M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Exterior => Topic started by: FL318is on February 03, 2007, 05:29:09 PM
-
OK, I have been influenced by the members here to go MHW tails. But, they are hard to find. Abraham has depo and ebay is low on MHW. So, has anyone smoked there own? I am referring to tail lights!
-
"night shades" spray tint, doesn't look perfect but i think it looks pretty good, and 10$ vs. 300$... meh.
-
Thanks. Where would I find it?
-
Thanks. Where would I find it?
The autozone by me has it. I'd try there.
-
If I were you, I would get nightshades or one of the other tint spray out there. After the correct application, take the taillights to professional painter and have them spray a couple coats of clear. This will make them look less "homemade".
Just remember if you apply clear coat, the tint will look slightly lighter with it.
-
Thanks. Good point. Would a rattle-can clear do the trick?
-
personally I would wait for a set of mhw's. I have them and I know someone w/ self smoked tails and there is no comparison. I wouldn't want to reduce the output of taillights, or headlights for that matter ;)
Stick w/ it, they are worth the extra $
-
Thanks. Good point. Would a rattle-can clear do the trick?
The results won't turn out as good as I've tried it already. ;) If you want the semi-ghetto highschool honda boy look then rattle can clear will be fine. If you want close to MHW standards then I recommend professional clear.
Shop around as this will be easy to shoot since no prep or masking would be needed by the painter. I would imagine between $50-$100 at the most to shoot 2 pieces.
-
if you want it to look really nice then just get the body shop to add a bit of black to some clear, that is the best way to do it and with the most consistency. Then get him to spray a couple coats on, and get it a nice wet sand and wax after 2 weeks. (let the paint fully cure)
edit: and my tail lights are fairly dark, and there is NO way you can miss them, they still shine bright as day through the tails. As for headlights, i wouldn't do a self tint job.
-
I love dis place. Being mechanically impaired the only thing left I can do is to mess with the cosmetics. Thanks for the help. Sounds like the easiest thing to do is get ASUBIMMER drunk and steal his.
I put the plate filler on and manipulated the tag up a 1/2 inch so it dosen't hang lower than the filler. I like the look but now the darker tails are needed. Also got the iS lip spoiler to put on. That will have to wait. Its too cold outside (54) to do anything. I ordered the carpet dye and will do that when its warmer.
-
we all started off mechanically impaired.
-
I love dis place. Being mechanically impaired the only thing left I can do is to mess with the cosmetics. Thanks for the help. Sounds like the easiest thing to do is get ASUBIMMER drunk and steal his.
I put the plate filler on and manipulated the tag up a 1/2 inch so it dosen't hang lower than the filler. I like the look but now the darker tails are needed. Also got the iS lip spoiler to put on. That will have to wait. Its too cold outside (54) to do anything. I ordered the carpet dye and will do that when its warmer.
54. Cold.
I pulled the heads off (and put them back on, and reassembled the top of the motor) of my 1976 Scout II when it warmed up to 18 degrees. Of course, this was in Alaska, so I was a little more accustomed to the weather, but it was still pretty chilly.
It's a balmy 17 degrees here in Maryland now, expected to drop to 8 tonight.
Back on topic, I did the Nightshades thing on my 1996 Impala SS, and with care, it actually looks pretty darn good. OTOH, it really doesn't cost much to have a pro do it right.
-
LOL! 54 is low when your blood has thinned. Thinking about doing it anyway. Once I wash the car I will take some pics. 17 hurts. Ever get down to St Mary's county?
-
hahaha 54.... try 11... now its back up to 30 though:)
-
hahaha 54.... try 11... now its back up to 30 though:)
How about -22 actual air temp hopefully it'll warm up soon.
-
How about -22 actual air temp hopefully it'll warm up soon.
so NOT jealous.
if you pee outside does it freeze before it hits the ground?
-
personally I would wait for a set of mhw's. I have them and I know someone w/ self smoked tails and there is no comparison. I wouldn't want to reduce the output of taillights, or headlights for that matter ;)
Stick w/ it, they are worth the extra $
Agreed
However, if it were me, I'd go with the all red MHW's. They look quite tasty on alpine :) Take a look (pineapplegti's car--r3v)
(http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/11768/2000998402142358916_rs.jpg)
-
The red looks good. I have seen the DIY for that.
BTW is -22 legal? LOL
-
I love dis place. Being mechanically impaired the only thing left I can do is to mess with the cosmetics. Thanks for the help. Sounds like the easiest thing to do is get ASUBIMMER drunk and steal his.
I put the plate filler on and manipulated the tag up a 1/2 inch so it dosen't hang lower than the filler. I like the look but now the darker tails are needed. Also got the iS lip spoiler to put on. That will have to wait. Its too cold outside (54) to do anything. I ordered the carpet dye and will do that when its warmer.
Any pics of the rear?
-
I will take some pics this weekend. Also hope to have th iS lip spoiler on.
-
i used tail light tint from rvinyl.com simple stuff to use.. the lights turned out pretty well, but you be the judge...
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/ghettoblaze/Picture020.jpg)
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/ghettoblaze/Picture024.jpg)
i think the euro plate filler really sets them off
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/ghettoblaze/IMAGE_00055.jpg)
-
they look darker in the last pic. were u not using a flash for the last one?
-
Very nice! I need to look them up.
