I don't remember if I used Clear.
Its DupliColor Auto Paint (spray paint), available in small bottles at AutoZone. Normal paint procedure...clean, light sanding, couple coats primer, few coats of paint.
All the vents except for the driver's vent are removable. The driver's vent is built-into the gauge surround. To remove the vents, don't just yank them out. They need to be pried out slowly. I used a small screwdriver between the dash pad and the vent working them around enough to use my fingers. The screwdriver is one of those small pen-sized ones that are given away free at trade shows. Don't pry too hard because you can damage the dash pad. The vents are held in by little spikes on their sides. For the drivers vent you can remove the gauge surround or paint it in place like I did. Just pull it forward so you can remove the spinning center section of the vent. I made sure to mask well around it and behind it. The center section of the vent pulls out easy. Once you see it, you should see how they come out. Basically push in the two large tabs at either side and they pop out.
When I masked off the vents, I masked off the inner ring where the center section snaps onto and spins. I didn't want to paint that section because the center section may not spin freely if its painted. That inner snap ring is not visible when its all assembled anyway.
Here are two pics of the masking:
Here is the end result:
