Backup Lights

[Sprint7]

I'm going to try to answer several of the questions that i have gotten. I have the steel bumper with sensors.

First you have to remove the bumper completely to remove the bracket and reflector.

Here is the backside of the bumper showing the bracket.

Then you remove the bracket and the reflector

I purchased the Ridgid Flush mount light and took off the mounting bracket and lens

I cut the back plastic of the reflector and then used the lens as a templet to carefully cut a hole in the reflector with a dremel tool.

BEFORE

AFTER

Then i trimmed the back piece until the light was snug.

Then i turned to the bracket and trimmed it until the light would pass through
BEFORE

AFTER

Then install the reflector back into the bracket

At this point i was rolling and dreaming about the blinding light i was going to cast behind my jeep. Only one thing left to do. The reflector bolts into the bracket but i wanted to use the four small allen bolts to secure the light to the reflector.

Well i only measured once not twice and drilled the hole in the wrong place. I put the bumper back on with a missing reflector while i ordered another lens and everything is sitting on my desk waiting to finish up.

Overall it is not a hard project but the bracket behind the bracket is the reason i think you don't see more "bolt in" lights offered. This will motivate me to finish this up and hope to have it done within the next week.

If anyone has any questions please let me know.

OK. I worked on this again today. I didn't like my original idea of drilling the four mounting hole in the reflector so i decided another way. I made a little bracket out of some scrap i had.

Then i installed the reflector into the mounting bracket and then put the light in from behind. I put a little silicon around the lens to try to help keep water out.

Then back into the bumper.

I didn't have time to finish the wiring so i will do that tomorrow and will post and update.

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[campbellshotrods]

That's way cool Sprint7, I like it! Very clean and subtle, while retaining use of the reflector.

 

[Frustration]

Went a different route: Rigid DSS PRO SIDE SHOOTER - Single
https://www.amazon.com/Rigid-Indust...rigid+dss+pro&qid=1555958918&s=gateway&sr=8-3

LED's on the side (both sides) cast plenty of light laterally (and close enough to the back end to fully light up the rear cam and also be visible through dark tint) and the Center LED's are Very bright.

The profile is roughly the same depth as the hitch.

Install was pretty easy. Ran from the light to the vendor supplied wire run, taping off the connect. Just screwed it to the existing bumper fastener and ran the wire (GREEN) up through the open hole and followed the existing line for the hitch wiring (RED). (zip ties).

Wrapped the run wire with cloth heat resistant tape and continued this straight up to the Passenger side Tail light...

once you remove the passenger tail light (as seen in prior posts) the wiring is easy and the splice is up away from the road and gunk.

NOTE the passenger side tail light wiring is clipped with a very FRAGILE clip direct to the tail light and if you dont reach in and unclip the harness from the tail light you'll break it (fixable, but nice to know ahead of time so you dont goof it).

The Hitch isnt in the way of the side shooter LED's as the light sits close enough that it still shines out to the side of the drivers side.

Not inexpensive, but one of these is WAY more than you'll need for just backing up...

I would also get the DRIVING version as it actually casts a wider beam than the "flood" version... Either will work though and be more than enough to let you see off to the side and WAAAY out behind you.

 

[AnthemAVM]

Went a different route: Rigid DSS PRO SIDE SHOOTER - Single
https://www.amazon.com/Rigid-Indust...rigid+dss+pro&qid=1555958918&s=gateway&sr=8-3

LED's on the side (both sides) cast plenty of light laterally (and close enough to the back end to fully light up the rear cam and also be visible through dark tint) and the Center LED's are Very bright.

The profile is roughly the same depth as the hitch.

Install was pretty easy. Ran from the light to the vendor supplied wire run, taping off the connect. Just screwed it to the existing bumper fastener and ran the wire (GREEN) up through the open hole and followed the existing line for the hitch wiring (RED). (zip ties).

Wrapped the run wire with cloth heat resistant tape and continued this straight up to the Passenger side Tail light...

once you remove the passenger tail light (as seen in prior posts) the wiring is easy and the splice is up away from the road and gunk.

NOTE the passenger side tail light wiring is clipped with a very FRAGILE clip direct to the tail light and if you dont reach in and unclip the harness from the tail light you'll break it (fixable, but nice to know ahead of time so you dont goof it).

The Hitch isnt in the way of the side shooter LED's as the light sits close enough that it still shines out to the side of the drivers side.

Not inexpensive, but one of these is WAY more than you'll need for just backing up...

I would also get the DRIVING version as it actually casts a wider beam than the "flood" version... Either will work though and be more than enough to let you see off to the side and WAAAY out behind you.

@Frustration very nice write up. If you had a chance could you share some photos at night?

 

[campbellshotrods]

Went a different route: Rigid DSS PRO SIDE SHOOTER -

Looks great, nice wide pattern for sure. Just an FYI, there is a drop bracket that will flip the D-Series and D-SS right side up.
https://www.rigidindustries.com/d-series-3-extended-bracket-46537.html

 

[Frustration]

Looks great, nice wide pattern for sure. Just an FYI, there is a drop bracket that will flip the D-Series and D-SS right side up.
https://www.rigidindustries.com/d-series-3-extended-bracket-46537.html

Ohgoddamnint! why'd you show me that... now I have to buy it.... It's black too.

