AnabolicFrolic
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- June 10, 2001
- Messages
- 282
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Bend, Oregon
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 01 XLT
Here are some new pics of my X. I finally got some clear corners and painted my taillights so I thought id show off those new mods. Also the cloud cover created pretty flat and even lighting which made for some pretty good pictures.
Clear Corners: I didn’t do the free clear-corner mod on my stockers but instead I bought some off www.clearlights.com . I will see how these work out for a while, but if they begin to turn yellow I will probably just mod the stockers per Hartman’s directions.
Custom Taillights: I never was a fan of the altezzas on explorers, but at the same time I never liked the look of my stock taillights. The thing I hated most about the stock tails was the AMBER blinkers on them. After seeing ExplorerChic’s write-up on using the candy apple red paint, I figured id give it ago. But I didn’t want to stop there because I wanted to add a little more flair to achieve that custom look. So I also hit the tails with some of that import taillight tint spray.
Directions:
1. Remove taillights from vehicle.
2. Wash the taillights thoroughly with a mild dishwashing soap and water.
3. Dry thoroughly.
4. Mask off the entire taillight except the orange blinker portion. (Use high quality painters’ masking tape -The blue 3M stuff works very well.)
5. Spray 3 coats of Testors Translucent Candy-Apple Red paint over the orange blinker portion of the taillight. Let the paint dry for 15-30 minutes between coats.
6. Let the red paint dry for 12 hours after the final coat. Remove the masking tape.
7. Now carefully mask off the clear backup light portion of the taillights. Use a good sharp razor to trim the tape (An x-acto knife works best). A dull blade can tear the masking tape and fray the ends, causing the tint spray to seep under the masked off area.
8. Spray your coats of tint spray using very thin and even coats. Follow the directions on the can. Wait about 15-30 minutes between coats, and apply as many coats as needed to achieve the level of TINT that YOU want. I went with only 3 coats of the tint-spray on mine because I didn’t want them too dark since my vehicle is somewhat light in color.
9. Let the taillights dry for a good 12 hours before handling.
10. If there are blemishes in the paint or the taillights appear dull, wet sanding can be done to smooth out the finish and remove blemishes. THE PAINT NEEDS TO CURE AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE WETSANDING. Use 1500 or 2000 grit wet sanding paper and follow the direction on the wet sanding paper package. After wet sanding the taillights you will need to polish them up with a quality rubbing compound. I use 3M’s Fine-Cut rubbing compound to remove the wet sanding swirl marks, then I finish up the polishing by applying 3M Finish Restorer. This stuff removes any very fine swirls that may still be present on the surface.
11. After all of this! You can now apply several coats of clear coat. I applied 3 coats of clear coat spray following the instructions on the can, waiting 15 minutes in between coats.
12. After the clear coat has been allowed to dry for at least 48 hours, you do any final wet sanding to remove orange peel texture and runs in the clear coat. Again, follow the directions listed above for wet sanding, and finish them up with a good rubbing compound a nice coat of wax.
13. Put them back on the truck and admire the awesome work you have done!
Here are the pics:
Clear Corners:
Taillights:
Misc:
Clear Corners: I didn’t do the free clear-corner mod on my stockers but instead I bought some off www.clearlights.com . I will see how these work out for a while, but if they begin to turn yellow I will probably just mod the stockers per Hartman’s directions.
Custom Taillights: I never was a fan of the altezzas on explorers, but at the same time I never liked the look of my stock taillights. The thing I hated most about the stock tails was the AMBER blinkers on them. After seeing ExplorerChic’s write-up on using the candy apple red paint, I figured id give it ago. But I didn’t want to stop there because I wanted to add a little more flair to achieve that custom look. So I also hit the tails with some of that import taillight tint spray.
Directions:
1. Remove taillights from vehicle.
2. Wash the taillights thoroughly with a mild dishwashing soap and water.
3. Dry thoroughly.
4. Mask off the entire taillight except the orange blinker portion. (Use high quality painters’ masking tape -The blue 3M stuff works very well.)
5. Spray 3 coats of Testors Translucent Candy-Apple Red paint over the orange blinker portion of the taillight. Let the paint dry for 15-30 minutes between coats.
6. Let the red paint dry for 12 hours after the final coat. Remove the masking tape.
7. Now carefully mask off the clear backup light portion of the taillights. Use a good sharp razor to trim the tape (An x-acto knife works best). A dull blade can tear the masking tape and fray the ends, causing the tint spray to seep under the masked off area.
8. Spray your coats of tint spray using very thin and even coats. Follow the directions on the can. Wait about 15-30 minutes between coats, and apply as many coats as needed to achieve the level of TINT that YOU want. I went with only 3 coats of the tint-spray on mine because I didn’t want them too dark since my vehicle is somewhat light in color.
9. Let the taillights dry for a good 12 hours before handling.
10. If there are blemishes in the paint or the taillights appear dull, wet sanding can be done to smooth out the finish and remove blemishes. THE PAINT NEEDS TO CURE AT LEAST 48 HOURS BEFORE WETSANDING. Use 1500 or 2000 grit wet sanding paper and follow the direction on the wet sanding paper package. After wet sanding the taillights you will need to polish them up with a quality rubbing compound. I use 3M’s Fine-Cut rubbing compound to remove the wet sanding swirl marks, then I finish up the polishing by applying 3M Finish Restorer. This stuff removes any very fine swirls that may still be present on the surface.
11. After all of this! You can now apply several coats of clear coat. I applied 3 coats of clear coat spray following the instructions on the can, waiting 15 minutes in between coats.
12. After the clear coat has been allowed to dry for at least 48 hours, you do any final wet sanding to remove orange peel texture and runs in the clear coat. Again, follow the directions listed above for wet sanding, and finish them up with a good rubbing compound a nice coat of wax.
13. Put them back on the truck and admire the awesome work you have done!
Here are the pics:
Clear Corners:
Taillights:
Misc:
