Nightshaded my taillights (rattlecan awesome-ness)

[bigdog2k7]

I got bored so I nightshaded the side markers and taillights on the GT.

lets start off with the side markers:

that's 2 coats of nightshade and 3 coats of lacquer clear

If anyone wants to know how these come off, it's really easy. Pop the christmas tree off that holds the bumper to the body on the bottom near the wheel well. Take the two phillips head screws out of the wheel well area holding the bumper on. Then pry the bottom of the bumper out while laying under the car with a ratcheting wrench, reach your arm between the bumper and the body and carefully remove the two lock nuts that hold the reflector in place.

Here are the taillights, I wanted everything dark, but not blacked out. The reflectors still shine red when there is light shined on them and I wanted the same effect from the taillights.

2 coats of nightshade, 5 coats of lacquer clear (to compensate for wetsanding the hard to reach areas and many corners).

Will post better pictures once my wheels get back from being coated and the car can leave the garage. Enjoy!

 

[Tispho]

They came out nicely. Good job.

 

[mooch29]

Real nice job on those, I never understood why when some people do this they come out with a flat finish.

 

[lobra97]

dumb question but the can is called Niteshade? reason being is that i want to do this to my truck lights, they came out nicely, where did you get the stuff from? i recently plasti dipped my stuff so i want a darker look, how long did it take to dry etc before you mounted back on?

 

[bigdog2k7]

They came out nicely. Good job.

Thank you.

Real nice job on those, I never understood why when some people do this they come out with a flat finish.

Thank you. Well, most people don't clear coat over the nightshade and I finish off my work by wetsanding 1500-3000 grit and buffing with various foam pads and polishes to get them shiny like that. It's very time consuming with rattle cans but I don't have access to a paint booth so I have to do what I have to do lol.

dumb question but the can is called Niteshade? reason being is that i want to do this to my truck lights, they came out nicely, where did you get the stuff from? i recently plasti dipped my stuff so i want a darker look, how long did it take to dry etc before you mounted back on?

Yes, the product is VHT Nightshades. Walmart, Meijer, Advance Auto Parts, etc... carry it. Thank you, and I prepped everything, wiped it down with alchohol. Start off using adhesion promoter then every 10 minutes lay a nice, thin, even coat of nightshade till you achieve your desired look. Then lay down your clear thick enough to "flood" the light but not thick enough for the clear to run. I let my plastic parts sit for 24-48 hours before wetsanding and buffing them to put back on the car. Work time is approximately 8-10 hours for everything. Wait time is approximately 2-3 days.

 

[ZD302GT]

what clear did you use that you were able to wet sand it and polish it? ive never had good luck doing that with rattle can pain. it doesnt get hard enough

 

[lobra97]

Thank you.

Thank you. Well, most people don't clear coat over the nightshade and I finish off my work by wetsanding 1500-3000 grit and buffing with various foam pads and polishes to get them shiny like that. It's very time consuming with rattle cans but I don't have access to a paint booth so I have to do what I have to do lol.


Yes, the product is VHT Nightshades. Walmart, Meijer, Advance Auto Parts, etc... carry it. Thank you, and I prepped everything, wiped it down with alchohol. Start off using adhesion promoter then every 10 minutes lay a nice, thin, even coat of nightshade till you achieve your desired look. Then lay down your clear thick enough to "flood" the light but not thick enough for the clear to run. I let my plastic parts sit for 24-48 hours before wetsanding and buffing them to put back on the car. Work time is approximately 8-10 hours for everything. Wait time is approximately 2-3 days.

ahhh gotcha....hmmm maybe i'll do it later, plastidip took a while too but not that long. didi my rims and my chrome side bars, check it out in my other thread.:beer:

 

[bigdog2k7]

what clear did you use that you were able to wet sand it and polish it? ive never had good luck doing that with rattle can pain. it doesnt get hard enough

Duplicolor automotive clear, I was able to wetsand and polish it after about 24 hours. Make sure you lay down enough coats to accomodate the wetsanding, I usually stick to 3-5 coats with 10 minutes between coats.

 

[05satinGT]

That's the way they should be done. They look great.

 

[twista]

not bad

 

[SVTORANGE]

They came out great - good job :rockon:

 

[bigdog2k7]

That's the way they should be done. They look great.

not bad

They came out great - good job :rockon:

Thank you all!

Can't wait to pull the car out of the garage and let them bake in the sun for a while epper:

 

[dads01dream]

They look terrific!! Would love to see some pics when the lights are on & when you depress the brake pedal. You did a great job on this mod, thanks for sharing.

 

[bigdog2k7]

They look terrific!! Would love to see some pics when the lights are on & when you depress the brake pedal. You did a great job on this mod, thanks for sharing.

I'll take some when I leave class today, she sits in the garage on jackstands right now so night shots are fairly easy with the door closed haha. Thank you.

Next mod will be sequential taillights >

 

[brandont70]

Great Job! And you will love the sequential tail lights. I just put them on and I love them.

 

[SVTORANGE]

The sequential lights do look badass on the 03-04

 

[BayouVette]

yours came out great, but I hate when people do this and not do it right. You really can't see the damn brake lights.

 

[Ebeeson0502]

now do the lights on your john deere

 

[zak88lx]

Good job!

On a side note can you take a picture of the wall mount you made for your Echo trimmer?

Thanks!

 

[ThatOneCobra]

Those look great man. I think I might try this on a spare set of tail lights that I have. Thanks for sharing :rockon: