i was just messin with ya man, i could care less if ya jack my thread as long as were not talkin about fords or barbies..i know practically the same thing.. hah

 

great looking car mitch! it really stands out. i love the blacked out tail lights. did you do them yourself with vht niteshades or have a body shop do them? if it was the body shop, how much did it run you? i'm looking to get the same done to my monte, so i wanted to get a ball park estimate of what it should run me.

 

I need some info as well! can you send the link that you got the black chevy bowtie overlays from for your wheels?? let me know, thanks dude

 

i did it myself with nightshade, if you do it slowly and take your time your can get it to look just as good if not better than the shop can do it, and if theyre too dark dont put a clearcoat on because they will fade out a bit to where more light shows through, but if you like it dark then throw the clearcoat on and your set, its a pretty easy process if you have a night where you dont need the tails

chris, pm'd

 

bam, cool, thanks man! I'll check it out! later Mitch

 

X2, I did the ones on my old gtp too- the only thing you have to be very careful about is to try and get the thickness even. When you're just spray painting, its ok if you're a little thick or thin in spots as long as it covers, and the surface is smooth- but if you go too heavy, or hesitate in one spot- you'll get a darker spot, even if the surface looks smooth.

Just do what the professional painters do and overlap the part with spray (ie finger on the button before you're over the part, and don't let off until you're well off the part)- and make sure you're going about 6" past the edges with your hand movement. That'll keep you from having uneven, heavy sides- and keep the coating uniform. Its really not that bad for a DIY project.

 

ok thanks guys. i'm a pretty good painter and i know i'm capable of doing a good job with the initially with the niteshades but i've been doing some reading on various forums and basically i'm worried about the longevity. i've seen guys do a decent looking job initially, but after a couple years or so, it starts to peel after getting sun baked and whatnot. maybe they didn't prep the surface properly or something...so that's why i'm considering having a body shop doing it cuz maybe they have better quality paint that will last. being that my application is a daily driver through winter and summer, i want the deep glossy look to last. any opinions?

 

i drove mine through the winter and no problems, just make sure you get a decent clear coat on there after the nightshade2

 

I would go to a paint supply store for body shops and get a pre-paint prep cleaner liquid- the key to any paint job doing well is getting every last bit of wax, grease and such off- and the stuff body shops use is great for that (and not terribly expensive either). Heck, maybe even autozone carries it now that they've got that paint line there.

The other key is the clearcoat. I'd do at least 3 layers of clear (maybe an extra 1 or 2 if you plan to wet sand and buff it smooth). Without that, it is very vulnerable to scratching.