Rcorcoran Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Ways to do a nice looking tint job DIY style? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probak118 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 to tint shop for window tinting. Guys showed me this 1/8" flexible tint in clear, light tint and dark tint. I put it on my headlights to protect plastic lens from clouding. A worker had the dark on his taillights, looked great. It is not your typical window tint film. It is almost like a thin rubber sheet. I'n in Ontario Canada, cost me $ 60 installed for both headlights. dhh3 and Leenders 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 The Crossroad tail lights are tinted from the factory. I believe that the Blacktop option uses the same lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) dhh3, on 23 Apr 2015 - 08:46 AM, said:The Crossroad tail lights are tinted from the factory. I believe that the Blacktop option uses the same lights. They aren't tinted, they are just painted black inside to provide a darker appearance... I tinted mine using Niteshades. Process is simple and provides a shiny appearance just like the paint... Remove all 5 tail lights and both reflectors in lower bumper. clean well with a good degreaser. dish soap will work if you don't have an actual degreaser, I grabbed a can from the auto parts store. Completely dry everything. Spray 2 very light coats of Niteshades onto each light/reflector. These coats should be light, or you will get runs. Spray heavier coats until you reach the darkness you desire. These coats can be heavy, but don't go overboard or you will get runs. (TIP: be sure to put each coat on in a different direction to ensure even coverage) Let dry completely and degrease again. Spray 2 heavy coats of clear coat on each light/reflector. Wet sand each light/reflector with a 2000 grit sand paper until the entire surface is dull when wiped dry. Polish lights/reflectors out to a mirror finish. Apply wax. Reinstall on vehicle. Admire your work and laugh at the clowns with the dull finish on their tail lights because they were lazy... Be sure to follow instructions on the can to get the best finish. You can wet sand between the Niteshades and clear coat if you like, but it shouldn't be necessary if applied correctly. I taped off my reverse lights before applying the Nitshades and removed the tape prior to clear coat so that the surface was smoother when finished. Edited July 12, 2016 by jkeaton onecrazyfoo4u, Cody Chornobey Powley, 11journeybama and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 I did not realize that about the tail lights. I knew that was the way that the headlights appear to be "black/tinted". Now, I will have to go compare mine with another DJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 I did not realize that about the tail lights. I knew that was the way that the headlights appear to be "black/tinted". Now, I will have to go compare mine with another DJ. The non-Crossroad tail lights are chrome inside vs being black. Makes a difference painting the inside black, but keeps the lenses red which is the law. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Thanks for the tip. I did not realize this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Nightshade. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Nightshade. Niteshade... dhh3 and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totemus Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 One disadvantage of nice shade for me was that this mod is irreversible. I was not sure if I like the blackout, so excluded bite shade from my options list. I tried plastidip product, but it was too mat and diffused the output too much, so the lights didn't look clean... I ended up with tinting film. Learned tinting buy trying and failing, but if you have enough of the film - you can do it. Blackout Tint was a perfect solution to me as the mod is reversible and provides the look I want. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Nightshades, nice shade, bite shade...Lol you people. NITESHADE's damnit! And it's not irreversable. I've done it on several vehicles in the past. Just use paint remover or something similar to take it off if you don't like it. I've screwed up a set before and had to wash it off with paint thinner and start again. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totemus Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Nightshades, nice shade, bite shade...Lol you people. NITESHADE's damnit! And it's not irreversable. I've done it on several vehicles in the past. Just use paint remover or something similar to take it off if you don't like it. I've screwed up a set before and had to wash it off with paint thinner and start again. Lol. Damn autospellcheckr! I would call niteshades "less reversible" than film dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted April 28, 2015 Report Share Posted April 28, 2015 Lol. Damn autospellcheckr! I would call niteshades "less reversible" than film Make up your damn mind and stick to your guns!!! Even if you don't like it... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaywerdSon Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RQWKw51xRU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RQWKw51xRU I like Plastidip, but the taillight smoke looks like a turd. I would not use that unless you want it to look cheap and unfinished... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totemus Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 I would agree with Lobitz. I've had plasti dip for a while on the tail lights and was not very happy with the look. Plastidip is sturdy, but it disperses the light output and make it looking unfinished. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Schatz Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Go to home Depot and get a can of Spray Tint and a can of Clear Gloss. I did mine and they look great. Do even coats. The more Coats the darker it gets. I did three even coats and it looks really good. The LED tail lights shine through perfect during the day and night so I never get harrased for having too dark of lights. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carritt11 Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 I used plastidip on the Avenger I had before the journey. I hated the look of the smoke so I used the standard black and only did a few light coats. Just enough to where you could still see a little red from the housing. Then I finished off with glossifier to give it a solid coat. It still let the light through like it wasn't there, it was just a more defined circle now. I tried using a vinyl tiny but couldn't get it to mild correctly around the odd curves the avenger had. On my journey I used the smoked vinyl on the third brake light and reflectors and they look pretty good. I have pictures in my gallery of the vinyl tint on the journey but I couldn't find any pictures of my avenger that showed the tail lights. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carritt11 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 So since I had some extra plastidip sitting around I decided to see how the tail lights looked blacked out. Not sure if I like them or not. Going to give it a little while to see if it grows on me, if I like it I'll do a vinyl wrap like I did with the reflectors and third brake light. Billy Billy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woah322 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Why plasti dip on the crossroad if already factory tinted. Wish the blacktop models would come with the tinted tail lights, I mean if the headlights are why not the taillight as well. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carritt11 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 They aren't tinted, the housing is just painted on the inside but the external reflector is still red. The red color is what I wanted to change, doesn't go very well with my orange accents dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 (edited) I'm not a big fan... it distorts the LEDs and the flat black look just doesn't look finished to me. A vinyl film or spray tint that is shiny would look much better IMHO. Edited September 9, 2015 by Lobitz68 dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 You can see how dark the Crossroad lights are on my signature. No need to go any darker, IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Chornobey Powley Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I did three coats of vht and three coats of clear. Looks OEM I was going to pai t the chrome black on the tails but that's to much work for just paint. If I open them up I'll probably take out the single leds Nd put in a halo for a nice uniform of red might end up doing this over the winter dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Any darker invites unwanted attention. From you know who. I don't need that. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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