63LED in each rear bumper lens

[gaslight]

I finally got off my butt and did this mod. I'm sorry I hadn't done it earlier. It was pretty easy but took some time. I used a 7/8" drill bit to make a hole in the back of the lens. