Hey!
Guess what just arrived yesterday?
Yep. Finally got the TYC taillights to install!

Not sure if we're gonna smoke them or not...if so, we'll have to make sure it is done on the inside and that there is no chance they will leak if they get wet.
Just had to share...
Now if the sponsors come through in time, we should be sittin' pretty for show season. We'll see!

 

Rock on. You should definetly smoke them..

 

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too!
But the Nightshades spray started coming off of the stock tails after we did them. ...and I did several coats of it on them!
It seems like every time I washed the car they got lighter and lighter until I ended up with an etched look like they have right now...yucky!
So, I am gonna have to look at how to smoke them internally instead, and make sure it doesn't fade like that.
I think we'll play with an old broken tailight and see how they come apart first. I don't wanna ruin the new ones, that's for sure!

 

Do they have tint film for them? Who is that sponsor thats on here... Armor something... I forget. They have good stuff I hear.

 

Yeh, I think that we had a visit at MC's one weekend from someone who had used a film on their taillights (it was a white tC), but I'm not sure that's going to work. It was kinda thick sticky film, and didn't conform to the curves very well. At least I didn't think so.
Maybe I should talk to our tint guy and see if he thinks a tint film could be stretched to fit over the tails or not...
I'll look to see what that Armor place is too Frosty, thanks!

 

Nice!! Cant wait to see em in!

There are sveral places that have pre cut tint film in different shades and colors for the taillights like rockblocker.com, but a skilled tinter should be able to do it too.

 

quick question when you tinted your tails did you spray the inside or outside of the lens.
I found painting tails I had to paint them from the inside of the lens. For some reason when you paint them on the outside the sun fades it in no time.

 

I heard something about not being able to internally smoke the TYC tails.. I have them and have been wanting to do it.. but then again I don't know much about that stuff... and putting taillights in an oven makes me a tad nervous.. seeing as how I have no idea what I'm doing

If you do figure out a way to smoke the TYC's efficiently please let me know bsp! :D

 

check out bluebatmobile.net for some good overlays

 

if the tc tail are anything like the xB's, they should just clip in. There is no sealant in the xb tails.

I wouldnt mess with the overlays. It would be best to use nightshades and do it on the inside of the light.

 

Headlight Armor

 

Well guys, after close inspection last night, we discovered that the taillights for the tC's are melted together at the edges...no chance of separating them to smoke them on the inside.
We thought they might be held to gether with adhesive like the headlights were that we did the HID's in last year. But, no luck.
I'm bummed about that, since that would have been a MUCH better option than smoking them with the nightshades spray on the outside (like we did the stock taillights last year).
Still not sure I like the idea of a film overlay either, but I was not impressed with the way the nightshades spray faded and left that etched look on our stock lenses.
I guess we'll do some more research about the film options before deciding what to do. Even though I got the lights on a really great deal from our parts guy, I still spent enough on the lights that I don't wanna ruin them.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

 

Hey Cyrus!
I haven't found a way to smoke them internally, but here is a tutorial of one guy's nightshades spray work done on his externally:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...&highlight=tyc

I'll keep researching too...

 

Hey thanks for that Pudgy!

Here's another thread about his stuff, along with the email address to order from in his posts:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...=asc&&start=20

Not sure if that's the direction I'll go or not. But if I do, I will definately do multiple layers to make them super dark.

Thanks again!

 

Hey! Good News!
Scott looked closer at the TYC's and they ARE different than the stock ones in the way they go together!
It looks like we COULD take them apart by baking them (like the headlights when we did the HID's last year), and then we could do the insides of the lenses instead.
Still not sure what they would look like though with the insides done, since the clear part on the outside would still be clear...might look strange if the clear part is very thick, ya' know?
Anyways, if you have the TYC's and wanna tint the inside, it looks like they CAN be baked and taken apart...

 

Let me know if you guys are able to get them open, tinted, and back together. I'm just skeptical of what the tinted TYC's would look like on my Flint Mica :X

Anywho, let me know!

 

I use good ole Regular Tint film.
that was my first test a few months ago.
This Is the Current tint. Its messy, yes I know but Its not even show season.
My plans for next round is to use a heat gun, and spreading thingy. As for the Edges I'm gonna run some Chrome trim around it. hide em.
Bluebatmobile makes some good overlays, Cuts and folds. for the tC.
Sorry Lauri its not much help for you cause the xB is so flat.
Pros, Cheap, quick, temporary, you can Trim logo's in them.
cons, cheap, temporary,

 

Hey, thanks for posting that up DJ!
I think we are going to go with doing it on the outside afterall, and doing the spray again...but doing an few coats of a good clearcoat enamel afterwards to keep them from weathering as bad as the last ones did.
We tested the inside option on an old tailight that was laying around, and didn't like the result as much with the tint on the inside on the tC.

 

Well, we decided to go ahead with doing the tint spray option on the outsides instead of taking apart the TYC's.
They came out really great this time I think, and we put a bunch of clear coats over them too, so hopefully they won't weather like the last ones did.
Now we just have to buff and polish them up for show season!

 

pics or it didn't happen