V84Lunch

Alright, so the other day I decided to work over my aftermarket tails.. I really like the layout and separation of lights, but the fake carbon fiber wasnt my cup of tea.. No way I was gonna turn em down though, they were free from a good friend

Since I'm stealthin' out the car, I had the great idea of picking up a can of Nightshades for $12 and making them look badass.. Being the genius I am, I decided it would be best to shoot this **** just like regular spray paint.. Can you say - FAIL? By the time I had a 'nice even coat' the damn lens wasn't smoked, it was BLACK.

The following is what to do when you're taillight smoking extraveganza goes terribly wrong..

**What You'll Need**

Your jacked up lens(s)
Sandpaper: 120, 220, 500/600, 1500, 2000
Meguiar's 'Mirror Glaze' Number 17 Plastic Cleaner
2 Terry Cloths/Applicator Pads
(You can speed the process with an orbital, but I did it old school)

Pretty simply process really; strip you're nightshades wetsanding with the 120grit, and progressively sand your way up to the 2000. I think I spent about 5 mins for each grit (after the 600), but your hand and the paper will tell you when it's done. Unfortunately I missed taking a shot of the messed up lens, but here are progessive pictures after each stage (with the AEP paper for comparison)

*600 Grit*


*1500 Grit*


*2000 Grit*


Once you're done with that, time to start workin in the Meguiar's. It's as easy as following the directions and doin work

*Half/Half Comparison, Before and After*


*Finished*


*Closeup (look closely, you'll see the reflection of my phone)


There ya go dudes, when I get the lens back on the housing I'll post some pics of the new smoking - the right way

V84Lunch

Got everything wrapped up today and got the tails put back on the car. Put some pics up so you guys can compare the stock with the smoked.

Here is the 'repaired' lens back on the housing:



After Smoking:



Before and After Shots:





Here she is stock:



What do you guys think? Leave some feedback!

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

Haha, I don't like smoked tails so I have to ask if your new bumper is the result of a rear-ender caused by the victim's inability to see your lights.

Good job on the wet sanding though. I do my headlights pretty regularly.

Alpha 5

iTrader: (8)

Looks like Ricer crap, matches the rear bumper nicely....

Awjvail

The lights look okay. Nice recovery.

Brownie points lost for that damn bumper and the magical colour morphing trunk lid though

V84Lunch

Wow, so here's the thing guys.. I can definitely understand beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and everyone having their own tastes and whatnot -would be a pretty lame place if we were all the same.

LordHelmet's reply is an example of this, he even manages to crack a joke that made me laugh a bit. However, there are a few ignorant ****s floating around in likes of Alpha 5 that would better off replacing their mouth with another *******, as it would be more fitting..

Not here to start a flame war, but for ****s sake have a little respect. Communities like this are an awesome place to learn, grow, and help others out that share your passion. I happen to take a lot of pride in my car and the work that I do. I'm not rich and my ride isn't a trailer queen - it's on the road, every day and all year long. Some of us actually work for what we have, and wrench our **** together a little at a time. My 'magical morphing trunk lid' is a prime example of this. Check the thread - I did the work. I didn't go drop it off at a shop somewhere and pay my way to satisfaction. I happen to take a lot of pride in that.

On a side note, nice job on the 'JDM' **** you're hangin on your ride Alpha, that's not ricer at all is it..? Now all you need is a japanese vanity plate and some driver badges - that would be hardcore JDM!

If you wanna roll stock just like all the other ****in 7th gens because you think it's 'cleaner' - go right ahead. But show some respect to the guys working their *** off to make their car something unique.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i agree, i like seeing new things. i get sick of stock (or jdm i guess) cars because thats mostly what i see. modded cars add excitement to the streets.

Muirsy

looks good man... looking forward to see everything finished

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Tint the OEMs

lordhelmet

iTrader: (3)

Don't get your panties in a bunch over alpha. He only comes here when he wants to sell his stuff.

unTuned

v84lunch, save your breath and ignore the criticism. i think the black trunk and bumper looks good. it changes it up a little and its not the same as every other car out there. some people just dont understand that stupid comments like that make them sound stupid, especially when the **** they are criticising is **** that took a lot of time, work and patience to achieve. then again, the people that are criticising are also the same people that like to order something, and take 15 minutes to do the 'bolt on' that is required and call themselves anti-rice.

i like seeing this kind of stuff, i like the effort youve put into projects lately, and it the follow up pics after each step. and the smoke looks good btw.

V84Lunch

Thanks for all the positive comments guys; especially Tuned, Helmet, and Gearbox. Also, thanks for the supporters of the project, looking forward to seeing the end result! Kudos to you guys, it's nice to know the majority of members are true enthusiasts with only a handful of idiots.

Even though the black kit is due to the gelcoat, now that I've got the *** end in the shape it's in I've got a good idea of how the car is gonna look in matte black.. I'm lovin it

westcali_playa

haha that **** was funny tho

lowlife9

nice man i always wanted to paint my car a satin black that ***** hot it reminds me of the old school rat roders . you should put some red rims on and a white wall tire that would be different for a civic. as for the altezza tails you just smoked i use to have those but i got rid of them because the light output was way to dull so with that tint you mite get cop problems.

CoupedUp04

without reading the captions i thought the stock pictures looks the best. but i'm bias cause i really love th stock tails. not sure if it was the picture quality either. got any night pics, or with the lights on?

V84Lunch

I don't have any night pics at the moment, but tomorrow I will shoot some with the lights on so you guys can see the clarity. I was actually suprised at how bright they are when you hit the brake. They look pretty dark but I think it's still bright enough to be safe when you're driving at night. I'm pleased with the outcome and they're holding me over until I dish out the cash for some aftermarket LED's.. More important stuff comes first though.. K20 swap *cough cough*