Intermediate backup light upgrade

1082 Views 16 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Savemycj, Sep 21, 2018

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · Aug 24, 2018

My 75 has never had reverse lights installed since I've owned it, so I figure it's about time to install some. I want to retain the stock look to a degree, but I still take it off road and I know from other CJs that the stock bulbs don't illuminate much when you really need them to. So here's what I'm thinking...

I purchase the stock reverse light assemblies seen here:
https://www.morris4x4center.com/omix-back-up-lamp-assembly-clear-sold-individually-12406-01.html

And I bore out the inside a little and flush mount one of these (or something similar) behind each lens:
https://www.amazon.com/OZ-USA-Motor...F8&qid=1535073386&sr=1-7&keywords=1"+led+spot

The idea is to only see the stock lights from the outside, until you need to back up, then they should be way brighter than LED 1156 bulbs alone. The problem is I don't know the dimensions of the stock lens and housing to order the right parts plus my Jeep is not really available to me at the moment.

If someone has done something similar or can send me measurements of the housing diameter and the stud placement I'll be grateful.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

trailhead2004

· #2 · Aug 24, 2018

Pictures?

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 24, 2018

trailhead2004 said:
Pictures?

The idea is to take this stock reverse light and mount the LED spotlights behind it.

See less See more

2

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 10, 2018

Alright, since there didn’t seem to be another thread about this I figured I’d give it a shot and see what happens. So I purchased some stock reverse lights.

See less See more

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 10, 2018

As well as these cheap motorcycle driving lights from Amazon.

The link at the time of purchase is here: https://www.amazon.com/GOODKSSOP-Mo...71232&sr=8-3-fkmrnull&ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_3

See less See more

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 10, 2018

One problem with the LED lights is that they have 3 settings, high, low, and strobe. The operator cycles through the settings by turning the lights on and off. Obviously this is a problem for reverse lights because I want them to be on the “high” setting each time I back up. So I had to take them apart and poke around at the circuit board to find a solution.

Eventually I discovered that by soldering in a jumper wire from a transistor to ground, I could bypass the “mode selection” circuitry and run the LED on high at all times. The pics below show before and after the jumper wire was added.

See less See more

2

Reactions: 1

John Strenk

· #7 · Sep 10, 2018

Did you have a schematic or do you just know these things?

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 10, 2018

The next step is to attach them to the stock reverse light housing in place of the bulb socket. The LED lights have a slightly bigger outside diameter than the back part of the taillights (hope that makes sense) so I’ll have to cut off some or all of the rear part of the taillight housing.

I’m still undecided on how to attach the motorcycle lights inside the housing. I’m leaning toward something simple like JB weld, but if anyone has a better idea I’m open to suggestions. Unfortunately I don’t have access to my shop, so any fabrication work would be crude at best.

See less See more

2

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #9 · Sep 10, 2018

John Strenk said:
Did you have a schematic or do you just know these things?

I use to repair radios and navigations equipment on helicopters, so circuitry is nothing new. That being said I did not have a schematic and being that this is not a radio I literally hooked it up to a battery and poked around with a jumper wire until I got the desired results. :laugh:

Reactions: 1

John Strenk

· #10 · Sep 10, 2018

Savemycj said:
I use to repair radios and navigations equipment on helicopters, so circuitry is nothing new. That being said I did not have a schematic and being that this is not a radio I literally hooked it up to a battery and poked around with a jumper wire until I got the desired results. :laugh:

Awesome!
I like the way you work.

John Strenk

· #11 · Sep 10, 2018

Savemycj said:
The next step is to attach them to the stock reverse light housing in place of the bulb socket. The LED lights have a slightly bigger outside diameter than the back part of the taillights (hope that makes sense) so I'll have to cut off some or all of the rear part of the taillight housing.

I'm still undecided on how to attach the motorcycle lights inside the housing. I'm leaning toward something simple like JB weld, but if anyone has a better idea I'm open to suggestions. Unfortunately I don't have access to my shop, so any fabrication work would be crude at best.

I would mount the backup light to a piece of wood and use a hole saw on a drill to cut out the right diameter opening. That would leave a nice flat surface to mount on.
Then JD Weld in or if you have access to a 3D printer, design a flange to mount it in the housing.

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #12 · Sep 10, 2018

John Strenk said:
I would mount the backup light to a piece of wood and use a hole saw on a drill to cut out the right diameter opening. That would leave a nice flat surface to mount on.
Then JD Weld in or if you have access to a 3D printer, design a flange to mount it in the housing.

Ooh, never thought of using a 3D printer. I need to look around and see if that's an option around here. It's amazing how that technology works, I really think over the next decade it will revolutionize how we do-it-yourselfers fabricate things.

jeepdaddy2000

· #13 · Sep 10, 2018

Might do yourself a favor and check out the lights before you do any cutting. Most of those style lights throw more of a "spotlight" beam where you may want to look at a "floodlight" for your application.

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 10, 2018

jeepdaddy2000 said:
Might do yourself a favor and check out the lights before you do any cutting. Most of those style lights throw more of a "spotlight" beam where you may want to look at a "floodlight" for your application.

You're absolutely right about these lights. The motorcycle lights do make a pretty tight beam and I figured they would. So I held one up to the stock lense and it scatters the light fairly well. One thing I did notice is the stock lenses reflect more light opposite to the position of the bulb. So if I want more light to hit the ground, I might mount the motorcycle lights above the centerline of the reverse light housings.

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #15 · Sep 21, 2018

Alright, I’ve decided on how to mount them. I start by cutting the back off the OEM housings, leaving about 1/4 inch on the housing itself.

See less See more

2

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 21, 2018

Split the back to increas it’s diameter a little, the motorcycle lights are a little too big. You can also see I bent the corners of the tabs in so they will “bite” into the motorcycle light housing. They actually hold very well into the grooves on the housing.

See less See more

2

Savemycj

Discussion Starter · #17 · Sep 21, 2018 (Edited)

I’m going to force JB weld into all the air gaps. I figure if it can work it’s way into the machined grooves on the motorcycle light housing under the tabs it will be near impossible to remove.

See less See more

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.