I've been at it again & here's some of my latest creations:
My LED modded 3rd Brake Lights.

Here's a sample of my Cargo Light version:

















Each of the white sections have 24x 5mm white LED's.
The red center section has 44 or 48x 5mm red LED's (Sometimes I can get 48, sometimes only 44 leds)
Each LED PCB has it's own voltage regulator & is diode protected.

If your truck is set up for a Cargo Light 3rdBL (3 wires in the connector in the truck) you have a couple methods for connections:

1. T10 bulb bases installed on the wiring for the light. Simply plug in the bulb base into your OEM harness & you're done. Simple & easy but over time the bulb bases may work loose. I haven't had any trouble with mine.
2. Butt connectors. I'll crimp on butt connectors to the wires from the light & all you need to do is snip off the bulb holders from your OEM harness & crimp on the butt connectors. More permanent, but you'll need to cut up your OEM wiring harness.
Also comes in handy if you only have a connection for brake lights & you'd like to tie the white sections into your dome light OR reverse lights.
3. Full plug-n-play. I can install an OEM wiring connector that plugs right into your OEM harness. Only works if your truck is wired for cargo lights already.

(Please note that I don't have a ton of OEM wiring harnesses & I may not have enough to attach to every single 3rdBL. Check with me to make sure I have an OEM harness if you absolutely must have one installed to make sure I have or can get one for you)

If your truck isn't wired for cargo lights, you'll need to tap into your dome light OR tap into your reverse lights to add even more light when backing up.

If you can't tell by the pics, I totally wet sand (even sand off the writing imprinted on the lower right hand area) and buff each 3rdBL to a near new finish. If you had seen these before I began working on them, you wouldn't think they could ever look this good.

Here's one of my All Red 3rdBL's: BIG RED













Like the Cargo Light version, they all get totally sanded & buffed out.
I can do a couple different versions of this mod:

1. BIG RED, as shown has 112x 5mm red LED's installed with 2x voltage regulators. This is by far the most expensive to make, most time consuming to build & BRIGHTEST version I'm currently making.
2. Little RED, basically the same as BIG RED but only has 63x 5mm red LED's and 2x voltage regulators. Still a lot of work, still darn bright.
3. Turn signal mod... This is the way I made the one on my truck. I made 3 LED PCB's like the cargo light version, all with red led's. Each panel is independent of the others. The center connects to the Brake Lights as normal, but the 2 outer red sections can connect to your Turn Signals so they blink along with your turn signals.

Wiring on the all red version will be a bit simpler.
1. OEM plug connected to the light (as long as I have OEM plugs in stock)
2. Butt connectors. Simply snip your bulb holder off your OEM harness & crimp on the connectors to your OEM harness or additional wiring.

These are BRIGHT!
The last 2 pics are in my garage, totally dark, about 10 feet away from the garage door. No camera flash, just BIG RED lit up.

I DO NOT recommend looking directly at these for any length of time. I've about blinded myself making these!

Every version is hand made by me. I cut my own PCB's, paint the front side matching colors, solder each individual LED & resistor by hand & everything else needed.
The back side of each board is covered with several layers of liquid tape to keep the connections nice & dry and to prevent any accidental shorts.

I also sand the black surround and paint it with Black Gloss Krylon Fusion after final assembly... adds a nice finishing touch.

PRICING:

Cargo Light versions = $50.00 plus Priority Shipping within the USA (Canada will be a little more shipping)

All Red versions:
BIG RED 112 led = $60.00 plus Priority Shipping
Little Red 63 led = $50.00 plus Priority Shipping
Turn Signal Mod version: = $50.00 plus Priority Shipping

As of today 11-27-10, I have:

ONE BIG RED that's 90% complete (need to seal around the OEM gasket & let it cure) It has an OEM wiring plug installed & it is plug-n-play.

THREE Cargo Light versions that are 90% complete (need to seal the gasket & install wiring connections for your application)

ONE Little Red version that's 50% complete (need to finish assembly, final wet sand & buff, paint black surround & install wiring for your application)

Did I mention they're BRIGHT?!?

Don't waste your hard earned money on those dinky LED 3rdBL's on evilBay, they won't be nearly as bright as one of these bad boys.

