Show me your tail!

[99SEDude]

Your tail lights that is :D

I'm trying to come up with some ideas on what to do with my tail lights. I have a 99 SE and I cannot clear those, I would have to swap them for GTs and then clear them. The other alternatives would be AED or the terminator ones (don't remember who makes them). Now, there's another possibility, and I've seen it done, it would be to mask whatever design you want on them and then paint them to match the car. Then when you take the mask off the design will glow through. Now, here's a chop of what I'm talking about. I know it's not a good chop and bear in mind, this is not the final design either. I'm just trying to work some ideas. I also want to see what others have done to their tail lights, just to get an idea of what's possible. I guess you'll also get a chance to showcase your tails here. No matter what year, if you have pics of your tails, post them!

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=185373

[99SEDude]

Here's the original pic, for the photochop gurus.

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=185374

[antirice]

I remember seeing a green '92-'95 GT that had Green painted tails (to match the car) and when they sprayed it, they put little pontiac symbols in the center

['01GTgirl]

here's mine...they were cleared with the stuff that goes over flourescent lights put inside. i have orange bulbs in the turn signals, not the standard red.

http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/5/web/353000-353999/353942_16_full.jpg

[pre_16365]

Originally posted by '01GTgirl
here's mine...they were cleared with the stuff that goes over flourescent lights put inside. i have orange bulbs in the turn signals, not the standard red.

http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/5/web/353000-353999/353942_16_full.jpg

orange??? they were pink last time i see them:D

['01GTgirl]

Originally posted by pre_16365
orange??? they were pink last time i see them:D

haha shaddap! the turn signals are orange, the brake lights were pink...but since i added my APC bulbs, they are now red ;) hahahaha...still waiting on my APC windshield banner tho...LoL

[jayhawk]

Originally posted by pre_16365
orange??? they were pink last time i see them:D

Haha...pink. Kelly would like that. =P

[pre_16365]

Originally posted by jayhawk
Haha...pink. Kelly would like that. =P

probly :lol:

[TimG]

Hey '01GTgirl....are those your stock lights? Just cleared? Mind telling me how you did that?

['01GTgirl]

if i knew how they were done i could tell ya. they were my friend chris' (gtguy is his name on gagt, not sure if he came on here too) but he was trading in his ga for Impala SS and needed to get stock lights back on so we swapped.... they are the stock lights just cleared, but i have no idea what he did exactly.

[notoriousbrb]

its easy to clear the tails...first, just take em out. then u gotta be careful and separate the back from the outter shell by breaking the waterproof seal. once u do that you can take out the lenses that are inside and there ya go...theyre clear. when u put the two pieces back together u gotta make sure to seal the taillight by using clear caulk or sum king of waterproof sealant. i did it to my friends grand prix b4 he totaled it and they came out awesome

[matts]

her's dont look the same as my girlfriends. i cleared hers and they're crystal clear compared to those. i still like them, but that piece of plastic that makes them look foggy would have to go if it were me. it's real easy to clear them.

[99SEDude]

Anybody with modified SE tail lights?

[GrandAmChick]

Yes, well technically me.. these ARE my SE tailz.. :D

http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/2/web/398000-398999/398534_10_full.jpg

[99SEDude]

Originally posted by GrandAmChick
Yes, well technically me.. these ARE my SE tailz.. :D

http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/2/web/398000-398999/398534_10_full.jpg

Oh wow! There's an idea. Now I wonder if there is white speaker mesh? I'm not sure how white would hold up to the elements. I'll be having to take them off and wash them every week. By the way, those look very cool. They have a stealthy look ;)

[jayhawk]

I saw them in person, I think they looked great, myself.

[digital-d]

I just put two chrome pinstipes across my se tails. It looks soo much better like this.

[jayhawk]

Looks good! :thumbup2:

[uniquesoul]

Im having the same issue w/ the SE tails.....I thought about putting vinyl on the tails to match the headlight eyebrow...

Anyone that would look funny??

[3 DeeJay]

Has anyone painted the stripes to match the color of the car on the 99 + SEs?

[jazzman]

WOW, DeeJay, where've you been for the past month.

Derek

[99SEDude]

Originally posted by 3 DeeJay
Has anyone painted the stripes to match the color of the car on the 99 + SEs?

Now there's another idea! Chop time! :D

[golfinggoalie]

i've just got a question about tails...in another thread, i saw somthing about having a reflective strip that makes the tail lights legal. What are those? Does there just have to be somthing on the light that is reflective?

