Some members may remember that I was talking about selling my custom painted tail panels on LS1tech back in late winter. I had intended to get one up for sale on here to see if there was enough interest in this sort of thing to make it worth my time. Well I ran into more problems than I anticipated, and it took me until just recently to come up with a process that will yield top-notch results, yet remain cheap enough to allow me to profit without making the panels ridiculously expensive.

When I do these panels, I take faded TA and Firebird tail panels, strip the finish, then apply multi-stage dupont lacquers for the new finish. The panel is then wet-sanded and polished. I don't go crazy with wet-sanding, but I make sure all the imperfections are removed from the finish.

My first few panels were painted using black lacquer that matched the factory GM black used on f-bodies. I have since switched to matching the panels to the taillights instead. The panel on my car (last pic) is the old way, the panel for sale is done the way I will do them from now on.

I can do just about any color combination, and many different designs...if it turns out to be cost-effective, I may be able to offer totally custom designs and such, but I can't promise that. This particular panel has a "chameleon" silver metallic paint. In nuetral light, it's plain metallic silver, but when hit with direct sunlight it reflects red, orange, green, blue, and purple. The entire panel face is clearcoated, so it will never fade or "wear off" like the GM panels do. It can also be polished and waxed just like the paint on your car.

My price will be $80 shipped plus your old tail panel. It's not real easy to get ahold of these panels to start with, so i'm trying the "core exchange" method. I will send you the new panel, then you send me your old one. If you really want to keep your old panel, we'll work something out. Maybe an extra $20 or something. If you consider that replacement GM panels (the ones that fade within two years) go for $110, then this is a great deal. I'm really just trying to see if there is enough interest for me to sell a bunch of these.

Some pics below...the first two are of the actual panel for sale, the last one is the panel on my car. I have yet to be able to capture the full "chameleon" effect on a digital camera, but there are some hints of color in these photos.

Questions? PM me or Email at Shadow248@juno.com.

EDIT: i've been getting alot of emails asking if I can do this color or that color..etc. If you are just looking for plain silver, bright red, or white, or another generic color like that, the answer is definetly yes. If you are looking for Victory Red, Navy Blue Metallic, Pewter, Sebring Silver, Electron Blue...etc, the answer is most likely. I cannot guarantee these colors because it is getting harder and harder to get GM matched paint in the format I need for these panels. Just ask me before you place an official order and I will verify for you that the color is available.

 

Can you do the 'Formula' ones as well?

 

looks nice, what other colors do you have

 

I need to order the stencils, so it would take a bit longer for the first one I do, but otherwise, yes.

I can do just about any standard color. Getting GM matched paint is not easy, but i've found a source for every color except SOM. I found a color that's close, but i'm not positive it's a match. If anyone wants to be the guinea pig for SOM, let me know (buy the panel, put it on the car, and if it looks like crap, send it back to me for a full refund). If you have a special color in mind, let me know and i'll try to find it for you.

I was going to do this panel in red at first, but I thought since everyone already has red, that I might get more interest with something different.

 

What about those side vents in your sig, are those painted?

 

Yessir, that's just plain 'ole silver paint. Done the right way, it looks good.

 

I'd like to see some pictures of how they look on colored cars before I committed, but it looks like it might be a good idea.

 

I'd be interested in getting one, maybe 2.

 

That looks excellent !

 

Alright i've received a few definites, so I will go through with this project. I am moving this weekend, so it will probably be late next week before I can start "production". I also will not take money until that time. However, if you would like to get in line (which would help because i'll know then how many panels I need to get my hands on for the first batch), PM or email me (Shadow248@juno.com) and let me know what you would like to order. I will then fill these orders in the order that they were received. Once I have some panels at my disposal, it shouldn't take more than a week from order time to shipping time. I will put up a post in this thread to mark the start of "production" in case you are waiting. I will also get some more pics of different colors as I do them.