A while back my high mount brake light was leaking. I tried to fix it several times before I realized the two main reasons it was leaking. First and most important reason was Ford designed it poorly. Second reason was this was an aftermarket piece that was not well built. I did like the look of it as it incorporated really bright LEDs for the brake lights but it still used crappy halogen bulbs for the cargo lights. I decided I would wire the entire unit to the brake lights, and instead of using halogen bulbs I would upgrade to 7W Cree LEDs. Some of you may be thinking that I would be losing my cargo lights, but I installed aftermarket external cargo lights on each side. I also painted the entire assembly with VHT Nightshades and clearcoated it with PPG clear. I wetsanded it once more and polished it up before installing it. And then I ran a thin bead of windshield silicone to seal everything up. Being that they're LEDs, I never have to worry about replacing the bulbs. http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc370/Lyosha/Miscellaneous/DSC00306.jpg http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc370/Lyosha/Miscellaneous/DSC00307.jpg http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc370/Lyosha/Miscellaneous/DSC00310.jpg http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc370/Lyosha/Miscellaneous/DSC00311.jpg
Regarding the wiring, I simply tapped into the wires leading to the brake lights and used the existing cargo lamp sockets. Everything works really well and these are ultra bright. Imagine staring into a red flashlight and that's what it looks like, even during the daytime.
awesome. hey tradesman, when you get the link from photobucket just copy and past it when you hit reply or post, that way your picture will show up and we dont have to click on the links to see the photos. lol makes it a bit easier!
I know nothing about that antenna thing that is mounted by the brake light. If it is a navigation or XM device then it is not hooked up. The previous owner did a hack job with the electrical prior to trading this truck in.
