Full "C" tail light conversions

These are the product of my latest boredom. These will convert stock taillights to utilize the full "C" (both the top and bottom) for brake lights, making it more evident the brakes are being applied. I have never liked the contrast between the parking (running) lights and the brake/turn, so this improves upon that. These are configurable two different ways. Using the below grid to illustrate:

Option 1-
Brake: A,B,C,D will light up
Left Turn signal: A will light up (flashing)
Right Turn signal: B will light up (flashing)
Brake & Left Turn Signal: A will flash, while B,C, and D are lit up solid.
Brake & Right Turn Signal: B will flash, while A,C, and D are lit up solid.
Hazards: A and B will flash
Hazards & Brakes: A and B will flash, C and D will light up solid

This option can be used with incandescent bulbs, or with higher amperage LED bulbs (over 1A draw per bulb). It can also be used with low amperage LEDs, but those will likely require a resistor to avoid hyper flash.

Option 2-
Brake: A,B,C,D will light up
Left Turn signal: A and C will light up (flashing)
Right Turn signal: B and D will light up (flashing)
Brake & Left Turn Signal: A and C will flash, while B and D are lit up solid.
Brake & Right Turn Signal: B and D will flash, while A and C are lit up solid.
Hazards: A,B,C, and D will flash.
Hazards & Brakes: A,B,C, and D will flash.

This option will require LED bulbs that draw less than 1A each. So some "error correcting" LED bulbs will not work. Some Ultra bright LED bulbs will not work. Incandescent bulbs will not work. This option will also require a resistor.

Unsure of what you have or what to get? Feel free to hit me up and I will try to help. Obviously with so many options out there, I can't say I will know 100% of the time, but I am always willing to look and see if I can help.

As these are kind of new and I really don't know how sales will go, I will be building these to order, so that means a week to two weeks of lead time after ordering. I am planning on offering them as just the harnesses and controllers for $75 shipped, but I can include 25 Ohm resistors for an additional $25. I am really not in the bulb business, and don't have any inside connections for discounts on those, but if you really want a complete package, I can order bulbs and package it all together, I will just pass the cost of the bulbs on to you.

What bulbs do I recommend? That I am not really sure of. I like the stuff VLED makes for sure, but be aware the "V6 Extreme" bulbs draw higher amperage, so you will be limited to option 1. But the regular V6 Triton will be fine in either configuration. Also the "50 LED Red 7443" bulb is a good option. Diode Dynamics also has a good track record, and they offer three different 7443's that will work in either configuration. During my testing, I was using Sylvania Zevo 7443R, and those seemed pretty good as far as brightness and contrast. But ultimately I can't really say "use this one" as I really don't know. LED bulbs can be bought as low as $18 for four on Amazon, or as high as you can probably imagine. Is all I can really say is try to buy from a reputable manufacturer, or as cheap as you are comfortable with. But whatever LED's you decide on, they should be RED. Putting a white LED in a red housing will just reduce the light output.

Now, here are some shots of them in action. Left side is using these harnesses and the Sylvania Zevo 7443R, right side is the OEM configuration with OEM incandescent bulbs.
Option 1, no parking lights
https://youtu.be/cBml98-Qevc?si=4K_dRemZmK2J3-5Y

Option 1 with parking lights on
https://youtu.be/bwdp2Z2FxU0?si=Crm8SZvZQE_e0rpZ

Option 2, no parking lights
https://youtu.be/UnWiairruG4?si=AHgshbZEJIO8N4lD

Option 2 with parking lights on
https://youtu.be/XUp_sR36-dI?si=g16z-MhNeupBCOEV

And now what I am actually selling...
These are the harnesses themselves.

And these are the controllers. They are Diode Dynamics switchback controllers. They can handle 2A (that is total load, not per bulb)

If you need resistors, those will be VLED VLR25's.

 

Installation:
These are really straight forward to install. The harness itself has male/female plugs. Those will match the plugs on the top and middle of the taillight. Reverse does not get affected by these.


