How-To | Nite Shade Taillights (Professionally)

In this video, Brit Howell of Vicious Autoworks (Custer, WA) explains the steps you need to take to properly night shade taillights.
Follow custom hot rod restoration shop owners Brit Howell & Tommy Moore as they travel the country to pickup customer restoration jobs. Vicious Autoworks is located in their hometown Custer, WA. SUBSCRIBE for episodes and completed jobs.
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Music Credit
Artist: King HushHush
Title: Mirror Mountain ft. Tactics
Album: Vicious Autoworks Soundtrack
Label: Britslist Records
Copyright 2017

[@bigginokid]

If ur planning on doing this DO NOT sand ur taillights first paint sticks by simply cleaning them then u will have better lite shine thru or if u wish to remove paint back to stock without ruining ur lights

[@ibiscar06]

Paint sticks, but if you don't sand, it'll start peeling in a couple of months.

[@Priceless406]

wrong buddy i tinted mine and didnt sand and it stayed on without fading or peeling for well over 3 years of owning the car@@ibiscar06

[@alexlovato5210]

This was the most extra overly preped job all the time out into covering you would have been best to just take them out

[@hectorboyar4321]

exactly...

[@smorris2993]

Awesome job man. Very meticulous. Good to see people taking pride in their work.

[@freedompioneer4311]

Wow someone actually mentions to CLEAR COAT! EXTREMELY important!! Gives it the POP you're looking for!! I've seen soo many tint shops give tinted taillights to customers without CLEARCOAT!! 🤣 Also tnx for sharing how to outline the reverse box!

[@ignaciorodriguez4899]

Great video. That's the kind of shop I would want working on my stuff!

[@simbanugz2906]

i know this is a old a++ video but i wanted to give Props, you got to the point and show all steps. i believe after watch this a couple more time i will have the confidence to do my 12 mustang.

[@alcantarainterior8078]

Man you did it like a boss - Flawless result 💪🏼💪🏼🔥

[@foundinscriptureorg]

And it goes a little something like this! Great Job! Clear coat is a def!

[@Gio0285]

Wow and this whole I thought I was just going to spray my lights. Thank you for this video!!

[@daevidcrawley6936]

Great quality work. Need to give it a go myself 😁

[@jacobvillegas4328]

This was very satisfying to watch. I love when work is done right! Great job

[@viciousautoworks33]

Jacob Villegas thank you! 🐍

[@misssummersalt]

Me too. That's why I hated when they sanded the lenses when the can SPECIFICALLY says NOT to sand them. If they can't even follow the instructions on the can how can anyone trust them to do a proper long lasting job. Smh.

[@jdm132]

Damn you guys took the extra step, they look great

[@viciousautoworks33]

JDM thank you!

[@yeboscrebo4451]

That looks great!

[@darrellsyrnyk6875]

Awesome job , props to you .. I'm looking to diy my Taillight's on my Dodge ram .

[@viciousautoworks33]

Darrell Syrnyk thank you! Pm us on Facebook if you have any questions!

[@MISTAMUSIK]

great job guys. I would like my cars done like this...

[@V1AbortV2]

Dig the work guys, right on! Wish you were in AZ 😂

[@MydogTagz]

I'm pretty sure I actually counted him saying actually about 8k times lol Thanks for the video. It's a big help!

[@EvOxNike]

I actually think that your counting is actually pretty accurate on how many times he said actually. That’s actually pretty sweet.

[@cesargonzales4819]

your actually right

[@Psilocy-ben]

Great video thanks for sharing. If I don’t have an electric buffer will it be super hard to do well by hand? Or will it just take a little longer?

[@mike21058]

Wow great look, I wanna do my truck now

[@jaredbeauchamp4093]

Great video breakdown. You mention this customer only wanted a smoke look but you love doing them blacked out. How many coats do you usually do to achieve your preferred look?

[@strongaddictions1645]

How about clearcoating sanding and buffing the VHT Roll Bar and chasis paint black gloss ? Rear differential plate ?

[@babame2629]

Nice job thanks please tell me why You didn’t add hardener to clear coat

[@JRDNGIXX]

That's dope! What if you're going for a satin finish look instead of gloss on the taillights still need to clear coat it?

[@saeedaftabi783]

Job well done 👍

[@alejandrocalderon7]

Nice Video Bro!! Very easy steps to follow, without doing to much! 👍Good job!

