should i add cab lights

[Badger]

Should I add cab lights?

 

[iSlacker816]

I want to but I'm not sure how to wire them up or for placement on the roof...

 

[EJM05]

yes

 

[Badger]

Wiring is easy. Placement is kind of a guess though. It's not for the faint of heart since you are drilling your roof and that's not so easy to replace.

 

[jbmobbs]

yes but since all your lights are stock id put stock ones on it and all you do is connect all the ground wires together and all the pwr wires together and screw the ground to the body and run the power wire down the pillar and throught he firewall and to your driver side running light then splice it into the RUNNING LIGHT WIRE NOT THE BLINKER WIRE and they work.......under the headliner the spots to mount the lights are already stampped into the sheet metal so all you have to do is drill the hole where it says

 

[Badger]

I don't like the amber so I'm going with the Chrome. The putco screw into the stock location so drilling is not a problem. Thanks for the info on the stamping though I did not know that.

 

[ramhunter9]

I voted no because I need the first ..LOL

 

[The Assassin]

Do it! I'm waiting on the new Recon cab lights to come out.

 

[Stangshcky12]

I vote yes but not those ones

 

[Rogan68]

I did mine a month or so ago. clear lenses, amber LEDs. Wasn't bad, to be honest. I've got all the measurements I used. I'll post them shortly.

Honestly, it isn't hard. Just measure like 5 times to make sure.

I used Ford-style cab lights, as I liked their design better than the 2/3Gen Dodge OE ones.

I grounded all the lights together, and body-grounded up in the headliner. Then connected all the powers together, ran them down the driver's a-pillar, andt to the headlight switch to the black/yellow-stripe wire on the switch.

Easy peasy.

 

[Badger]

I vote yes but not those ones

I'm open to suggestions as long as they aren't solid amber.

 

[ramhunter9]

I prefer the ambers

 

[bigbadram1500]

I like 'em

 

[iSlacker816]

I like the ambers with a light coat of VHT

 

[Rogan68]

Here's my write-up on Home Page of Mopar1973Man forum...


At any rate, I installed clear lens/amber LED cab lights this past weekend. My truck did not have them from the factory, so I bought some EuroLite 9-LED ones for a Ford, from eBay for $70 delivered. I liked the Ford-style ones better, so that's what I went with. They arrived in a box, no instructions, no packaging, only an invoice, lights, and packing peanuts...

Since my truck didn't have cab lights, I had to drill..

In a nutshell:

1. Drop headliner (phillips screws hold visors, pinch clips for overhead console, T20 for pass. side grab-handle, T20 for QC latch trim covers, snaps for a-pillar trim
2. Tape a straight line from top corners of windshield.
3. Measured 6" up on each side, and taped another straight line across.
4. Found Center line, marked it on the tape
5. From center line, outward, measure 8.5", mark it
6. From the center line, outward, measure 21". mark it
7. Once you have these lines marked, measure 5.75" from top edge of windshield, back. This mark will be the forward-most point of the cab light. (this will put the wiring of the Ford-style lights right about over the inner cab-wall hole.
8. Using the base of one light, make a cardboard template of the light base, and drill holes where wiring and screw holes will be.
9. Mark center line on template. This will aid you in lining/centering/straightening up the lights and marking the drill locations.
10. Align center line of template onto each parallel line for the light locations, taking into account the front of the light base on the 5.75" back-set mark.
11. Drill the three holes required by the lights (2 mounting screws, one wiring hole)
12. I used an 1/8" (.125) bit for making the #8 screw pilot holes. Also a pilot hole for the wiring, to be drilled out to 3/8", or .375
13. Apply a dab of clear silicon on each mounting screw hole on the cab, and a blob around the wiring at the light base
14. Place the light base onto the cab, carefully ensuring that it's aligned properly.
15. Mount the light bases using (purchased separately) #8 x .75 SS sheet metal screws, and snug them down evenly
16. Once all are mounted, move inside the truck and wire lights in series.
17. I grounded them within headliner, and ran 'hot wire' down driver's a-pillar, to headlight switch (remove bezel, 3 phillips screws and slide headlight switch out. Wire is black/yellow.
18. Check for proper operation.
19. Reinstall everything if all is good to go!

The measurements I used/came up with are on my 2001, so yeah, late 2G trucks. If you're using Dodge-style lights, then your front-to-back measurements may be different. I used the Ford style, so they're a little shorter, IIRC. My lights are 4" long, and the mounting screws are left to right. I think the Dodge mounting screws are front to back?

Regardless, from centerline of the cab, you'll find (when you drop the headliner) that the lights are CENTER, 8.5", and 21" from center, either direction. (or center 0", left-inner @ 8.5", left-outer @ 12.5" from left-inner, same for right side.
I think the wiring hole on inside of roofline (factory location) is about 7-3/4" from windshield edge.

Drilling that first hole was nerve-racking! Once I popped it through, though, it was all cake from there..

You don't really even have to 'remove' the headliner, just drop the front.

1. 3 phillips screws on each visor
2. 1 phillips screw on each visor retainer
3. OHC has 2 pinch clamps and pull backward
4. 2 T20 bolts retain pass. side grab handle
5. both a-pillar trims pop off
6. pull down door seals enough to clear the edges of the HL
7. *if you have a QC, then torx20 takes the screws out of the overhead QC door latch trim covers
8. Pop the two center plastic retainer pins in the rear/center headliner (leave the rear-most push pins in the headliner)

Then I just let the HL hang down in the front, resting on the front seat headrests.. This provided plenty of room to get in there and wire it all up.

Grounded the cab lights to a single point in the ceiling, and ran a single power wire down the A-pillar, into the dash to the light switch, tagged the black w/yellow striped wire (PRK LIGHT wire) and reassembled it all back.

Takes like 5 minutes to drop the headliner. you can leave the middle dome light alone; it's fastened to the headliner, itself, not the roof.

Overhead console. Open the garage door opener compartment. Two pinch clips in there. Pinch them and slide the console backward. Its a PITA but will come out.

 

[Badger]

Great write up. Thanks. I might to amber ones (theyre cheap) and hit them with some vht.

 

[WhiteExpress]

.......under the headliner the spots to mount the lights are already stampped into the sheet metal so all you have to do is drill the hole where it says

^^ What he said. What makes it even easier is getting a 3/4" sheetmetal punch. You drill a hole, thread the punch through, give it a few twists POP and you have a smooth flat hole in your roof. Works perfect everytime!

We've done 3 Gen IIs and my buddy did his Gen III using this method.

I not a fan of the style you posted. Get the Recon LEDs with the fluted lense.

 

[iSlacker816]

So all 2nd gens have the holes pre stamped in the roof?

 

[Stangshcky12]

Pretty sure the holes are there in all of them
I prefer tinted amber ones. I also like the clear ones on the new dodges
These ended up drying darker then I wanted but still turned out good


If you go the VHT route, of it looks like it could use a little bit more, just leave it

 

[BigH0ss]

I'm selling some blacked out clearance lights if your interested?