Project-LXi
01-22-2003, 05:19 PM
Ok, after much research, and after searching endlessly for slip covers (unsuccesfuly), I found a good (better?) way to color your interior lights. I colored all my door lights using this method and they have worked properly with no cracking or color distortion for the past month and a half.
This will work for any interior 12w bulb. (ie: if you want to make your door, dome, trunk, glove box, etc lights tinted a certain color)
Go to a hobby store and buy transparent colored spray paint. For mine, I used Testors Transparent Blue.
Remove the bulbs you wish to paint from your vehicle. Apply masking tape to the parts of the bulb that do not need to be painted. You might want to use something to hold the bulbs in place so you can get to all sides of the glass in one sitting.
Apply the paint in even coats to the glass of the bulbs. Apply thick coats every 10 min or so until the lights are well coated with paint.
Stop when you have a dark, even, and smooth coat over the entire bulb. (slight dark spots or imperfections will not show up once they are installed, so dont stress over them too much).
Let them dry for about 3 hours, and then spray another few coats over the bulbs until the coat looks even again.
This next part is IMPORTANT! You need to let the bulbs dry for AT LEAST a full day. If the paint is not COMPLETELY dry before the bulbs go on, then the paint will thin, bubble, and crack, leaving gross imperfections and discoloration, and you will have to start over.
I hope this helps some of you looking for a more reliable way to get colored interior lights without doing an LED conversion.
Good luck!
This will work for any interior 12w bulb. (ie: if you want to make your door, dome, trunk, glove box, etc lights tinted a certain color)
Go to a hobby store and buy transparent colored spray paint. For mine, I used Testors Transparent Blue.
Remove the bulbs you wish to paint from your vehicle. Apply masking tape to the parts of the bulb that do not need to be painted. You might want to use something to hold the bulbs in place so you can get to all sides of the glass in one sitting.
Apply the paint in even coats to the glass of the bulbs. Apply thick coats every 10 min or so until the lights are well coated with paint.
Stop when you have a dark, even, and smooth coat over the entire bulb. (slight dark spots or imperfections will not show up once they are installed, so dont stress over them too much).
Let them dry for about 3 hours, and then spray another few coats over the bulbs until the coat looks even again.
This next part is IMPORTANT! You need to let the bulbs dry for AT LEAST a full day. If the paint is not COMPLETELY dry before the bulbs go on, then the paint will thin, bubble, and crack, leaving gross imperfections and discoloration, and you will have to start over.
I hope this helps some of you looking for a more reliable way to get colored interior lights without doing an LED conversion.
Good luck!