[@viciousautoworks33]

ALEJANDRO CALDERON thank you! We believe that this video provides all the steps for a professional quality job. 👊🐍

[@alejandrocalderon7]

@@viciousautoworks33 I bought everything you used(rattle can) TODAY! Hoping to tackle early in the morning (sometime)! Thanks Again!👍

[@viciousautoworks33]

ALEJANDRO CALDERON good luck! Message us on our Facebook page if you have any questions! 👊

[@nathanbull7790]

Thats brilliant! Can I ask, is the spray acrylic based? For example can I use montana transparent black?

[@Thatjewnick]

So after you spray the shade can you wet sand it to get it smooth than clear coat? I used the shade put it's orange peel is bad it was below freezing when I did it?

[@jamesbranner4029]

Nice job

[@justinbarber9597]

I skipped the cutting compound and put the shine on instead by accident. Could I still put the cutting compound on or is it to late?

[@billybritt5334]

The last tower I would use is those blue paper towels lots of lint

[@darrellbrown7829]

This is the way it should be done, kids today rush through it and they wonder why it looks like crap. Great job guys!!

[@viciousautoworks33]

darrell Brown thank you!

[@nathanbull7790]

How's it going man, this is one of the best videos I have ever seen on light tints, I'm in the UK, so the vht stuff is a little hard to come by, but hopefully montana transparent black ought to do it, is there more time waited between the last coat and the clear or is that the same as between vht coats?

[@cesargonzales4819]

montana paint is what we americans wish we had

[@hardcore4476]

Looks good! Thanks for the tips. Bought a can of vht myself and can you achieve a professional look without all those steps?

[@kristopherdickson6606]

A good paint job is 90% prep and 10% technique. So no. You can't

[@boo8922]

Candy apple thats how I made mine own lights

[@MrKingVulture]

Wow clear coat pops

[@187aris]

Great video ! Question; what’s the best way to darken one tail light once the clear coat has been applied? Thanks.

[@viciousautoworks33]

Aristotle Vallianatos hi there, you want to make sure you’re happy with the level of darkness before you apply the clear coat. Once you apply the clear, the tint is sealed in. If you want darker, you will have to wait until the clear is cured, re sand, tint and re clear again.

[@damienrapa8141]

Cheers dude it turned out sic,bein a couple yrs since you done this tint has it held up well or ?? Let us know? Cheers m8 from 🇦🇺🤙🏻

[@tdeeez]

How long did you let the painted taillights cure before clear coat?

[@fernandovitorino219]

Hi. Awesome video! Where can I purchase the two Omni products at a good price? They don’t even come up in google

[@viciousautoworks33]

Fernando Vitorino hi there! I would contact your local autobody supply store. They are made by PPG. You could also goto an Orielly’s, Napa etc. and purchase some quality clear through them as well. A small can or clear is fine.

[@vally6853]

Is it cool if i use 2000 grit after the 1500 grit?

[@cartoon7478]

I did this but I made the mistake of doing it when it was 40 degrees outside, lot of lines 😂

[@j.olacio5298]

How does the light shine through? Does it hinder it any, or does the paint allow light to pass through? I looked to see if this question was answered already and couldn't find it. Thank you for your response.

[@Cameragoof]

I was wondering, if you sprayed clear coat why not just tint the clear?

[@BasikVids_4_Life]

How long did they cure before the clear coat?

[@kylegibson326]

I have used the VHT tint before, but when the taillight lights are on it always looks blotchy. I can I prevent this? It looks good when no light is shining through though.

[@viciousautoworks33]

Kyle Gibson hi Kyle! From our experience , try using nice even stokes and on the following coats, switch up the direction for more even coverage. 🐍

[@dannyvictory7789]

How long does it last on ur lights

[@yannicali]

what grit sand paper did you use first?

[@blkhwkcc]

ball park how much did this run the customer?

[@anon2414]

I was disgusted by the scuffing and spray paint....then block sanding ..and then waxing....I was like wuuuuuh.....man that turned out amazing...I'm doing my tail light soon with vivvid air release dry tint..it will have a little orange peel...I like to have the ability to peel it off and go back to stock

[@jacobreath8235]

i loved this stuff. turned out great, however, i did do a great job at covering my paint, yet some parts of my car did get overspray on it. other than that, DO NOT go slow when spraying you're lights. it will make that part a lot darker. light, fast sprayed coats are the best way 😎

[@cesargonzales4819]

it’s usually 3-4 screws to remove the light. i’m still wondering why he spent so much time n material taping and covering the car? lol if he worked at my auto body shops i’d fire him

[@benmartin4489]

​@cesargonzales4819 I run a "body shop" and he did it correctly.

