- First Name
- AA
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2022
- Threads
- 28
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- 408
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- 1,348
- Location
- California
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Bronco® The Sasquatch™ 2-door
- Your Bronco Model
- Outer Banks
- Thread starter
- #1
As often happens, some mods bring the need for other mods. This DIY project started when I replaced the OEM tail lights with the OLED units made by Recon. I liked everything abut them except for the reverse light modules – they were not bright enough. I realized that some auxiliary lighting was strongly needed.
When I make mods to my Bronco, I try to make them look as if they came from the factory. With this goal in mind, I started planning this project. For this very reason, I didn't consider any lighting options that would need to be installed under the rear bumper or on the spare tire. I thought if the FoMoCo engineers had to place such a light, it would be integrated into the bumper. The best possible location I found was the center section right below the recess meant for the spare tire.
Due to common reliability issues related to many no-name LED's, I only considered the products from trusted brands. It wasn't easy to find a light that would fit the narrow section of the bumper, but my search lead me to a website selling equipment for emergency vehicles. The Swift 3.0 TIR 3 Watt 6 LED Emergency Vehicle Light seemed to be the perfect option for the purpose. I'd never heard of this brand before, but assumed that all the products made for the first responders should be high quality and heavy duty.
It would have been easier to install the light by simply securing it with two screws, but I wanted it to sit flush with the bumper surface, so it required some mods. The section of the bumper I chose for the backup light has an enclosed chamber. It is big enough for the light and the wire harness. I had to make a cutout and two holes for the bolts. The Swift light casing is made of aluminum and has two mounting holes. I cut a thread in these holes using an M5 hand tap. This light has a bunch of wires needed for different flashing modes. Since I needed the light to be steady on, I cut off all the wires except for the red, green, and black. The black one is the ground, and the red and green had to be connected together in order get the steady on mode.
I measured the transparent section of the Let light that would poke through the bumper and created a template with added 1 mm on each side for clearance. I printed the template on the adhesive paper, applied it on the bumper, and outlined it with a white pen. I drilled four holes at each corner and used a hobby knife to make the cutout.
From the inner side of the cutout, I added four adhesive neoprene foam strips, one along each side, to keep water from getting into the bumper. The idea was that the light casing would press against the foam once tightened with bolts and provide some additional water insulation. I also installed a rubber grommet into the hole I drilled for the aux light wire harness in the back of the bumper – it should prevent the accumulation of moisture inside the reverse light chamber.
For the wire harness, I used two Deutsch 2-pin pigtail connectors and a 20 AWG wire. I placed one the connectors right after the light, so it could be easily disconnected if it ever needed to be replaced. And the second connector I placed at the left end of the bumper, right next the one belonging to the OEM bumper wire harness. The rear bumper components may get hot due to the close proximity of the muffler, so I placed the wires inside a loom tubing that should prevent them from drying out.
I spliced my wire harness into the tail light wire harness behind the left tail light. Green/brown for the power, black/white for the ground. I zip-tied the new wire harness to the factory one. I'm not an electrician but I think it turned out well.
The final challenge of this project was to align the holes in the light casing with the holes in the bumper. I didn't want to cut any additional holes in the bumper and because of that I couldn't push the light from the back. I solved this problem by attaching two strips of tape to the light. I pulled the light by the tape ends while I was tightening the bolts and then simply cut them off with the knife.
This LED light is bright enough for this purpose and not too bright to make people who happen to be behind my Bronco suffer or go blind when I shift into reverse.
When I make mods to my Bronco, I try to make them look as if they came from the factory. With this goal in mind, I started planning this project. For this very reason, I didn't consider any lighting options that would need to be installed under the rear bumper or on the spare tire. I thought if the FoMoCo engineers had to place such a light, it would be integrated into the bumper. The best possible location I found was the center section right below the recess meant for the spare tire.
Due to common reliability issues related to many no-name LED's, I only considered the products from trusted brands. It wasn't easy to find a light that would fit the narrow section of the bumper, but my search lead me to a website selling equipment for emergency vehicles. The Swift 3.0 TIR 3 Watt 6 LED Emergency Vehicle Light seemed to be the perfect option for the purpose. I'd never heard of this brand before, but assumed that all the products made for the first responders should be high quality and heavy duty.
It would have been easier to install the light by simply securing it with two screws, but I wanted it to sit flush with the bumper surface, so it required some mods. The section of the bumper I chose for the backup light has an enclosed chamber. It is big enough for the light and the wire harness. I had to make a cutout and two holes for the bolts. The Swift light casing is made of aluminum and has two mounting holes. I cut a thread in these holes using an M5 hand tap. This light has a bunch of wires needed for different flashing modes. Since I needed the light to be steady on, I cut off all the wires except for the red, green, and black. The black one is the ground, and the red and green had to be connected together in order get the steady on mode.
I measured the transparent section of the Let light that would poke through the bumper and created a template with added 1 mm on each side for clearance. I printed the template on the adhesive paper, applied it on the bumper, and outlined it with a white pen. I drilled four holes at each corner and used a hobby knife to make the cutout.
From the inner side of the cutout, I added four adhesive neoprene foam strips, one along each side, to keep water from getting into the bumper. The idea was that the light casing would press against the foam once tightened with bolts and provide some additional water insulation. I also installed a rubber grommet into the hole I drilled for the aux light wire harness in the back of the bumper – it should prevent the accumulation of moisture inside the reverse light chamber.
For the wire harness, I used two Deutsch 2-pin pigtail connectors and a 20 AWG wire. I placed one the connectors right after the light, so it could be easily disconnected if it ever needed to be replaced. And the second connector I placed at the left end of the bumper, right next the one belonging to the OEM bumper wire harness. The rear bumper components may get hot due to the close proximity of the muffler, so I placed the wires inside a loom tubing that should prevent them from drying out.
I spliced my wire harness into the tail light wire harness behind the left tail light. Green/brown for the power, black/white for the ground. I zip-tied the new wire harness to the factory one. I'm not an electrician but I think it turned out well.
The final challenge of this project was to align the holes in the light casing with the holes in the bumper. I didn't want to cut any additional holes in the bumper and because of that I couldn't push the light from the back. I solved this problem by attaching two strips of tape to the light. I pulled the light by the tape ends while I was tightening the bolts and then simply cut them off with the knife.
This LED light is bright enough for this purpose and not too bright to make people who happen to be behind my Bronco suffer or go blind when I shift into reverse.
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