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.