My Tail light restoration thread...

[jimtweet]

ok, my tail lights were in horrible condition, and the car is apart, so figured why not try and make them better,...sorry if this is not the correct color combo, but i think they are 100 times better then what i started with...

I am also glad i un-wrapped the wires, both tails had burnt showing wires, i they were fixed, sealed, and re-wrapped

what i started with




tails were sandblasted, inside and out



self etch primer



outsides were painted satin black and cleared, and i used Dupli Color Chrome effects on the insides





used some Lowes weather seal to close the backs up

[timmy2]

Looks great, did you do any work to the lamp sockets to ensure they work well?

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by timmy2

Looks great, did you do any work to the lamp sockets to ensure they work well?

i dont want to jinx myself, but everything worked well before i took them apart, only thing that i was having trouble with was my reverse lights, but found out the switch in my trans was bad, and that was replaced by Gary when he rebuilt my trans, and my license plate lights would come and go, but both wires on each side had burn marks and were broken,...so replaced those wires and re-wrapped everything, so should be good...

[RSBob]

Very nice work on the cleaning, and repaint - no doubt will help the light output. The one note of caution is that you noticed the weather stip is similar to a sponge - usually used in houses to keep out drafts, not water. Being a sponge, it will absorb water and more than likely lead to the premature corrosion of your exposed copper and connectors. I would recommend removing it and using an automotive water seal caulk, 3M makes a product, available at your local auto paint supply store (where body shops shop).

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by RSBob

Very nice work on the cleaning, and repaint - no doubt will help the light output. The one note of caution is that you noticed the weather stip is similar to a sponge - usually used in houses to keep out drafts, not water. Being a sponge, it will absorb water and more than likely lead to the premature corrosion of your exposed copper and connectors. I would recommend removing it and using an automotive water seal caulk, 3M makes a product, available at your local auto paint supply store (where body shops shop).

i will try and dig up the bag out of the trash, but on the bag of weather seal, it says water resistant , i have some of the caulking in my garage from another build, just thought this would be better

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by RSBob

The one note of caution is that you noticed the weather stip is similar to a sponge - usually used in houses to keep out drafts, not water. Being a sponge, it will absorb water and more than likely lead to the premature corrosion of your exposed copper and connectors.

From the picture it looks like he used closed cell foam which will not absorb water.

[flatsixcrazy]

Very nice Jim, looks like you baked the enamel paint as well? Andy

[porwolf]

Yeah, I am also concerned with the water absorption of the door and window seal material. There is another kind available in home improvement or hardware stores based on rubber. It is usually black in color and somewhat denser. That might be a better solution.

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by flatsixcrazy

Very nice Jim, looks like you baked the enamel paint as well? Andy

yes, paint was baked at 200, for about 30 minutes, then left in oven to cool down to room temp

[m110]

I have done the same thing a few times, makes you feel good. Your's look great. Always shocks me how heavy and exposed they are

Have you considered polishing the lenses? I routinely wet sand off the lettering and polish the plastic on a wheel. It's one of those details that really makes a car stand out and is easy. They get hazy after years of washing and I don't need letters to get grunge caught on them.

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by m110

I have done the same thing a few times, makes you feel good. Your's look great. Always shocks me how heavy and exposed they are

Have you considered polishing the lenses? I routinely wet sand off the lettering and polish the plastic on a wheel. It's one of those details that really makes a car stand out and is easy. They get hazy after years of washing and I don't need letters to get grunge caught on them.

my stock lenses were toast man, broken and cracked everywhere,...i think when i unscrewed the passenger side it feel into 4 pieces

i have a set of repo lenses and they are very bright and clean looking

[tirwin]

Jim,

Great tip! Thanks for posting. I recently decided to switch out my rear lenses to the Euro style. They should be here this week. Now I might have to do this too! Man I wish I get could get stuff off my list as fast as it seems to get on the list. LOL

[jimtweet]

thank you bud, i think the last thing i am going to do is source a set of LED bulbs for the rears, it think that would really finish this up nicely

[AirJose]

Hi guys,

I have dissembled several factory rear taillights and the only which were factory plated/chrome in the outside were the 65-68 units. All others appeared with a tin color maybe lightly factory clear coated. The coating is gone after a few years, I suggest to get 500 degrees silver paint to protect them; they look very good after (not concourse).

I also tested several chrome paints and really the Rust-Oleum Metallic Finish, (on the back says: 7718830 Bright Coat Chrome) can. IMHO is the shiniest chrome look of all the rattle cans out there. Be careful as any oil spray will dull the finish.

The metal tabs can be bent slightly(carefully) to tighten the bakelite where the bub rest if very loose.

These pot metal cases are too expensive to replace, I can see cutting and replacing the bulb holder with a common 1156/1157 universal holder but that will be a tedious process.

Be safe out there!

Jose