 

[millerjl]

Will snap some pics later buy I used a Rigid Industries 86610 - Scene LED Light, as a few others have done but since I was running the wire for my CB, I ran it inside and put all the wiring into the cubby where the jack is and ran it out the drain plug. That's where the diodes and everything are. Wire tapped into the hitch plug lights for ground and power.

 

[Frustration]

Went a different route: Rigid DSS PRO SIDE SHOOTER - Single
https://www.amazon.com/Rigid-Indust...rigid+dss+pro&qid=1555958918&s=gateway&sr=8-3

LED's on the side (both sides) cast plenty of light laterally (and close enough to the back end to fully light up the rear cam and also be visible through dark tint) and the Center LED's are Very bright.

The profile is roughly the same depth as the hitch.

Install was pretty easy. Ran from the light to the vendor supplied wire run, taping off the connect. Just screwed it to the existing bumper fastener and ran the wire (GREEN) up through the open hole and followed the existing line for the hitch wiring (RED). (zip ties).

Wrapped the run wire with cloth heat resistant tape and continued this straight up to the Passenger side Tail light...

once you remove the passenger tail light (as seen in prior posts) the wiring is easy and the splice is up away from the road and gunk.

NOTE the passenger side tail light wiring is clipped with a very FRAGILE clip direct to the tail light and if you dont reach in and unclip the harness from the tail light you'll break it (fixable, but nice to know ahead of time so you dont goof it).

The Hitch isnt in the way of the side shooter LED's as the light sits close enough that it still shines out to the side of the drivers side.

Not inexpensive, but one of these is WAY more than you'll need for just backing up...

I would also get the DRIVING version as it actually casts a wider beam than the "flood" version... Either will work though and be more than enough to let you see off to the side and WAAAY out behind you.

A couple of added pictures...

No Reverse lights on (but there is light from the garage that slightly brightens up the houses across the street):

Reverse lights on:

And the camera view... (NOTE the jeep is sitting at a different angle, still in the garage, than the pictures taken outside)

The GREEN arrows are the light out of the side shooters and the Purple is the center...
Note the driveway angles down to the street a couple feet. The spread and the cast (out from center) are more pronounced on flat ground.

Overall it's a LOT of light and the usable light using the rearview or looking out the back is great, even with VERY dark tint...

The lights not inexpensive, but this is very good for a single light and plug and play with existing fasteners (except the pilot hole for the ground).

maybe overkill, but then Jeep=overkill for virtually everything else anyhoo.

 

[Shub_32]

Looks great. I’m waiting for my ridged ignites. I ran the wire already. I installed them on my previous jk and they were awesome. I’m more of a balanced look guy so I ordered 2 lol

 

[T-Rob]

Finally got around to installing my rear lights. Very happy with them.

 

[Frustration]

oh, and after seeing my pictures, GOODGOD...
I had to paint the can and Pipe. 10 Minutes, steel wool whipe and spray with High Heat matte Rusto...

This is soooo easy. Nobody should have a silver can.

 

[Will_Jeep]

@TimR I like what you have done with your install, I wasn't brave enough to mount in/on the bumper.

After adding aftermarket LED tail lights, i decided that I needed to add some more light at the back, so I wired a couple of rock lights directly into the reverse circuit behind the drivers tail light. (Black and White/Brown). I made a couple of mounts out of some flat and mounted them next to the hitch, I don't have wiring there as I only put a bike rack on the back.

After the LED tail lights, but before the rock/back up lights

After the rock/back up lights were installed

And the lights themselves

@Frustration I like the black exhaust, I picked up a can of High Heat Matte at HD on Saturday, and then put it back down. Looks like I might need to make another trip!

 

[T-Rob]

@TimR I like what you have done with your install, I wasn't brave enough to mount in/on the bumper.

After adding aftermarket LED tail lights, i decided that I needed to add some more light at the back, so I wired a couple of rock lights directly into the reverse circuit behind the drivers tail light. (Black and White/Brown). I made a couple of mounts out of some flat and mounted them next to the hitch, I don't have wiring there as I only put a bike rack on the back.

After the LED tail lights, but before the rock/back up lights

After the rock/back up lights were installed

And the lights themselves

@Frustration I like the black exhaust, I picked up a can of High Heat Matte at HD on Saturday, and then put it back down. Looks like I might need to make another trip!

Yeah, it ended up being a little more work than I originally thought, but I got it done. Funny thing is that after I got the bumper back on I apparently forgot to re-attach the wire than lights up the license plate. Had to take it off again, but it was MUCH easier second time around since I knew what I was doing. LOL

 

[Frustration]

@TimR

@Frustration I like the black exhaust, I picked up a can of High Heat Matte at HD on Saturday, and then put it back down. Looks like I might need to make another trip!

Super easy... one piece of course steel wool, rub down everything and scuff, and shoot it... you can use a paper bag to block off overspray in the couple spots it will matter. really it was 10 minutes total and 3 of those were shaking the crap out of the can...

 

[Will_Jeep]

Super easy... one piece of course steel wool, rub down everything and scuff, and shoot it... you can use a paper bag to block off overspray in the couple spots it will matter. really it was 10 minutes total and 3 of those were shaking the crap out of the can...

@Frustration You’re right, it was super easy

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