 

so if i ship you my cargo light whats the cost and turn around time?

 

PM sent

 

same question here

 

Bump

 

bump yet again :-)

 

Ill take one, I just have plenty of questions.

Ill send you a pm and get back with you this afternoon when I get off of work.

 

BUMP!

Only have 1 all red one with 112 led's & 1 cargo light left right now.
I have more that I'm working on, but it might be a little while before they're finished.

 

Wirelessly posted

Pm me please sir

 

something else to get from buggman.... i need to start making a list.

are these in oem housings?

 

Hey buggman, when you gonna make a website with all this stuff on it so we know EVERYTHING you sell?

 

Yup, I recycle used 3rdBL's by sanding all the oxidation (yellow gunk) off, painting the black base gloss black & buffing the lens to near new condition before I cut the back side off to install my custom fit led panels.

I'm down to just one all red & one cargo light that are finished right now, but I have a few of each style that I'm about to mod.

The only downside is that sometimes the OEM gaskets are too far gone, broken or dry-rotted to use & I have to make my own seal with silicone... not that big of a deal as I recommend sealing every 3rdBL with a bead of silicone before you put it on to keep moisture out.

 

PM sent

 

HA!

If it fits on a Ranger, I'll figure out a way to put led's in it or mod it in some way.

I can barely keep up with modding stuff, I'd have to hire help to run a website.

 

I could help you out with it, don't think it'd take much to get a real simple site with a page for each mod, pics, and some contact info. If you think a website might help you out. i could set you up with a decent one for free, and even keep it updated with pics and mods as they get posted on here.

 

Just received my third brake/cargo light. All I can say is wow! buggman is the man! Would highly recommend this brake light!

 

Thanks! Glad you like it

 

4-1-11 UPDATE (not an April Fools Prank either)

I'm SOLD OUT of all red 3rdBL's at the moment, but I have ONE more cargo light version completed & ready to go.

My new standard All Red 3rdBL will be the 63 led model, but I'll make the 112 led version on Super Special Orders.

One new option I'm kicking around is the "BUGGMAN SPECIAL" as seen in my very bad quality video:



It's basically a combo of the cargo light & all red brake light that will allow you to connect the outer red sections to your turn signals/hazard lights like mine are.
It will be a little more expensive than the standard all red 3rdBL, but you will stand out in a crowd of Rangers for sure.

My cargo light version will be the same.

 

So with the buggman special does the brake light up the entire thing, then also the turn signals flash th sides? I'd want my brake light to light the entire thing. How much more are the 112 led lights compared to the 63 and is there a very noticeable difference between the two?

 

The buggman special would be just like mine where the center section is brake lights & the outer sections are turn/hazards.

I'm still trying to figure out how to get enough led's in the outer sections to function as brakes & turns... not a lot of room to work with. I might be able to dedicate some of the outer led's for brake lights & the remaining led's to turn signals.
Also, I haven't tested the buggman special on the newer trucks with the 2 bulb tail light setup either. If someone has connected extra led strips or led's to their 2001 & up 2 bulb tail lights, let me know how they worked out.

The 112 vs 63 led all red light output isn't as much difference as you'd think. The 63 led 3rdBL was probably 85% as bright as big red's 112 led's. They both lit up my garage door pretty well. I feel sorry for the suckers behind anyone with one of them installed on their trucks.

- The 112 led all red will probably still be $60 + shipping/insurance.
- The 63 led all red will still be $50 + shipping/insurance.
- The buggman special will probably be $60 + shipping/insurance due to the extra components & time required.

- The cargo lights will still be $50 + shipping/insurance.

 

Well I planned on nigh shading mine which is why I was asking about the brightness. When I spring for them I'll decide haha got a lot I want to get from you though haha so I will let you know.

 

Here's a night shaded one I modded for Hooligan...









This one was already night shaded lightly by him & the red section only has about 48 led's in it & about 24 led's in the white sections.

 

Bump

Don't have any completed right this minute, but I have several raw 3rd brake lights in the process of modding.

 

UPDATE:

I have a few 3rdBL's made up & ready to go.

All red 63 led version, cargo lights & 1 buggman special edition.

 

whats the special edition?