[@drpepper3726]

What song is that in the end? Shazam not pulling up. Nice song!

[@danstout9401]

Can the same process be done on headlights? (Of course a little lighter so I can still see)

[@daGuwru]

Dan Stout check your local laws

[@bondoman2k]

I see you sanded the lights. I have a question...if I wanted to tape off a 'design' on the lens that would still be visible after tinting the lens, should I sand before, then lay out the design, then clearcoat? If I sanded after laying out the design I'm sure it would mess up the design I just taped on. I see a lot of these videos where they don't clear over the nightshade, but some do. Just wondering which way to do this. ;)

[@Rhineheimer]

Clear over the nightshade definitely helps. I did 1-2 coats of clear coat after 2-3 coats of the nightshade

[@kolebaumgartner2011]

How long should you wait after spraying final coat of tint to start spraying clear coat..also how long between each coat for clear?

[@kolebaumgartner2011]

@Ivan Zivojinovic already painted and removed lmao

[@kolebaumgartner2011]

@Ivan Zivojinovic didn’t remove taillights turned out fine

[@triniskar_]

Wat Grid of sand paper are u using ??

[@15DurangoRT]

How do you do 2 1/2 coats?

[@TheHomeWrencher_1776]

To properly professionally do this, you would not use VHT nightshades you use VHD nightshades if you’re in your driveway for the true professional will tent clearcoat, take the tail lights out, prep them with an adhesion promoter, and then spray them with a professional grade automotive spraygun to achieve the desired tint. Then it don’t peel it don’t fade. It don’t drive back don’t shrink and it last for many years ask me how I know.

[@C0ldDemon]

All I could hear the entire video was that one episode where Billy is screaming and doesn't stop for 5 minutes (machine in background) from the grim adventures of Billy and mandy

[@Darkangel-sw9lm]

Do you know if this will interfere with the BLIS system?

[@Seymour_cox25]

Darkangel7682 just turn your head and you’ll love good

[@michaelbraun5943]

If I dont have a spray gun what kind of clear would you suggest?

[@viciousautoworks33]

Michael Braun hi Michael, if you goto your local auto body supply store, they should have spray cans with some high solids clear coat that are much better quality than your typical store bought clear coat cans. It will be thinner inside a spray can, so apply several coats of clear. It won’t have the gloss, but cutting and polishing should bring it out after it’s fully cured. Follow instructions on can for cure times. 🐍🤙

[@spicychum9936]

Michael Braun harbor freight, 35 bucks and I’ve used the same gun for years if you clean with acetone after use

[@Kiwi-rf4jv]

Is it last long? Can I remove it?

[@obliviondio]

Adhesion promoter works wonders on bare unsanded platic allowing you to paint

[@spicychum9936]

OblivionDio we use AP-131 on aircraft on occasion at my work and it works like shit, sanding is the king

[@obliviondio]

I'm sure your use of it is entirely different than a taillight which in this application works fine to compliment VHT and the fact that the plastic surface has to be rough for the paint to grab onto which is why adhesion promoters are great for this.

[@davidterry7004]

U 4got the 3rd break light..... And wouldn't have been easier to just remove the lights? Looks great though, not judging.

[@danbell3378]

Why didn't you mask the reverse lights on the main assembly on the trunk?

[@Malcvlogging]

Personally I think tinting it with film is better than spraying it because say you get tired of it you can just peel the film off vs taking the extra step spending money buying materials trying to get it off/ scrubbing it

[@Malcvlogging]

I’m gonna get mine tinted with film

[@rebwar08]

What type of compound and polish should i use

[@viciousautoworks33]

rebwar08 we recommend using Meguaiars 105 with a wool pad for buffing the sand scratches out followed by 205 with a foam pad for polishing to a deep shine! :)

[@rebwar08]

@@viciousautoworks33 thank you guys..im now subscribed to your channel

[@sammyg9351]

does it really matter what temperature your doing this at ?

[@spicychum9936]

Sammy G hi, aircraft painter here. The paint cures better and adheres to the material better at a higher temp

[@innovativeintelligence4172]

I feel like this is you rapping in the background lol

[@thatguy-ve6mb]

What's the point of the sandpaper??? Or the abrasive?

