Honda Civic DIY

So I thought it was time to change it up a bit, with my options being either to tint my tail lights, or purchase an altezza set. Since I plan on going with the entire blackout theme (rims coming soon) I figured it would be wise to both save a little $$, and look hot doin it

1. I removed both tail lights, and the brake light in the spoiler. Removal was fairly simple, pull back the shrouding under the clip on either side, unplug the connections and remove 4 small nuts.

2. Sanded the s*** out of all the lights, starting with a rough 400grit paper, then smoothing it out with a finer 1500grit. When doing this step, it REALLY seems like ur messing things up for the worst, but this step guarentees the best adhesion of the paint.

3. Purchased Night Shades tint from a shop in brampton for $16.99, and then a standard small can of clear cote from crappy tire for $9.99

4. Clean all surfaces THOROUGHLY with rubbing alcohol to remove all of the sanded red plastic, and remove any grease from fingers.

5. 3 coats of the Night Shades were then applied, not overdoing it, but definately not skimping out on it either. I applied fairly liberally and probably should have used a little less and gone with maybe 4 or 5 coats, but i was happy with the result none the less. Leave yourself about 25-30 mins in between coats for drying purposes.

6. 3 coats of clear coat were then generously applied, due to the night shades leaving a fairly matte finish. Clear coating also protects the night shades, which by itself will wear and chip after time. Clear coat gave it an AMAZING shine.

7. After applying the final coat, i then placed a fan 8feet away from all the surfaces and let it dry completely for 2hours, then it was time to put everything back into place.

8. Used a mixture of windex and rubbing alcohol to get any crud and left over grime from the lights, repeated about 8 times to get it shinin’ beautifully!

Notes : this process is more harmful chemically than spraypaint! Use in a HIGHLY ventialed area!! I was using this in my shop, with a window open AND a fan to circulate the fumes. After every coat, i left the room with a headrush, so a mask would probably safe a few braincells through the overall process!

And………. then end result?

Voila!!

imported_vast