makin your tailites all RED

[manchini]

1. Remove your taillights from your car: there are lots of directions for this other places, so I'm not going to bother.

2. Mask your reverse light (if you want to leave it clear, I did) with masking tape. Use tiny pieces to cover the curved part of the reverse light.

3. (You may want to use a tarp, or several pices of cardboard spread out on the ground, for this part) Using Testors Candy Apple Red translucent paint, spray a light coat of paint all over the taillights (so that everything matches) from about a foot to 18 inches away. Let this coat dry for approximately 10-15 minutes, and repeat until you have 4 coats on the taillights.

4. Let the fourth coat dry for 20-30 minutes, just to be safe, and then take the lights into a place where you can examine the paint closely. If you find any tiny flecks of dust/sand/whatever, go to step 5. Otherwise, go straight to step 6.

5. Using a very fine steel wool, "sand" down the lenses gently to remove any imperfections. When you have sanded the entire taillight, use a good cloth (like one you would use to dry your car after washing it) to wipe off the residue from the steel wool. Repeat until you have removed all the flecks in the paint, but be careful because if you rub too hard, or for too long, the paint will start to come off.

6. Using clear coat paint, give the taillights an even coat from one to two feet away. Let dry for 20-30 minutes, and apply another light coat in the same way. After 30-45 minutes, your taillights will be okay to reinstall.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Nice writeup!

Got any pictures of your results?

[audtatious]

I actually did this to the taillights of a Corolla I used to have. I used Kraylon black-gloss enamel and sprayed a coat onto the lenses. They looked pretty good and the lights could easily be seen through it.

Not red, but the same concept.