I need to do some work on my tail lights and want to refinish the inside area of the housings on my 1971 challenger. I worked on them probably 20 years ago and best of my memory the inside was coated with a reflective silver coating which was flaking in areas and the best I could do at the time was silver or chrome paint at the time.

I saw an old article on the HAMB I think, stating that white glass paint created a brighter light through the lenses. The writer even used a light meter to show the difference in a fairly scientific comparison.

My question is, with all the new technology out there today has anyone come up with something better than white? We use 3M retro-reflective tape at work and it throws back a huge amount of light, I think rustoleum also makes a reflective spray on paint.

I also need to work on the reflector squares in between the lenses on the 71 challenger. Is there a reason NOT to use retroflective, like too much reflective glow for cars behind me?

Gloss white would seem to be the best bet. They also make chrome vinyl that you can cut up and place around the light bulb as well.

I don't think you have to worry about making it too bright.

I think I saw a comparison of white vs silver paint somewhere, likely a few years back.
Which raises the question of why the OEMs used silver.
Given the odds that someone behind you could be playing with their phone, swatting their kids, or God knows what, the brighter the better.

White would make sense as it would reflect all the color spectrum. I used chrome paint inside the housings on my 69 Road Runner. Between new paint, new bulbs, fresh ground and cleaned terminals on all the connectors, the tail lights are every bit as bright as a modern car's. With exception of the LED tail lights on a lot of the newer cars.