Tired of your amber tail lamp housings? Here's a fix.

2/23/2016

Written by Brian Collins

I purchased a rubber bumper MGB roadster and have been driving it daily for the last couple months. I love driving it around town but I couldn't help but be annoyed by the stock amber tail lamps. It's baffling that the large lower half of the tail lamp is used as the turn signal while the smaller top portion is used as the brake light. Today's drivers are already distracted by cell phones, flashing bill boards, etc. I imagine it's difficult for other drivers to see when you're braking, putting you and your MG at risk for being rear ended. In my opinion, they're not only ugly but unsafe.

The entire housing is made of amber plastic, with only the top portion coated on the inside with a translucent red paint. You can achieve a consistent red finish to the same effect by painting the inside of the housing with a translucent red lacquer, such as VHT Nite Shades. While Ceres Motorsports has no affiliation with VHT Paints, we love using their products. Not only is this a really easy modification but it's very affordable. For about $10, you can increase the safety and improve the look of your MG.

Please check with your local laws to make sure this is street legal. Ceres Motorsports is not liable or any damage, death or injury due to this modification.

Material you need:
Isopropyl alcohol
Masking tape
VHT Nite Shades Red
1000 grit sandpaper (optional for painting exterior)

Once you remove the tail lamp, wipe the inside with rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth to remove grease and dirt. Make sure the tail lamp is dry and free of any contaminants.
You'll want to protect the exterior of the lamp from over spray. Using the masking tape, tape off the lip of the tail lamp on the exterior. *Note: If you get any over spray on the outside of the tail lamp, it will come off with rubbing alcohol.
Read the back of the can for VHT's information on dry times and ideal temperature/humidity. Make sure your weather conditions are ideal. Shake the can of Nite Shades for a good minute and test spray it on some newspaper or cardboard. Make sure it's spraying evenly.
Spray a light guide coat on the entire inside of the lamp and make sure you don't have any adhesion issues. After about 10-15 minutes, add another light coat. If the paint is wrinkling or doing something funny, the surface isn't clean enough or weather conditions aren't ideal for painting.

It takes about 5 or 6 coats to get the entire housing to look red. Fortunately, this stuff dries quickly. Make sure to take your time, don't spray it too heavy, and make sure the coat isn't gooey or tacky before spraying on more. It's easy to get runs if you don't take your time.
Once the final coat is dry, simply reinstall. Now when you hit the brakes or turn signals, you should see red!
This is a good opportunity to swap the turn signal and brake wires around so you can have larger brake lights. The brake lights are much more effective this way.