[@viciousautoworks33]

that guy sandpaper is needed for a “mechanical” bite for the paint. Skipping this step could result in the nite shade and clear coat flaking or chipping off.

[@mrtaken5640]

How would u remove this if someone wanted it removed? Brake cleaner?

[@viciousautoworks33]

Mr Taken unfortunately brake cleaner won’t remove it. But if you sanded the light with a 320 grit and a DA, it could be sanded back down to red, followed up by a 600 wet sand it could then be re clear coated or buffed and polished to be red again. It can be done, but it could also be cheaper to just order replacement lights online depending on make and model.

[@mrtaken5640]

Will u link me the buffing supplies u used? Including the buffer etc

[@alejandroo260]

I may not be a real painter but wouldnt it have been easier to remove the lights n side marker... I mean you talking about profit but just ran threw a whole lot of paper n plastic...

[@Next-nb9pr]

It looks like he covered almost whole car,just to paint taillights,i mean what the fuck

[@DcHuff97]

You then have to detail mask the back of the light housing to keep paint from entering the inside of the light assembly

[@PADDLEMUSTAH]

The price might be relevant to what he uses, im pretty sure he wont be doing all that and losing money. Hear what you saying though.

[@seanbirge5081]

Literally could have saved money and time by removing the lights and side marker

[@OscarMartinez-hz8uc]

Exactly what I was thinking but I guess that's how you tax the hell out the customer.

[@iCorola]

oh no y u no do the third brake light :,( rip

[@paulstonger1566]

Damn, wish mine looked that good..

[@Indigopop]

Would it not have been easier to remove the lights?

[@jameshall2081]

LOL.. DAMN

[@williamchristy257]

Why don’t you remove the headlight from the housing completely?

[@mikeb6033]

a lot of extra work involved, on some vehicles, you have to remove the front or rear bumper to access all the bolts that hold the head/tail light assembly on.

[@4bvenom733]

Can you pill these back off without hardener

[@viciousautoworks33]

This isn’t removable. Would have to be sanded and then re cleared to go back to original finish.

[@viciousautoworks33]

4B vEnOm don’t use clear coat without hardener/activator. It won’t cure properly.

[@dr.curious5136]

Yea great video , but one thing you did I would never do, when you wiped down the dusty paint around the light like that , congratulations you just scratched the shit of the clear coat , now if the customer is picky , it will need a polish.

[@danielhowell1640]

Did you not watch till the end where he did polish them?

[@alcantarainterior8078]

@@danielhowell1640 exactly

[@keithlovoya846]

Damn

[@racerjdm4709]

🤦🏻‍♂️ take the lights off people! Saves time and money

[@kolebaumgartner2011]

Can you not afford saran wrap and tape?

[@CarlitosG1711]

@@kolebaumgartner2011 it would just be easier to take them off just a couple of bolts and then you could use that wrap for something that can't be easily removed

[@kolebaumgartner2011]

Carlos Sanchez depends what car you have because mine is a pain

[@sonofsam7176]

Spray cans are meant to be held vertically and spray forward not to be held horizontally and spray down. You can do it that way with good results but there is a higher risk of uneven spray and spit.

[@danielhowell1640]

but those light assemblies are so easy to remove.

[@webetrailing7916]

Just tint the clear

[@Pippins_Scaly_Friends]

Would've saved 30-50 bucks in prep and 2 hours if you just take the tail lights off, no?

[@mata94lomano36]

😁😁😁

[@spicychum9936]

Take apart the rear tail gate, or mask around. Painting is a production job, faster you get it done the more paint you can shoot

[@DcHuff97]

Also, it's easier to damage your light housing or scratch your car when removing, and I think it's more work removing than masking... Kinda like why there are window washers for the whole outside of the building instead of removing each window in each outside room of the building and cleaning it separately.

[@EvOxNike]

Scenic City Drone Footage ok that was the worst analogy ever but that’s your opinion. Personally i would’ve taken out the tail lights. It’s literally 3 bolts and like 3 connectors for the lights lol

[@troyvt]

Looks good but Im glad im not paying that bill that has to be one expensive tail light tint job

[@willbonilla294]

So True!!@!, This wasn't a "DIY" @ HOME project...

[@trevorb7645]

Why not remove the lense? Every car Ive ever had..It would be easier to pull it and spray off the car

[@LoneWolf-ni1zj]

In most cases it's a lot easier to REMOVE the taillights! You don't have to spend all that time masking off your entire vehicle just to tint your taillights. Work Smart... Not Hard.