[GrandAm95]

yes there is a red reflector that needs to stay in ur tail lights to make them legal but u can clean out ur tail lights and put red bulds in them. like most car when u drive at night and u have ur lights on which i hope u do :lol: (OH NO TURN ON THE LIGHT) anyways when a car is parked on the side of the road u see a red reflection in the tail lights will that has to stay. i hope u know what i'm talking about

[GrandAm95]

oh yea one more thing i think u can only do this with the GT tail lights not the SE so u might want to hit up a junkyard and hope they have GT style tail lights

[TA^Guy]

Maybe I'll post a photo later on, but just the turn signal on our GT tails is cleared with amber bulbs inplace.
IMO, it looks awesome, but it annoys everyone behind you day o rnight because the signals are so damn bright. Ask Keith (Red99GAGT), he was yelling at me the whole way to my house about them over the FRS radios. :lol:

[matts]

when i cleared my girlfriends i left the white turn signal bubls in there and damn those were BRIGHT. i'm surprised she never got pulled over. she got pulled over about 4 days after she put some blue turn signals in, completely AGAINST my wishes and advice. state trooper (big dickhead) said nothing about her lenses being illegal, just the blue signals. hers are completely cleared, minus the reflective strip. i had a hard time finding a red bulb that would stay red. even the japaneses ones that are "red glass" would fade, telling me that they weren't actually red glass but painted like everyone elses. i even tried painting white bulbs with red engine paint, it sounded good on paper, but in the field it just didn't hold up.:P i finally modified some LEDs to work and they look great.

[PGsGT]

I am linking this from another site, so I hope it allows it. These are my tails, lighted up and then a picture of them where you can see the actual light.

http://gmp.homeip.net/photopost/data/6124NewTails.gif

http://gmp.homeip.net/photopost/data/6124trunk-subs2-j.JPG

['01GTgirl]

Originally posted by matts
her's dont look the same as my girlfriends. i cleared hers and they're crystal clear compared to those. i still like them, but that piece of plastic that makes them look foggy would have to go if it were me. it's real easy to clear them.

he actually put that "checkered" type of plastic that goes over flourescent lights on the inside of the lights after he cleared them. i like them because i'm the only one with them...they are not just "cleared" like everyone elses...

[GrandAmChick]

Originally posted by uniquesoul
Im having the same issue w/ the SE tails.....I thought about putting vinyl on the tails to match the headlight eyebrow...

Anyone that would look funny??

Please don't put vinyl on ur tailz.. come up with another idea or steal someone else's. Or swap for some GT's n clear those. Vinyl + tailz = :puke:

--Just my .02

[ecko70]

Can someone link the thread where GrandAmChick
showed the backs of the tails please? cant seem to find it

[Psi]

Originally posted by PGsGT
I am linking this from another site, so I hope it allows it. These are my tails, lighted up and then a picture of them where you can see the actual light. Very nice!!
I wanna get GT tails and clear them, but they're too bloody expensive (even from wreackers) :2up:
Ah well.

[99SEDude]

Originally posted by ecko70
Can someone link the thread where GrandAmChick
showed the backs of the tails please? cant seem to find it

That pic is on page 1 of this thread.

Oh, and about doing them on vinyl, I'm not sure if it would work. The shape of the lens is too complicated to cut a one piece cover. I think the best way to do it would be to mask off and then paint.

[silverbullet00]

Mine.......

[silverbullet00]

and another. Mine were tinted.

[blk95ga]

Grandamho23 has her taillight trim painted green to match her car. She has a car domain page, i actually like them painted like that. Hope she doesn't mind but here is her link:

http://www.cardomain.com/id/grandamho23

['01GTgirl]

ok is it me just getting old and having declining vision, or do all the grand ams in the pics look black except the 2 with the tails???

[DowmaceWH99]

it is black I think it's two different cars

[notoriousbrb]

Originally posted by '01GTgirl
ok is it me just getting old and having declining vision, or do all the grand ams in the pics look black except the 2 with the tails???

looks that way to me too

[99SEDude]

I like those a lot better. Now, does anybody know what the code for the 99 White is? I need to get paint to match the car.

[3 DeeJay]

Originally posted by jazzman
WOW, DeeJay, where've you been for the past month.

Derek

Yup.. Haven't really had time.. I don't even have my grand right now, cause I hit.. a.. dog :( .. and it caused 2,000 bucks in damage..

[GrandAmChick]

Originally posted by DowmaceWH99
it is black I think it's two different cars

Nope.. same SE in all pics. Light can do that if u leave the settings on ur digi cam as auto.

But her tailz look pretty cool like that.. I wonder how she painted it n got it to stick? Mask it off, sand, spray, clear? hmmm...

[99SEDude]

Well, here's my experience with plastic like this. You can sand it, with a fine grit paper, maybe 300 or 400 until it's dull, then mask off with masking tape the areas that you don't want to paint. Since the paint will be exposed to the elements, it would be a good idea to prime. Then a few coats of paint. Then remove the masking tape and clearcoat the hell out of it. The clearcoat will fill the scratches left by the sand paper and make it shiny again. If not, there is a product from 3M you can buy at the store. I don't remember what it's called, but when I got my 3rd brake light overlay, GrafxWerks recommended to use this after sanding the letters off the light cover. I never sanded the letters off and I don't have those instructions anymore.

[endsane]

Originally posted by silverbullet00
Mine were tinted.


Where the heck did you find that tint? I heard about that spray on tint, and I looked everywhere, but couldn't find it.

[silverbullet00]

I got it from a local performance shop. I actually did not intend to spray it that dark but when I was spraying, it was not coming up shiny so I kept spraying heavier coats until it did shine. I never thought of clear coating it or it would never have got that dark. After testing it and seeing that the light was still clearly visible, I decided to keep it. Surprising enough, people seem to really like the black look.

