Want to smoke lights and debadge, advice?

[Mudpuppy]

Hey there, I have a mostly stock 2012 1500 SLT. It is in getting a 2.5 leveling kit at the moment and I am going to add nice black rims and 35 inch nito grappplers, or something similar.

This truck came with way too much crome, it's hideous and I want to slowly change the look. I am adding black bushwaker flares, I want to also add a black mesh grill.

I love the look of the smoked out lights and debadging and I am looking for people's exerience with doing this. I would pay a shop rather than doing myself since I dont know what I am doing.

Also what else can I do to tone down the chrome?

Thanks

 

[WhiteExpress]

Don't smoke the headlights! Take em apart and black em out! No need to kill your light output.

You can search on the forum how to take em apart n paint em, but you don't even need to paint em.
You can soak the trim piece in bleach, it'll eat off the chrome, leaving nice shiny black plastic. Woot!

 

[I Got a Hemi!]

I would agree with Express about the headlights. The look is much nicer if you have them apart then paint the inside. In regards to debadging here is a great like that will help you do it home in under an hour. http://www.ramforum.com/f75/how_debadge_right_way-4221/ . The only thing that I did different was to use Goof Off to do the final clean up.

 

[Designflaw]

Well Hello there and welcome to the forum. Nice legs

Plastidip is an alternative to de-badge and gives you some more blacked out look. There is tons of stuff on youtube and this site to help out. Very easy to do and turns out great. you can see my emblems are done.

Did I say nice legs?

 

[Mudpuppy]

I am not at all confident on doing any of this stuff myself but would be happy to pay a body shop, I am going to ask around in town. I just want to remove the 1500 and put the Ram in it's place. I was not sure at all how they toned down the headlights, but trust me if I tried to do it myself something would go wrong! I appreciate the suggestions

Any suggestions on the bug deflector? I put it on right after I bought the truck but now it's just too much, what a waste of 80 bucks or whatever it was. Would you take it off?

Any suggestons on the mesh grill covers? Where can I get one? I see that BMF makes them but only for 2500 and bigger. I just love the look of them!

Thanks for the legs compliment

ETA: Can I plasti dip those wheels since I cant get new rims right away? They would have to hold up in northern Ontario winter with lots of snow and salt and about 40 km a day on gravel roads.

 

[Designflaw]

I am not at all confident on doing any of this stuff myself but would be happy to pay a body shop, I am going to ask around in town. I just want to remove the 1500 and put the Ram in it's place. I was not sure at all how they toned down the headlights, but trust me if I tried to do it myself something would go wrong! I appreciate the suggestions

Any suggestions on the bug deflector? I put it on right after I bought the truck but now it's just too much, what a waste of 80 bucks or whatever it was. Would you take it off?

Any suggestons on the mesh grill covers? Where can I get one? I see that BMF makes them but only for 2500 and bigger. I just love the look of them!

Thanks for the legs compliment

ETA: Can I plasti dip those wheels since I cant get new rims right away? They would have to hold up in northern Ontario winter with lots of snow and salt and about 40 km a day on gravel roads.

One thing you will find out about this site is that there are very helpful links, how to tips, and tons of advice (some good/bad etc...) But Most of what you want to do as a novice could do with no problems including the debadging. In fact, if you review the links and tips and even some youtube vids, you'll see that you can't tear anything up. It will take you no more than and hour to take off your 1500's and clean up any glue that remains. That's free money to put towards your other mod's.

As for the plastidip on the wheels someone will chime in for your area but its about 20 bucks worth of stuff and a few hours time. Again, you can't mess it up, and if you do, it pulls off in a rubber sheet. I guy here at work has had his on for 8 months no issues but we don't have the weather you have but its been through car washes etc... with no problems.

 

[baum]

you dont appear to have projector lights. removing the chrome finish will eliminate any reflectivity of the light. thus causing you to have little to no light beam at all.

 

[Etroze86]

Amazon has some big mouth grilles for our trucks for decent price. Very nice truck and welcome.

 

[Mudpuppy]

you dont appear to have projector lights. removing the chrome finish will eliminate any reflectivity of the light. thus causing you to have little to no light beam at all.

I would like to upgrade those lights but I dont really know what I am looking for. I know the look that I like and that I have a really hard time seeing for night driving so I need good lights. I just dont know where to start really. I've looked into the lights and it's like you have to have a masters degree to understand what it all means.

 

[Mudpuppy]

Amazon has some big mouth grilles for our trucks for decent price. Very nice truck and welcome.

Thanks, I'll look into that.

 

[Etroze86]

JJ at Retroshop can help you with lights he is a vendor on here and has great customer service from what I hear.

 

[tjs529]

I plasti dipper my bumpers emblems and grill surroung here is the link to the pictures.

http://www.ramforum.com/f75/plasti_diped_my_grill_bumpers-38328/

 

[Mudpuppy]

Amazon has some big mouth grilles for our trucks for decent price. Very nice truck and welcome.

Thanks, I'll look into that.

 

[Mudpuppy]

I plasti dipper my bumpers emblems and grill surroung here is the link to the pictures.

http://www.ramforum.com/f75/plasti_diped_my_grill_bumpers-38328/

It looks awesome, I was already looking at those pics earlier today, lol.

 

[Mudpuppy]

I would like lights that look like this:

 

[Mopar_Express]

Yup Retroshop would definitely be the place to get those. He may be the only place where you can get everything you need to hook them up in one stop.

 

[smarsmar101]

Got mine on eBay for 200$ shipped

 

[smarsmar101]

grill^^^

 

[0212353]

I would like lights that look like this:

yup! we've got those!

Well....on order. LOL - I sold 10 black sets and depleted my stock on Wednesday.

I'll have more in Wednesday / Thursday and our adapters will be back in stock too.

Check here!

2013 Ram OEM BiHalogen Projector Headlights

 

[Mudpuppy]

yup! we've got those!

Well....on order. LOL - I sold 10 black sets and depleted my stock on Wednesday.

I'll have more in Wednesday / Thursday and our adapters will be back in stock too.

Check here!

2013 Ram OEM BiHalogen Projector Headlights

My truck is a 2012 will that make a difference?