DIY Raptor Lights - $15-$30

I wanted Raptor lights but didn't wanna spend $79 bucks. Especially since I wasn't sure if I was going to end up liking them, or if one day I wanted to take them off. I have a TRD Pro Grill, so these instructions may be different for other types of grilles. Same idea though.

Tools Needed:

• Wire Stripper
• Flat Head Screwdriver
• Phillips Screwdriver
• 10mm Ratcheting Socket
• Strong Pliers

Materials Needed:

The Lights $13
AMBER 6 PACK LED LIGHTS
This will come with 6, so you could do it with a friend or use the extra 3 on something else. I like these because they have a black smoked lens and when the truck is off, they are almost completely hidden.

Miscellaneous Items
If you don't have these laying around, and don't do electrical projects often, I would recommend AutoZone, OReily, etc. (if you buy on Amazon, you'll have to buy 100 pieces of a connector when you only need a couple)

• Zip Ties (the same color as your grill, preferably black)
• 6' or so of
  $10 1/2" X 20 ft Split Wire Loom Flex-Guard Convoluted Tubing – Protective Split Cable Sleeves for Automotive Home Industrial Electrical Wires – Chemical Resistant Cable Conduit – Black
  Wire Tubing (keep things clean and protected
• Salipt Quick Splice Solderless Terminals and T-Tap Electrical Connector Assortment Set, 125 Pieces with Case
  Wire Connectors (You'll want at least 2 T-Tap or another kind of re-connectable connector)
• $8 Hilitchi 100pcs 22-16 Gauge Ring Insulated Electrical Wire Terminals Wire Crimp Connectors (M4, Red)
  Terminal Ring (for the ground wire)
• Spytec 12V Car Add-A-Circuit Fuse Tap Adapter Mini ATM Apm Blade Fuse Holder for Dash Cam Hardwire Kits
  Add-A-Circuit (10amp will work just fine)
• Extra Wire

1. Take off the grill. (this is where you'll need the screwdrivers) 2 phillips screws and 2 clips.

2. Take it inside where there's AC and cold drinks and NBA playoffs

3. Sit down at the kitchen table and your wife will love how you just commandeered the table.

4. Visualize where the lights will look best. The TRD Pro Grill has 7 openings across the top, use #2,4,6

5. Use the screw holes on either side of the amber LED light and zip tie the lights into those 3 spots on the grill, with the wires going inside towards the engine, and the lenses facing out the grill. (I originally used zipties just to temporarily see if I liked how these looked, and planned on doing something cleaner and less tacky down the road, but black zip ties on the pro grill honestly work great. They disappear into the darkness of the grill and even in sunlight are not very noticeable. When you tighten the zip ties, go slowly, evenly tightening back and forth between each side. If you tighten one as tight as it goes the other side will be crooked.

6. Once all 3 lights are zip-tied in place, you can cut off the excess. Then use the wire connectors (I used quick-splicers) and extra wire to connect all 3 of the black (12v) to one wire and white (ground) to another wire. Go in the direction of passenger side to driver's side (thats where the fuse box is, and where you'll connect the ground terminal ring) Leave a couple feet of extra wire on the drivers side to connect your ground and 12v. MAKE SURE THE WIRES ARE STRONGLY CONNECTED. These tend to come undone easily. It may take a couple times and a couple wasted connectors to get them firm and permanent.

7. Use the tubing to enclose all the wires, and connectors, letting each light's wires join the group of wires like onramps coming onto the freeway. (see wiring diagram)

8. Tuck them up into the top part of the grill, hiding them from sight when looking into the grill.


9. Find nearby holes to use zip ties to keep the wires/tubing from falling into sight.



10. Cut the wire with about a 2 ft of extra wire and reconnect the wires using 2 T-Tap connectors. This is so when you take off your grill next time, you can just disconnect and re-connect these two wires at a point that is easily accessible.

11. Measure a comfortable length of wire to reach the ground connection on the side wall of the engine bay near the negative terminal of the batter. Cut the far end of the ground wire coming from the lights. (remember, you can always cut more off, but it's much more of a headache to add more wire) Connect a terminal ring to the ground wire coming from the lights. Use a 10mm socket to take out the bolt, place the O-ring with the others and bolt it back into the side wall.



12. Measure a comfortable length of wire to reach the fuse box and cut the 12v wire coming from the lights. Connect the add-a-fuse to the wire with pliers. Squeeze VERY HARD, and use heavy duty pliers. I've learned that it's better to strip the wire with the full length of the metal tube so that the full connector tube is touching the wire directly.

13. Depending on when you want your lights on, choose a fuse or a wire to splice into that will turn on when you want the lights on. (I originally spliced into the daytime running lights 12v, but that was a headache and I really didn't want to ruin the headlight wiring, so I ended up just adding a circuit to the INJ 10AMP (fuel injectors) fuse. That way, whenever the car is on, the raptor lights are on.

Questions are welcome, hopefully this helps. Sorry there aren't more pictures.

 

Very nice write up Man! Gonna sub for when the time comes. Thanks!

 

I'm trying to do this with a 2nd gen, this looks sweet tho^^^

 

Clean, very simple. Nice job.

 

Great write up, I have absolutely no need to do this, but I still would like to do this.

 

What exactly did you zip tie the lights to on the grille?

 

Somebody needs a car wash haha...

 

REMOVE THE ADD A FUSE FROM THE INJECTOR!!! I did that with my rapotor lights and huge mistake. It worked great for a few days and one day the truck shut off in the middle of the road and acted very weird and wouldn’t turn back on after it shut off. Removed the add a fuse and bam fired right back up no problems since then

 

I'm terrified of doing anything electrical, but this seems pretty simple and I'm saving this for later.

 

How's the brightness? They look somewhat dim in the pictures.

 

Can I ask where did you get power for these after the you disconnected it from the injectors fuse? Thanks

 

Fed the power cable through firewall gromet and used the 12 volt plug fuse

 

as am I... but might try to do this over the weekend.

thanks for the write up!

 

Great write up! Want to sell the 3 extras you have to me so I don't have to buy the 6 pack?

 

Oooooo boy! Good to know! How long ago did this happen?

 

i didnt wanna mess up with my fuse box so instead, i just tapped mine to the park light so every time my park lights are on, theses bad boys are on =)

 

About a month and a half or so

 

So if you have your lights on auto, do they not turn on during the day?

 

Sorry I don't have auto lights.. but ideally, if you do that then it won't turn on during the daytime

 

@BAMATOY I am going to need your assistance