Headlight Tinting - Lo&Show, take a look...
10-12-2001, 03:27 PM
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Headlight Tinting - Lo&Show, take a look...
I'm mulling over the options for headlight housing tinting, and I'd like to run a few questions by the forum.
The obvious first method of this is to get a GTO blackout kit. Meh. Not all that interested, because it would not be a "complete" kit. I'd want a set that would have covers for the OEM foglights as well as the headlights. Doesn't exist, and I don't think that using the "universal" blackout film the offer (works like window tinting) would look all that good in comparison to the covers.
Korean tint job - Look on the Shark Racing site under Body Styling for the Tiburons. Check out the pictures of the King first-gen body kit. I DIG THOSE HEADLIGHTS. I've bugged Sam on several occassions regarding these, and they're done by a third-party company in Korea. You ship them your stock headlight housings, they tint them on the inside, and ship 'em back. He quoted me a price under $300 for the work. It's a little steep, yes, but I'm willing to do it if there's no other way. I like them THAT much.
Custom job - Lo&Show, here's where your expertise comes in. I've done some research into how these headlight tinting effects are done, and one method that I particularly liked was where a very small amount of black paint was added to clearcoat, and sprayed into the interior of the light housing. I assume that this could conceiveably be done with any colour paint, like the forest green of my Tiburon. How hard would it be for a shop to do this / would they be willing to take this kind of thing on? Do you think that you would be good enough to do something like this, and would have the time for me to commission you to do it for me? How good would the OEM foglights come out if this was done to them, as well?
What other options are there?
I'll reserve the rest of my incessant questions for after the first round of responses. Muaa-haa-haa...
The obvious first method of this is to get a GTO blackout kit. Meh. Not all that interested, because it would not be a "complete" kit. I'd want a set that would have covers for the OEM foglights as well as the headlights. Doesn't exist, and I don't think that using the "universal" blackout film the offer (works like window tinting) would look all that good in comparison to the covers.
Korean tint job - Look on the Shark Racing site under Body Styling for the Tiburons. Check out the pictures of the King first-gen body kit. I DIG THOSE HEADLIGHTS. I've bugged Sam on several occassions regarding these, and they're done by a third-party company in Korea. You ship them your stock headlight housings, they tint them on the inside, and ship 'em back. He quoted me a price under $300 for the work. It's a little steep, yes, but I'm willing to do it if there's no other way. I like them THAT much.
Custom job - Lo&Show, here's where your expertise comes in. I've done some research into how these headlight tinting effects are done, and one method that I particularly liked was where a very small amount of black paint was added to clearcoat, and sprayed into the interior of the light housing. I assume that this could conceiveably be done with any colour paint, like the forest green of my Tiburon. How hard would it be for a shop to do this / would they be willing to take this kind of thing on? Do you think that you would be good enough to do something like this, and would have the time for me to commission you to do it for me? How good would the OEM foglights come out if this was done to them, as well?
What other options are there?
I'll reserve the rest of my incessant questions for after the first round of responses. Muaa-haa-haa...
10-13-2001, 02:23 AM
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Originally posted by Iago:
How hard would it be for a shop to do this / would they be willing to take this kind of thing on? Do you think that you would be good enough to do something like this, and would have the time for me to commission you to do it for me? How good would the OEM foglights come out if this was done to them, as well? What other options are there?
How hard would it be for a shop to do this / would they be willing to take this kind of thing on? Do you think that you would be good enough to do something like this, and would have the time for me to commission you to do it for me? How good would the OEM foglights come out if this was done to them, as well? What other options are there?
Zup dude. Good questions and good idea on your quest to be a show winner. wink.gif Okay...as far as spraying the paint in the light casings, you have to remember that it has to be an extremely thin coat or else your lights wont shine through bright enough. I've done it on a friends Mazda 626 before and for the first couple of weeks or so..it looks sweet. But what happens is that since there's no primer to hold the paint and because it's a thin coat of paint being shot, it fades quite quickly. It now looks like my friend has normal headlights, and I did this at the beginning of the summer.
If you decide to have a shop do it, then it really shouldn't be that hard to do, and it should be alot cheaper than what Sam quoted you..since it takes very little paint. Another idea is to find a glass tinting shop. I don't mean a place that apply's tint like on your windows, but I mean a place that can actually use some kind of dye and tint glass..sort of like how you would tint your dashboard or fabric, or whatever.
