Quote:
Originally Posted by colberjs
How did this project go? About to put cab lights on mine too.
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It went well. It was alot more complicated than the others I've put them on. This was the 4th set of cab lights I've put on a Super Duty and it was slightly more difficult mostly because:
1) The side curtain air bags.
2) The way the wiring is in the headliner (mostly pertaining to the power cords for the vanity mirror lights).
When I went to order the harness from Ford, I was told that there are actually 7 different wiring harnesses for the 2011+ Super Duties. I ended up having to get the VIN number from my friend and giving them the VIN to order the correct harness. The one we got ended up coming with two extra hookups for the side curtain air bags and the Sirius satellite antenna. The wiring in his headliner is all glued or.... 'affixed' across the top side of the headliner.
In all the other trucks I've done in the past, those wires for the mirror lights were loose and once you took the hardware out of the hinges, the connector was right there and pulled out of the headliner far enough to disconnect them and set the visor to the side. On this truck, I had to have another guy hold the visor up to relieve the stress on the wires while I pulled the liner down and ripped the wires loose from the liner further back to find the connector. I actually ripped the wires from the connector on the passenger side trying to pull the connector down through the liner. Luckily, the metal diodes inside the connector just push back into place and it wasn't a big deal to put it back together.
The connectors on the airbags were simple. There's a locking tab that you pull out and it pops out of the module. Push the new harness plug in, and snap the lock in place. I disconnected his batteries just in case, didn't want any airbag deployment for whatever reason.
I've done a 2008 for a friend of mine, and his satellite radio wire and cab light plug were both on the driver's side. So was this 2011. My 2004 was on the passenger side, and the 08 and 11 were MUCH easier to fish the wire down through the pillar and dash.
One other thing, if memory serves me well, the overhead console doesn't just pull down like the 04 and 08. There are 2-4 screws holding it up. And the screws in the grab handles, visors, and console are all different (T20 Torx, phillips, and another hex head I believe.) Just remember to set all the hardware out where you can remember where each screw goes. This 2011 King Ranch didn't have the sunroof, and I've never done one with a sunroof yet, so I don't know what that would entail. His overhead console had two plugs that need to be unfastened once you get the hardware out and pull it down from the liner. One for the map lights, and one for the sliding back window.
I have a template that I got with the first set of lights I purchased in a kit for my 04 on eBay that is SUPER helpful. It's an exact outline of the base of the light with 3, 1/8" holes that indicate the exact center spot to drill your three holes in the roof. I make all my measurements on masking tape, then use the template to align the bases and holes. 1/8" bit for pilots, 1/4" for the anchors, and a 1" holesaw for the middle holes. Simple enough.
It's not hard once you've done a set. The past 3 have been cake for me. I wasn't even a little bit intimidated to drill holes in the roof of a $62k truck, of course, it wasn't mine either lol.
Enough rambling, here's the evidence:
They turned out great. I wouldn't go any other way but OEM on this project though. The harnesses are unbeatable. I think this entire kit ran like $155.95 from Heller Ford. (They sell on eBay for $122.95, but the complicated harness for this truck bumped the price up a little.) They send you everything including the hardware for the bases and instructions. Plus, they ship fast. Great guys to deal with.
I'm exploring options for LED replacement lights that don't cost $10/bulb like the Recons do. I think that's outrageous for 5 little LED lights. Found a set for $12 on eBay recently and put them in mine. They aren't quite as bright as the incandescent bulbs, but they're crisper:
Those are 12 LED bulbs too instead of 6. 8 around the base, and 4 on top, giving the 270 degree lighting angle. I think I can do better, just haven't found the best 'Bang for the Buck' 194/T10 amber LED that doesn't cost $7-10/bulb.
02-11-2012, 11:49 AM
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