Tail Light Trick!

I don't know if this has been posted before, but I thought I would share this little trick I figured out. My tail lights were kind of crackled and the red had faded to clear in some spots on them. The only new replacement sets I've seen are more then $500. So I went to the hobby shop and bought some of this...


I sprayed the inside and outside, it colored it up, made the white cracks disappear, and being translucent, it still has all the light coming through.












I didn't take any before pics unfortunately, but they were in way worse shape than the brake lights, which will be sprayed next time I take the assembly off the trunk.






The spray cost less than 7 bucks.

 

Cool... Thanks for the tip.

 

Im wondering how much it effects light going through. I know you said its transparent, but I cant imagine it being as bright as stock. Have you tried it after dark?

great idea though

 

Yeah, they light up as much as they ever did, I'll try to get a pic in the dark later.

 

That turned out really well. Are you going to do the reflector above the light?

 

I would like to find a replacement for that, yes

 

I did this same thing for a buddy a while back. I used to see that color in a big can at the auto stores, but unfortunately they stopped making it. So yea had to get the hobby stuff. Works great! You would never know that they were painted. I did not however paint the insides so his lights look pink at night!

 

I've seen this before with mini truckers. I've seen it done to change clear lens to red but never thought about using it to clean up old lenses. This allows plenty of light still. Very cool, yours came out great!!!

 

That looks pretty good! I did something similar... wanted blue back lighting for my gauge set and came up with this. 3 thin coats to get to this shade.

 

Thanks for the info, anything for an amber front parking light?

 

Tamiya is not traditional! Pactra or Testors please!

 

Wow.....Looks brand new. Great idea.

 

Candy apple paint is pretty much translucent, so I think that's a great idea 49Meadowbrook!

 

Fantastic idea-thanks for posting. I'm gonna use this trick for sure.

 

dupli color makes a anodized look paint that works the same. pretty cool

 

i sparyed my clear turn lights with orange motor paint on the inside, they still light up

 

And thanks for the great tip! I also put that metalic foil tape inside the buckets to reflect a little more light... Or paint the bucket insides white like someone said....

 

looks good i will remember that trick.

 

i used that trick back in 2004 while at Wyotech on my daily driver ranger..haha wouldnt you know it the next week there were "copy cats" haha it works well.

 

cool trick! I'm gonna use that for sure

 

I want to see night before and after pictures, but I believe it will work. I mean come on, some guys smoke their taillights with paint, right?

 

If you need taillight plastic check at a place that makes signs. I have a old 1938 seeburg jukebox and when I got it the plastic was gone. I needed some rounded plastic for the sides. I stopped at a place that made these plastic signs for stores. They use a special plastic that you can heat and form to shape. It works a lot better than standard plexiglass, I wasn't able to use plexiglass. Anyway they heat the plastic and it will form any way you want. You could make a taillight pattern like you need out of wood. Then just heat the plastic with a heat gun and push it over the wood pattern until it fills in the piece like you need. They showed me how they make a sign. All it was is a wood pattern that the plastic forms over when they heat it. The pattern had holes and they use a vacumm to suck the air out of the pattern so it hold better. But something as small as a taillight you could press over with a work glove on. After I made the plastic piece for my jukebox I spray painted it like you did. I did that over 15 years ago and it still looks good. I spray painted the back side of the plastic so on the outside that you see the plastic is shiny .

 

I use faux stained glass paint, available at hobby shops and crafts stores, for tail lights. I just spray the inside though, not the outside. Very light coats is the key. Works great.

 

Candy orange works. A friend of mine used Aztek Gold but it's too yellow in my opinion.

 

interesting & use the brighter bulbs too. always liked those dodges. neat -0-

 

yes definitely works well... i did some clear lenses both red and amber --with some Testors brand kitset paint -- for a project ...

if you are worried about the light intensity if the light bases are a little dull .. glue some Aluminum foil on to them ... makes a huge difference!!

 

I tried getting a good night time shot, but you know how it goes...




I think in this one I caught the right turn flasher




If I had someone to hold either the camera or the brake pedal I could show how close it is to original, but I really think it's as bright now as it ever was... we are still dealing with 6v here.
And yeah, my license plate light is out, I know.

 

Thanks for the tip! I have one discolored tail light, and I thought I was going to have to find another one to match the good one.

 

thanks. great option.

 

If the bulbs are close to the lenses, that spray on model paint will heat and bake and peel off.

I know, it has happened to me. Looks good to begin with, then as it ages it does not do well with the heat of the bulbs.