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Painting Tail Lights

T

thegoldenboy

New member
Hey, i live in north carolina and just got my hands on a 98 grand prix se. one of the things that i think i really want to try is painting the tail lights. however, i know north carolina is strict on almost anything that they can make a dollar off of. i was doing some reading and found this.

Rear Lights shall conform to the requirements of G.S. 20-129(d).
Taillights shall not be approved if:
(a) All original equipped rear lamps or the equivalent are not in
working order.
(b) The lens is cracked, discolored, or of a color other than red.
(c) License plate light must operate properly.
[If manufactured with more than one, all must operate
properly.]
(d) They are not securely mounted.
(e) The lens is clear and the bulb is colored.
(f) The lens is covered, smoke tinted, lettering or logos, etc.


Now i'm no legal expert, but could someone explain how that plays a role in me painting my tail lights.

Thanks
 


thegoldenboy said:
Hey, i live in north carolina and just got my hands on a 98 grand prix se. one of the things that i think i really want to try is painting the tail lights. however, i know north carolina is strict on almost anything that they can make a dollar off of. i was doing some reading and found this.

Rear Lights shall conform to the requirements of G.S. 20-129(d).
Taillights shall not be approved if:
(a) All original equipped rear lamps or the equivalent are not in
working order.
(b) The lens is cracked, discolored, or of a color other than red.
(c) License plate light must operate properly.
[If manufactured with more than one, all must operate
properly.]
(d) They are not securely mounted.
(e) The lens is clear and the bulb is colored.
(f) The lens is covered, smoke tinted, lettering or logos, etc.


Now i'm no legal expert, but could someone explain how that plays a role in me painting my tail lights.

Thanks
Click to expand...
(b) The lens is cracked, discolored, or of a color other than red.
 
Well you be the judge. I would do it, but I wouldnt recomend doing it.


(f) The lens is covered, smoke tinted, lettering or logos, etc.
 


do them yourself with a can of VHT niteshades... you can put it on as dark as you want... try it light... if you think you can go darker spray some more on...

bad pics, dark and kinda blurry, i just took at dawn.. but this is rattlecan niteshades... its VERY shiny during the day and NO clear on it yet... (i can get some daytime pics if need be)

if you take your time to clean the lenses well, then u can acheive very close to the same shine as those in flips pics (That DO have clear coat on them) if i add clear coat... well when i add clear coat... mine will match and only have been $12.95

tail1.jpg

tail2.jpg

tail3.jpg

tail4.jpg
 
I live near Charlotte and the police never bother me. Mine look pretty dark. I used VHT and then automotive clear coat. As for inspection they didnt bother with my tails but failed me for 5% tint LOL
 


I did mine pretty light to avoid that issue. 2-3 coats of nightshades and then clear

862105_102_full.jpg

862105_101_full.jpg


Doubt they would even notice if you have a good clear on top. They are probably looking for window tint or a tinted cover when they inspect.
 
If you have bubbles in the tails I'd sand, use straight black over the bubbles and all the lines then clear if you don't want problems from the cops. That way you don't have to buy a new set or deal with them looking bad when they start to delaminate because its already covered. Definitely have a paint shop do the clear for you!
 
03GPScottyd said:
If you have bubbles in the tails I'd sand, use straight black over the bubbles and all the lines then clear if you don't want problems from the cops. That way you don't have to buy a new set or deal with them looking bad when they start to delaminate because its already covered. Definitely have a paint shop do the clear for you!
Click to expand...

I'm glad you bring this up because I just took my tail light assembly off and its definitely got some condensation inside of it.

How exactly do i go about pulling the farthest outside plastic piece off (thats where the condensation is)? I'm just trying not to break anything.
 


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