tail lights modded [relocated turn signals & backup lights & double stop lamps]

[nickleinonen]

well, i had been planing on modding my tail lamps for a while now and this past weekend i finally did it. i had a pair of 55w off road type lights i got from the parts store when they were on sale for about 50% off [a good deal i think eh ] they have now become my backup lights.

the main reason i wanted to do the mod was to get amber colored turn signals. i like them more than red ones, and i feel they are more visiable than red ones when driving in traffic so it could be called a safety feature.

i cut and spliced the wires about 6" in from the tail lamp connector on both sides. the backup lamp, turn signal and brake wires were all snipped there. i spliced the brake signal wire into the brake light & turn signal wires, soldering them together and wrapping them in heat shrink. that gives me 2 brake light bulbs per side plus the center mounted one on the cap. i spliced the turn signal wire into the backup lamp wire to let me use amber colored bulbs where the backup lamps were, again, solder & heat shrink. . the pass. side backup lamp wire i just dead ended, and i just used the drivers side backup lamp signal to trigger the relay to turn on my new backup lights.



the backup lights are mounted to home made brackets made from 2" pieces of 1. 25" pipe with washers and nuts welded on either end for mounting [frame end - 3/4" washer with a 1/2" nut pressed into it, light end - 1/2" washer reamed out with a 3/8" nut pressed in it]. the mounts are bolted to the frame rails right at the end of them.



i ran a fused wire right from the drivers side battery down through the frame rail [drivers side]



i have some pictures of the mod, but i will get some night pictures soon



some pictures here



was the end result worth it? well i don't know for sure. it did give me several hours of quality time with the truck and it didn't cost too much.



only hitch i did run into was the pass. side wires were not the same color as the wiring diagram i printed out said it would be, but the pin positions are the same between the pass. side and drivers side.

 

[Jeff Clark]

Looks good.



I noticed you put a gauge in the spot where the lighter was. I wondered if it was big enough for that. I may take the one out of the cubby hole and mount it there instead.

 

[EEngel]

Lights

Nick,



Looks good. Is there any problem with the stock wiring holding that lighting load?

 

[rbattelle]

I love it! I completely agree with wanting amber colored turn signals for safety. This will go on my list of mods. Do you have an auxillary switch in the cab so you can turn on the reverse lights at will?

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by rbattelle

I love it! I completely agree with wanting amber colored turn signals for safety. This will go on my list of mods. Do you have an auxillary switch in the cab so you can turn on the reverse lights at will?

not as of yet. i have a heavy rheostat on the lights right now to dim them down a bit, and i will put a switch in the cab to let me have high/low backup lights. and i have leads in my wiring box that will allow me to add a switch in the cab to have them on at will. .

Is there any problem with the stock wiring holding that lighting load?

i don't think it will be a problem. i doubled the load on the wiring, but it should hold out ok. the wires going to the lamps are 18ga i believe [it might even be 16ga but i don't think so; i can't remember for sure what it was]. if it later starts giving me problems, i can change it over to relay or transistor to control the lights



i took a few pictures this night of them in the dark, they didn't come out all that well, but it's something...



some more pictures here

 

[rmcnamee]

Nice job. Funny, I was just thinking about doing this mod earlier tonight. As for the stock wiring, do yourself a favor and wire a relay in to handle the load of those lights. It's real simple to do and it's cheap insurance against any problems down the road. Again, nice job on the conversion.



Ryan

 

[bighammer]

So does the red flash with the amber when the turn signal is on? (sounds like it would/does)



I was thinking about a similar mod to have brake lights independent of the TS's. (both sides and top lit and flash the amber only for TS)

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by bighammer

So does the red flash with the amber when the turn signal is on? (sounds like it would/does)



I was thinking about a similar mod to have brake lights independent of the TS's. (both sides and top lit and flash the amber only for TS)

nope, the amber flashes independently of the 2 above brake lights are on as brake

As for the stock wiring, do yourself a favor and wire a relay in to handle the load of those lights. It's real simple to do and it's cheap insurance against any problems down the road. Again, nice job on the conversion

the backup lights are on a relay, but the brake lights are not. i could run one bulb from each side off a relay, but if i run all 4 brake light bulbs off a relay, there will not be enough load in the system causing the lamp out light in the dash to turn on. it will do that for the turn signals in the back and the brake lights back there [doesn't do it for the backup lights though]... if i get the led bulbs that i am after for all the rear lights, then i won't have to worry about the load on the wires

 

[yycguy]

Originally posted by Jeff Clark

Looks good.



I noticed you put a gauge in the spot where the lighter was. I wondered if it was big enough for that. I may take the one out of the cubby hole and mount it there instead.

Hey I am also considering putting my E-Brake boost gauge there as well. Anyone know how to get that part of the Dashboard cover off (around the lighter that is) ?

Thanks

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by yycguy

Hey I am also considering putting my E-Brake boost gauge there as well. Anyone know how to get that part of the Dashboard cover off (around the lighter that is) ?

Thanks

there is one screw on the pass. side above the trashbag hook. with that removed, just tug at it and it will come off [all held in place with spring clips] the whole dash surround [around the radio, hvac, cubby hole] is all one piece, including where the lighter goes. the only separate piece in that panel is where the airbag cut off switch would be.

 

[Jeff Clark]

I got my gauge in there last night. What a pain in the butt that was. I did more trimming behind the dash than I did in the dash itself.

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by Jeff Clark

I got my gauge in there last night. What a pain in the butt that was. I did more trimming behind the dash than I did in the dash itself.

yeah, i know. i did a little trimming like 3-4 times and then i gave up and cut that whole mount lump out. fit good then

 

[Scooby]

Just double checking, but this mod doesn't change any of the trailer wire harness postions, correct? If I read it correctly, you spliced everything near the tail-lights so it shouldn't have any affect on the tow harness... .

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by Scooby

Just double checking, but this mod doesn't change any of the trailer wire harness postions, correct? If I read it correctly, you spliced everything near the tail-lights so it shouldn't have any affect on the tow harness... .

yep. all the splicing i did was done ±6" back of the connector that plugs into the tail lamps so the trailer wiring harnesses [7 way & 4 way] are not effected