Hey comrades, as promised here is the write up of the Maybach styling I did to my S320 this week
Since no aftermarket taillights were available for the preface lift W140 models, and that bottom strip turning pink was irritating me I came up with a solution, inspired by the Maybach 62.
All I needed was some clear red tint spray (found at a local hobbie shop for $10 per 100ml - THANKS for the tip forum member Daniel R )
And some crystal clear as a final coat.
Here is how I did mine:
Step 1:
Remove tail lights and bottom reflector strip from vehicle.
This involves about 15 of 8" nuts per side, so that is 30 nuts in total!!! to get to them you must unclip the trunk black trim near the lock, and push the carpet aside so you can see all the nuts.
Unhook both light clusters, and disconnect them. Remove also inner part of the tail lights..
Step 2:
Now carefully remove the taillights first, and then the reflectors at the bottom. (STOP! These components have been on the car for over 15 years, so they may be a bit stuck to the body. Use MINIMAL force to remove them, as the plastic can be quite fragile and will crack easily.)
Step 3
Now that they are off the car, give the car a good clean around and behind where the lights usually fit. Also clean the tail lights and reflectors in preparation for spraying. If the silver reflector comes apart from the plastic front, clean the inside properly (especially if you have watermarks and / or mold inside.) If there is any water / mold inside, then carefully separate the silver part from the pink plastic to clean inside. Use industrial clear silicone to seal it back up again before the painting stage.
Step 4
What I chose to do in this project is to remove the "orange" from the tail lights. So in this step you will need to carefully mask off the light clusters, leaving only the orange surfaces exposed. Also put some tape over the "LED" window on the reflector strip. I had some help here from a friend at "Stitch Customs" who also helped with the design of this mod.
Step 5
Here comes the fun part.. SPRAYING..
Get a ventilated room, lay down newspapers and start spraying! dont forget the black piece that surrounds the lock. Its needs to be tinted red too!
Spray one coat, let it dry. Then spray another coat, and so on and so on until you get the desired darkness of the red tint. (IMPORTANT - you must use a "Clear Red" spray paint, not normal spray paint. It must be a form of "tint" spray.)
There are multiple ways you can also do this. You can leave the reverse lights clear (just tape them off) Or you can make them black. I left mine all red, but I might change it a bit later on if I get any problems about it. For now I am happy with the ALL-RED Maybach styling:thumbsup:
Step 6
Now spray a few clear coats to seal up the job. And let it dry.
Step 7
Final step!
Once everything is COMPLETELY dry, you can now install the parts back onto the car!! Be sure to test the tail lights once you have fitted everything back. Becareful not to crack/ damage anything!!
See all the pics for reference comrades!
Any comments / suggestions are welcome.
(P.S - Please dont mind the paint on my rear bumper, it is on my list of things to get repaired / resprayed)
Much respect comrades!
Since no aftermarket taillights were available for the preface lift W140 models, and that bottom strip turning pink was irritating me I came up with a solution, inspired by the Maybach 62.
All I needed was some clear red tint spray (found at a local hobbie shop for $10 per 100ml - THANKS for the tip forum member Daniel R )
And some crystal clear as a final coat.
Here is how I did mine:
Step 1:
Remove tail lights and bottom reflector strip from vehicle.
This involves about 15 of 8" nuts per side, so that is 30 nuts in total!!! to get to them you must unclip the trunk black trim near the lock, and push the carpet aside so you can see all the nuts.
Unhook both light clusters, and disconnect them. Remove also inner part of the tail lights..
Step 2:
Now carefully remove the taillights first, and then the reflectors at the bottom. (STOP! These components have been on the car for over 15 years, so they may be a bit stuck to the body. Use MINIMAL force to remove them, as the plastic can be quite fragile and will crack easily.)
Step 3
Now that they are off the car, give the car a good clean around and behind where the lights usually fit. Also clean the tail lights and reflectors in preparation for spraying. If the silver reflector comes apart from the plastic front, clean the inside properly (especially if you have watermarks and / or mold inside.) If there is any water / mold inside, then carefully separate the silver part from the pink plastic to clean inside. Use industrial clear silicone to seal it back up again before the painting stage.
Step 4
What I chose to do in this project is to remove the "orange" from the tail lights. So in this step you will need to carefully mask off the light clusters, leaving only the orange surfaces exposed. Also put some tape over the "LED" window on the reflector strip. I had some help here from a friend at "Stitch Customs" who also helped with the design of this mod.
Step 5
Here comes the fun part.. SPRAYING..
Get a ventilated room, lay down newspapers and start spraying! dont forget the black piece that surrounds the lock. Its needs to be tinted red too!
Spray one coat, let it dry. Then spray another coat, and so on and so on until you get the desired darkness of the red tint. (IMPORTANT - you must use a "Clear Red" spray paint, not normal spray paint. It must be a form of "tint" spray.)
There are multiple ways you can also do this. You can leave the reverse lights clear (just tape them off) Or you can make them black. I left mine all red, but I might change it a bit later on if I get any problems about it. For now I am happy with the ALL-RED Maybach styling:thumbsup:
Step 6
Now spray a few clear coats to seal up the job. And let it dry.
Step 7
Final step!
Once everything is COMPLETELY dry, you can now install the parts back onto the car!! Be sure to test the tail lights once you have fitted everything back. Becareful not to crack/ damage anything!!
See all the pics for reference comrades!
Any comments / suggestions are welcome.
(P.S - Please dont mind the paint on my rear bumper, it is on my list of things to get repaired / resprayed)
Much respect comrades!