79 Tailight Restoration

[hemihotrod402]

About 2 weeks ago I found a pair of '79 tailights at the swap-meet during Blue-Suede Cruise up at Norwalk Dragway. They needed some TLC, but I paid 10 BUCKS for them! Here is the pic of what they started out as:

I hit them with a paper towel and some of the headlight repair gunk, and it took all of the scuffs right out! Today I asked my dad (I don't have a steady enough hand) to Paint in the border and the LTD. It came out PERFECTLY! Once I get batteries in my camera, I'll post up some pics. The next step is to clean up the chrome around the lens, and they will be ready to put on!

[hemihotrod402]

heres the finished product:

[johnunit]

Nice job man! I've been thinking of re-doing the stock silver paint on mine. What brand/type of paint did you use?

[hemihotrod402]

actually it was testors silver model car paint, we just brushed it on lol

[johnunit]

Nice. That's what I was thinking, but testors is expensive, so I needed someone to, uhh, test it out for me.

[hemihotrod402]

well the test came out positive! The bottle we got cost $1.19 at hobby lobby

[Brown_Muscle]

hmm interesting...model paint. i wonder how well that will hold up in weather. keep us posted!

[hemihotrod402]

yeah im curious to see how well it will hold up, if it doesnt work, ill just mask everything off and try eastwoods almost chrome spray can stuff, but the masking would take for ever, i think it might be worth it if this doesnt work

[87gtVIC]

nice job

[hemihotrod402]

if you want to see these on the car, click the link in my sig

[Brown_Muscle]

I did my lenses with a plastic primer then silver spray paint and they came out like yours... how are they holding up?? I'd love to find NOS ones tho..not sure if thats worth it XD

[85crownHPP]

Very nice! I just used a gray paint pen on mine, after a light scuff with fine grit.

[hemihotrod402]

I did my lenses with a plastic primer then silver spray paint and they came out like yours... how are they holding up?? I'd love to find NOS ones tho..not sure if thats worth it XD

Mine are still kicking like the day we did them, they survived last winter, and there about to start their second (and last ). I'd love to find a pair of NOS ones as well. It's either that or I'm going to have to pull them apart and have the chrome redone.

[Brandon]

Looks good!

[gadget73]

I need to do mine too. I was thinking of using a Testors paint pen if I can find one in silver. Towncar taillights and the big reflector panel across the back have a raised portion that originally has some sort of shiny finish. It doesn't hold up though, so mine are mostly barren.