Rocket Man's 2008 Bagged CC Silverado Build AKA "THE MACHINE"

[yates ™]

35% on my sides and shield, probably the 10th vehicle I have had it on, will do it again on the next.

 

[Rocket Man]

I know I have posted this before in other threads and I am not trying to clutter your thread or start an argument but...

I have a 70% ceramic film over my entire windshield with a 8" 5% strip at the top.

70% is, essentially, a clear film which does very little for looks but the ceramic film blocks 99% of uvA and uvB rays which fade your interior and cause that brand new expensive dash to get brittle. It also blocks more than 50% of the heat.

And at 70% doesn't really interfere with night time driveabilty.

If you want to look at actual numbers then it goes like this...

Your stock windshield, if you checked it with a "tint meter" would register at around 70% VLT (visible light transmission).

You take the 70% windshield and add a 70% film and you are now at around 49% VLT.

If you use a 50% film on the same 70% windshield you are now at around 35% VLT. Which is what the legal limit is in most states for your front side windows.

If you don't drive much at night then it's really no big deal but if you do then it could potentially be an issue for you.

I just wanted to give you some real world data and numbers to chew on before you make your decision.

Here is a pic of mine... front windshield 70% film plus 5% strip and 18% on the front side windows to match the factory rear tint.
View attachment 206341
View attachment 206342
The Hüper Optik film is the ceramic film I went with. It is a German made film and is excellent.
https://huperoptikusa.com/automotive/

Hope this helps.

I do understand how the total light transmittance calculates out and that my factory tint is about 70% vlt. So .70 x .50 x 100 is indeed 35%. Keep in mind this is my toy not my dd. Also I have Morimoto HID retrofits so my lighting at night is excellent. So with all that in mind as well as what Ive seen online, my decision is a 50% tint over the 70% factory shield for a total vlt of 35%.

35% on my sides and shield, probably the 10th vehicle I have had it on, will do it again on the next.

That’s what my total will be including the factory tint factored in.

 

[PG01]

35% on my sides and shield, probably the 10th vehicle I have had it on, will do it again on the next.

Well la-di-da......

 

[Rocket Man]

Getting the bumper pieces today; so far one of three boxes has come in. I am going to put it together hopefully if I can find hardware. So in the meantime I washed it and waxed with the Liquid Wax I got from Tri-Nova. The paint sure looks great after the wet sanding/buffing/waxing.

 

[Rocket Man]

After a lot of adjusting of every part of the front end, I was finally able to get the bumper on and the headlights and grill lined up. There's a bit bigger of a gap between the bottom of the headlights and the bumper than before but I think it's probably a normal Chevy bumper gap now.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

After a lot of adjusting of every part of the front end, I was finally able to get the bumper on and the headlights and grill lined up. There's a bit bigger of a gap between the bottom of the headlights and the bumper than before but I think it's probably a normal Chevy bumper gap now. View attachment 206420

Where are all the lights gonna go?

 

[Rocket Man]

There is one slight problem (besides the fact I need to disassemble the whole thing to paint it and these bumpers are a PIA to get the individual pieces to line up) and that's the fact that instead of 3 boxes, some brilliant packer decided to consolidate the final 2 boxes into one by sticking all the steel bumper brackets which weigh a ton inside the bumper bar and then stuff 2 boxes inside each other. The brackets must have bounced around violently because there's a dent pushing outward on the bumper bar itself and that steel is thick so it must have been a big hit. I am no body man but I think I need to just replace that instead of having it fixed. The seller is working on a solution. Hopefully he'll just send another one.

 

[Rocket Man]

Where are all the lights gonna go?

In Nathan's bumper.

 

[Rocket Man]

Had to order tow hooks since now I have tow hook holes. pfffft

 

[Rocket Man]

I took it back apart and added the brackets for the braces that mount further back on the frame, the fog light brackets and the fog lights, and mounted it up so I could finalize all the adjustments and tighten down the brackets and braces so now it mounts up to the truck easily and when I do, it’s all lined up. Now for paint and to see if that dent can be fixed or if I need a new bumper bar.