I have just changed my 94-97 Intera red with amber turn signal tail lights__ Into 98-01 Integra tail lighs= RED WITH RED TURN SIGNAL.
Materials Needed Include:
1) One Can Red Krylon Stain Glass Paint
2) One Can Clear Coat
3) One Bottle Of Rubbing Alchole
4) One Role Of Blue Painters Tape
5) One Bottle of Mineral Spirits (In case you screw somthing up clean up is a lot easier with this product)
6) Couple of clean rags to wipe lights down with the rubbing alchohol
7) 1000 and 1500 grit sand paper
8) Polishing compound of your choice (will need this after wet sanding to make it nice and shinny)

VERDICT.. They turned out a little darker than I thought, but that is fine with me because I wanted to tint them anyways. After sanding and polishing they look OEM.

This is the process I used, there may be better ways to go about it. So feel free to give your tips or advice.
1) Gave the lenses a light sanding with 1500 grit to get off any stuck on dirt.
2) Wiped them down with the "Heat"
3) Taped off the reverse light
4) Wiped them down again with the "Heat"
5) Make sure they were free of any dust
6) Spray 2-3 coats (more if you want it darker) of Krylon Red Stained Glass Paint
7) Let it get almost dry, remove tape from reverse light and spray clear coat over entire lense. I sprayed 3-4 coats to make sure I had enough there to sand down.
8) Let the clear coat dry for a day or two and then start sanding
9) I started WET SANDING with 1000 (no sanding block needed, best to hold the sand paper in your hand because of the contour of the lense)
10) Make sure you wash the lense off multiple times to make sure no large paritcals are scratching anything
11) Dry off the lense and make sure the clear coat is nice and smooth with no orange peel.
12) Finish up with 1500 grit (wetsand)
13) BUFF THE **** OUT OF THE LENSE
14) Wax, install done




Modified by jonshonda at 9:47 AM 10/17/2006


Modified by jonshonda at 3:47 PM 10/19/2006

 

nice, was looking for DIY like this

 

had this done on my teg i sold.. a little bit darker than the oem 98+ tails, but still cool

Note: The longer time span you spend to do this (a week) the shinier and more glassy it'll look

 

you should search the acrhieves for the taking apart of the TAIL Lights, spraying the black part silver, replacing.

This gives the lighter/brighter red that the 98-01 has.

Then get some of that stuff from ebay, red film to tint the lights. It stays glossy, and you don't have to reapply like the red stain u use.

but yeah, diy stuff is always great. you learn so much more, and it gives you a bit more pride in doing things yourself.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mt3c &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you should search the acrhieves for the taking apart of the TAIL Lights, spraying the black part silver, replacing.

This gives the lighter/brighter red that the 98-01 has.

Then get some of that stuff from ebay, red film to tint the lights. It stays glossy, and you don't have to reapply like the red stain u use.

but yeah, diy stuff is always great. you learn so much more, and it gives you a bit more pride in doing things yourself.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This method gives better results. And you can keep the amber as is and have 98-01 jdm taillights.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by xprohx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This method gives better results. And you can keep the amber as is and have 98-01 jdm taillights.</TD></TR></TABLE>

exactly what i have on mine and mine are next to identical to the jdm tails except the corner light.

With red vinyl on the corners my tail lights are identical to usdm 98's.

 

lets get those pics up

 

hmmm I have yet to see DIY red rear turn signals that didn't stick out like a sore thumb, i.e. very obvious that it wasn't actually a red lens.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by huntarrr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">lets get those pics up </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PatrickGSR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmmm I have yet to see DIY red rear turn signals that didn't stick out like a sore thumb, i.e. very obvious that it wasn't actually a red lens.</TD></TR></TABLE>

totally agree. i did the DIY 94-97, and it looked OK, but it was obvious they were DIY. i went with 98+ and it looks 10 times better.

 

You have to spray the whole lense with the red (minus the reverse light) and then clear coat the whole lense. I searched the subject of opening the tail lights up, and found nothing. I also tried a little prying and poking, but it did not seam safe.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jonshonda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I searched the subject of opening the tail lights up, and found nothing. I also tried a little prying and poking, but it did not seam safe. </TD></TR></TABLE>

you have to stick them in the oven to warm them up to melt the glue/seal. you have to be patient, because they crack VERY easily.

 

I suppose I'm one of the only individuals who prefers the pre-'98 style with the amber signals.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .brian. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

you have to stick them in the oven to warm them up to melt the glue/seal. you have to be patient, because they crack VERY easily.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't think that the clips that hold the lense on like being f'ed with.
I do like the 94-97 tails with amber, just got these for real cheap so I thought I would try both, and see which ones I like better.

 

what happened to the pics? oh sorry it hasn't been a full day yet, but we are ready.

 

actually you should crack open the lens and paint the black plastic silver. that is why the outer portion of the 94-97 tail lights are darker.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Padawan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I suppose I'm one of the only individuals who prefers the pre-'98 style with the amber signals. </TD></TR></TABLE>

IMHO depends on the color of the car. On BG-33P Paradise Blue the stock 94-95 taillights look much better than the all red tails. On black, white, and red cars I think the all reds look better.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PatrickGSR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IMHO depends on the color of the car. On BG-33P Paradise Blue the stock 94-95 taillights look much better than the all red tails. On black, white, and red cars I think the all reds look better.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I agree...

I've painted my extra set of 94-97 tail lights before exactly like how you described the DYI...and I personally didnt like how it looked. Sure, it couldve passed for 98+ tail lights, but the glossy-ness of the plastic compared to the freshly painted/clear coated area did not match perfectly. Also, if you have ever seen anybody with this type of modifications to their tail lights, it looks like garbage after a few months to a year. Waste of time and money IMO, but if you're on a budget....then KNOCK YOURSELF OUT!

 

^^^ I hope that the extra coats of clear will keep them looking fresh for years to come. I have a black integra and like the current headlights, but have wanted to see what all red/tinted tail lights would look like. Pics should be up in the next couple of days, cuz I forgot mid-terms are here..

 

believe me, it looks good right after you paint it, but give it some time out in the sun and you'll notice that the rest of the tail light doesnt reflect the same as the rest of the tail light. By all means, do whatever you want..i'm just voicing my opinion since I've done/had this before in the past.

 

the idea is that for a consistent finish you need to cover the ENTIRE LENS with clear and red paint. that is the only way it will look good and last. make sure to prep thoroughly and use good clear coat. wetsanding afterwards will make them shine like real plastic. ive done this before and it turned out amazing. lasted months without fading too. wax once in a while to maintain shine as well. good luck.

 

pics?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PatrickGSR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmmm I have yet to see DIY red rear turn signals that didn't stick out like a sore thumb, i.e. very obvious that it wasn't actually a red lens.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Agreed. I did mine with Testors candy apple transparent red, ended up turning pink after about a year.

In the end I swapped back to 94-97 stock tail lights. Looked a LOT better IMO.

 

wtf

/thread and ban if no pics

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Padawan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I suppose I'm one of the only individuals who prefers the pre-'98 style with the amber signals. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm with you. I think it should be a law that rear turn signals are amber so that they are more visible. But to each their own.