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I'm impressed with how nice those tail lights look for being aftermarket and under $200! I looked at doing the conversion using OEM parts a few years back and I want to say it was well over $500 for the parts.
I'm impressed with how nice those tail lights look for being aftermarket and under $200! I looked at doing the conversion using OEM parts a few years back and I want to say it was well over $500 for the parts.
is light output improved?
I have the same feelings toward my new headlights, could be better, but definitely better than my stock units.
What's your detail routine? Parts/products used?
Passion and dedicationBut in all seriousness, it's mainly maintenance.
I was approached by a complete stranger the other day who asked how old my truck was. When I told him it was a '98 he refused to believe me and thought it was a repaint. I told him that if he didn't want to believe that love and dedication to detailing can have results like this than that was his choice.
Usually every week I'll give it a hand wash and wipe down with a quick wax, usually Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax or PoorBoys. And every other wash job I'll give it a coat of wax/sealant, usually Meguiars 21. When I rinse it, I use the sheeting method of hosing it off so there's less water left on the paint and then use my Metro Vac/Blow to blow dry the rest of the water off before wiping it down.t
My trick is to not let things get too bad, and usually I can't because I'm so anal about things. Every spring and fall I'll go throughout the whole vehicle, claybar the exterior, and seal it up with sealant and then a coat of carnauba wax to top it. I only had to buff this once and that's after I went through an automatic (swirl-o-matic) carwash and swirled the hell out of my paint. If I do have to buff I have a Porter Cable Dual Action polisher which has been through hell and back detailing my customer's vehicles, but it's still runs like a champ. If I'm in a rush I'll apply the wax with it, but I usually try to do it by hand.
I wax the door jambs, behind the headlamps and taillights, and those other areas that most people wouldn't think of. I'll steam clean the engine compartment and dress all hoses and plastics. Usually the interior is the easiest because it's just me in the thing most of the time, and I have the Husky Liners which are also 17 years old and still in perfect shape which keep the carpeting clean. The leather on these trucks never amazed me, so just keeping them clean and conditioned is the key.
With rust being prevalent in the northeast, I'll usually go underneath with a wire wheel, grind off all the rust and repaint everything - no it's far from perfect, but 17 years old in the rust belt can be pretty taxing to any vehicle. It helped that I worked at dealership detailing departments for the past 5 years so winter washes and waxings were free and plentiful.
I have to remove the roof rack at some point because the paint is chipping off of it, and it's so grayed and dull that only repainting it would help, and I'm not going to do that if I can help it.
I remember when we first got this thing, twelve days before my tenth birthday in 1998, my father was very adamant about keeping it clean and maintained.
There's a lot more to it than that, but if I wrote down every single thing I do then my post would be five pages long.
Cheers,
Rich
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Great posting. Great thread. Thanks for sharing, so far.There's a lot more to it than that, but if I wrote down every single thing I do then my post would be five pages long.
Cheers, Rich
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We have very similar routines! Nattys Blue and Chemical Guys topcoat sealant for protection on mine. Maguires wash two bucket method and weekly cleanings when possible. Your truck is looking beautiful! Mines a 99 with 160k miles. The OCD struggle is real! (Not trying to hijack your thread)

Awesome looking 99 you got there! I've always liked the green, when we bought ours there was black, green, blue, and the mahogany pearl available on the lot... my mom and dad liked the mahogany pearl the best so that's what we drove off with! I assume clear corner lamps for the front? I thought about doing that but then when I saw how badly my reflectors were oxidized, I just decided to buy new assemblies.
Coming home from my mom's last night I went through a constant cloud of bugs, so my entire front end is plastered with them. If it didn't have the stinkbug stance before I do now because of the extra 70 pounds of bug s*** sprayed all over the front end!
Has anyone else bought these headlights and found them to be a bit spotty in areas?
I see from your signature you have the Depo fogs, how are they? Worth upgrading from OEM? I replaced both units in 2011 as the passenger side one had a water leak and was all rusted on the inside.