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04-14-2014, 01:43 AM | #1026 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 141165
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Finland, Europe
Vehicle:2008 VW Scirocco RED |
Here is my video of lamin-x rear lights & head lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So-UMw64BEI
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04-14-2014, 10:10 PM | #1027 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 206725
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Vehicle:2005 LGT Wagon BSM |
That looks awesome!
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05-17-2014, 01:24 AM | #1028 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 383411
Join Date: Mar 2014
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Oklahoma
Vehicle:2013 WRX Hatchback Ice Silver Metallic |
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that's added experience and advice here. I did mine tonight, and except not having enough coverage at the top edge, it came out really well. Pics will follow in the morning.
Pics are in, but I suck at uploading things to forums so here's an Imgur gallery: http://imgur.com/a/ia7G3 Last edited by ShagginWaggon; 05-17-2014 at 01:32 PM. Reason: Added pictures |
06-17-2014, 11:56 AM | #1029 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 372000
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: chicago
Vehicle:2011 WRX |
Anyone have pics of VHT nightshades on a lightning red hatch? I'm wondering how the shade matches with the red paint.
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06-17-2014, 12:16 PM | #1030 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 346176
Join Date: Feb 2013
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I used VHT red on the clear LED's, the lights are all off in this photo.
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06-17-2014, 01:02 PM | #1031 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 212639
Join Date: May 2009
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Vehicle:WRX= 13/SWP/SOLD '10 NC2 Miata |
Quote:
And that's after about 14 mos, garage kept for the last 5 mos. Last edited by colin1234567; 06-17-2014 at 01:15 PM. |
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06-17-2014, 01:49 PM | #1032 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 235475
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region:
PRSIC
Location: Puerto Rico
Vehicle:2008 WRX Silver |
^^^^^^^^
What he said... I did mine in september 2010, redid them yesterday... I polished them every couple of months to maintain the reflection, but I either polished too hard or the coats were a bit thin on upper borders that one of the tails was starting to loose color... It was only visible if you were looking from the top down into the taillight, but it bothered me, so I redid them... Here's a comparison after 4 years of having them done: Top is when I first did it, bottom is 4 years after and a couple of polishes throughout that time... The trick is in the clear coat. If you don't protect it, it'll fade easily, and even more if you're an avid washer... I did them again, but decided to go darker... Gave it about 8 coats... The can had been sitting for the past 4 years inside my closet, so it gave me a hard time to paint. It would suddenly stop spraying, then start sputtering and squirting the paint all over, plus the color looked light, then darker as it dried. I was having a hard time determining if the color was the same as before, so I just kept going until the can was empty. Still need another round of polishing to get it how I want it, which I'll do once I decide to wash the car... |
06-19-2014, 11:13 PM | #1033 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 384229
Join Date: Mar 2014
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Lafayette, IN
Vehicle:2014 WRX Hatch SWP |
Quote:
After reading all 42 pages, seems like the best results come from: While on the car - wash, 800 grit sand, alcohol prep, tape off the inner portion. Remove the lights - Mask off the backside, 4 to 5 coats of VHT Nightshades, a super light coat of Krylon Fusion Clear Coat, followed by AT LEAST two heavier coats. (Allow ample drying time between coats) Wait a couple of days - wetsand with 2000 grit and add a final polish If you can get a hold of actual automotive shop clear coat that would be ideal. Not the stuff from a can. |
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06-19-2014, 11:28 PM | #1034 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 235475
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region:
PRSIC
Location: Puerto Rico
Vehicle:2008 WRX Silver |
Quote:
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06-22-2014, 12:29 AM | #1035 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 390324
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Napa, Ca
Vehicle:'14 WRX Limited SWP |
It's easy to do, make sure you do it right the 1st time because you don't want to realize that the pin striping tape you used moved and now it doesn't line up perfectly then have to remove 20 layers of paint/clear (in total) and end up with a cracked taillight... not that I would know...
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06-22-2014, 11:02 AM | #1036 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 384229
Join Date: Mar 2014
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Lafayette, IN
Vehicle:2014 WRX Hatch SWP |
Where are you guys buying this 1500+ sand paper?!? I've check Home Depot, Michaels, a Model Shop, and another hardware store. The last hardware store had 800 and that was the highest I could find. And the model shop only had 60,000 grit.
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06-22-2014, 04:02 PM | #1037 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 235475
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region:
PRSIC
Location: Puerto Rico
Vehicle:2008 WRX Silver |
Auto zone, pep boys... In the sandpaper area...
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06-23-2014, 11:22 AM | #1038 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 322979
Join Date: Jun 2012
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Mass
Vehicle:2012 WRX hatch Red |
Most of the time, sandpaper that fine is considered automotive and found in such places. I've found amazon sells about any grade of sandpaper you could ever look for and it's pretty cheap compared to hunting it down in a store, particularly when they might not even have it. It's laughable to get a box in the mail the size of my computer tower holding only 5 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11" sandpaper though... silly amazon
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06-25-2014, 02:27 AM | #1039 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 392454
Join Date: Jun 2014
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Haven't seen many red 2011 WRX's posted with this mod done, so ill show you mine.. =) looks incredible, pics don't do it justice..
