the LED tail light thread

[urban yan]

You should do the world a favor and burn them.

Those Altezza lights would compliment a pair of front crystal housings with "boosted blue" bulbs nicely.

Ah yes, the infamous boosted bulbs lol.
I wonder what our friend bluballer's upto these days. Is he still ruining Jeeps, or did take his ghetto-tech know-how to another project.

 

[JWFokker]

Wow. I like those red/clear tails. I hope they're decently made, because I think I'm going to pick up a set.

I just wish I could find some good quality clear corners. I got a pair off ebay that looked nothing like the pics and didn't fit well at all. I'd really like to find something that had the same texture as the stock amber corners, but clear instead. Most have a bumpy textured reflector and a clear lens, which is not what I want.

 

[DieselSJ]

You have a few options

1) jcroffroad makes tail light boxes
http://www.jcroffroad.com/Merchant2...&Product_Code=XJTLHSG96&Category_Code=XJArmor

Those would be cool on our Jeepspeed.

 

[hubs97xj]

Wow. I like those red/clear tails. I hope they're decently made, because I think I'm going to pick up a set.

I just wish I could find some good quality clear corners. I got a pair off ebay that looked nothing like the pics and didn't fit well at all. I'd really like to find something that had the same texture as the stock amber corners, but clear instead. Most have a bumpy textured reflector and a clear lens, which is not what I want.

I bought my clear turn/markers off ebay, and got lenses made by Depo, who make OE replacements (in fact, the replacement light I'd bought before was also a Depo light, with an Omix-ADA/Rugged Ridge sticker over their sticker, from 4WHD). The clears are identical to my stock lights, except for the Depo logo on the turn signal assemblies. Been probably two years now, and I haven't seen them on there in a while, but they turn up occasionally.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

oh, I just vomited. Thanks allot GrimmJeeper.

My appologies, yan. I've never actually looked them up, I can't stand the sight of them. I've just always heard of them referred to as altezzas. Looking at the pic you posted I can undertand your sickness though, :shocked:

 

[Starboard M]

I don't want to highjack, but this seems to be the place to post. Here is some of my previous work. I'll get a quote up if anyone is interested. The turnaround time is about 6-8 weeks. fyi its not going to be cheap, parts are expensive. but i'll see what I can come up with.

Holly smokes. I was considering picking up some LEDs and such to try and make myself a set (or at least try to make one) of LED tails, but seeing those pictures makes me wish I hadnt even considered it!


Are there any online tutorials or guides to basic LED lighting construction that I might be able to figure out just how involved it would be to make a set?

 

[CherBear]

Holly smokes. I was considering picking up some LEDs and such to try and make myself a set (or at least try to make one) of LED tails, but seeing those pictures makes me wish I hadnt even considered it!


Are there any online tutorials or guides to basic LED lighting construction that I might be able to figure out just how involved it would be to make a set?

The long side is the negative one. Now get to work!! :gee:

 

[justins99xj]

Holly smokes. I was considering picking up some LEDs and such to try and make myself a set (or at least try to make one) of LED tails, but seeing those pictures makes me wish I hadnt even considered it!


Are there any online tutorials or guides to basic LED lighting construction that I might be able to figure out just how involved it would be to make a set?

It's very involed if you want to do it right. I spent over a year researching. google can help if you know what to look for. here are some key words to search. led, pulse with modulator (pwm), sharp regulator, led calculator, superflux, blocking diode. There are easy ways to build them but if you want them to last you will need to do ALOT of reading, and the ability to read schematics will put you ahead of where I started.:compwork:

 

[urban yan]

No doubt. If LEDs were easy I'd have my front LED markers 2 years ago,
and this tail light thread wouldn't be 12 pages.

 

[Starboard M]

It's very involed if you want to do it right. I spent over a year researching. google can help if you know what to look for. here are some key words to search. led, pulse with modulator (pwm), sharp regulator, led calculator, superflux, blocking diode. There are easy ways to build them but if you want them to last you will need to do ALOT of reading, and the ability to read schematics will put you ahead of where I started.:compwork:

I found some useful information using google, and most of it made sense. I understand basic electrical stuff, but am way over my head most of the time.

