For those of you who want to tint tail lights:

Materials: 1 can of VHT niteshades, 1 can of Duplicolor auto clear/topcoat, 2000 grit sandpaper, dry towel, small bowl (to dip sandpaper in)



Heres a breakdown of the process:

-Clean the taillights good to remove dirt and grease.

-Wetsand the tail lights with 2000 grit sandpaper. They will turn white/grey cloudy. Then dry off




-Spray 1 even light coat of VHT niteshades over the tail lights. it will look like you hardly sprayed any. let dry for 10-15 mins. They should be dry to the touch before wetsanding.

(top is tinted, bottom isnt)


(now both)


-Wetsand with 2000 grit again. Then dry off



-Spray VHT niteshades. this time a darker/heavier coat. let dry for 10-15 mins. Should be dry to the touch



-Wetsand with 2000 grit again. Then dry off



-Spray final coat of VHT. Let dry for 20mins or until dry to the touch. Do not wetsand after your final coat of VHT



-Spray first coat of clear coat. Just a "spotty" coat on first. by spotty i mean that the clear coat will look really bad on your first coat. Don't be fooled, just let it go. Let dry for 10-15 mins or until dry to touch



(top is cleared, bottom isnt)



(now both cleared)


-Spray 2nd coat of clear coat. This time, do a heavier coat. This will give a nice shine if applied correctly. You want to apply enough clear to where it doesnt have a spotty texture anymore. Let dry 10-15 mins

(bottom is cleared twice, top still has spotty coat)



-You can do another coat of clear but i usually stop at 2. I believe i did 3 or 4 on my first pair of tail lights.




-Let the last coat dry for about 2-3 hours. They should be completely dry to the touch before you start wetsanding the last coat.



Once dry, wetsand lightly with 2000 grit sandpaper to smooth out the texture left by spraying the clear coat. Trust me, u wont ruin the tail lights. You will think you did but they will clear up. You may still have a slight texture to the lense but that is ok, just get the majority of the texture out.



-Take a cleaner wax/polish and apply to the tail lights and rub it in good by hand. A buffer or porter cable would work with a light polish and pad also




Then just wipe up and buff with a microfiber towel and the scratches should be gone.

(left is wax applied and removed, right is untouched)


It may take 3 or more coats of polish until you get it all. I like to use meguiars cleaner wax. It works better than polish in my opinion. It's softer too so it wont eat away at your clear coat as much. If you have trouble getting the sand marks out, try using a heavier polish or a buffer. Just keep at it until they are gone.

Then, just do 2 layers of wax and ur finished






this was my 4th pair I have ever done. [:D] no pics of this pair on the owners car yet. but i have others pictured below. I will try and get some night time pics. With 3 coats of VHT they shine through just a tad bit dimmer than stock during driving, and you can't even tell they are tinted when applying the brakes.

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http://www.cardomain.com/id/Warbeaver" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

it comes out "spotty" because the way vht comes out of the can is larger than regular paint

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Never seen anyone use a Grand Am GT badge before?

Anyhow, nice write-up

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1998 GTP (L32 swap) | 2000 SE (L67 swapped)

Why buy something sensible with a RWD setup when you can build something really stupid, like this

was that a question to me?

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http://www.cardomain.com/id/Warbeaver" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

got some pics of the tails on my buddies car. they look even better than I remember lol. i really need to find a set and retint some for myself.





regular lights

regular lights


brakes

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http://www.cardomain.com/id/Warbeaver" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh no, I was just saying.

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1998 GTP (L32 swap) | 2000 SE (L67 swapped)

Why buy something sensible with a RWD setup when you can build something really stupid, like this

Nice job..

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Never argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

my right one didnt turn out too bad, not nearly as good as the ones above tho. the left one is crappy. can i just clear this one some more to get more shine out of it?

