Finished a $6 mod to my third brake light. Tell me what you think.

Just gloss black fusion and some painters tape.



Added light coat of spray tint and painted the screws.



After install. Direct sun, looks a little darker in person.

 

Nice job.

 

Looks good. Personally I'd gone darker but looks great man

 

Gotta check the local laws first and got a whole can left.

 

Any chance of getting the red out of the middle?

My truck is white, so I'd like to go all clear with a red LED bulb.

 

do you have anymore info on how you painted the 3rd brake light and added tint? i have the harley heads/tails and i'd like to do the same thing....any help would be much appreciated!!!

 

I took the light off, there is a line that goes around the light that I used as the border for the gloss black fusion paint. I put a two inch piece of painters tape from side to side across the entire lens. I then took a small mag lite and put it in one of the bulb openings in the back of the light and turned it on so that I could see the "border" line through the painters tape.

Then used an exacto knife to cut the tape around the border, not too much pressure or you will cut into the lens. Covered the back of the light with tape and shot it. After it dried I put it back on the truck for a couple of days to let the paint cure.

Pulled it back off and put painters tape over the now painted part and shot the remaining clear area with night shades spray tint. Let it dry, reinstall, and done.

 

hey DJ,
thanks again for all the info in the pm...couple questions: did you do any sanding or does the fusion/nightshade bond to the lens no problem? where did you get the night shade from, like auto zone or something? you made the comment on the thread about local laws...i already have window tint that is "illegal" but i went with the harley heads/tails so the truck was street legal in that sense (rather than tinting them), if i got rear-ended, will i get burned for having a tinted 3rd brake light???
thanks,
jeff

 

its always good to give the lens a one over with maybe 600 grit sandpaper to give the paint something to adhere to. also you can get it at orielly's if you have them in WI. autozone doesnt carry it. call around and ask if they carry VHT nightshade otherwise you can buy it online. and to answer your last question, its not required to have a 3rd brake light so even if you had a burnt out bulb in stock light and got hit its not your fault. therefore tint wont change your legal standing haha.

Had to step in and give you a quick answer since i knew all of them

 

thejake,
Thank you, i was going to PM Liuna, but i figured if i posted on the thread i would get a quicker response, thanks for all the info! (and we do have o'rielly's, just gotta find one close to me now)

 

i got my nightshades at my local autozone because no one else carried it.. Just call around.. everywhere is different, every manager will have different products for his/her store

 

Huh? Where is not required?

In 1986, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada mandated that all new passenger cars have a CHMSL installed. A CHMSL was required on all new light trucks and vans starting in 1994.

 

Ditto. I got mine at O'Reilly's Auto Parts and I know the local Discount Auto Parts carried it too.