-
i used tail light tint from rvinyl.com simple stuff to use.. the lights turned out pretty well, but you be the judge.../QUOTE]
Do you have any close up pics? I was trying to invision how the vinyl would fill the gaps between the different surfaces. Is it similar to lamin-x? Did you cut seperate strips or just have 1 "sheet" per lenses?
-
How much $.
-
i used tail light tint from rvinyl.com simple stuff to use.. the lights turned out pretty well, but you be the judge...
I've tried that and the problem with all the vinyl headlight/taillights treatments is that the vinyl tends to be softer than fully cured paint and can be scratched pretty easily when you're cleaning your car. You can prevent this if you hose off the area first, before wiping it with a wash mitt or towel.
I found out the hard way when I was using some quick detailer to wipe off some light dirt in between washings and found scratch marks on the film. If done often, the scratch marks will accumulate and you'll have a dull looking light.
-
Thanks.
Would a light waxing help? Also, does the vinyl sheet fill in the "channels" between the lense surface like a shrink wrap or are there opening/air pockets under the tint?
When I get home I will have a beir and explain more clearly.
-
the last picture looks darker cuz it was pretty dim out and i used a camera phone.
i had one big sheet of tint and tried to use separate whole sheets for each tail light but ended up cutting where the gaps are. you cant really notice it.
i used the tint because i wanted a different look and thats what i had at the time. they dont exactly shine like tail lights, but this is my DD anyway..
if i wanted the tail lights to be perfect, id tint them with that translucent paint, and then get them professionally clear coated. but this will have to do for now.
-
Thanks, it looks great and I like the idea that it can be peeled off. What size sheet did you order?
-
Thanks, it looks great and I like the idea that it can be peeled off. What size sheet did you order?
They do have spray tint by some Japanese company that is semi-permanant and can be peeled off. You can find these at specialty automotive shops or online.
Never tried it but most of the ones I've seen on cars are more matte finish and less glossy. If this isn't a concern, then it might be a good alternative for you.
-
i believe i used the 24x24 one but i ordered it before i got my e30 to use on another car. on the e30, i prbably used half the roll (not too sure) but i also did the turn signals and sidemarkers. i still got some of thetemplates i used, ill try to upload em soon
-
found a couple templates. the back has a grid pattern for easy measurements. the front turn signal is easy to do. however i did the tail lights a little differently than i had remembered. instead of 3 strips, i did 6.
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/ghettoblaze/scan0002.jpg)
there is a small line that separates the turn signal portion of the tail light from the rest of it. i used that to separate the strips. the main strip for the tail light is 6x40 squares
-
Anyone wanna link me to some spray tint. I have an extra taillight (with a busted corner), I can experiment on it.)
-
Thanks for the grid. I also checked a local Advance but no night shade.
-
yea they got it on ebay tho lol
you guys dare me to try it out?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VHT-Nite-Shades-Lens-Paint-Spray-Smoked-Taillights-Lite_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQihZ019QQitemZ290082227347QQrdZ1
-
yea they got it on ebay tho lol
you guys dare me to try it out?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VHT-Nite-Shades-Lens-Paint-Spray-Smoked-Taillights-Lite_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQihZ019QQitemZ290082227347QQrdZ1
I so dare you! BTW, thanks for the shirts. Wearing mine and reppin'
-
yea they got it on ebay tho lol
you guys dare me to try it out?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VHT-Nite-Shades-Lens-Paint-Spray-Smoked-Taillights-Lite_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6755QQihZ019QQitemZ290082227347QQrdZ1
I would rather you try the Japanese brand if you're going to be ordering something online and spending that much anyways.
The problem I have with VHT nightshades is that the tint color is way too dark. You can only spray on 1 or 2 very thin coats before it starts looking too dark ("gts" style) and ghetto. Not much room for error or to build on a nice coat. Some of the Japanese ones seems to have a lighter tint mixture allowing you to put on a few coats without it getting too dark.
Maybe this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-tint-smoke-spray-paint-for-tail-head-lights-corner_W0QQitemZ260084240419QQihZ016QQcategoryZ6755QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Another problem that I had with the earlier VHT nightshades(not sure if they changed the formulation or not) is that it wasn't UV resistant. The sun's rays would eventually wear down the tint and make it lighter over time.
I've had 2 separate cans with the same problem so I know it wasn't a specific batch.
-
I bought some niteshade and sprayed it on today with a couple clear coats on top. I have little painting experience and i'm worried i went a little too dark but so far it looks good. i'll put up some pictures once it's reassembled if anyone's interested.
-
I bought some niteshade and sprayed it on today with a couple clear coats on top. I have little painting experience and i'm worried i went a little too dark but so far it looks good. i'll put up some pictures once it's reassembled if anyone's interested.
yup, i def wanna see some. i will be tinting my tail on my new e30 (if i ever get it), i gave up on my 318i (too many nickels and dime issues), but still will be my DD.
-
Here's a teaser. They wont be this dark in the daytime outside of my garage. I'll take some more tomorrow to show what they'll actually look like.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/gundysaurus/sample.jpg)
They still light up nicely atleast.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/gundysaurus/sample2.jpg)
-
I was never really impressed with off the shelf rattle can clear except the Duplicolor Wheel paint clear but that formulation isn't compatible with some paints and the few that I've tried weren't exactly clear.
I discovered a good alternative today and tried it with good results. It is Krylon Triple Thick Clear Coat. It dries fast and it shines better than the regular Duplicolor Clear Automotive paint.
If you want that professional "OEM look", I would still have a professional at a body shop shoot it with clear though.
Just thought I'd throw that in since this thread came back.