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Stage 3 Modified
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 5,907
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How To: Turning clear tails into Red/clear tails
Okay i dont know if this has been posted before,...(probably has  ) but i just got a PM asking me to type out a list of materials and the process i used to do the tails i did for a friend,..i apologize for the lack of pictures of the process as i did this about a couple months ago and didnt think about taking pictures at the time,..maybe i will locate a set of clears and do them up red/clear and add pictures to my DIY,..i did however include a pictures of the tails i did after i had finished them
Materials needed:
1.Testors Candy Apple Red transperant paint (you can find this at your local Hobby shop that specializes in remote control cars,...or if you have a local Micheals craftstore,..they have it also)
2.3M masking tape (i use 3M because they make the best products)
3.Automotive clear paint (you can find this at any auto parts store) this is optional
4.Rubbing alcohol (this will be needed to get the surface that will be painted cleaned,...i suggest you clean off the WHOLE lens,...for reasons i will explain later)
The Process:
This DIY is quite easy as long as you can paint pretty good
1.first off, you will need to clean the lens,..the whole lens with the rubbing alchohol,...make sure to clean it good so that the paint will stick well
2.you will need to mask off ANY area you would not want painted,..this includes the bottom part of the taillights that will remain clear and also the back of the taillights because there will be overspray
3. now for the painting,...make sure you do the painting in an area that is pretty much clean,...you dont want flying dust to fly into the paint and stick
you will now apply a thin coat of the Testors paint to your tails,...you will want Thin coats because if you put on thick coats,.you run a chance of the paint running which is bad and will ruin the job,...make sure to apply the paint evenly to all areas that is being painted,...i used 3 coats total of the Testors paint,...waiting 15 mins in between each coat before putting on the next coat,...once you are done apply all the coats of the testors paint that you desired,...i suggest you wait atleast an hour before going to the next step
okay so now you are ready to remove the the masking tape that is on the bottom part of the lens that remained clear,...becareful not to touch the red painted area because it will not be dry enough to touch yet,...so carefully remove the masking tape from the bottom part of the lens,...*note* you should have not taking the masking tape off the back of the taillights,..just the tape that was on the actual lens was suppose to be removed
now i took some rubbing alcohol and i again cleaned the part of the lens that was not painted,....the reason i suggested cleaning the whole lens was because i sprayed clear onto the whole taillight instead of just the part that was red
Now spraying clear should be the same process as spraying the Testors paint,...again thin coats,...and apply evenly,...i again used three coats of the clear,....waiting 15 mins in between each coat,...once you have applied the desired amount of coats of clear,...you place the taillights in an area that nothing can get to them,..so nothing flying and what not can stick to the paint,...i suggest leaving the taillights sit overnight to ensure complete drying of the paint,...come back the next day and remove the rest of the masking tape left on the back of the taillights,..install the taillights and enjoy 
okay a couple things to note:
1. First to clear up any confusion....this question has been asked numerous times....YES you do paint the OUTSIDE of the lens,..you do not need to take the lens off the taillights to do this
2. i said to mask up the bottom of the lens for the taillights in my DIY,...but you can mask the top and paint the bottom if you would like,...its your preference
3. when people are talking about "smoking" or "tinting" their taillights,..they are pretty much gonna be using the process i used to paint the taillights,..but you will need RC car tint paint for the smoking or tinting of your taillights ( i have only seen this at hobby shops that specialize in RC cars)
4. for all you 5th gen civics and del sol owners out there that desire amber corners but do not want to pay to much for them,...you can use the same process i used to paint my tails, to paint your corners,...the paint you will need is orange Krylon stained glass paint (i did the krylon paint to my sidemarkers and it looks hot) the krylon paint can be purchased at your local craftstore,..hopefully Micheals craftstore
5.Its optional to use clear on your tailights,...i only did because i felt it will help the life of the paint to last on the taillights,...i recommend using the clear 
i hope this DIY helps a couple peeps,...here is the picture of my tails that i did,..they came out looking great 
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__________________
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Some Kid At The Track
Dude, all the cars that say Stage 3 Modified on them are fawking fast
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State Trooper: do you know how fast you were going?
Me: No not really,..my speedometer only reads up to 140mph and i was going way faster than that
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08-13-03, 06:27 PM
Linear Mode
