Btlm??

[mmadej87]

So ive recently done the BHLM and ive been looking at my tail lights and im thinking of doing the same thing to the tail lights and i was wondering if anybody has done this before? or anybody think this would be a bad idea?

heres a picture of the rear end of my truck, its an 09..


i was thinking of blacking out the inside red and chrome...what do yall think?

[Brunes]

Everything I've heard is that the taillights are not put together the same way the headlights are.
There is no way to heat them and separate the lens from the housing. It has to be cut apart which makes it a mess.

You are better off buying an aftermarket set that looks the way you want....or tinting out the tails you have.

[dexterdog]

I want to do the part around the LEDs. Personally, If you have an '09 with the back up camera I wouldn't do the reflectors for the reverse lamps unless you don't back up alot in the dark or you plan on increasing the light output.

[mmadej87]

ohh gotcha, thankfully i didnt just go ahead and try to tear them apart, knowing me and my clumsy self i woulda messed them up!

[mmadej87]

Originally Posted by dexterdog

I want to do the part around the LEDs. Personally, If you have an '09 with the back up camera I wouldn't do the reflectors for the reverse lamps unless you don't back up alot in the dark or you plan on increasing the light output.

yea i wanted to do the housing, like in the BHLM..i dont like the look of the tinted lense

[KPT]

My last car was a 2007 subaru sti, and we had a similar problem where the front lights could be heated to open, but the rears could not. There was a guy on Nasoic (the subaru forum) that cut his tails open witha dremel and siliconed them back together.

here is the thread:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1098681

[VissionMx]

Originally Posted by Rocketball

I just did mine last week and used VHT and clear coated them.

When you put the tailgate down, you will see 3 bolts that look like they go into the taillights. Only the top and bottom bolts hold the light assembly, leave the center one tight.

Once you have the bolts out, pull the assembly straight out. It will be tight because there's 2 alignment pins that help hold the light in place. When you get it loose from the body, unplug the wiring harness socket from the back of the light. Mine was tight, but it came loose with a little wiggling back and forth while I was squeezing the plug.

Here's how I tinted my tails:

1. Clean the surface of both lights with a clean paper towel and denatured alcohol and let dry. This will remove all contaminates from the surface.

2. Lightly sand the surfaces with 400 grit (or 600 grit) wet/dry sandpaper. Some folks do not do this part, but IMO it should help with the tint sticking to the plastic.

3. Clean again with denatured alcohol and let dry. Do not touch the surface of the lens any more. You want the surfaces as clean as possible before tinting.

4. Find a dust free place where you can do all of the tinting and clear coat without having to touch or move the lights for about the next 6 hours.

5. After shaking the Nite Shades as directed on the label, use light even coats as directed, and allow about 15-20 minutes between coats of tint. I put on 2 coats of tint. Allow 30 minutes of dry time after the last coat of tint.

6. Apply light coats of clear allowing the dry time between coats as directed on the can. Dry time will vary depending on which type of clear you use. I applied 4 coats of clear to my lights.

7. After the final coat of clear, I let the lenses dry to the touch (about 1 hour), and then moved them outside in the sun to cure.

8. After 2 hours in the sun, I started the sanding and polishing.

9. The wet sanding started with 400 grit, and then I used 600, 800, and finished up with 1,000 grit. You want to get rid of the "orange peel" on the surface. I found if I did the sanding outside, the sun actually made it much easier to see where I needed to sand more.

10. After sanding them smooth, I used rubbing compound to remove the scratches from sanding.

11. After the rubbing compound I used to polishing compound to further remove the fine scratches left behind by the rubbing compound.

12. The last step in this process is to apply wax to the finished lights.

13. Finally, reinstall the tails and admire your work.

From start to finish, this mod took me about 6 hours, but it includes and lot of time waiting....... Actual "work time" is about 2 hours, most of that is in the sanding and polishing.

Good luck.

hope this helps!!!

[Brunes]

Originally Posted by VissionMx

hope this helps!!!

Different idea- but good post!!