Do you want to paint, tint, or smoke your taillights? 
Well, here's how!

This is a pretty easy cosmetic mod, but I couldn't quickly find a very detailed how-to with pics...so, I decided to make one of my own!

I did this mod to my Gray Luster 2000 GXE. I hated the all red taillight lens and wanted them to look a bit more aggressive. I liked the chrome 2002-2003 tails, but thought that the chrome look wouldn't go well with my tint and gray paint job. I also really liked the SE style black tails. Either way, I didn't want to spend the $200 to buy the new chrome or black tails, or hassle with having to trade someone for my reds.

I had heard of people tinting or "smoking" their taillight lens and thought I'd give it a try. I did a lot of research and discovered that there is a variety of ways to achieve this. For example, you can spray paint them or you can use a film tint similar to window tint.

I opt 'ed for the cheaper spray type tinting. I used VHT Nite Shades transparent black light lens paint. Nite Shades comes in a 7oz. spray can and sells for about $12 a can (as of late June of 2003). I got it online from Summit Racing. I bought two cans so I would be sure not to run out. After you pay the required hazardous chemical shipping fees, it came to about $16 a can (Summit Racing was offering free UPS shipping at the time I placed my order).

I also read of people who successfully used Testor's transparent black or tint hobby/model paint (available from your local art supply or hobby store) and Pactra's transparent window tint (lexan paint for R/C cars and plastic bodies - available at your local hobby or R/C shop). Or, I read of people just using regular black spray paint to make their lens completely opaque. The film I previously referred to is made made Lamin-X Protective Films (and can be ordered here or from their website).

The tools needed, pics and compete how-to directions are below. From start to finish this took about 6 hours (due to paint dry time). Total cost was about $20.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at kevinfisher@kevinfisher.net. Enjoy!


THE RESULT



BEFORE AND AFTER





Now for the directions:

The tools you'll need:

- VHT Nite Shades (or other tinting spray-paint)
- Clear Top Coat Spray-paint
- Paint masking tape
- Sealer
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Flat-head screwdriver
- Wench or ratchet set






Step 1: Get some VHT Nite Shades!




Step 2: Remove this plastic cap/cover at the entrance to the trunk.
Remove by simply prying up the left and right edges - it will pop off with a little gentle force.







Step 3: On the right inside of the trunk, remove the door that leads to the jack.
Remove by turning the knob at the top and pulling down and towards you.





Step 4: Peel back or completely remove the carpet in the trunk floor.





Step 5: On the right and left inside of the trunk (left side pictured below),
remove the 5 little clips noted in the pic below.
I'm not sure if there is a correct way to remove these or not -
I just used a phillips-head screwdriver and turned them a bit counter clockwise and then
carefully pried them up and they finally popped out. Repeat for the other side.





Step 6: Now you can easy pull back the carpet lining around the taillights. Repeat on the other side.





This is the light from the back (view from inside trunk looking at the rear of the left taillight).





Step 7: First disconnect the wiring harness (if you don't have a 2k, yours wiring harness may look different).
Push the tab in the center of the harness (exactly where the arrow is pointing in the pic below)
with a flat-head screwdriver and pull that end out at the same time.
Then, remove the 4 nuts indicated in the pic below. Repeat on both sides.





Step 8: Now for the hardest part! At this point the light is only held in by the black sticky sealer stuff you can
see around the edges of the lens.This sealant is used to keep water out...and it holds the light in pretty damn good also!
To get the light out, push out from inside the trunk. I was able to push firmly on the black plastic rim around the lens
(see the pic above and you'll see the part I'm talking about).You may also need to pull the lens from the outside to bread it free.
Again, this is the hardest part...just push it hard outward and it will finally come free! Repeat on both sides.
The pics below show you what you'll be left with.



Pretty, huh?





Step 9: Now with the taillights completely out, you need to clean them very well to remove any dirt and oils.
Then, mask them. Carefully cover the area you don't want to paint with your tape.
You can use any painters type masking tape (available from your local hardware store).
I would not recommend using regular masking tape - it will leak through and leave a sticky residue behind.
Make sure the edges of your masking are stuck down securely prior to spaying.
The pic below is before and after masking.





Step 10: Ready to paint? Shake your can for about a minute and apply even coats while holding the can 12" - 16" from the lens.
I applied 4 total coats (and each of my coats consisted of hitting the lens with spray 2-3 times).
I let the coat dry 30 minutes after each coat. I let the final coat dry 1 or 2 hours before handling.
The more coats you apply, the darker your tint will be. After drying, you can hit them with some standard clear top-coat/sealer
spray-paint (available from your local auto parts store). Nite Shades turns out kind of matte,
the clear coat will not only give it a glossy look, but also helps to protect the tint.
Remove your masking tape when completely dry.





Step 11: Insert both lens back into their position. Apply additional sealant around inside edges of lens in you decide to.
You can use sealant identical to the OEM sealer (Nissan part #B6553-89915, description: Sealer).
I had plenty of the original sealer left over on the lens, so I just added some standard silicone sealer to make sure
I had a good water tight seal. Reassemble and reconnect everything in reverse order.

ENJOY YOUR NEW TINTED TAILS!















THE USUAL LEGAL STUFF:
If you break it...it's your problem, not mine! This how-to is for reference only -
I am NOT responsible for any of your mistakes due to following this how-to.
You MAY NOT copy or duplicate any content from this page. All information is copyright of me!



© 2006, Kevin Fisher and Slinshot Creative