[@yannicali]

Its easier to compound and polish bolted onto the car.

[@oscarhernandez2773]

Why not use spray can to throw the clear and why not cover whole car with plastic sheet🤔btw the outcome came out perfect way better than my piece of shit vinyl that was layed on

[@moparrdudee87]

So which compound goes on first???? You lost some of us there….

[@Esianegg]

After all this products n and tools I rather just order from eBay 130$ get front and back lights

[@Jefe604]

Quality Work Is Like Wendys Burger Patties You Cant Cut Corners.

[@ibo1137]

Why not just use tint film instead of all this work.

[@viciousautoworks33]

IM26C4U tint film will delaminate around edges eventually. We just removed some on an Acura TL and sprayed them like this. Lifetime warranty with our paint work! 👌

[@Mike-hn4uu]

This tint video fucks all the other ones up bad

[@christph3118]

Why not just remove the lens from vehicle to prep?

[@viciousautoworks33]

christph3118 light could be removed but most the time, the entire lens is exposed on vehicle anyways and being mounted to vehicle it provides a sturdy position to work on lights.

[@speterbilt]

Waste of alot of paper and plastic for this. I wont be using this shop. Cost too much for the amount of waste. Take the light out.

[@viciousautoworks33]

speterbilt some vehicles require more time to remove lights than using some cheap masking paper and tape. Time is money! 🐍👌

[@ChayzzDevyant]

Seems like it would be easier to just remove the lights

[@DatSmooveMF]

Wasted time masking and covering the entire care, just take of the tail light...fast money! GREAT JOB though!!

[@speterbilt]

To much bs for just tinting lenses. Do yall recycle the paper and plastic?

[@viciousautoworks33]

speterbilt we don’t recycle the paper or plastic. We do take pride in our work and our lights are quality done and our paint has a lifetime warranty.

[@speterbilt]

@@viciousautoworks33 seems a waste of all that paper for that

[@franksanna217]

Give the guy a break. He actually takes pride doing quality work! Who cares how much paper is used? I can’t wait to send him my lights...

[@yeboscrebo4451]

speterbilt you bought your computer which had to be built by a little Chinese sweatshop slave to watch this video and then make that comment!? How dare you! (Greta Thunberg accent)

[@Auto_Fanatics]

This product is crap I used plastic adhesive promoter and still not grabing the clear headlights I've preped it before tail lights are good headlights is a different story

[@errolrafacz4241]

Night Shades is junk. Wears off in a month or two. Even prepping with alchohol and glass cleaner. If you use it, keep the can close, because you'll be doing it over and over until you just get different lenses.

[@frznrrfan.frznrrfan102]

That car was filthy, why wouldn't you wash it 1st, when you cleaned around the light all yous did was scratch the paint, if it had been washed you wouldn't have need to do that, and like others have mentioned wouldn't have been easier to just remove the lights, you could have made sure all areas, top bottom and side would have been done evenly,

[@MrDickharder]

What about taking the lights off the car))Jesus Fck Christ))

[@cdozer7062]

waaaaaaay too much work. i was hoping to watch something i can do at home

[@viciousautoworks33]

c dozer this is possible at home. You can goto your local parts or paint supply store and pickup some quality 2k clear coat in a spray can. Also the lights don’t need to be sanded and polished at end. This video covers steps needed for a professional end result.

[@naamangeist7843]

This job would have been 10x easier if the taillights were removed first, depending on the vehicle. I have a C5 Corvette and it only requires the removal of 2 screws per sense. So, if your car's lights can be easily removed, do so.

[@viciousautoworks33]

Naaman Geist easy both ways. Lost a little tape and plastic sheeting if Left In. Many vehicles tail lights can take a while to fully remove. This is minor masking and doesn’t take long. Also provided a nice stand to be sanded and polished on. Very nice to leave in for fast turn around.

[@naamangeist7843]

@@viciousautoworks33 That's why I said "depending on vehicle" and was addressing the "waaaay too much work" comment. My corvette has recessed taillights, making masking, sanding and polishing more difficult and 2-screw removal a much easier option.

[@naamangeist7843]

@@viciousautoworks33 So how do you guys go about removing the raised lettering on some lenses? Mine has it along the bottom edge. This will hinder sanding and polishing efforts.