HOW TO: Tinting tail lights, The right way (PICS)

ok cool, they look good man

 

Okay, new guy here. I just bought my first new Toyota 6 weeks ago. Been wanting a Tacoma for 20 years and finally got one. Been enjoying reading this forum for a couple weeks now and have gotten some great ideas.

My truck is black and after de-badging it (per your instructions!) it looks even better. I really want to do this tinted tail light mod, suspect it will make it look even better.

However, living in Utah, we have to do safety inspections and it's clearly indicated that they will NOT pass a car with any paint, tinting or covers on the lights. I may do it anyway and get a cheap set of aftermarket lights to pop on during the inspection, but not sure yet. Any idea on the cost of el-cheapo's to pass inspection?

 

looks sweet,

 

Hi there and welcome to TW! I'm glad you got the truck you wanted
As for having an extra pair of lights, its not a bad idea. You can usually find some deals in the buy/sell/trade thread or ebay.

here is the link
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/buy-sell-trade/

I know they'll look freakin sweet on a black taco. Have fun and enjoy the site as well as your truck

 

Thanks

 

damn! they look awesome!! im thinking about doing mine now!

 

I am going to do this to mine!!!

 

i painted mine with nightshades as well a while back and the paint has faded almost all the way back to stock just slightly tinted.. anyone else had the paint fade

 

Not since I've done it

 

How long ago was this? Did you also clearcoat them?

 

i did the same when i did my 03 accents taillamps, taped over the back up lamp. already have a hard time seeing behind you at night with tinted windows, no need to make the light any darker.

 

no i didnt clear could be why they faded again, next time i spray i will add a few coats of clear and see how it lasts

 

Looks great!

 

I just did mine this past weekend. I put them back in without wet sanding and polishing, just to give the paint a good long time to cure. I just wet sanded and polished today, and they look amazing. Perfectly smooth. I put about 2 coats of VHT and 5 coats of clear on them. Did the third brake light too Ill post pics one of these days. They came out a little darker than I wanted. They get dark fast!

 

Do you think that instead of using 800 to 1000 to 2000, I could just use 1000 and still have good results? I cannot find 2000 anywhere!!

 

Why would you make your tail lights darker? I want to make sure the ass behind me knows when I'm breaking so he doesn't rearend me! Making the light darker defeats the purpose of having lights there in the first place.

 

1000 should be fine, but the higher the grit you gradually go, the better your results will be in the end. The rubbing compound should help after the 1000 grit.

 

That's exactly why we do it...it's an emerging sport here in the US. As people rear end you, you get to add a notch to your bumper. The one with the most notches wins.

 

1000 might be ok. Youll just spend a longer time polishing when your doing the clear coat at the end. I used only 2000 grit when I wet sanded and polished the final product. I myself was unable to find 1000 grit at MY autoparts store. So i used 800 and went to 2000.

Thats right! Its definitely a sport in New Jersey.

 

I used alcohol