Like everything else I guess, it seems easy on the surface, but once you get into it, it all goes way over my head.

 

[CherBear]

Has anyone thought about taking existing LED tail lights for other vehicles, taking the guts, and stuffing them inside XJ tail light enclosures.

After looking at some other vehicles lights, the actual LED portion seems to be rectangular most of the time, even if the enclosure is more rounded.

Have a look at some of these:
http://www.seresautomotive.com/index.php?cPath=63

The Titan/armada tails are very rectangular:

 

[Gold Cobra]

No doubt. If LEDs were easy I'd have my front LED markers 2 years ago,
and this tail light thread wouldn't be 12 pages.

:roflmao:

 

[urban yan]

Just for the heck of it I decided to email anzo again last week.

April 2009 they mentioned they would resume making products for older applications by the end of the year.
Fast track to April 2010, now they're telling me they have no plans to make anything for our Jeeps.

 

[JWFokker]

If the newer model market isn't do well, they may have put a hold on most new product development, especially for older model vehicles. The recession is putting a squeeze on a lot of people's spending money.

 

[CherBear]

Do aftermarket LED tails use red LEDs with a clear lense, or white LEDs with red lenses?

 

[CherBear]

After doing some research, I feel I can make a decent pair of tails for around 100 bones (keyword: decent)

Im going to the jy and picking up a pair of tails, then gutting them for the most part. Just keeping the outside enclosure, the screw tabs and the dividers.

Then im going to build a "shelf" to put the new LEDs on, and then on the back side, mount all the hardware such as the flasher, and maybe a relay or two depending on my final design.

Im going to use lights such as these (second item down)
After removing them from their enclosures and mounting them to this shelf.

Ill try to make some diagrams to make myself more clear.

Im not really sure how this is going to look. It might be like crap, or it might look half decent. Its more of an experiment than anything else.
Or I might just get bored and give up....

 

[Timmy2XJS]

After doing some research, I feel I can make a decent pair of tails for around 100 bones (keyword: decent)

Im going to the jy and picking up a pair of tails, then gutting them for the most part. Just keeping the outside enclosure, the screw tabs and the dividers.

Then im going to build a "shelf" to put the new LEDs on, and then on the back side, mount all the hardware such as the flasher, and maybe a relay or two depending on my final design.

Im going to use lights such as these (second item down)
After removing them from their enclosures and mounting them to this shelf.

Ill try to make some diagrams to make myself more clear.

Im not really sure how this is going to look. It might be like crap, or it might look half decent. Its more of an experiment than anything else.
Or I might just get bored and give up....

hey bud the 3rd ones down on the list look like a more direct fin into the boxy goodness of our beloved battle wagons. but no matter watcha use ill be waiting to see it!!

 

[CherBear]

hey bud the 3rd ones down on the list look like a more direct fin into the boxy goodness of our beloved battle wagons. but no matter watcha use ill be waiting to see it!!

I saw those, but I am not sure if they will fit in the tail light enclosure after I add all the electronics that go with LEDs.

Im away from my rig as of now, so I cant get exact measurements.

If they CAN fit, I would definitely install those over the lights I listed, its just a matter of what fits.

EDIT: After doing some rough measurements from a photo, it seems the tail lights are roughly 3.5 inches wide. The 3rd lights down are 5.3x 3.4. So it would be a really tight fight into the enclosure. If needed I could dremel the sides and cut maybe a 1/4 inch on both sides. This could work

 

[DanMan2k06]

Do aftermarket LED tails use red LEDs with a clear lense, or white LEDs with red lenses?

Red diodes, covered with a clear or diffused white lense. White LED's are MUCH more expensive. And by that I mean like double or triple the price...

 

[CherBear]

Im thinking red LEDs for brakes, then a strip of amber for turns/haz and then stock reverse bulb...