Technical Plastic taillight lens darkening

I have a o/t car in my family ( my late sister's 1st car - '65 Mustang) that the sun has belached out the tail lenses to the point of turning them PINK when the lights are on or the binders are hit. EZ way out is to replace them with repros, but my BIL wants to keep the OEM's on the car.

I've herd about opaque red paint, via a bottle or a paint stick. I'm looking for advice on which brand and method works BEST for darkening faded lenses back to RED.

T-I-A, Tim

 

I used to get translucent red paint at model shops. Tamiya brand. Comes in orange too.

 

You can take red candy and put in to cheap urethane clear , lightly scuff and clean the lens, spray to coats of the candy paint and your done. Do the same thing to black out tail lights except replace red candy with weak black.
If you are not confident in doing that let me know I could custom package a enamel in aerosol can for you.

 

Oreilys sells paint called metal cast...yellow works on your headlights, and red for the tailights, basically candy spray bomb

 

tell your bro-in-law he is being goofy and go buy new ones..

 

Also you could probably take 1500 wet sand paper and sand the tail light and buff the shine back out on them.

 

Yep....

 

Stain glass paint at Hobby Lobby.

 

Red bulbs, or red bulb silicone covers that you can get a truck stops.

I put red bulbs or covers on pretty much all my tail lights, I just like the deep red glow they put out. Same for amber bulbs in turn signals and running lights. Even though the lens may be amber, I prefer the deeper color. I've also used the translucent model paint which works good too, but chips off after a while due to the heat produced.

 

The better repos out there are virtually indistinguishable from OEM, and will be made out of better modern plastic... Tell the BIL he's wasting your time....

 

I would guess they are repo on the car now. That is why they are pink.

 

No, the lenses are date-coded. IF they were replaced, FoMoCo lenses were used - from the dealer or from a yard.
My sis bought the car at 16, back in 1976, 289-4bbl/4-speed. Was her daily for 20+ years. Began working on the car as she battled demon CANCER last year, as it had sat for 6 yrs. with issues and a BUSY family life. 20-yo repaint hand-buffed out NICE with Maguire's ULTIMATE COMPOUND, yanked the motor for an under-hood restoration - my BEST work ever, as a rolling TRIBUTE to her. We lost her last October, and the car means THE WORLD to this hard-core GM guy... it was just so HER...

 

Thanks guys, for your responses! Take Care, Tim

 

there are original Ford lenses on ebay right now

 

The only 'date code' on the lens will be the SAE code used to identify the lens as to the model/year it fits and is used by the DOT for approval. The better repos (and even some of the cheapies) will have that; if it's a non-licensed repo, it will lack the manufacturer's mark but still should have the SAE code. The licensed repo's will have the OEM markings and will be virtually identical except possibly for material used to make it.

 

Try RIT dye.