brucealmighty744

iTrader: (2)

I picked up a set of friebird ls1 tails for $90 shipped, but they have scuff marks and minor scratches...What do I need to get these out? I tried to search, but had no luck. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

xBROKEx

iTrader: (7)

this stuff works pretty good if they arent deep

latindragons

Could do a full wetsand, buff, and polish on them. Yields great results, but it's going to take some good effort to get that way. But if they're just minor imperfections, then the above should do well.

dlandsvZ28

Agree with above but if you use an electric drill with a foam buffing pad it will take less time and they will look factory when done. I use a different brand called Plastic or something - but each will work.

Wax when finished and will shine like new. When waxing my car I always wax the tailights too. Use the same process for headlights (Camaro's).

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

scratched, swirled, covered in overspray.....etc





Wetsanded lightly with 1500, 2000, and 2500 (Meguiars Unigrit)






After buffing with a Makita 9227C Rotary.
2 passes with Menzerna SIP on Lake Country 4" orange pad
1 pass with Menzerna 106FA on Lake Country 4" white pad
1 pass with Menzerna PO85RD on Lake Country 4" black pad.....

PUNISHER TA

iTrader: (13)

Looks amazing.

but lol how do you know how to do that.

or are you just that good. lol

dlandsvZ28

Looks good but if you don't have a DA a 3000 rpm drill will work too.

But the main point to that you can bring these back to new finish pretty easily by machine buffing.

brucealmighty744

iTrader: (2)

wow! thanks guys. I believe this was my first post in the appearance section and I am glad I asked as you all were all very helpful. This may be a dumb ? but I rather seem like a fool than do a foolish thing; should I leave the tails on the car when doing this or take them off? Not sure if <--- really matters...just thought I'd ask. Thanks.

latindragons

You should DEFINITELY take them off the car first. You don't want to accidentally sand the body (if you go the wetsanding route). Plus it's going to be far easier to restore them with them off the car anyway.

And don't be afraid to ask the dumb questions. We've all started from somewhere whether it's appearance, mechanical, anything.

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

Thanks Its my job, so I have a lot of experience with this stuff.

Rotary would be best, but a DA could probably work too, but take longer.

Most plastic lenses can be saved without too much work.

latindragons

And I'd definitely follow Gofast's advice. I have his wetsanding thread bookmarked in my browser haha. Makes you want to wetsand everything you own haha

dlandsvZ28

Personnaly I would remove them if you machine buff. You want to stay away from the paint on your car when using the buffing pad. A DA can go through clear in a second.

You can probably get by by just getting a small 3 inch foam buffing pad, the buffing polish -your choice - and your own drill or a friends loaner. You will amaze yourself how easy it is.

Tip: Don't let the plastic get hot when buffing. Buff -rinse with water- buff - rinse with water and so on and you will see the haze disappear. Final wax and you are good to go.

brucealmighty744

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for saving me because I probably would have left them on. I have never really worked on cars at all, but looking at some of the pics on this forum and even in this thread make me want to clean/shine/sand/polish/wax/paint everything!

brucealmighty744

iTrader: (2)

You wouldn't by any chance have a link to gofast's thread on wet sanding??

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

I would leave them on the car. Thats how I did them.


I respectfully disagree. All you need is some 3M blue painters tape along the edges of anything you don't want to accidentally sand. Double it up too if you fell like it.

As far as buffing them off the car, it can be tricky as there is nothing supporting them. While mounted to the car they are held perfectly still. Again, tape off if necessary.


Not true. A rotary can burn through quickly, but not a DA (unless you have a sanding disk on it). DA builds almost no heat whatsoever on paint, and very little on plastic. You should be aware of the heat, yes, but not afraid of it.

Also, its better to wipe off the polishing haze than rinse it with water. Just grab a MF towel and wipe it off and go to the next step. If desired, follow each stage of buffing with an ISO wipedown (50/50 mix of water and 91% isoprophyll alcohol).

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

haha, thanks Just a bit longer and I'll have more to post in that thread.

brucealmighty744

iTrader: (2)

While I am asking(instead of starting a new thread), the tails had a small chip on the drivers side tail on the upper right corner. People told me black silicone could fix it, but would it look good? here are pics https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-l...ed-advice.html

Any tips? THanks again.

latindragons

^^^That is true. Didn't even think about the taillights moving around on your when they're out. So yes, you can follow Gofast's advice with leaving them in the car.

And here's the link to his thread (if you don't mind Gofast)
https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...t-sanding.html

But yes, I HIGHLY recommend people take a glance at it if they ever plan on wetsanding any project. The results will certainly amaze you.

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

Its no wetsanding writeup or anything, but just kinda shows you what is possible. Its a teaser thread for now until I finish the entire project:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...easer-pic.html



This one is from a while ago...my first attempt at wetsanding. I've gotten MUCH better at it since then.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...sanding-4.html

GoFast908Z

iTrader: (12)

Thanks I feel honored. I'm not a wetsanding pro yet, but I'm workin on it