I'm thinking about blacking out my tail lights.

From what I can gather, most people coated it with Nightshade and then went over it with clear coat.

What I can't figure out, though, is how many coats of each product, and what brand of clear coat is best? What is the prep for this project (just need to clean the lights off or what?), how long do I let the paint dry between coats, etc?

If someone could help me out or point me to the right topic (I searched extensively for a how-to to no avail), that would be great.

I just did mine the other day. I used some 220/fine sandpaper and sanded the entire outer lens, then wiped them off with some alcohol and paper towels. Sprayed about 3 good coats of Nightshade tint on them waiting about 5 minutes between coats, it helps if you spray them in the sun so you can see any light/dark areas. Topped it off with 4 coats of Krylon clear. Let em dry after I installed them on the car. Yes I installed them while they were still wet but I run on a very tight schedule these days lol!

Here's the exact type of clear I used, finish turned out just like glass! Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear

Originally posted by Nightfall
I just did mine the other day. I used some 220/fine sandpaper and sanded the entire outer lens, then wiped them off with some alcohol and paper towels. Sprayed about 3 good coats of Nightshade tint on them waiting about 5 minutes between coats, it helps if you spray them in the sun so you can see any light/dark areas. Topped it off with 4 coats of Krylon clear. Let em dry after I installed them on the car. Yes I installed them while they were still wet but I run on a very tight schedule these days lol! Here's the exact type of clear I used, finish turned out just like glass! Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear

Thats all i did.... 3 nice coats of niteshades and some Professional grade clear... Buffed.. :)

However many coats of nightshade on there is how dark you want them. Usually 2-3 is what people go with. On the clear you can use 3-4 coats, but most of the time 3 is good enough.