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06-25-2014, 07:41 AM | #1040 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 231742
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Last edited by Nexson; 06-25-2014 at 08:17 AM. |
06-25-2014, 07:59 AM | #1041 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 231742
Join Date: Dec 2009
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06-25-2014, 10:03 AM | #1042 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 231742
Join Date: Dec 2009
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06-27-2014, 01:02 AM | #1043 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 368013
Join Date: Sep 2013
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Chicago, IL
Vehicle:2014 BRZ Red |
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06-27-2014, 01:13 AM | #1044 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 358657
Join Date: Jun 2013
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Berlin, CT
Vehicle:2013 WRX Ice Silver Metallic |
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06-28-2014, 05:07 PM | #1045 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 231742
Join Date: Dec 2009
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07-04-2014, 11:45 AM | #1046 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 378884
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Charlotte NC
Vehicle:2014 WRX Hatch Black |
Curious, has anyone done a full red out with no clear reverse lights?
Also how is the matching with the bottom bumper reflectors? Are the reds similar? Would throwing a red coat and clear on the reflectors make them to dark you think? Last edited by Lexxerd; 07-04-2014 at 11:51 AM. |
07-06-2014, 01:33 PM | #1047 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 366085
Join Date: Aug 2013
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Colorado
Vehicle:2010 Impreza 2.5i PE DGM |
I used VHT Nite shades on my car a few months back, just a full smoke. And now I want the red and smoked look, but VHT Nite shades is permeate so id need new tail lights... Ugh I don't know what I should do. Opinions?
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07-07-2014, 07:29 PM | #1048 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 382963
Join Date: Feb 2014
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Charlotte, Boone, NC
Vehicle:2014 WRX Dark grey metallic |
Here's what I did... I got some overspray on the inside housings, so I did those black and in my opinion it looks much better. Thanks for the writeup!
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07-07-2014, 08:12 PM | #1049 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 235475
Join Date: Jan 2010
Chapter/Region:
PRSIC
Location: Puerto Rico
Vehicle:2008 WRX Silver |
First time I did mine, I masked all around to avoid overspray. The second time was done in a bit of a hurry, so didn't bother masking and got overspray in that area too. I cleaned it up with acetone, but some of the red's still there. Seeing how I have extra paint, that's a very good idea. Nice work!
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08-28-2014, 08:44 PM | #1050 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 347536
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NC
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Well I dont post much here but I am on the site frequently. I felt it wouldn't be fair if I used all of your great info and didnt post my success.
First, I had overlays done 6 months ago...now they are pink. this clearly had to go, but not before i made a template using painters tape. This is probably my only original idea and it turns out well. Making the template ensured consistency on both sides. More on this in a bit. I used a hair dryer to remove the overlay after I was done making the template. All my supplies...cutting board, wax paper, Xacto, FrogTape, 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper...and patience. More with the template...once I took the tape off the light (i taped it on the car) I placed it on cardstock and cut out the outline. I used a ruler on the top line to get a real straight line. I then made a blank "sheet" from FrogTape on the wax paper and stuck the template over the "sheet". Remember to flip the template over for one side...the tails are mirror images of each other. Now it was time to place the cut-outs. I put the lights back on the car to make sure everything was aligned properly. Notice the tail lights are a bit foggy? I sanded them down with 1500 grit sandpaper (soaked in soapy water) to give the paint something to stick to. I hope everything makes sense so far. Please PM me with questions. I kinda forgot to take pictures in the next couple steps. Once I stuck the template on, I again removed the tails and taped paper all around the housing to prevent overspray. After cleaning the tails with alcohol (put the alcohol on a microfiber and wipe), I sprayed 3 coats of KRYLON STAINED GLASS over the tails. I left about 15 minutes between coats. They all were relatively light coats, with the thickest being the final coat. Let cure for 1-2 days. The red turned out very well...nice and dark which is not shown by the pictures. I felt 2 coats looked like the red on most cars, the final coat made it very rich. After being sure it was cured (36 hours), i sanded it lightly with 1500 grit (soaked in soapy water) to remove any imperfections. Clean with alcohol (put the alcohol on a microfiber and wipe). Now, 5 coats of U-Pol #1 automotive clear. I have read it is a VERY good clear and it went on great. Time will tell how good it is, but it boasts UV protection. $20 on Amazon. I sprayed the first 3 light coats and let it cure for 36 hours. Clean with alcohol (put the alcohol on a microfiber and wipe). After curing, another sanding and 3 more coats, heavy this time, and i had a great finish (but I wasnt done). Make to cure for another 36 hours. You may wonder why they are on a cookie sheet? To ensure a very good cure, i baked the lights in the over at 150F for 10 minute intervals AFTER CURING. 10 mins in...10 mins out, for an hour. I recommend doing this home alone, it might stink up your kitchen. After the bake-off, I sanded (soaked in soapy water) the wonderful finish on the lights. Trust me...its worth it. Make sure the finish is super smooth. Sand smooth any debris that may be in the paint...I had some fuzz from a dirty cloth i used when cleaning. You wont need to sand the debris out...just smooth so the light doesn't reflect off the paint. I then did one final wipe (alcohol is not necessary for the buffing, just water and a clean microfiber) and buffed using an orbital at a relatively high speed and a mild polish/sealant. It took about an hour to do the polishing, so be patient. I used a 1500 grit sandpaper and had to polish through that. So to cut down on polishing you can use 2000 but it is not necessary. They came out SOOOO good. Be very patient with the orbital and always keep it moving. If you see swirl marks...keep going. If you see orange peel...KEEP GOING. It took a while to get the clear very smooth but it was worth it. If you use a mild polish it will definitely take some time. Good luck to all and please PM me with any questions. Last edited by davidwys; 08-28-2014 at 09:28 PM. |
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