VHT Nite Shades Cab and 3rd Brake Light Blackout

Surprisingly, this was a really simple mod that didn't take much time. In fact, if you don't count the drying time for the VHT Nightshades tint, it only took about an hour of prep time and work. The results are spectacular.

The only thing you need is a can of VHT Nite Shades lens tint ($10.95 a can from here), a sheet or two of 1,000 grit sandpaper from your local car parts supplier, a t-25 torx bit and a clean ventilated place to apply the VHT Nite Shades tint.

There were no surprises on this mod. You just need to make sure you do a good job sanding so the tint will stick. That means getting around the part numbers, dimples, and screw holes. There is a really nice permanent "seal" built into the lens cover, so I didn't add any silicone or other sealant when reinstalling. The VHT Nightshades directions say not to use more than three coats so that it wouldn't become too dark. I stuck with that and did three nice even, but light, coats waiting about 45 minutes between coats. After the third coat, I waited for about an hour before reinstallation making sure they were dry and not tacky. The directions say to wait six hours after the last coat, but it didn't seem necessary to dry for that long. I didn't tint the underside of the cab lights.

UPDATE: Did the 3rd brake light as well. Since there was only one instead of the five cab lights, it was very quick to do.

Thanks to Shep21 on the 3G Power Wagon DodgeTalk Forums for the idea.

Click on a picture for a larger, higher resolution view.

From the front	Matches bug deflector
Second coat	1st coat
VHT Nightshades	Pulling the masking off
Holding it up to the light makes it easy to trim	Finished masking
Damn that looks good	Another angle
From the front	Lights on with flash
3rd coat	Installed
Light sanding with 1,000 grit	Finished sanding
Wider view	Masking off the white bed lights
Lights on without flash	First coat
Lights off no flash	2nd coat
Four prepped lens covers	Unmasked
Getting ready to tint	Another angle
Bottom side of lens cover	I had done one the night before
Angle from the bed	Third Coat
Dried and installed. SWEET!	Another angle