For some reason my passenger side taillight has been dimmer than the driver's side. Both bulbs shine the same brightness but it wasn't reflecting as well. Since the car is down i decided to pull them off and respray the reflectors. As you can see, not really much inside that would shine. These are 1983 taillights...so 23 years of heat has taken their toll on them.
After a few coats of chrome paint. For some reason my camera shows the chrome a little more dull than it really is.
And final product. I polished the lenses, painted the center bar and restriped. Some fresh Butyl Tape to seal them back up and good as brand new. Not bad for 23 years old. I paid $25 for the pair of lights 3 years ago
Total a couple hours, but that was due to letting the paint dry between coats. I did about 3 coats on the reflectors. While waiting for them to dry i worked on the lens.
Friend who works in Auto-body had some that he gave me. I hear NAPA sells it but i never got a chance to go by and get some from them
I had a spare bulb and socket so i bench tested the lights and they are significantly brighter. I now a lot of guys like dark tinted tails, but i like mine to be bright, shiny and new looking.
Its the little things that make the difference between car enthusiasts and just drivers. I'm with you, no reason to make it harder for the idiot behind you to see your brake lights... no tint
HID reverse lights, lol! That would be a good thing to have if someone is driving with their high beams on behind you. Have it wired up so you can just flip a switch and blind the hell out of them.
Maybe i'll mock it up tonight and see just how much light actually is given off and take some pics! PS. For those wondering about the Butyl Tape, i was in Advance Auto Today and found that they sell it. It's 3/8" x 15' long. It's $13.xx and sold as "3M Window-Weld Ribbon Sealer" I also know NAPA has it to but unsure what they sell it as or how much.
I found H-1 fog light bulbs you can get for your reverse lights. I want to buy them but i cant convince myself to pay 9.95 each for them.
Lol, I never did the HID reverse lights. I have a spare kit, but i don't have the taillights on me. I put them back on the car which is not near me at this time. Still, that would be cool, but I think i'm going to put the HID's in the front of the car, not the back