But none of them are on cinder blocks was Re: Is the use of "Nite Shades" on taillights legal?

Ulf wrote: 
N8N wrote:

John S. wrote:

Ed White wrote:

Is it legal to use the "Nite Shades" on taillight lens? This product
darkens the lens. It seems to me this must have an impact on the amount
of light emitted through the lens. Are there rules/regulations/laws
that are in conflict with this product?

Examples of its appliation can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/7h83x
Product information is at
http://www.stevensautoglaze.com/national/auto/niteshds.htm

I noticed that the product disclaimer says - "This product is for
off-road use only and can only be shipped to the continental US." This
implies to me it is technically illegal,  but does its use actually
cause problems with law enforcement / vehicle inspection?

Ed 


If it is legal only for off road use then by inference it is illegal
for onroad use according to the maker.  Why anyone (other than military
or a drug runner) would want to darken a taillight on any car is beyond
me.  Maybe this is the latest in "cool" lighting along with faux HID
lights and lighted wheel wells.



Well, it does look good on a black or dark colored car.


Yeah, and black tail lights look exceptionally good on a Cayenne red metallic Camaro. Ask me how I know... :-)

  But the safety

implications would keep me from using it - I'm always trying to make my
lights work as well as possible, not hinder their output.


How often do you drive any of your Studebakers in the dark.

well, I haven't driven *any* of my personal vehicles any appreciable distance at all for months; but that's more due to a combination of bad luck, stupidity, and a lack of free time.

car #1 (listed in order of acquisition) '62 Studebaker hardtop: Blew up clutch in a "burnout contest" leaving a car show last year. Have not fixed yet due to large number of "while you're in theres" that need to be addressed.

car #2: '88 Porsche 944: previous daily hawler, was hit 'n' run in the LR quarter panel while parked in front of my house only weeks after getting a company car. After a long stint in the body shop, noticed a severe vibration from the rear end. Has been in and out of shops since; is currently at the third shop where at least the mechanic was correctly able to reproduce the symptoms I was describing, which is more than I can say about the first two. He's had it for almost a week now, hopefully he will be able to identify and fix the problem. Porsche withdrawal is approaching "need methadone NOW" stage.

car #3: '55 Studebaker coupe, with a badly done '63 289/Flightomatic transplant. Still waiting on various pieces parts to be done before it can be considered roadworthy. A guy in Florida is supposed to be polishing a timing cover for me and making me an adapter plate so that I can run an early water outlet on the late water pump housing. (right now it has an ugly flex hose with two different sized ends, I want to use the correct molded hose, because I like a tidy engine compartment.) I need those two pieces before I can address the massive oil leaks from the engine, which appear to be in the front seal (in timing cover) and oil pan (which would be stupid to R&R if I'm going to do the timing cover later.) Also waiting on a local machine shop to true up the aftermarket aluminum intake I bought and stupidly had polished before I test fit it. (hey, a Stude engine needs all the weight savings it can get. It's strong, but strength comes at a price...) Also waiting on a guy in CA to send me various pieces of glass that I need, notably the front vent windows. (want to stop the massive water leaks, but both of my vent windows are busted, and not worth putting new gaskets on.) Same guy is supposed to send me the correct linkages for my current motor/tranny/body combination to replace the kludged together mess I whipped up to replace the even more incorrect mess that the previous owner hacked into the car. (engine/trans apparently came out of a Lark body, not a Hawk (later iteration of the "Loewy coupe" body style,) and when the gas pedal linkage didn't line up, he simply cut the hole in the floor bigger with a muffler chisel. Yeeesh.)

But that said, the '55 is intended to be a daily-driver type car. I'm not actually going to use it as such, but I plan it to be capable of such duty when I'm through with it. The heater is already fully functional, and as I said in another post, I plan on adding Cibies and a relay harness to it. It's running electronic ignition, a Delco alternator, and I've got 15x7" wheels with modern radials. I've also added gas shocks and late model (well, 63-64) "Super Hawk" sway bars front and rear, heavy duty springs, and completely gone through the suspension. I've already taken a good stab at sealing up the leaky trunk; we will see when my NOS trunk hinge arrives if it's truly watertight now. Future plans include a 60's vintage under dash A/C unit if I can make a Sanden compressor clear the hood, and also maybe a set of disc brakes and a dual circuit master cylinder. Windshield washers are another item for which I'm keeping my eyes open.

So the short answer is, not at all lately, but if I can manage to reverse my current trend of automotive nonfunctionality, probably more than you'd think.

nate

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