Sure, we'd all like to have fancy LED taillights on our Jeep. Oh, wait a minute; no we wouldn't.
Some here at Jp are pretty enamored with LEDs (cough, Trasborg, cough). While LEDs draw less current, are arguably a little brighter, and have that fancy factor going for them, they come with a higher price tag and a more complicated installation. Late-model Jeeps need to wire in a diode, solder in a doohickie, or worry about a flux capacitor-something-or-other.
Point is, if you're like most of us, you only care about getting rid of those bulbous and expensive-to-replace factory taillights that stick out 3 inches from the body tub. Here's a cheaper alternative to LEDs that won't get munched on the trail or put you in the poorhouse.
 We picked up a taillight kit...  We picked up a taillight kit for $25 at our local trailer supply store that consisted of a pair each of the lenses, rubber mounting cups, and wiring pigtails. After removing the factory lights, we used the mounting cup to trace for the cutout. |  A jigsaw works best for cutting...  A jigsaw works best for cutting the round mounting hole. Go slowly and carefully and watch out for the wiring and fuel lines that may be behind the sheetmetal. |  The plastic lenses are cheap,...  The plastic lenses are cheap, easily replaced, and available at most autoparts and Wal-Mart stores. The red pigtail wire goes to the stop/turn lamp, black to taillight, and white to ground. Use a test light to verify your wiring, but on our '89 Wrangler black/white = backup lamps; white = taillights; and green/black = stop/turn. We capped the black/white backup wires for later use since the taillights have no backup lamp provisions. |
 Once you hook up the wiring,...  Once you hook up the wiring, install the mounting cup in the tub and then press the plastic lens into place. It's a snug fit, so spray some Windex or soapy water in the cup to lubricate it. Our trailer store had small flush-mount backup lamps we may add at a later time and Summit Racing sells illuminated license plate bolts at summitracing.com, but for now we're just happy to be more bash-proof on the trail. | | |