2007-2014 “Blackout Treatment”

[JExpedition07]

Question for you 07-14 Limited owners. You guys have what Ford calls “Blackout Treatment” Headlights. In short I’d like to add this look to my Eddie Bauer which has the chrome headlights. Does anyone know how Ford applied the “treatment” as they call it in the brochures. Did they simply use tinted plastic (Would a light tint work?) or did they remove the chrome from inside the assembly? Would a lighter tint look close enough and not impede light? Or would new assemblies be the way to go and anyone know a good stock style replica A/M that holds up?

What I have:

What I want:

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Tinted plastic. If I was going to do it aftermarket I would go with Lamin-X or let a pro do it w/ paint. If you must do it with the rattle can tint, at least coat it afterwards with USC SprayMax 2K. https://www.amazon.com/SprayMax-Glamour-Gloss-Aerosol-Clear/dp/B0082LJMC6

 

[Aspen03]

Previous vehicles that I've had light tinting done I had a shop shoot them w black base mixed w clear and it gave it a great look, headlights mimicked what you see in that pic and tails were a very deep ruby red when sun hit them but close to black normally. Light output was fine for brake/turn signals. It really set the car off being black. The black interior on those is a different reflector housing. You'll need to source the housings or disassemble your own and paint them. Having done a disassembly before I would absolutely buy replacements and have someone tint them for as inexpensive as they are for these years. Film will degrade fairly easily, depending on your driving environment.

 

[JExpedition07]

Thanks for your input guys, so the Lamin-X regular tint doesn’t look too extreme and seems to match the Limited look on the outside. My current headlights are in good shape (no haze), so I’m thinking maybe for a project I’ll take them out clean them and apply the regular tint Lamin-X to give it a shot. If it starts checking and wearing down I’ll likely just order up two Limited headlamps since stock ones are pretty reasonable on eBay.

 

[JExpedition07]

So of course I’m still open to suggestion, but as of now I’m leaning toward the Lamin-X that ManUp mentioned after looking into it. They make a tint kit specifically for 2007-2014 headlights and it’s pre-cut for easy installation....here is the regular tint applied to a Ranger

 

[kyleaaronburkett]

Plastidip makes a smoke tint you can apply. I've used it on taillights before with super great success. It only cost $7 per can and one should cover both lights. It won't look as pro as the eom option, but for the price.... It's an okay option

 

[Anchorclanker]

My 08 Limited didn't have any tint on the lenses. The headlight buckets were black. I think tinting will dim the chrome some but won't give you the same look.

If you look at aftermarket lights check the parking/turn signal area for a reflector in the pocket. Many do not have one and it makes the light very hard to see, especially in daylight.

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[JExpedition07]

So I’ve watched some YouTube and looked at images/done research and have decided against tint. Just going to order 2 takeoff OEM Limited headlamp assemblies. Tinting from the outside isn’t going to give the same look as the stock Blackout Treatment since the buckets are black.

 

[JExpedition07]

Talk about blackout treatment

 

[kyleaaronburkett]

Talk about blackout treatment

View attachment 33565

That expedition is gorgeous [emoji7][emoji177]

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[ManUpOrShutUp]

Talk about blackout treatment

View attachment 33565

Plastidipped? Looks great regardless.

 

[JExpedition07]

Plastidipped? Looks great regardless.

I think it was professionally sprayed with matte black

 

[762mm]

I think it was professionally sprayed with matte black

a.k.a. "primer paint", lol!

I never understood why people find appeal in a car or truck that looks like it was set on fire. There are some beautiful classic paint jobs out there, with deep clear coats that look like glass or with elaborate designs, etc... hell, even the two-tone Harley-Davidson edition finishes are kickass... but to me, matte black finish looks like it rolled out of the paint shop before they could put the final coats on, lol.

It's probably not good for resale value either. Personally, I would avoid buying any used car or truck with that kind of finish on it. It just spells out "young & fast previous driver", with a ton of hidden issues underneath the vehicle (in all likelihood). It's kind of like buying a used Civic with a giant rear spoiler, oversized mags and Ferrari stickers on it : you just know that thing was ridden hard and put away wet!

(same applies to used lifted trucks)

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

a.k.a. "primer paint", lol!

I never understood why people find appeal in a car or truck that looks like it was set on fire. There are some beautiful classic paint jobs out there, with deep clear coats that look like glass or with elaborate designs, etc... hell, even the two-tone Harley-Davidson edition finishes are kickass... but to me, matte black finish looks like it rolled out of the paint shop before they could put the final coats on, lol.

It's probably not good for resale value either. Personally, I would avoid buying any used car or truck with that kind of finish on it. It just spells out "young & fast previous driver", with a ton of hidden issues underneath the vehicle (in all likelihood). It's kind of like buying a used Civic with a giant rear spoiler, oversized mags and Ferrari stickers on it : you just know that thing was ridden hard and put away wet!

(same applies to used lifted trucks)

I've never understood why people use camo seat covers, hang a big set of balls off the bumper or lift their truck when it never sees more than a mild dirt road. None of those are my truck though, so they can do whatever the heck they want.

FWIW, plastidipped and similar paint jobs are very popular in urban areas and typically increase the resale value (assuming it's done professionally like he Expedition above). That said, I agree with you that it's more likely than not a young driver and I shy away from those types of used vehicles just like you do.

 

[Jamo]

Looks like he/she blacked out everything BUT the headlights. Kind of funny since that's what this thread is about...

 

[Kjhawkeye1]

Mine came with the chrome headlights and I just kept an eye on Craigslist and eBay and bought the OEM black headlights for mine. Like the look better since I am trying to stick with black and white overall.

 

[Trainmaster]

Ford has a long history of furnishing black grilles on its police products. It seems that some of the Expedition "Special Service Vehicles" offered for police fleets had chrome headlights while others had blackened. The black ones weren't listed in the literature, and different lights appeared during the same model years.