Another idea is I remember hearing of a place called TCS Graphics, I think. They sold this vinyl like stuff that you could paint, and put over your headlights or tail lights and the light shown though without any problems. The kits were very inexpensive, and for the most part could be made to be either a permanent or temporary thing. The only problem is that I don't remember the website address where I saw them. sad.gif
I guess I really wasn't too much help. Good luck with it, and hey..if all else fails...you could dowhat the rice boys in my area do....put colored saran wrap over your lights! *lol*
L8TR.......
10-13-2001, 02:41 AM
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Vehicle: 2000 Tiburon
damn, iwas just thinking of the same thing the other day. i was gonna ask how hard it would be to remove the clear lens on the SR tails so i could tint the inside the color od my car (blue). it looks like it could be done on the tails. don't know about the headlights though. let me know how you do it, thats if ya do it
10-13-2001, 05:31 AM
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Some good food for thought, man. I appreciate it.
I didn't think about the fading problem AT ALL. That's an interesting discouragement for doing it with the paint/clear coat method. The alternate option of the glass tinting service is something I'll have to look into and see what's available. Would it be hard for them to tint the plastic, and would they need to take the housing apart to do it? I'm not sure how easily these things are disassembled. I'll have to take a look.
On a similar vein of TCS Graphics...do you think that window-tinting film would work, long-term? I assume that these things would go on the outside of the housing, which means they'd be exposed to a lot of unfriendly elements. I wonder how long it would last before it started looking like crap.
I've tried the coloured Saran Wrap technique, but I can't seem to find a rubber band large enough to hold the dang stuff on! Duct tape tends to mess it all up, too. Maybe I'll just go with some Con-Tact Paper. 
I didn't think about the fading problem AT ALL. That's an interesting discouragement for doing it with the paint/clear coat method. The alternate option of the glass tinting service is something I'll have to look into and see what's available. Would it be hard for them to tint the plastic, and would they need to take the housing apart to do it? I'm not sure how easily these things are disassembled. I'll have to take a look.
On a similar vein of TCS Graphics...do you think that window-tinting film would work, long-term? I assume that these things would go on the outside of the housing, which means they'd be exposed to a lot of unfriendly elements. I wonder how long it would last before it started looking like crap.
I've tried the coloured Saran Wrap technique, but I can't seem to find a rubber band large enough to hold the dang stuff on! Duct tape tends to mess it all up, too. Maybe I'll just go with some Con-Tact Paper.
10-13-2001, 06:02 AM
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QUOTE
Originally posted by Iago:
On a similar vein of TCS Graphics...do you think that window-tinting film would work, long-term? I assume that these things would go on the outside of the housing, which means they'd be exposed to a lot of unfriendly elements. I wonder how long it would last before it started looking like crap.
On a similar vein of TCS Graphics...do you think that window-tinting film would work, long-term? I assume that these things would go on the outside of the housing, which means they'd be exposed to a lot of unfriendly elements. I wonder how long it would last before it started looking like crap.
From what I remember on their website...the stuff handles fine in the elements. Damn..I wish I could remember the web addy. sad.gif It looked really sweet too. eek.gif
[ October 13, 2001: Message edited by: 2000Lo&ShowTibby ]
10-17-2001, 01:30 AM
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10-17-2001, 02:54 AM
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Originally posted by Viper966:
what would you guys do without me??
what would you guys do without me??
...not have tinted headlights.
Thanks, man. Much appreciated.
That's a pretty good option to keep in mind. It makes the headlights look a little flat, in my opinion, but it does give VERY different effect than blackout kits or other covers. Thanks for digging that up for us!
[ October 17, 2001: Message edited by: Iago ]
10-18-2001, 12:32 AM
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Greetings all!!! Newbie Here!
Just had to register so I could chime in on the TCS product you're talking about.
Best light cover period! Any light any color any car. Can't tell its even there at night, light shines right thru. Holds up to weather & washing, have had mine on for 3 years. You can take it off unlike painting your lights. Won't blow off or get stolen like GTS. Price is right! I've had other lights and covers, but the TCS by far gets the most attention. I gotten 2 speeding tickets and the cop didn't say anything about it!
Gets my thumbs up!
Later
albo
Oh! I sent in pix of my car to their site, see them at.... http://www.visiongraphic.com/tcs2D.htm
Just had to register so I could chime in on the TCS product you're talking about.
Best light cover period! Any light any color any car. Can't tell its even there at night, light shines right thru. Holds up to weather & washing, have had mine on for 3 years. You can take it off unlike painting your lights. Won't blow off or get stolen like GTS. Price is right! I've had other lights and covers, but the TCS by far gets the most attention. I gotten 2 speeding tickets and the cop didn't say anything about it!
Gets my thumbs up!
Later
albo
Oh! I sent in pix of my car to their site, see them at.... http://www.visiongraphic.com/tcs2D.htm