Those are decent, but still can leave lint... I use a $#|+ load of them when I paint, but I always follow up with a tac-rag which collects EVERYTHING!
I did a light sanding, then cleaned in tsp. Sprayed an adhesion promoter, then the white. Will follow with a matte clear coat.
Ok! I was trying to use a smaller compressor that I had in the garage to paint. No dice. Just would not spray nice. So I went to the city and picked up this. Worked great! Very happy. Funny thing is, this puts out 5.5 cfm@90 psi. I have on board air on my jeep. Engine driven compressor. It puts out 8cfm@100psi !! I got the first coat done. Tomorrow second coat.
I'm still not sure how to do the tails. I tried a q tip to rub off the chrome, but it just melts the plastic. Looks like poop. I might just smash them in frustration. Try to find a decent looking aftermarket set. ( ones that are NOT 3-d looking!!)
I like your whole wrap idea. It is going to look great with all the white trim. I have wanted to tackle the de-chrome on the rear tail lights but have been afraid I would screw them up. Now I can really see the difficulty. Oh well, you can always purchase new OEM and try again. Are you going to do anything with the headlights such as a "white" Joey Mod?
it's really not that bad. Like Dave.0 said, just mask off the red lens and prep the chrome bit for painting. Then some generous amounts of RTV sealant to put them back together. Hardest part is cutting them open nicely.
I think it's more a timing thing. I have bigger fish to fry with this project, than to waste time on taillights. Looking back, it would have been better to tape off the lense and paint the chrome, rather than try to remove the chrome. Chances are, they could be brought back, but I don't want to bother.
If you dont want your old lights, I would say send them my way... I can always use spare parts, and you never know who else might need them. You're in the great white north, where there are illegal Americans contaminating your country though, so shipping would probably suck.
So, screw up with the paint today. I had painted the headlight rings with a gloss, from my gun. Then hit it with a matte clear from a spray can. Something didn't like each other.