Thinking of tinting my door windows myself. I've had tints, I've done tints, but I had my certified tint meter and the calibration test samples to check it, I could test glass, a little math .... and knw what tint film I needed to keep it legal here, but I never tested the plain glass in a Dent side pickup. Anyone here know? I'm thinking it'll be pretty close to 80% VLT as I recall testing some AC cars at 75%. I know this old truck that only had heater / defrost new has glass that looks lighter, thus greater VLT.

I don't have applied tint on my vehicles with power windows because it just adds drag, but I doubt that'll be an issue on the '77.

Thank you.

 

I just tinted my from windows this weekend. I did 20% which is similar to most factory tinted glass. I'm in NJ and it is not legal to tint any of your front windows unless you have a prescription from an optometrist. I ordered the pre-cut tints on e-bay. They went on rather easy if you follow the directions, my glass has some pitting, it shows if you look for it. Helps keep the cab a little cooler and prying eyes at bay. I run tint on all my vehicles.

 

Here in Va. front side glasses can be 50% VLT with tint applied to the glass, but state law specifies a 7% tolerance, so 43% will pass. I used to have a meter to check even bare glass, but no more. I do recall most cars, etc with factory AC had some tint so even with no added tint, was often near 75% VLT and really clear looking vehicle window glass still only checked at 85% VLT. Why I was asking was in case someone hear had had their glass checked before tint was added, as a tinter will do.

Example .... if 50% VLT tint is put on glass that reads as 80% VLT, the result will be just 40% VLT if a LEO checks it with his/her tint meter.

I knew it was a long shot at best. I might call a buddy (I still have a few) to meet me one day and check ... or maybe I'll slip by the area office &see if I can catch a Unit there? If my "plain glass" is actually 80% VLT, I'll need to limit my film choice to 60% VLT to stay above that 43% VLT.

You did help in mentioning precut on Ebay, and I do appreciate the kick back.

 

This is the only vehicle I've ever had any window tint done.
I had the rear window tinted to cut down on the glare on my in dash TV.
I didn't go very dark because I always wanted LE to be able to see me, even at night.

My son-in-law that owned the car audio dealer rented some of his building to a guy who did detail and window tinting so I got it done for free
I wish I still had that connection. If I did I'd get the back window in my truck and the two back door and rear window in my car tinted.

 

In 2005 we were planning a trip out west and we had a dog going too, so i had our Mercury GM tinted to Va. legal limits, and that law still is in effect, 50% VLT front side glass, and 35% VLT on the rear side and back glass. Was $130 done. It looked great, guy knew his stuff, no bubbles, etc, but I noticed the windows were slightly slower up and down. In 2005 we only made it out through Texas and up through NM as my Wife got sick, visiting the ER in Alamogordo, NM at 2 AM. for a few hours, then was a trip home to Va. with no side trips. In 2006 we made it 7,955 miles @ 21 days long, caught Yosemite, Sequoia, Yellowstone, Kanab, Goulding's, and Rt 66 going out, Rt 50 coming back east. In 2008 we did it again, and surprised a group of Gold Wing riders we knew by being there to welcome them at Goulding's when they arrived (I had a spy in the group that kept me informed). I'm sure the tint helped during these trips

After a few more years, here locally, I took it off of the two front side glasses but left the rest in place. Windows moved faster, free-er like even.

That car still has those tints, but I can see from inside that the rear or back glass could use a redo, like bubbling or coming unglued like between tint and glass along side the radio antenna and defroster grid lines. The Mercury has tinted glass, I recall that when checking it before adding the tint, it tested at 70% VLT before adding tint. The guy tinting it was gonna use 50% film but I had him order 70% and after he put it on, I checked and my front side glass was then @ 49% VLT. I did let him use the 50% film in back and after they were done, they tested @ 34% VLT ..... so legal. He was then in the habit of not considering the VLT of the glass itself.

I can see the glass is tinted a pale green on the Mercury as well as it was on my T-birds, etc. Even my '67 Chevelle had a green tint in the glass as it was a factory AC car. My '77 truck looks clear, BUT it is not a factory AC vehicle, but even clear vehicle glass absorbs some light.


Above, we missed Forrest somehow, but it shows that one piece tint on a big compound curve glass. Below to show the tints from the side, but if I ever get back to here below, this is where I will get my stuff turned around and headed home. Gas on this day was three something in Az., but was up at five west of here.


I'm thinking my best bet is to just get 70% VLT film and using it on the '77, I already tinted the back slider years ago as you can see. I don't recall what film I used, as being a truck it doesn't matter here, I'm guessing was 35% VLT.

 

I have a gun rack in my '76. That might be a pain to work around.
I wont do my own, I'd most likely mess it up.

 

Just take it and pay to have it done. The tint shop will know the legal limit.

 

Mine too, but the two pieces are in line with the metal edges of the slider sections. It really is so easy on the small flat panes of glass. I didn't remove the rack halves, but I considered it as mine just uses 4 sheet metal screws. What I thought in 2005 ....

He knew the written legal limits, but he had no idea how to account for the glass as made, that it too absorbed light, and he had no tint meter. He didn't seam to know that 50% VLT tint on 70% VLT glass results in 35% VLT as the light has to go through both the tint and the glass, so I schooled him in multiplying and dividing when he asked how I come up with 35%. I started with explaining the concept of "percentage". He understood 50% of a dollar being 50 cents.

He could trim & lay the stuff great. He used a hair dryer forming the multi curved back window of that Mercury, did it all in one big piece,using NO strips .... and that skill is mostly what I was paying for.

 

I had the green glass and did 20% ceramic. I also did the windshield. WOW, what a difference in heat inside. Way better than the old tint. No sun glasses required now with the front being tinted. I think the windshield is 85%.

 

You may regret doing the windshield - as far as I know it is Federal law that no tint on a windshield can go below the AS1 line, so it will get you stopped in any sate in the country.

 

Nope, no regrets on the windshield. You wouldn’t even know it is tinted if I did say so. It is ceramic so the tint percentage isn't important and it is the heat that it keeps out and the glare it cuts down that makes it so awesome. Going to do my other vehicles soon.