97CountryXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Duh Mudhole, Iowa
I have had a few inquiries reguarding where I purchased the tail lights for my White 97. So, for anyone that would like to know, here is a basic writeup on how it was done.
Plan on running no tail lights for at least 24 hours. This will give you time for cleaning, prep and drying time. I was fortunate to have a second set around, no problems there. OEM tail lights, this sould work on any year.
First....Purchase two cans of Testors brand Candy Apple Red Translucent model paint, number 1605 I do believe. You can also get the clearcote with it if preferred, same type bottle. I did not, didn't see a reason for it.
Second....prep prep prep prep prep. It is absolutely important that you get the lenses completely clean. I first cleaned them with windex and paper towels. Make sure that you get all of the dirt, grime and other crud off of the surface to be painted. Let dry. Then I used rubbing alcohol with a lint free cloth to ensure that any waxes were stripped without damaging the surface and to ensure that they were lint free clean as clean can be.
Third....This is the trick. Get some clear finger nail polish. You will thank me for this. Now, put a dab of polish between the amber and white/clear section. Sealing between the lens and tail light body. If you do not do this, the lens against the assembly body will act like a wick and the white/clear part will have red paint behind it, looks like crap and is hard as hell to clean out. I did not do this on my first set, and it looked real bad.
Fourth....masking. Get the good blue masking tape that you use for painting walls. 3M type blue stuff. Works well, doesn't leave glue residue, but seals crisp lines nicely. Mask at the line where the amber and the white/clear part is. Straight as possible, crisp clean line. Press down to make sure that the line will be crisp. Then repeat for the rest of the white/clear part until completely covered. Mask anything else that you do not want painted red.
Wear gloves, goggles, well vented area between 70-90 degrees F, or something.
Side note, the reason I painted both the red and amber at the same time is that it blended very well, did not leave a line, looked OEM.
Other side note. There are two schools of thought on painting.
One is, paint the hell out of it, one thick coat does the trick, the other is many thin coats, over and over. I tried both, my best results were one thick coat. This model paint does a real good job of adhering to the plastic and making a nice mirror finish. The choice is yours. I did one thick coat.
Stop......
Make sure that you really want to do this! If it does not turn out right, the only way to get them right is to strip them or buy new assemblies. I screwed up my first set. If you screw up yours, its your fault. -Insert disclaimer here- Duh.
Ok, now that you are sure that you want to do this. its time to paint.
Fifth....Paint the assemblies per the instructions on the can. I did one thick coat. Held them in my hand, wearing gloves and all of the required saftey equipment. When I was happy with the finish, I hung them with a coat hanger to let them dry. Don't worry if they start to look cloudy, its the paint curing. If you mixed the can properly and painted at correct tempuratures, all should be ok. I let mine dry for at least 24 hours.
At this point if you choose, you can remove the masking tape and apply the clearcote model paint, I did not.
Finally....remove masking, enjoy a job well done, and know that you have different looking tail lights.
Brightness did not change, the reflectors still work. I have wheeled them, got them muddy, icy, power washed them and they still look good.
Good luck
CB
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