Hello all, I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on refinishing the camaro taillights. I have read how to polish the lenses and thats fine, but I took it a step further and took the lenses off of the taillight housings to clean them good. The paint on the reflective lens is peeling and flaking badly.

What can be used to repaint these?
I have searched, but have not found much on the reflective lenses on here.

 

Well I know dupli-color has a lot of good paint, but i donno what they have for reflective paint.

 

The reflectors aren't really painted. They are somehow coated with a reflective finish, like the chrome parts you find in plastic model kits. I would imagine you could find a reflective Mylar film (or something you can form to the curve with a hair dryer) at a hobby shop and apply some to the reflectors.

 

I ended up using the chrome like foil tape..... it didnt turn out too bad and is pretty darned close to chrome.

 

I used Duplicolor Chrome paint on mine. The stuff on my taillights wasn't flaking, but it was fading and would easily rub off with just my finger. I cleaned them up and sprayed them and they look 100x better.

 

I have used this Chrome paint in several areas. If used out in the weather it will fade but is very rust resistant. On a tail light lens it is out of the weather and have had it looking nearly like new for many years when protected. To me the paint looks like a cross between polished aluminum and Chrome. It covers real well with just a thin coat also.

I would be concerned about the Chrome Tape wanting to lift off in the heat here.

 

How did you get lenses off??

 

To get the lens off, this is what I did:
1) carefully pry out the little fasteners on top of the lens. They are just like the press-in pins that hold the rear bumper cover onto the bumper underneath the car- get under the car and pull one out, you will see what I mean. They are just MUCH smaller. I have not replaced them yet... I may have to get some from Pepboys, since mine were in bad shape.
2) Preheat your oven to 150 degrees. Do it when your wife, girlfriend or roommate is out- it is just easier...Then, turn it off (you can actually leave it on, but I was a little paranoid) and place the lens assembly in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. This softens the adhesive.
3) Remove the lens(use gloves, believe me- it makes it easier!) and using a couple of thin bladed screwdrivers(wrap the ends in masking tape to avoid maring the plastic), CAREFULLY start separating the lens from the reflector. The easiest way is to turn it over, start at one end(I like the outside end) and while VERY carefully lifting the edge of first one clip(you will see what I mean) then the other, use the second screwdriver to start separating the two parts.
As they separate, first one clip will clear its retainer, then the other. Go slowly, though- these things are old and crack easily. Once the clips have released, just slow and steady pressure will have the sealant eventually release on its own.
Then, just spend some time digging all that old sealant out; tint the orange lens if you want; repaint the reflector with Testors silver or the Duplicolor Chrome or equivalent and reseal with silicon or urethane windshield adhesive.
Once I get mine back together, I am going to tint them. There is a local shop that will tint some clear for me and put it in an aerosol. There samples look bitching. I will keep the set that I currently have on the car as backups, just in case the CHP have no sense of style or humor!

 

I've noticed that it works well to prevent rust. I bought a piece of angle steel a couple years ago to hold pinion yokes when taking a rear apart and just gave it a quick spray with the chrome paint. 2 years of banging it around and it still looks perfect. In fact, I've started using it on the backside of rust patches before I weld them in. It seems to work just like weld-thru primer.

 

x2 on going slowly and carefully when separating the lenses. I took my time with one and it was fine. I rushed the other as it was getting late at night and ended up cracking off a chunk on the top inner corner.

 

I have been using it on rusted, not flaking, pipe fence rail. Until it fades from the weather it is very awful looking for fence. After it fades it is a dull aluminum color and lasts for years. Regular paint only lasts about 6 months before it starts to flake off.