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Just wetsand and add some clearcoat

Here's mine. I went with a more semi-gloss aproach since all my accents are semi-gloss black

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1998 GTP (L32 swap) | 2000 SE (L67 swapped)

Why buy something sensible with a RWD setup when you can build something really stupid, like this

Very nice. I got a set of Kota tails sitting around, I may just have to bust a project open after I repaint my bumper

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Mods: Vector ECM/TCM tune | VG Sharkfin | Volant CAI w/Amsoil Filter | Spyder Tails | GXP Rear Diffuser | Debadge | SLP Spoiler
Erebus: 2000 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
2009.5 G8 GT
GPONA's June COTM 2011 & March 2012

not bad

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Custom Tails to come eventually, possibly, hopefully!

i likes lol. im to lazy i might use static cling tint lol

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http://www.cardomain.com/id/lacboi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very nice write-up....I've seen tails tinted from the inside....I guess they heat them in the oven and remove the sealant.

My question is to whoever knows the real and truthful answer....Is this tinting process considered legal...???
Or does it correspond with your states tinting laws. I was just recently state inspected, I've got two years before my next one is due and I was actually debating tinting my coupes windows and doing the taillight tint myself.

However, I purchased the car in New York with beautiful tint, moved to Massachusetts - state inspector hand me a razor blade and said "If you want me to inspect this car - start removing all the tint..." Now I'm in Rhode Island, I love the look of tinted windows and tails but I don't want to go through the trouble if I'm going to be pulled over constantly and harassed for something as simple as tint.

Any suggestions, comments, or ideas...????

find out whats legal and smudge the numbers a bit darker
so it looks legal but is darker.

what is your car? hit up flip and he can hook you up with stockish light output

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My car is a '99 GP GTP Coupe...currently registered in RI....thanx for any info...!!!!

digging this one back up....ill be doing this within the next few weeks....hopefully it turns out as good as yours did..ill try on the 3rd brake light and reverse light first since those are cheaper to replace lol

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Only a memory
Pioneer Nav/Magnaflow Catback/E-Cutout/Poly MM/CAI/160*/TBS/STB F&R/Wrapped X-Over & 3'' DP/Flip Paint/XP5243 Atl. Plugs/10.4mm Taylor Wires/SSC

256HP/341TQ
14.05 @ 100.4 2.24 60'

^^^ you know you can buy sand paper?

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No way lol...yeah I know if I mess it up I can sand them back down

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Only a memory
Pioneer Nav/Magnaflow Catback/E-Cutout/Poly MM/CAI/160*/TBS/STB F&R/Wrapped X-Over & 3'' DP/Flip Paint/XP5243 Atl. Plugs/10.4mm Taylor Wires/SSC

256HP/341TQ
14.05 @ 100.4 2.24 60'

04+ REV and 3rd brake lights do like VHT or being painted so do light coats on them.. Dont spray them heavy..

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Never argue with an idiot, he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

if you want it lightly tinted can you just do one or two coats of vht? or do all three very very light? thanks

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2000 Grand Prix Gt Coupe

i know that vht you want to do mist coats for all of them to build up to the level you wanted

then use 2k grit sand and polish then clear and 3k sand and have at it till it's nice and shinny

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i used a similer method on mine and it looked good for a little while, but i think it was my fault, i will be redoing them this spring sometime for sure, with any luck they will turn out better this time.

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

alright because my brother may want it in his svt so I may show this to him but no way will we do it that dark! and once I get my car I want a light tint!

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2000 Grand Prix Gt Coupe

This is what my 04 turned out like. Didn't do the center brake light. All I have to say if you do this is take your time and don't rush it. Let each coat dry for 10-15 mins. I did few coats of clear after the VHT so I could wet sand and get the orange peel out. A lot of elbow grease with a good polish will get them looking great!

^ Well done!

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Mods: Vector ECM/TCM tune | VG Sharkfin | Volant CAI w/Amsoil Filter | Spyder Tails | GXP Rear Diffuser | Debadge | SLP Spoiler
Erebus: 2000 Grand Prix GTP Sedan
2009.5 G8 GT
GPONA's June COTM 2011 & March 2012