Then there is a set of plugs at the end of the wires at the bottom of the harness

Those plugs are where you will plug the controller into. On the controller itself, you will see three plugs though. The 4 position and two 1 position plugs. The 1 position plugs are marked "Brake only" and "brake & turn" Brake only will keep the bottom half of the "C" as brake only, while "brake & turn" will make the bottom of the "C", you guessed it, brake and turn. So "Brake Only" is option 1 mentioned in the first post, "Brake & Turn" is option 2. There will be a cap for the unused plug as well.


Once you've determined the configuration you want to use, plug in the corresponding 1 position plug and cap the other. Also plug the 4 position plug in.

Now is all that should be left is doing something with the controller so it isn't flopping around behind the taillight. I found that a zip tie (included, take that @daveeasa !) can be used to secure it to the brace behind/to the side of the taillight. So wipe down behind there (doesn't have to be sterile or anything, but get the dirt off) and then apply the double sided tape rectangle to the flat side (side with the label) of the controller. You can then use that tape to stick it to the backside of the brace. Stick it in a way that it doesn't cover the hole, and line the center of it up with the hole. The reason for that is you will then use the zip tie to really secure it. Here it is (minus the tape)

and here it is zip tied up there. Sorry, my pics kind of suck. I will try to get better ones...

In this example, I mounted it below the hole. But either location will work.
The double sided tape should keep it from working free, while the zip tie does the heavy lifting.
If you need a resistor, just mount it to a flat metal area and make sure there aren't any wires or anything within an inch or two of it.

If you already have resistors back there, you can reuse those most likely. Just cut the plug off the included wire (the black one, pic coming soon) and you can wire into those wires. For resistors, polarity does matter, so don't worry about +/-.

 

FAQs

 

If you’re cheaper than MESO kits you might have an audience. GLWS

 

Thanks! He can definitely beat me on price for the harnesses, but I am making them by hand. I hope the quality will reflect the value though With resistors and some decent LEDs (say $20 a pair), I should be less than his stage 1's though. For $75 though, you can retain the stock bulbs and get the added benefit of the double (Full C) braking. It really does make a difference, I know my videos suck almost as much as my pics
Also, as an added benefit, if you configure them in option 2, there is the unused "brake only" that can be used to power a third brake light on a topper or bed rack or wherever you want to stick an extra brake light....

 

cool concept

 

I like it, will keep an eye on the site to see when it is rolled out

 

Am I correct that if I used the VLED V6 Triton bulb and configured option #1 that I would not need a resistor? And I would need 2 VLED kits/4 bulbs total to maximize the benefit of your product?

 

Color by numbers! I loved that as a kid.

 

As a kid? Color by # works great after a few drinks too

 

Definitely going to keep my eye on this. The way they did the stock tails just doesnt make sense. hah

 

Interested in this. The OEM taillight is inadequate IMO.

That’s nice harness work Johnny!

 

Cool project, @Puppypunter

GL!

 

They are kind of rolled out. I am building them to order at first, just so I don't buy a bunch of switchback controllers that I don't end up selling

Yeah, they almost seem 1/2 done. At least the Tacoma got the parking lights in the top and bottom unlike the 2.5G Tundra, but the brightness difference between the parking lights and the brake lights especially leaves a lot to be desired....

Thanks! I try make it look like it wasn't built in the laundry room

Thanks!

 

You might still need a resistor with option 1 using an LED. When you swap a turn signal for an LED, there is always a chance you'll need a resistor. I do make all of these to connect to a WP series resistor from VLED though, so they just plug in. Is where it gets a little odd is if you use incandescent bulbs, or higher amperage LEDs, the turn circuit in the truck itself doesn't like it as it is too much load. But the way I built the harnesses, a resistor can be added, and if it is added, the load is before the switchback controller, so you don't have to weigh the resistance against the 2A limit of that. But if you do need a resistor, it doesn't have to be a 6 Ohm. You can get away with a 25 Ohm, which is a loss less load (and less heat that way) as well as just being smaller. But if you don't like VLEDs resistors, you can always wire in another one by just cutting the plug off and stripping the wires. If you use the V6 Triton extreme though, I don't believe you'd need a resistor (but I am not 100% sure) as those qualify as the "high amperage LEDs".

 

Well, I finally installed mine. Took 14 minutes for both sides and super easy to connect. Looks great too, definitely a nice addition!
Thanks!!!