Backroad_Beast

Ya tinted headlights are illegal in WA, but so are tinted tails. I've got tinted tails on my Mustang and right before I got them I looked at the RCW that covers taillights and it says the same for both head and tail. The deal is they cannot be tinted to the point where they are no longer functional, which leaves to the cops discretion. I've been on a couple ride alongs here in WA and have only seen one guy get pulled over for tails and he didn't even get a ticket, his tails were literally not visible.

Just call me Sean

iTrader: (1)

I don't like to give the cops extra reasons to pull me over.

Jeremy Bowers

Hey guys i know this thread is old as hell but this is all the type of stuff im considering right now (front end swap with 9th gen or tinting or finding aftermarket lights for front and tail. Is it true what someone said that its only 8 or 10 bolts to swap to a 9th gen front end ? Also I just wondering when u guys mentioned about tinting ur lights ,how do u go about that ? With that rustoleum tint stuff someone mentioned? How do u do that ? Is it spray and do u spray it on the INSIDES of lights or outsides? Sorry my questions may sound dumb but until today i thought there was no hope for my 1990 f150 4x4 other than buyin some of those black plastic covers that go over the head and tail lights. Thank u .
p.s. ive seen the clear headlights on a site before here in canada but ive never seen ones with the clear corners.

Shagg

Swapping from a bricknose front end to an obs is doable, but it is a bit more than 10 bolts. The hood, fenders, and radiator core support should bolt right up, so that includes the stone deflector, headlights, and grille. The front bumper might require you to drill new holes for the brackets since the 9th gen trucks have different frame horns. But that is all of the easy stuff. The only part that will really become a problem is the wiring harness wont line up perfectly. You might have to do some splicing in the wiring for the headlight/parking light/turn signal assemblies.

Jeremy Bowers

Thanks i appreciate the info . i think ill just keep my front end then but try and tint my lights and possibly find the clear corner lights or get those black plastic covers.

MPP8405

Search on Facebook OBS Soloutions tha'ts another option for bricks, just did my swap of the Australian Style headlamps with JW speaker 8910 sealed beams, super bright and DOT legal:

Steve83

...and I didn't think an '87-91 F could get uglier.

MPP8405

That's your opinion Steve83. The function of the headlight swap out to sealed beams far outweighs anything from the factory. The light output is as good as a new car or better which makes driving on dark roads far safer for me. This kit isnt for everyone but it is an option for bricknose owners as there is next to nothing aftermarket for the 87-91 crowd.

Backroad_Beast

Holy hell I forgot all about this thread lol. Well that kit isn't quite my cup of tea, but I'm happy to see any changes made considering the lack of options. My truck has been sitting for a few months waiting for it's turn to get some love after a couple other projects, but I've also thought quite a lot about this topic since I first made the thread and picked up a few new skills over the years. So here's my current idea. The lens design is fairly simple, so I honestly don't think it would be too hard to separate it from the headlight bucket, create a mold from it and smooth out the flutes in the OEM design, and mold lexan or a similar plastic to that shape giving you a new clear lens like the Euro style for the OBS. As far as the actual light output, HID and LED retrofits have come a long way in the last decade. Some would definitely look goofy, but I'm sure there's a projector design out there that would look clean in an 8th gen headlight and actually give a controlled light beam as opposed to slapping HID's in a factory fluted headlight and blinding everybody. At that point you could paint the reflector any color you like or leave it chrome, throw the lens on with some silicone sealant to keep the water out, and boom you've got clean, modern, unique retrofits for an 8th gen. If you're curious about the molding process I've found a number of videos on YouTube of people molding far more complicated shapes than our headlights. Obviously I haven't got around to putting this theory to the test yet, but it's on my to-do list when the old '91 gets its day.

Backroad_Beast

As far as tinting goes, You don't see it done nearly as often now as when this was originally posted. At least not around my area. Usually when people would do it back then they would tint the outside of the light with something like VHT Nightshade. I did a few coats on the taillights of my Mustang back in 2012 or so and it still looks decent, not amazing, but decent. More common now days is to actually open up the light by gently removing the lens and painting the reflector on the inside (the shiny part), but that only works if you have a projector light or have added one. If not, you very much need that reflector to reflect or your light output will be non-existent. Check out HID retrofits on youtube, specifically a channel called The Retrofit Source, and it'll give you an idea of what I'm talking about.