68 taillights resto...

[NorwayCharger]

I had two set of taillights for my charger, they bouth where crappy
I tryed to get the chrome guy to fix it, but he told me it would cost me around 800-1200$
So i desided to try out something.... Paint it chrome!
Used a stuff called ALSA mirra chrome, and it worked quite well.'

Some pic´s

Still have to paint the black satin.

[NorwayCharger]

I had two set of taillights for my charger, they bouth where crappy
I tryed to get the chrome guy to fix it, but he told me it would cost me around 800-1200$
So i desided to try out something.... Paint it chrome!
Used a stuff called ALSA mirra chrome, and it worked quite well.'

Some pic´s

Still have to paint the black satin.

The lenses are sanded and primed, then clear coated

[NorwayCharger]

I had two set of taillights for my charger, they bouth where crappy
I tryed to get the chrome guy to fix it, but he told me it would cost me around 800-1200$
So i desided to try out something.... Paint it chrome!
Used a stuff called ALSA mirra chrome, and it worked quite well.'

Some pic´s

Still have to paint the black satin.

The lenses are sanded and primed, then clear coated

[Brock Samson]

 MAN! Those look fantastic! What's the proccess for painting the chrome?...

...Light's in Black Satin,... o.k. i'll stop.. 

[NorwayCharger]

MAN! Those look fantastic! What's the proccess for painting the chrome?...

...Light's in Black Satin,... o.k. i'll stop.. 

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION

This is from a website
http://alsacorp.com/products/mirrachrome/mirra_prodinfo.htm

PREPARATION :

The key to a successful mirror-like shine is with a glass smooth surface, free of dust and other imperfections. If your material does not already have a very smooth finish, the quickest way to get that is by spraying a clearcoat. The usual method is with an airbrush or paint gun. We have even used a spray can of acrylic clear as a base.

CLEARCOAT: We have tested several clearcoats and have settled on Alsa Corp.'s Speed Clear. It is by far the easiest to use to produce a mirror shine with Mirra Chrome.

Alsa recommends a dry time on the base clearcoat of 6-7 days, but it depends on what you are using and the size of the job (heat reduces the drying time). Do not wet sand: You want as smooth as possible a finish. Before spraying the chrome paint, clean your surface of dust with air or a dry cotton cloth. A mirror shine will reveal every detail.

This paint reflects its background unless more is sprayed, then it doesn't matter. I have found that when working with metal, it is best to strip off all the paint and clearcoat the metal: No primer. However, if you use a primer, or your surface has color other than metallic, these are the results I've seen:



1) Black background — Dark mirror shine, like mica. You can lighten this up with more chrome paint. NOTE: Many users including Alsa say that black is the best background to begin with. I've had better results with metal, so try that if black doesn't suit.

2) Silver, metallic or grey primer background — Best background for me, next to chrome itself (I use bare metal, clearcoated). NOTE: For large jobs, use a black base, since it's easier to see the chrome go on.

3) White — Produces a high shine, but you have to use more paint than usual.

4) Other colors: You can produce a nice effect over colored backgrounds by giving them a highlight of chrome, without fully covering them.





APPLICATION :   

• The key is to spray very little Mirra Chrome with a high volume of air. You want to "mist" on the paint. This will result in a mirror shine with some dust left over that you can wipe off. I use a double-action Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS airbrush and have the pressure at 45-55 psi. I have used 20 psi for a HVLP paint gun (Iwata LP-H50), with the volume down. Start out with a very light mist and work your way up as you get experienced.

TIP: When airbrushing small parts (less than a dime), it is possible to spray full volume, point blank and get a mirror shine.

• Keep spraying back and forth until you see the mirror reflection from the paint. If you spray too heavily the finish will look dull and you may have to start over. Wait at least 15 minutes before very lightly brushing off the excess paint dust with a cloth, like a cotton T-shirt. If you happen to rub off the paint, just paint some more on.




FINISHING :
 

• At this point you can try one of the two coloring methods, unless you want straight chrome. Alsa has candy colors, which can be mixed with thinner or clear. Spray whatever color or combinations over the chrome. The colored finish won't look good until it is clearcoated. The other method is to tint your clearcoat.

TIP: If you are painting an area that won't be handled or exposed to the elements, you can leave a straight chrome paint job without clearing it.

• Finish up by spraying a poly-urethane clearcoat. If the paint isn't dry enough, the shine will decrease a lot unless you have colored it.

TIP: Before clearcoating, you can try the second method of coloring. Using a candy concentrate such as provided by Alsa, add the color into the clear before spraying it.

Clearcoating over uncolored chrome paint is one of the trickiest parts of the process, so be careful.



 

TIP: If your finish dulls too much after spraying the clear, there is a solution. After the clearcoat has cured, go over the job once more with chrome paint, but very lightly. Then let dry and clearcoat one last time. The lighter second coat is less likely to dull because there is less of it to interact with the clear.

• Let the whole job cure before any final sanding or buffing you may wish to do.
NOTES

HEAT: After the chrome paint is applied it can withstand high heat, which will increase drying time. It may also increase the shine.

ADHESION: Mirra Chrome contains a self-etching solvent that allows it to stick to the smooth clearcoat base far better than most products. However, you will probably want to protect it with a topcoat, since it can still rub off.

