By popular demand I have decided to post how I painted the lower panels 

and tinted the lights on my 9000 

See how the "Vincent Tong" grill treatment is done.

 Everything you read is do at your own risk!

Painted Lower Panels

First of course remove the panels. Then wash, wash, wash and degrease. I used Simple Green straight shot. Make sure all         dirt and rust marks are removed. Some of the rust spots might be stained but give it a go.

 Then wash it again using a Scotchbrite pad and a product made by SEM called Plastic Prep #38354. If your autobody supply shop doesn't have this, ask for the equivalent.

Then wipe it down again with this product using two rags. Wipe on, wipe off. Make sure you wipe it dry and change rags often.

I sprayed on PPG DPX801 Plastic Adhesion Promoter. It kind of softens the plastic. Let this dry to a good tack. I wet down the floor and mixed the paint while waiting.

I used PPG Delstar enamel. Enamel is easy to use at home. It dries hard and shiny. The reducer I used was Delstar DTR601 reducer and Delstar Enamel. This reducer is for moderate temperatures. I would ask the dude/chick what he/she recommends for the current weather conditions . My car is black and the color is Raven Black. If you bring the car they can find the paint code for you. Then I added a product to the paint called Wet Look. It comes in a gold can. I had already thrown out the container so I don't have the part number. You add one of those to a quart of paint.

Wipe down the parts one last time with a tack rag seconds before spraying. Spray on wet and wait about 10-15 minutes before your next coat. I did three coats and laid it on pretty wet to get a nice shine.

This was a good $150 in supplies but I think you will agree it was worth it.
I was quoted $750 by a shop.

If your car is metallic it will be harder. They are difficult to match and you will have to clear coat it also.

For god sakes buy yourself a good quality dust mask! Not those shitty paper
ones either. One with charcoal filters. I shit you not this stuff can kill
you. I used one and still had black boogers for two days. I worked in a
body shop for a few years and it's nasty.

Good luck and email me  if you have any questions.

Tinted Lights

Materials 
"Night Shades" Tinting paint made by VHT part number # SP-999 - or any other brand you can find 
If you can't find this stuff where you live , you can buy it online from Saab Savior as I did, or Summit Racing.

Cost 
About $10 for the tinting paint, and a few for the contact paper 


How to do it 
The step by step instructions. 
Step One 
Remove your Taillights or corner lights or both!

Step Two 
Now that you have the lights off the car, clean them up with some water or windex or whatever is convenient, if they are really dirty. 

Step Three 
Go over the entire lens with the 1500 grit paper (wet sand) scuff up the surface slightly for better paint adhesion. The lenses will begin to look slightly cloudy, but it will look clear again once you apply the clear coat. 
Clean all the sanding dust off the lenses, and clean them thoroughly with rubbing alcohol (no, not the same stuff you use for your drinking games!) to remove all dirt and oil. This will help the paint stick much better. 


Step Four 
It's now time for the painting. Find yourself a well ventilated area, or an enclosed area if you love the smell of paint fumes. 
We will start out with the tinting paint. This stuff is REALLY translucent. You will need to apply at least two coats of it to get the desired darkness. You need to be extra precise when using the tinting paint, because if you get more in a certain area, it will show up as being darker, unlike with regular paint. So be sure to use an even, slightly overlapping motion, and apply exactly the same number of coats to all pieces, or it will look funky, and we don't want funky. I did two coats on the front lights and three on the rears. I think two on the rears would have better better but oh well.

Step Five 
This step is optional but I think it's a nice touch. I took some very fine compound Meguiar's Diamond Cut and buffed the lenses then followed it up with Meguiar's #7 mirror glaze. It put a really nice shine on them

Step Six 
Now haul those babies back out to your car and install them in the reverse of disassembly. Now is a good time to check that all your bulbs are working and replace them if need be.

Complete! 
That's it. Now you have some nicely tinted taillights, that hopefully won't get you in too much trouble with the coppers! No need to buy those expensive stinkin' smoked taillights,

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