The original plan was to add a turbo to the NTC Arrow, but that idea was scrapped when a considerable amount of metal shavings were found in the oil pan of the donor engine. So, another donor vehicle was located. Stay tuned for a post detailing the engine and trans swap. Today’s installment will concentrate on just the tail lights.

Hit it for more.

The donor truck had been given the blackout treatment by its previous owner. I suppose that look is good for who it’s for. The tail lights on the NTC Arrow are cracked and glued (poorly) back together, but the lights on the donor truck are in great shape…except for all that silly black paint.  With nothing to lose regarding the tail lights, I decided to try to remove the ugliness.

I tried several different chemicals, and found that acetone worked relatively well.  Acetone is nasty stuff, make sure you have chemical gloves and a well ventilated area. 

The paint removal process was simple – keep the paper towel soaked wet with acetone and change to a clean part of the towel or a new one as soon as it starts to get clogged with black.  I used about half a roll of paper towels in total. 

In the nooks and crannies, an old toothbrush was used to get out the last bits of paint.  The photo above shows how the acetone left the plastic with an unsightly haze.  The last steps were to wash the lenses in soap and water and then polish them with 3M Dark Glaze. 

The result is a nearly perfect set of tail light lenses.  The devil is in the details.