This writeup is done on my 2008 Silverado but can be done the same for Tahoes. I take no responsibility if you damage your headlights or get a ticket for this mod, this is a do it at your on risk mod.
You will need the following materials:
1 can of VHT Nite Shades
1 can of Duplicolor Clear Coat
2000 Wet/Dry sandpaper
Scuffing pad
1-2" Painters tape
Acetone ( or something to remove and dirt or debris from lights)
Rubbing compound
Zaino swirl mark remover ( or your choice of polish )
Couple of terry clothes or microfiber clothes
I've since started using a Areomax clear which has a hardener that has to be activated before using. This stuff will give you body shop results!
Step 1: Remove headlights from Vehicle.
Step 2: After you have your headlights removed clean the lights really good with some sort of cleaner to remove any dirt,debris, or anything that would cause the tape not to stick. I used acetone with a terry cloth to clean my lights.
Step 3: Tape off the section which you want blacked out. I made my tapline real close to reflectors but this is all a personal choice of how much of the light you want to black out.
Step 4: After you get your tape line in place go ahead and tape off the rest of the headlight lense to prevent overspray. I went ahead and tapped up the edges just to be on the safe side.
Step 5: Take your scuffing pad and sand the the headlight where you will be painting. Scuff it up enough so it has a dull finish with no shine. This will help the paint to stick to the lights. Your lights should look like this when your done. Wipe down any dust that might be on your lights from sanding.
Step 6: Now your ready to start blacking out the lights. Shake the Nite Shades for at least 60 seconds before spraying. Spray the Nite Shades in lights coats so you will not have any runs. I sprayed about 12"s away from the lights to prevent runs. I waited about 5-10 minutes between each coat to make sure it was good and dry. Always turn your can upside down and clean out the sprayer after each coat. This stuff dries pretty quick. I didn't have my camera with me after the first coat but here's what my lights looked like after the 2nd coat of Nite Shades.
3rd coat of Nite Shades:
Step 7: After the Nite Shades has fully dried your ready to clear coat. Shake the can for at least 60-90 seconds to insure it has mixed good. Before clearing make sure the lights do not have any kind of dust, lint, etc. I sprayed the clear about 2-4"s away from the light to get a good wet coat of clear on the lights. Make sure you get good even coats. You can put as many coats as you want I usually do 3-4 wet coats. Always turn your can upside and clear the sprayer after each coat.
First coat of clear:
Third coat of clear:
Let the lights dry at least 6-13 hours to ensure they are dried enough to sand. Remove the tape carefully before moving on to the next step.
Step 8: Now that the lights are dry it's time to wetsand them out to remove any orange peel. I used a 2000 wet/dry sandpaper. Get a bucket of water and let the sandpaper sit so that's it fully soaked. Take your sandpaper and start sanding using light pressure. You can wipe the light off every minute or so to see how much more sanding you need to do. Always keep the sandpaper and light wet so you will not sand through the clear. You are looking for a nice dull finish to know your done wetsanding. If you see any shiny spots like these keep sand untill they are gone.
Your lights should look like this when your done sanding.
Step 9: Take some rubbing compound and rub it into the light. This will start to bring the shine back to the lights. Do 3-4 coats of compound and your lights will look like this.
Step 10: After you finish with the compound take a clear polish of your choice ( I used Zaino swirl mark remover ) and put 2-4 coats on the lights to get the most shine out of them.
Just install the light back to your vehicle and you now have blacked out lights
Hope this writeup will be useful! If you have any questions please feel free to send me a email or PM.
Thanks,
DwDrummer
You will need the following materials:
1 can of VHT Nite Shades
1 can of Duplicolor Clear Coat
2000 Wet/Dry sandpaper
Scuffing pad
1-2" Painters tape
Acetone ( or something to remove and dirt or debris from lights)
Rubbing compound
Zaino swirl mark remover ( or your choice of polish )
Couple of terry clothes or microfiber clothes
I've since started using a Areomax clear which has a hardener that has to be activated before using. This stuff will give you body shop results!
Step 1: Remove headlights from Vehicle.
Step 2: After you have your headlights removed clean the lights really good with some sort of cleaner to remove any dirt,debris, or anything that would cause the tape not to stick. I used acetone with a terry cloth to clean my lights.
Step 3: Tape off the section which you want blacked out. I made my tapline real close to reflectors but this is all a personal choice of how much of the light you want to black out.
Step 4: After you get your tape line in place go ahead and tape off the rest of the headlight lense to prevent overspray. I went ahead and tapped up the edges just to be on the safe side.
Step 5: Take your scuffing pad and sand the the headlight where you will be painting. Scuff it up enough so it has a dull finish with no shine. This will help the paint to stick to the lights. Your lights should look like this when your done. Wipe down any dust that might be on your lights from sanding.
Step 6: Now your ready to start blacking out the lights. Shake the Nite Shades for at least 60 seconds before spraying. Spray the Nite Shades in lights coats so you will not have any runs. I sprayed about 12"s away from the lights to prevent runs. I waited about 5-10 minutes between each coat to make sure it was good and dry. Always turn your can upside down and clean out the sprayer after each coat. This stuff dries pretty quick. I didn't have my camera with me after the first coat but here's what my lights looked like after the 2nd coat of Nite Shades.
3rd coat of Nite Shades:
Step 7: After the Nite Shades has fully dried your ready to clear coat. Shake the can for at least 60-90 seconds to insure it has mixed good. Before clearing make sure the lights do not have any kind of dust, lint, etc. I sprayed the clear about 2-4"s away from the light to get a good wet coat of clear on the lights. Make sure you get good even coats. You can put as many coats as you want I usually do 3-4 wet coats. Always turn your can upside and clear the sprayer after each coat.
First coat of clear:
Third coat of clear:
Let the lights dry at least 6-13 hours to ensure they are dried enough to sand. Remove the tape carefully before moving on to the next step.
Step 8: Now that the lights are dry it's time to wetsand them out to remove any orange peel. I used a 2000 wet/dry sandpaper. Get a bucket of water and let the sandpaper sit so that's it fully soaked. Take your sandpaper and start sanding using light pressure. You can wipe the light off every minute or so to see how much more sanding you need to do. Always keep the sandpaper and light wet so you will not sand through the clear. You are looking for a nice dull finish to know your done wetsanding. If you see any shiny spots like these keep sand untill they are gone.
Your lights should look like this when your done sanding.
Step 9: Take some rubbing compound and rub it into the light. This will start to bring the shine back to the lights. Do 3-4 coats of compound and your lights will look like this.
Step 10: After you finish with the compound take a clear polish of your choice ( I used Zaino swirl mark remover ) and put 2-4 coats on the lights to get the most shine out of them.
Just install the light back to your vehicle and you now have blacked out lights
Hope this writeup will be useful! If you have any questions please feel free to send me a email or PM.Thanks,
DwDrummer
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Google it you can buy it online just can't remember where. It's about $36 a can which is the sucky part. Thanks for the compliments!
I actually have since tinted tails for customers who have wanted to leave the reverse lights clear and I clear over the WHOLE light and it does look better.