The spray is called Nite Shades.

[endsane]

Night Shades! Yeah I went to every parts store around here, and I couldn't find it at all. And when I asked about it, they thought I was crazy. I probably am crazy....but still.

[silverbullet00]

Check with a performance shop. Here is an E-bay link for some. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33716&item=2443663453

[GrandAmChick]

So here's a question, hypothetically speaking of course.. let's say I try the "painting the lines" idea n I don't like it when I'm done.. can I then just spray tint 'em n that would cover the lines, right?? I guess it would..

n Silver.. how many cans of that stuff did u use? 1 easily, or would it be better to buy 2? I want 'em dark. My speaker mesh is kinda only temporary..

[silverbullet00]

I highly doubt that the tint would cover the paint. And I onoly used about 3/4 of a can. The best way to do it is spray a couple light coats on until desired darkness has been achieved then spray it with clear coat for the shine. When you clear coat, make sure you have allowed enough time for the tint to completely dry though.

[tenspeed]

This is not mine but I saved the pic cause I liked how they look.

[HighwayProwlerz]

Hey! Those are mine. I was just going to post a pic of those. I need to re-do them with some new lenses, those are cracked.

I tried to find the spray tint too when I had my SE.... I eventually gave up and bought some GT tails.

[GrandAmChick]

Originally posted by silverbullet00
I highly doubt that the tint would cover the paint. And I onoly used about 3/4 of a can. The best way to do it is spray a couple light coats on until desired darkness has been achieved then spray it with clear coat for the shine. When you clear coat, make sure you have allowed enough time for the tint to completely dry though.

Why don't u think it would cover the paint? It makes everything else black.. maybe the paint could be sanded off?

Also, did u need to sand the lights or anything first? Or just wash 'em off n spray away? I can pick up this tint spray (it's not the same brand I don't think) right around the corner here.. hmmm..

[silverbullet00]

Originally posted by GrandAmChick
Why don't u think it would cover the paint? It makes everything else black.. maybe the paint could be sanded off?

Also, did u need to sand the lights or anything first? Or just wash 'em off n spray away? I can pick up this tint spray (it's not the same brand I don't think) right around the corner here.. hmmm.. If you paint your lenses, it is unlikely that you will see the brake light through the paint whereas the tint does allow the light to go through.

I did not have to sand the lenses at all. I just washed them with warm soapy water a couple times. I don't think I would want to sand the lenses anyways but I know someone that used finger nail polish to remove the tint from her lenses. She said it worked very well with a little scrubbing so maybe that would remove the paint too. Just a thought.

[SilverStreak]

I'm gonna paint the stripes on my SE tai lights within the next month. I will post pics when done.

[SilverStreak]

I'm gonna paint the stripes on my SE tai lights within the next month. I will post pics when done.

[GrandAmChick]

Originally posted by silverbullet00
If you paint your lenses, it is unlikely that you will see the brake light through the paint whereas the tint does allow the light to go through.

Oh no no.. I meant just paint the black SE lines silver to match, not the entire tail!! :p

I did not have to sand the lenses at all. I just washed them with warm soapy water a couple times. I don't think I would want to sand the lenses anyways but I know someone that used finger nail polish to remove the tint from her lenses. She said it worked very well with a little scrubbing so maybe that would remove the paint too. Just a thought.

Thanks.. seems nail polish is good to remove a lotta stuff (i.e. HVAC knobs, etc.)

I'll decide on what to do eventually.. besides, I also have a set of GT tailz waiting for me when I get home thanks to a friend. :)

[matts]

even if you use a can of black krylon to paint your tails light will still go through. it's not real bright, but it's like having tail light covers on. i know a guy that painted his tail lights out of his chevy truck with 2 coats of gloss black paint. kind of gaudy in my opinion, but it wasn't my truck. they actually came out looking alright and you could still see his brake lights. it's just the point of spray painting your tail lights with krylon. :lol:

[PGsGT]

Originally posted by Psi
Very nice!!
I wanna get GT tails and clear them, but they're too bloody expensive (even from wreackers) :2up:
Ah well.

I got these for $50 and a trade for my tails. Well the phucker took forever getting the cleared back to me, so I bought another set of GT's until I got the cleared. I picked up the GT tails for $40 at the junk yard:)

[GrandAmHo23]

Wow, I got a little bit behind here and just now found this thread. But hey, blk95ga, thanx for going ahead and posting my site for me! On my cardomain site that is actually all the same car, but all the pics except the ones of the tail lights were taken w a regular camera and then scanned and the ones w the tail lights were taken w a digital camera and thats why the other ones are darker and look black.

All I did for the tail lights was when I got my hood painted, I got together w the painter at the body shop that I work at and we taped it off and then painted it w regular car paint like you normally would any other part of the car. It worked pretty well, and so far I havent had any problems w it chipping, peeling, or anything like that.

[99SEDude]

I really like those tails. Mind if I do mine that way too :D
I have a white SE and I'm trying to figure out what to do with those tails.