Tinted tailight options

[19sixtynine]

Hey everyone, just bought a murdered out Volvo wagon cuz I'm a family man now, but not a grown up (hee hee) and i'd REALLY like to tint those massive taillights. I still want the taillights to be fully visible and am wondering the best way to go about this. A friend of mine had his painted by a body shop that used tinted clear then buffs and polishes so they look awesome, but i'm not sure how much of the taillight shows through.

Is there a method that blacks out the light but still lets the light of the bulb through reasonably unobstructed? If so, is it something I can do or would need to take to a shop to do?

Pics of the new wagon attached for reference.

Thanks everyone!!

[PROTREE]

you should check and see if its legal in your state before doing it in MA. that would be illegal not sure other states

[pedro]

http://www.stickercity.com/tail_light_covers/

One option, vynal overlay. I have never done lights, but I have done emblems and trim. Looks good and fairly durable. Plus it will come off easily if you need to remove them (for example a ticket!!)

Pete

[MrQuick]

I like to use VHT nite shapes paint, they also offer a clear.

You can put down coats till its to your liking. 2 coats comes out good and you can still see the bulb and reflecter. Check with your local laws before using. Some states require that you are able to see the reflecter at 100 feet. I drive with my parking lights on.

Vince

[LateNight72]

I've used window tinting with mild success.

[elitecustombody]

I tint them all the time, but my procedure is a little complicated and if you do not have spraying equipment,sand paper,scuff pads, paint, reducers,clear, e.t.c. it can get expensive, so it's usually better to a shop do it or just use vinyl,

I start by sanding the lenses down with 400 or 600 grit, depending on the lense, if there are any raised letters or any uneven seams, I sand everything smooth, take brown scotch pad and scuff around the edges,once everything is prepped, I mask off the back housing ,wipe with prep solvent.

This is where alot of inexperienced guys will make a mess, they tint the clearcoat with the color and try to black out the lights, while keep hosing on thick clear, that starts running off the edges,then tey try to wetsand their runs or sags ,which starts removing the actual color, so they end up with blotchy lenses. I try to mix 1 part of regular black basecoat toner from mixing system with 20 parts of fast or medium reducer, do a test sprayout, if it covers and gets dark in one or two passes, I add more reducer, before shooting I like to shoot one or two coats of adhesion promoter just to be safe. I try to get coverage in about 20-25 light coats, that way it gives you plenty of room for getting the right shade,shoot few coats, take it outside and check, too light? add few more coats, once you're satisfied with the shade ,shoot two coats of high grade automotive catalized clearcoat and you're done. This method has been proven to work for me on countless sets of headlights and tailights I have done over the years, it still allows the light to shine right through.

Stefan

[19sixtynine]

AWESOME, great info everyone!

Thanks so much for all the suggestions.

R

[rednecknate]

May Sound Kinda cheesy but i have done em for year;'s With good success Just mist Krylon from a distance Then Use some decent clear coat my wifes sequioa has been that way for going on 4 years now and still look awesome.. I ave used the VHT nite shades also But it tends to leave little spots in my experiance.. I have also Done it with just tinting clear coat By adding mixing base to it!!! many way's I know my local tint shop has tint For lights specific that a friend of mine just had done But at $100 bucks a pair my Krylon method works fine..