DRY TIME: The paint dries very quickly, so you can polish and add color soon after spraying it.

[PocketThunder]

Where did you get the LED bulbs!???  I'm buying a set.

[hemi68charger]

I can see this as an alternative to dash chrome restoration....

[NorwayCharger]

Where did you get the LED bulbs!???  I'm buying a set.

At http://www.hitechledproducts.com they are BRIGHT

[Troy]

Awesome!

Troy

[8WHEELER]

That really looks great, but how did you deal with the pits in the chrome? they were pretty bad, if
you grind them down you will have holes in the pot metal, did you fill them in?

Dan

[NorwayCharger]

That really looks great, but how did you deal with the pits in the chrome? they were pretty bad, if
you grind them down you will have holes in the pot metal, did you fill them in?

Dan

Yes i filled them with some sort of "metal filler", i guess you could use regular body filler too...

[runningman]

Did you have the chrome removed from the plater or did that just sand off??

[4402tuff4u]

Dayum!!! you guys on the other side of the pond do know how to restore stuff! Very cool!! Thanks for the options and instructions to restore pitted chrome on tail lights.

[tan top]

 good job :

[Telvis]

Wow! Those look great! Incredible job!

[NorwayCharger]

Did you have the chrome removed from the plater or did that just sand off??

I did sand it of with a special air grinder, you could do it the old fashion way with sandpapir.

[ck1]

hey, looks like you have a cheaper tail light restoration business you got going there you could make a few extra bucks, by under shooting the high price of re plating these types of pot metal parts

[DC_1]

very cool !!!!

[runningman]

Did you have the chrome removed from the plater or did that just sand off??

I did sand it of with a special air grinder, you could do it the old fashion way with sandpapir.

Cool, I may try a set and see how they come out.   I have some of that muggy weld stuff to use for fixing pot metal pits.  I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet to see how it works though.

[BigBlockSam]

 

[NorwayCharger]

So it's the primer base that helps determine the extent of the outer shine? Is this basically a very high-quality silver paint, if so how do you clean and treat it? I can't see you getting a very good shine out of it like you would with real chrome if it's just paint. Don't get me wrong, it's better than a pitted-up mess, but there's no comparison to real chrome. I think I would rather have a plastic, chrome vacuum-plated reproduction bezel but I doubt anyone will make such a thing. Not enough sales potential to justify it.

The black base has a LOT to do with the end result.
This is the same as a lot of chromed alu rims.
By the way i am finish with the taillights, and i think they are a lot better than they use to be  

[Shakey]

I impressed.  Well done.

[4402tuff4u]

Hey NorwayCharger, are you ready to do mine? You should start a tailight resto business.

[skip68]

I'm impressed.  How much would you charge to do mine ?  VERY VERY NICE!!!

[dkn1997]

I wonder if you could glass bead them and then use the clear base to smooth out any pitting you might have caused.

maybe  40-60psi

[suburbanfireman]

Pardon me for being the dumb fireman.  I've read this thread twice, and I'm still not understanding the sequence of this process?  Are you spraying clearcoat before the chrome spray?  Does the clearcoat fill in some of the pits like a primer?  Please correct me if I am wrong, but is it 1). primer  2). clearcoat  3). chrome spray  4). clearcoat again?

:yesnod:Those tail lights look great - I would love to give it a try on a rainy weekend.

[Crazy Larry]

Where did you get the LED bulbs!???  I'm buying a set.

At http://www.hitechledproducts.com they are BRIGHT

Those are a great find!

What model # are the ones you used?

Was it the 1156 or the PSC30? And what was the diameter size you went with (I don't have access to my Charger to measure right now)

[DC_1]

Those are a great find!

What model # are the ones you used?

Was it the 1156 or the PSC30? And what was the diameter size you went with (I don't have access to my Charger to measure right now)

I think he used this kit

http://www.hitechledproducts.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_84&products_id=342&osCsid=ad2e17324d7dc45a8e0b7970ff7822e2

[Ricardo]

Very nice work!

[Crazy Larry]

Those are a great find!

What model # are the ones you used?

Was it the 1156 or the PSC30? And what was the diameter size you went with (I don't have access to my Charger to measure right now)

I think he used this kit

http://www.hitechledproducts.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_84&products_id=342&osCsid=ad2e17324d7dc45a8e0b7970ff7822e2

Hey, thanks - I didn't see that one....

I wish they had a better description of the whole package - does it have new wiring and instructions? They need to put the contents in there somewhere.

[NorwayCharger]

They are truly a "bolt On", u can use your old wiring.

[DC_1]

you'll have to post a pic when you get them installed and working.....I would love to see how bright they are.

[SeattleCharger]

   Looks pretty real,   have you tried that on other chrome parts?          

[NorwayCharger]

   Looks pretty real,   have you tried that on other chrome parts?          

Well i have done some plastic trim on a Mitsubishi
I will do my fiberglass front and rear bumper from WS fiberglass, when i get them....

[Needa68]

Concerning the rings that cover the lenses.... From the factory were the ribs on the back of the rings Argent Gray or chrome? The ones I'm working on appeared to be painted gray. I know the tail light assemblies are original and have never been off the car or restored. I'm wondering if it was paint or chrome that came off the ring ribs when I cleaned them.