hey all...i just finished my little 95/96 tailight project, figured i would post a pic.

i went with redding all 6 sections so they matched and then smoking all 8 sections afterwards. i think it turned out very well...i think it looks good on a dark Max. let me know what you guys think.

--Paul



i have some more pics if you guys are interested.

 

 

very nice!

 

i think it looks pretty good do you have anymore pics of the hole back end?

 

How'd you smoke em out? Can u post some instructions I used the vinyl tape but now i want to go w/ paint. What kinda paint and where did u get em from? Hmm... what if the cleared part were to be smoked a little bit more...

 

yeah let me upload some more...and get some intructions layed out..stupid dial-up...

in that pic the clear part is not done justice...its pretty dark in reality. i almost thought too dark...but i think its perfect in the daylight.

i was going to get the paint from procarparts.com but when i saw the price tag i started to look elsewhere. i got on testors website and got the "candy apple red" transparent spray and "Transparent smoke" spray from them...$10 shipped to my door for both cans. they are only 3oz. cans...needless to say i used pretty much all of it for my set.

 

alright i purchased the transparent red and smoke paint from www.testors.com. its the spray enamel in a 3oz can.

i removed the 4 pieces of the tailights (2inners, 2outers) by pulling off the gray trim that covers the trunk latch, and pulling back the gray trunk liner exposing the rear of the tailight housing. there are just 4 8mm hex nuts on EACH piece. remove the nuts, unclip the wiring harnesses and side marker bulbs and they are ready to come out. you have to use great force from the trunk side of the housing to push them outwards. i gave them a start by hitting the lenses with a blow dryer....watch out for the goo its nasty.

i taped off the black trim around the lenses and clear reverse portion with 3M masking tape. and sprayed with the red paint. i put 3 healthy coats on each piece. waiting 10 minutes in between each coat.


after letting the red dry for 6 hours i removed the covered portion on the clear lense and sprayed all 4 sections with the transparent smoke. i only gave the smoke 2 coats as it looked like it would be getting too dark. i waited 10 mintues again between the coats.


after letting the smoke dry overnight they were ready to go back in. pull the masking tape off and just reverse your procedure for taking the tailights out for putting them in.


i think this a good altervative for us 95/96 owners out there. its pretty inexpensive but it does take patience...just dont rush and have a steady hand. if you dont feel comfortable with your spraying i would advise getting at least 2 cans of each color. i was brave and only got 1 each...basically due to the fact that i thought the paint would go a little bit farther.

hope this helps you guys.

--Paul

 

here are some more that go with the previous post...it wouldnt let me include this amount of photos in one post...

Red

Red/Smoke

Full Rear

 

Looks great Paul. HOpefully I'll get to see em in person at the UofM meet.

 

maybe before then steve...if the rain holds off

 

looks great man,.. better than paying 200 bux for red clears online!!
if the paint was meant to be used in that sort of application, i wouldn't worry about the rain

 

haha...i see how that could have been taken that way. but i was refering to our friday night track nights and a meet we have coming up.

the paint will not come off in the rain!!

 

where is the meet?.. i'm in mass if you're anywhere near there.

 

im in the DC area...check your regional forum to see if the guys near MASS are getting together soon.

 

do u have any pics with your lights on? i would like to see how they come out

 

Lookin good

 

That G35 is lookin good. Where did you get that pic from? I think my mom is going to get a 6sp G35 coupe in Dec. I'm shootin for a closeout '03 model at this time next year ... those things are BAD A$S

 

that pic is chopped, and i dont remember where i got the original from

glad you like it though

 

i still like my DavidL clear/reds!


but good effort!!

Ant

 

u paint the out side of the lense right?

just wanted to make sure

 

yup...outside of the lense

 

I think thats a nice alternative if can't have red/clears. Good job.

 

id like to recant my previous statement and agree with you 100%

Ant

 

just bumping this up for anyone who hasn't seen it and wondering how it has held up?

 

Very Impressed, looks great...Now I gotta hook my buddy up w/ that procedure...Thanks...

 

ur not allowed! hehe SWEEEEEEEET with the paint man, im sure we could come up with all sorts of different combinations using that paint.

 

phew, this baby is back from the dead. i cant believe its been 8 months. everything is holding up great by the way. plenty of snow storms, tons of car washes, and a ton of rain here in the Washington DC area...and the tails are still going strong.

--Paul

 

How visible are your tail lights at night?

 

Hi,
I did a similar treatment on my pearl white max. But I only used red and didn't smoke them afterwards. I used a 'stained glass' red color from Krylon. They are approximately the same size as the Testors but only cost ~$3.00 (US). Get this paint from any big-box hardware store. The paint is specifically for interior and exterior use so it may be slightly more durable than the Testors.
The lights look AWESOME in the dark but I worry about how bright they are in direct sunlight.
Cheers,
Matt

 

I did this mod a few months back on a extra set of tailights that I had lying around so I can see how I like it. It looked really good and was pleased at how it came out. It looked so good that I left it on there for about 6 months but just recently, I decided to do the mod again on a perfect set of tailights as the previous tailights had slight cracks in it. I followed the same procedure but added a coat of clearcoat on it as a added precaution. It was not necessary as the first set of tailights held up great but I like the extra assurance and the can of clearcoat was cheap. Thanks Paul for the idea.

 

I love the way your maxima looks Iilac! Same color as mine but I noticed that the grille is perhaps off of a 97 or newer (pre-2000) model...nice. The grille on my 95 SE didn't look like that.

 

This is an old post.

 

if i had to guess i would say its only a 5% reduction in illumination. the light produced is not changed much at all.

--Paul

 

Thanks 2DaMax. You are correct, the grille is off a 97+ maxima.

 

Did you do any kind of modification to make the grille fit or was it straight bolt on?

 

Do these tail lights remind anyone of the Lexus IS?

 

Unfortunately yes, but it looks like they fit like ****...