the mods begin..

[trdhulk]

I've had the truck for 2 weeks now so its time to start personalizing. I went ahead and removed all of the emblems, and installed the rear hitch cover. I also painted the rear bowtie black. i tried to do the front too but it broke, so i ordered a powder coated one.

Next is to black out the taillights and remove the roof rack.

what should i do next...?

 

[Sheriff]

Next is to black out the taillights and remove the roof rack.

what should i do next...?

Next? Check your state law and make sure you don't end up replacing your tail lights after you black them out..

 

[trdhulk]

i've had them blacked out on my mustang for years now with no problems. I'm pretty good at doing it. i use 50% clear 50% black paint, so theres still a slight red tint to them, kinda like black cherry. plus i'm masking off the reverse lights so that should help with the look

 

[07Burb]

Lower the rear 2" to level it out. You're off to a good start already, though.

I'd also start thinking about exhaust and stuff to do to increase performance.

 

[trdhulk]

the only thing performance wise that i care about is gas mileage right now. I have a buddy that works for bully dog. they can do tunes on gas motors that give you about 4mpg and a little hp and tq. i'll do a K&N intake soon also. I have a 600hp mustang so performance and sound in a truck isnt too important right now, however i do love the look of that dual SLP resonator delete for these trucks

 

[07Burb]

...however i do love the look of that dual SLP resonator delete for these trucks

me too mine goes on tonight when I get home. You'll see my exhaust thread get updated upon completion of the install

I always have to have good sound and good looks no matter what I'm driving.

 

[2005yukonxl]

Next? Check your state law and make sure you don't end up replacing your tail lights after you black them out..

dont have to check them. its illegal in TX. sure lots of people get by with out a ticket for them. Dont drive anywhere around me, you'll get a ticket. its not the fact you can see them sitting right behind them thats the problem. its the fact that in broad daylight the brake lights arent bright enough to overcome the ambient lighting and still be seen at any distance much less the 300 feet required. keep in mind the law specifically states tail lights- plainly visible to 1000 feet. and the brake lamps have to be visible in "normal" sunlight to 300 feet. tinted tail lights, when used in normal sunlight, arent visible anywhere near the required areas. plus the red rear reflectors have to be visible 100-600 feet when normal low beam headlights shine on them- again, when tinted they dont meet this requirement.

all that to say, just because you havent had a ticket YET doesnt mean its legal and the law shouldnt still apply to you. The state has had a few fatal accidents resulting from such lamps during daytime hours and I would imagine thigns will start being more aggressively enforced.

 

[trdhulk]

i respect what you are saying. i was a state inspector for 2 years and know all of the stipulations as well. the way i tint my lights they still meet all of the parameters you just mentioned, but yes, its still tequnically illegal becasue state law says any tampering whatsoever to a taillight lense is illegal and should not pass inspection. however, the way i tint them, they can very easily pass as an aftermarket light rather than a painted factory light, so thats my angle if i ever do have a problem.

 

[Sheriff]

Dont drive anywhere around me, you'll get a ticket.

You need to come to work in Virginia. Most of the cops around here where I live seem to totally ignore smoked license plate covers, tinted lights, and window tint lately. Some of the license plates you can't read from 20 feet behind them.

Sooner or later.... everybody will end up with just the right cop behind them to burst their bubble of illegal equipment. And more often than not, it's going to be 2 or 3 violations on the same traffic stop just on license plates and lights.

 

[White07Tahoe]

1. Intake
2. Exhaust(if you want it, I don't)
3. Black Bear Tune
4. Drop
DONE!

 

[trdhulk]

whats the black bear tune? how much is it?

i can do the bully dog tune for free b/c my friend works there

 

[G4rr3tt9]

whats the black bear tune? how much is it?

i can do the bully dog tune for free b/c my friend works there

wow. thats a killer deal. you can never beat FREE. Looks good so far. cant wait to see the rest of your mods as they get done. im interested in seeing your tail lights.

Hurry up. haha

 

[Modded]

dont have to check them. its illegal in TX. sure lots of people get by with out a ticket for them. Dont drive anywhere around me, you'll get a ticket. its not the fact you can see them sitting right behind them thats the problem. its the fact that in broad daylight the brake lights arent bright enough to overcome the ambient lighting and still be seen at any distance much less the 300 feet required. keep in mind the law specifically states tail lights- plainly visible to 1000 feet. and the brake lamps have to be visible in "normal" sunlight to 300 feet. tinted tail lights, when used in normal sunlight, arent visible anywhere near the required areas. plus the red rear reflectors have to be visible 100-600 feet when normal low beam headlights shine on them- again, when tinted they dont meet this requirement.

all that to say, just because you havent had a ticket YET doesnt mean its legal and the law shouldnt still apply to you. The state has had a few fatal accidents resulting from such lamps during daytime hours and I would imagine thigns will start being more aggressively enforced.

Don't be so sure of that bud.
I have tinted LED tails and they are more visible than the regular Tahoe tails when it comes to lamp illumination (I even proved this in court when I got a ticket for them).
Now when it comes to reflectors your statement is true but reflectors are a night thing and most cops will not be able to tell my tails are tinted at night because the LEDs are so bright and the reflectors are visible enough if theya are right behind me with their headlights pointing right into them.
The main issue over tinted tails is reflectors, but its hard to enforce that because during the day the reflectors are fine (because there no headlights to bounce off of them like at night) and at night they will be good enough unless the tails are just way too dark.

Imagine an officer trying to give someone a tinted headlight or burnt drivers side bulb ticket in broad daylight. It will get dropped in court quick because who needs headlights during the day, just like who needs reflectors during the day. Now at night one can easily get a ticket for both cases.

Regardless most police officers will not ticket someone for that during the day, but some will. Just depends on where you live and how "traditional" the officer is because the officers in my area said they would never ticket someone for that unless they are excessively dark (like almost not visible at all) and even when its that dark they will issue a fix-it-ticket. I live in one of the safest muncipality in the US (Flower Mound) and the cops are pretty strict.

 

[01HDtahoeNJN]

Projector retro fit! Then done

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