Yea, i had to cut the bracket off on both sides, but had to keep one piece of it for the fenders to bolt too. Hard to explain, but i think you'll see if you take your plastic off. My only regret is putting the red streak on the outside of each light, instead of the inside. (just think it would've looked meaner)
and no, the light doesn't shine through. hell, it can't shine through, cause my lights are still on my garage floor. to fit the plastic in there, you definitely need to take out the lights, which i don't really mind. less weight and less to break.

lol.
i'm really happy with them though and i only needed to put one rivet in each side with a washer on the back. you can't even really notice.
peace