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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:47 PM
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Default Painted tail lights question

I have an 01 z with black painted tail lights that I do not like so much.
My question is what is the best way to get them back to stock?
Are the lenses replaceable or do I have to get 4 new entire assemblies?

Thanks for the help
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:52 PM
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If you're talking "VHT Nite Shades", I understand gasoline works to remove the stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRPE...eature=related
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted by adham
I have an 01 z with black painted tail lights that I do not like so much.
My question is what is the best way to get them back to stock?
Are the lenses replaceable or do I have to get 4 new entire assemblies?

Thanks for the help
Its a pain but you need to wet sand them with 400 to get the paint off then work your way from 800-1000-2000-3000 then polish them with compound and a polisher.

If i was in your situation id buy new ones.
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:53 PM
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Are you sure they are not the peel on that most vettes use for black out tail lights? If it isn't, then someone sprayed it with black spray until the desired darkness. You may be able to scrub it down with thinner, but it may never look like original. Put it out on the forum for a trade, some guys love that "Hey, run into me look", and do a swap with there stock lens.. Good luck..
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:54 PM
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Here's a pic of it now

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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Jesse Asis
Are you sure they are not the peel on that most vettes use for black out tail lights? If it isn't, then someone sprayed it with black spray until the desired darkness. You may be able to scrub it down with thinner, but it may never look like original. Put it out on the forum for a trade, some guys love that "Hey, run into me look", and do a swap with there stock lens.. Good luck..
That's what I was thinking.

I think blacked out tail lghts look way too cool; but at the risk of sounding like a wimp, I am afraid to tint my tail lights because I don't want to get rear-ended only to find that the police said that my tails are too dark.
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 11:59 PM
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Originally Posted by John1990
If you're talking "VHT Nite Shades", I understand gasoline works to remove the stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yRPE...eature=related
It could very well be that,
I'll give it a try.
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:02 AM
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Originally Posted by Jesse Asis
Are you sure they are not the peel on that most vettes use for black out tail lights? If it isn't, then someone sprayed it with black spray until the desired darkness. You may be able to scrub it down with thinner, but it may never look like original. Put it out on the forum for a trade, some guys love that "Hey, run into me look", and do a swap with there stock lens.. Good luck..
Yeah they're definitely spray painted, no peel on stuff unfortunately.
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:07 AM
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Originally Posted by BHRZ06
Its a pain but you need to wet sand them with 400 to get the paint off then work your way from 800-1000-2000-3000 then polish them with compound and a polisher.

If i was in your situation id buy new ones.
I was actually thinking about wet sanding them.
I would try to trade them but I don't think anyone would want them because they don't look so good in person
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:07 AM
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Yea, I know I don't give tickets for that, unless they fail the attitude test with me. I do inform the driver that if he/she is rear ended cause of it (per police report from the person who hit you of course), and his insuranace claim adjustor see's the tail lights are darken out, well let's start singing, you'd better be "IN the money".. It is a tough line to walk to be cool and or un-injured.. I perfer the later...

Not to mention the Officer taking the report looks and see's your tail lights are darker, when they do show up (if injuries), oh boy, the vette owner is digging his own "COOL" grave...
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:12 AM
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Put them in f/s section for trade and I bet you'll get rid of them quick. Save yourself a lot of labor and time, if you don't have the time, buy new ones and sale these to recuperate your cost. L8R ZFLASH
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:15 AM
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Thanks for everyone's input
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:17 AM
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Adham, that dude is an idiot. Please I hope he doesn't have a water heater at ground level in the garage, and I bet he throws the gas soak t-shirt into a bin in his garage with other rags. Now our forum members clean their lens, only to blow up their garage or set fire to it and burn down the house on top of that clear tail light lense C5 corvette.. wooow... I just had to comment on that vid... I just had to say something, my neighbor did that 4 years ago (cleaning a motorcycle carb in gas in his garage, then his wife called him in for dinner, so he closed his garage door went in to eat) 1 hour later his garage blew up and set fire to his garage, car, cable to the light post and then transformer.. We had 4th of July in Sept. on my block... funny stuff for sure.
thanks for the laughter..
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Jesse Asis
Adham, that dude is an idiot. Please I hope he doesn't have a water heater at ground level in the garage, and I bet he throws the gas soak t-shirt into a bin in his garage with other rags. Now our forum members clean their lens, only to blow up their garage or set fire to it and burn down the house on top of that clear tail light lense C5 corvette.. wooow... I just had to comment on that vid... I just had to say something, my neighbor did that 4 years ago (cleaning a motorcycle carb in gas in his garage, then his wife called him in for dinner, so he closed his garage door went in to eat) 1 hour later his garage blew up and set fire to his garage, car, cable to the light post and then transformer.. We had 4th of July in Sept. on my block... funny stuff for sure.
thanks for the laughter..
now that you mention that, maybe I won't try it
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:37 AM
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Actually, a good idea.

Sell your lights in classified. (someone will probably buy them right away). Advertise them as being already conveniently tinted for those looking for that blacked out look.

Then, with the money you get, go buy LED tails from Corvette Mods Inc.

Suerte

Last edited by John1990; Aug 23, 2011 at 12:41 AM.
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Jesse Asis
Yea, I know I don't give tickets for that, unless they fail the attitude test with me. I do inform the driver that if he/she is rear ended cause of it (per police report from the person who hit you of course), and his insuranace claim adjustor see's the tail lights are darken out, well let's start singing, you'd better be "IN the money".. It is a tough line to walk to be cool and or un-injured.. I perfer the later...

Not to mention the Officer taking the report looks and see's your tail lights are darker, when they do show up (if injuries), oh boy, the vette owner is digging his own "COOL" grave...
So, okay, sounds like you're telling me that I shouldn't feel like a wus for not tinting my tails.

Okay, I feel better now.
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 12:54 AM
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If I were to sell these and get new ones, would I buy new lenses only or the whole assembly? I'm looking online and see people selling used lenses. How on earth do you separate it from the dome thing without breaking it?
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 01:01 AM
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The are sealed units. Two screws and they pop right out (the red part you see from the outside and the rear part are sealed together).

Me personaly, Id think about getting the halo led's (have em...love em) but if thats more than you wanted to spend, there's gotta be sets of oem lights on ebay from people changing them. Probably easier than trying to strip those.
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 01:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Jesse Asis
Adham, that dude is an idiot. Please I hope he doesn't have a water heater at ground level in the garage, and I bet he throws the gas soak t-shirt into a bin in his garage with other rags. Now our forum members clean their lens, only to blow up their garage or set fire to it and burn down the house on top of that clear tail light lense C5 corvette.. wooow... I just had to comment on that vid... I just had to say something, my neighbor did that 4 years ago (cleaning a motorcycle carb in gas in his garage, then his wife called him in for dinner, so he closed his garage door went in to eat) 1 hour later his garage blew up and set fire to his garage, car, cable to the light post and then transformer.. We had 4th of July in Sept. on my block... funny stuff for sure.
thanks for the laughter..

Seriously stupid to use gas to clean anything, aside from the obvious there lots of other stuff that will probably work just fine, try bug and tar remover, that stuff takes just about everything off!
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Old Aug 23, 2011 | 01:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Jistari
The are sealed units. Two screws and they pop right out (the red part you see from the outside and the rear part are sealed together).

Me personaly, Id think about getting the halo led's (have em...love em) but if thats more than you wanted to spend, there's gotta be sets of oem lights on ebay from people changing them. Probably easier than trying to strip those.
That's exactly what I thought, they're sealed.
On ebay, they're selling the lens separate from the rear part. Do they bake it or something to get the sealant warm and separate it like that?
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