Smoked tail lights.

  • MatthewZ31
    MatthewZ31
    Senior Member
    • 241

    Smoked tail lights.

    I heard of two methods to smoking your tail lights.

    one being some kind of spray, and the other is using good, old fashion tint. both, i believe, look best when applied to the inside of the tail light lens, but ive seen ppl apply to the outside.(mostly the spray)

    so i was plaining on tinting the inside of the tail light lens, but unsure how to separate, the lenses from the light unit.
    i know how to remove the tail lights, by undoing the few screws and applying heat.

    but, what i ask is, ive seen plenty z31's with the smoked out tail lights.
    how where those processes done? and just for clarity im not referring to the slightly smoked stocked 85-86 tail lights.
  • Guest's Avatar
    Guest

    #2
    vht night shades. clean the lens as if you were going to paint them, then spray on the night shades.
  • MatthewZ31
    MatthewZ31
    Senior Member
    • 241

    #3
    300cars wrote:[*]vht night shades. clean the lens as if you were going to paint them, then spray on the night shades.
    Thanks.
  • Matt89
    Matt89
    Senior Member
    • 2380

    #4
    I've use niteshades on cars in the past. It worked for what it is…a rattlecan. You can get ok results with it, well sort of. It will still look like you spay bombed your lights and is hard get it on evenly. The best way it to lightly spray them with black basecoat and then clear.
    Bolt on, fast, z31. You can only pick two.
    Old weaksauce numbers: 391hp/433tq

  • MatthewZ31
    MatthewZ31
    Senior Member
    • 241

    #5
    Matt89 wrote: The best way it to lightly spray them with black basecoat and then clear.
    well it seems u get what u pay for, the price different reflects what u've said
  • Guest's Avatar
    Guest

    #6
    Matt89 wrote: I've use niteshades on cars in the past. It worked for what it is…a rattlecan. You can get ok results with it, well sort of. It will still look like you spay bombed your lights and is hard get it on evenly. The best way it to lightly spray them with black basecoat and then clear.
    Got pics? I went through a lot of trouble to have advance order me night shades, I got them for 8 bucks a can damnit i am going to use them. For future reference what basecoat did you use?
  • Matt89
    Matt89
    Senior Member
    • 2380

    #7
    No pics off hand. I used a PPG fleet black base reduced 1:1. The next lights i do i will use a weak black that is slightly transparent that i just mixed today.
    Bolt on, fast, z31. You can only pick two.
    Old weaksauce numbers: 391hp/433tq

  • Gregmatic
    Gregmatic
    Senior Member
    • 2193

    #8
    Matt89 wrote: I've use niteshades on cars in the past. It worked for what it is…a rattlecan. You can get ok results with it, well sort of. It will still look like you spay bombed your lights and is hard get it on evenly. The best way it to lightly spray them with black basecoat and then clear.
    I just did my tails and all marker lights. It is all in the prep and understadning of what you want. I did one light wet coat and covered with a clearcoat. I didn't want them to look tinted, just wanted to take the edge off the color, so to speak. They came out suprisingly well and the clearcoat adds a factory-looking gloss. Also did a pair of N/A tails w/ Clearz.com smoked lenses and also had excellent results. They are almost identical to my 86T smoked tails on color, a bit brighter but only very slightly so. Car is garaged so the elements are not a concern for longevity. Pics will be posted up tomorrow for reference, possibly under the "what did you do to your z today?" thread.
  • Shady195
    Shady195
    Senior Member
    • 679

    #9
    http://www.lamin-x.com/

    Good stuff, just buy a couple of sheets of it and use these to do your markers/tailights..

    A friend of mine introdeuced me to this stuff, works great!
    1989 300ZX 2+2 N/A GLL
    Auto to Manual Swap
    NA2T Complete
  • vagabond
    vagabond
    Senior Member
    • 3455

    #10
    Matt89 wrote: You can get ok results with it, well sort of. It will still look like you spay bombed your lights and is hard get it on evenly…
    I disagree. If you treat it like a proper paint job, it can look great. This involves roughing the surface, a good clean, multiple thin coats to the desired opacity, wet sanding and clear coating with more wet sanding. I waxed after I wet sanded and clear coated for a second time after I wasn't quite satisfied.

    I only have pics of the intermediate process on my DD, as an experiment, but will be repeating the process for the Z when I get to the body work


    I paid aprx. $15 shipped +/- $1 from an online retailer for two cans of VHT.
  • DeleriousZ
    DeleriousZ
    Senior Member
    • 6874

    #11
    i don't get the idea of the smoked looking taillights? to each his own i guess but it looks silly to me.

    1988 300zxt. gt35, stance, etc. Wheels: Varrstoen ES2 18x9.5 et-13 225/40. 18x10.5 et0 245/40
    1990 jetta vr6'd
  • vagabond
    vagabond
    Senior Member
    • 3455

    #12
    Depends on the owner, the car and the lens.
  • MatthewZ31
    MatthewZ31
    Senior Member
    • 241

    #13
    Shady195 wrote: http://www.lamin-x.com/

    Good stuff, just buy a couple of sheets of it and use these to do your markers/tailights..

    A friend of mine introdeuced me to this stuff, works great!
    i like this idea, hows ur look?
  • Shady195
    Shady195
    Senior Member
    • 679

    #14
    Dident do anything on my car yet, just my friends 5 series..


    Worked great long as the surface is clean and you have a steady cutting hand youll be set
    1989 300ZX 2+2 N/A GLL
    Auto to Manual Swap
    NA2T Complete
  • MatthewZ31
    MatthewZ31
    Senior Member
    • 241

    #15
    okay cool, thanks.