afast16v

Hello everybody, knowing the fact that most of our 964's have the problem of tailights turning pinkish color from the original red, i felt compelled to share my experience with you guys.
I am a former 964 owner and now i only have my 996, but one of these days i will buy another 964, in the meantime i am also playing with my Corrado which had the tailights replaced by M3 style ones (clear/red), i got bored of the clear top part so i decided to go for a more Euro look (smoke/red).
My point is, this could be done to our 964's just by changing the tint/stain to a red color so the tailights can be brought back to a nice red color.
Also, the desired shade of red can be achieved according to the number of coats you decide to apply, the more coats the darker it becomes, and it is still translucid since it is a clear base with a tint added to it.
I am not finished with mine, but i will post pictures once they are finished, but i wanted to share some images in the meantime so you guys can get the idea.
Before

After, but not finished...

PaulW_964

Nice, I had a Corrado VR6 some years ago - a great car but it came to an unfortunate end due to an operator error!!!

I have been toying with the idea of trying a tint paint. I've seen some good results and some very bad results. Which brand of paint have you used?

I tried Gus' vinyl tint kit, which looked fantastic, but I had to remove it, as the indicators showed red instead of amber. That was just asking for trouble here in the UK!

I was very close to just buying a new set yesterday, but it does seem a lot of money to pay for replacement lights which will look pink again in a few years - Hmmm?!!

Jon A.

Definitely want to hear more as I'm contemplating going the tinting route with my 964. Also a former VR6 Corrado owner, but too many mods caused premature engine failure.

PaulW_964

I think the engine was ok in my Corrado, bodywork needed some attention!!

RichieRoo

Paul... If memory serves me correctly; I believe the x-ray of your shoulder looked similar to the photo of the Corrado following the crash.

I thought you were going to use the vinyl film on your lights?

PaulW_964

I should've have known you'd post something Richie - Ha ha, yes it was similar!!

I have the vinyl film on the centre section still, but removed the corners because the indicators showed red, rather than amber. I even tried replacing the bulbs with amber items, but still red. The vinyl was just a tad thick sadly, as it looked superb!

How's your 964 transformation going? I saw your wheels sold on ebay - good work!

Kahdmus

When I painted mine on the old C4 it looked BETTER than new. Patience was key as were many thin coats and avoiding drips...

kdfwagen

first thing I did to my 964 was tint the rear tail lights. I used a tint spray off amazon.com

afast16v

I used Advantage urethane clear and Limco tint,it wasnt a ready to use spray, but the kind you have to mix with the hardener and add tint aty will until you get the desired color, then it is layer after layer spacing each layer 15-18 minutes at a time.
I just mounted the tailights on my Corrado today, but need to be polished so i am going to have to wait, i will post a picture in a second, i am just trying to upload it so i can post it.
My apologies about the lousy cell phone pictures, it takes a lot on the quality of the work.

afast16v

That was quite an accident, i am glad you are fine, I normally dont drive fast unless it's a straight back road with plenty of visibility.
I sold both of my cars, a 94, 964 and my VR6 Supercharged Corrado, i regreted selling them so i bough my Corrado back, but i couldnt buy my 964 back so maybe one of this days i will buy another one.

etom

I had a terrible pickish light . . . did some very fine sanding, a couple of spray coats of clear red from the hobbyshop, a little more spraying, followed by a couple of coats of clear from the same hobbyshop. The result--inexpensive, fast, thorough, and a nice deep red finish holding up two years later.

PaulW_964

Cheers, I actually was only driving between 45-50mph, hit a muddy patch left by a tractor and spun out into the other side of the road. I hit another car head on, but amazingly the other driver only had minor chest pains, where his airbag went off - very lucky hey!

I too only drive fast when clear, safe and dry... especially these days.

I've driven a couple of supercharged VR's - a real smooth power delivery. Must be cool, to have the choice between that and the 996!

I think I'll purchase some tint paint and lacquer and give this a go. If it doesn't work, I'll be buying the new lights I guess. Cheers all.

afast16v

Here are some updates after polishing the tailights, the results can't be fully appreciated though due to very bad quality of the pictures.


The reflection and shine is just as good on the smoked (painted) area as the red (unpainted) area.


The results were really good and it almost matches the tailights on my 996, i would really recommend this technique to everybody, it just needs a spray gun, a compressor, uretahne clear, red tint, 2000 grit sandpaper, polishing compound (1000,1500,2000,2500) and a foam pad to polish.
I had most of the material except for the clear and tint along with the catalyst.
Total expenses were $41.00 and i have plenty of material left if i decide to touch it up down the road or work on another vehicle.

PaulW_964

That looks superb, thanks for very useful tips! I'll post some pics once mine is done.