TA tail panel idea
TA tail panel idea wondering if anyone has done this or has any tips on how to do it...i have a extra tail panel for my trans am, so im gonna attempt to make it so that the bird and trans am lights up with the brakes...
heres my plan
1)cutting out a square in the middle of the tail panel and putting a piece of plexi-glass in its place
2)make a tracing of the 'trans am' and the bird, painting around it all black (leaving where the trans am and bird are at clear)
3)then applying black tint to it(so its all black)
4)tap in a light into the brake lights...
hopefully this isnt too confusing, when i go home for spring break im gonna get started on it...but ya if anyone has any ideas, i would love to hear what they are
heres my plan
1)cutting out a square in the middle of the tail panel and putting a piece of plexi-glass in its place
2)make a tracing of the 'trans am' and the bird, painting around it all black (leaving where the trans am and bird are at clear)
3)then applying black tint to it(so its all black)
4)tap in a light into the brake lights...
hopefully this isnt too confusing, when i go home for spring break im gonna get started on it...but ya if anyone has any ideas, i would love to hear what they are
Why not make it glow like the "PONTIAC" lettering on the sunfires? That way more folks could see it as you cruise by real slow. 
Why use clear plexi when you could use red, it is darker. Then apply some VHT nightsahades to darken it a bit more, then mask and paint the surrounding black.
Keep in mind the paint will have to be very thick to block the light from showing through at night. I had to mask then apply several thick coats of primer (because it dried quickly) them light it up in a dark place to make sure all the light was blocked, then applied a couple coats of black, unmasked, then cleared it.
You might also consider using LEDs to light it so that a bulb won't overheat the area and cause it to melt.
Why use clear plexi when you could use red, it is darker. Then apply some VHT nightsahades to darken it a bit more, then mask and paint the surrounding black.
Keep in mind the paint will have to be very thick to block the light from showing through at night. I had to mask then apply several thick coats of primer (because it dried quickly) them light it up in a dark place to make sure all the light was blocked, then applied a couple coats of black, unmasked, then cleared it.
You might also consider using LEDs to light it so that a bulb won't overheat the area and cause it to melt.
Last edited by JasonWW; Feb 7, 2005 at 05:14 PM.
Originally Posted by PewterNHRA2001
where can i get red plexi from?, and would i just tap into the rear lights for the light to come on when i turn my lights on?
Yes, you can tap into the rear lights. If you use bulbs to light it up, the extra load may cause the lights to blink slowly, but a EL-12 electronic flasher (or all 3 flasher cans, I'm not sure) will fix that. If you use LED's, they should have no effect on the factory thermal load flashers.
I just went through snakeeaters 1000's of pics this weekend. From what I saw, he didn't do the project like PewterNHRA2001 is wanting to do. He did a fiber optic logo on the back, but that is completly different. He also did a front bird, but that was using a clear plate filler and painting it, then using LEDs to light it up. Check his stuff here.
http://community.webshots.com/album/57686505CcceOS
http://community.webshots.com/album/57686505CcceOS
