im about to do this for a friend of mine but,...i cant remember if im suppose to sand the lens to clean them up or not,...if i do sand the lense what grit should i use,...or is rubbing alcohol gonna clean them up enough for me to paint???,...TIA

 

just clean it up well, no need to sand.

 

Yeah clean with alcohol, let dry.

Spray with a few light coats of Candy Apple Red (or whatever color you are using).

Optional: finish with clearcoat.

I've had two sets of painted tails - one set has been painted for over a year (Spike has them now) without clearcoat and I'm sure the paint is still fine.

My current set has been on for a few months without clearcoat and has held up also.

 

thanks for the help guys,..one more question though,...i will be putting a couple coats of clear on the tails,...should i just clear the red paint or should i put clear on the whole tail light?

 

I would say clear the whole tail so that you don't get that little "ridge" where the red and white meet - and it won't scratch off at that place as easily either.

 

while on the topic of painting tails...i've seen some people with tinted rear taillights...how would one go about doing this?

 

definitely use clear coat, and put it over the whole thing. It will protect it.

 

go to your local hobby shop and get some RC car spray Tint,...PM Duff Man,...he did this and he knows what the exact name of the paint is i think

 

Transparent Candy Apple Red by Testors. The # on top of the can is 1605. Should run you about 3 bucks per can. Get two to be on the safe side. Should be available at your local hobby store, or even Wal-Mart.

 

http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=1414