Smoked-out Side Marker DIY
by GT Man (difficulty: easy)
I've never been a big fan of the red and orange side markers on my GT. I knew that clearing them was most
like illegal so I decided to smoke them out instead (which from what I've read is legal). Even though they are pretty "stealth"
looking they still permit most of the light to shine through at night.
Tools / Items Needed
Isopropyl Alcohol
Scissors
Squeegee
Razor blade or X-acto knife
Smoked-out transparent vinyl - one 6"x24" sheet should do
(from rvinyl.com)
The Procedure
1. Prepare the surface using a 2 to 1 blend of water and isopropyl alcohol (sorry beer won't do lol). Apply
the solution with a microfiber cloth rubbing thoroughly and dry completely.
2. Time to trim the vinyl. Make sure the temp is over 70 degrees ideally. Using a scissors cut the four pieces
you'll need. Make them about an inch oversized (length and width). No real need to measure, I just eyeballed it.
3. Peel the backing from one edge of the vinyl exposing about one inch of it. Apply the exposed edge to the
side marker starting at either end. Press down firmly against the marker using the palm of your hand (not your thumb). This
way, you're less likely to have bubbles. Now peel the rest of the paper backing away and press down firmly a little at a time
working to the opposite side of the marker.
4. At this point, I used my thumb to press down the vinyl around the curved edge of the marker.
5. Now use the plastic squeegee provided to smooth down the entire area, trying to remove all air bubbles,
if present. A pin can be used if air bubbles are a still problem after a day or two.
6. Trim off excess vinyl around edges carefully using a razor blade or X-acto knife.
7. Voila... you have hot looking smoked-out side markers that look like this:
Note: Buy a little bit extra smoke out vinyl so you have enough in case you make a mistake.
- Mitch
