS 2001.5 S4

[caliGreen]

do i clear coat the reverse light too.. or keep that masked(tapped) and clear the whole light exept the reverse light?

[SimplyDope]

Bump :)

[Holland]

Clear coat the entire lens, it will look funny if you don't.

[RobertB]

Mine with Model Masters transparent black:

How many coats of MM transparent black?

Thanks

[idobref]

redout looks lighter in real life ;P

[rich4rdee]

redout looks lighter in real life ;P

awesome pic man

[TheCanuck]

Clear coat the entire lens, it will look funny if you don't.

^^

[RobertB]

What's the best paint remover to use on this? I want to re do mine...

Thanks

[N2MYE30]

What's the best paint remover to use on this? I want to re do mine...

Thanks

I hafta redo my coupe ones as well but I was gonna resand it them down.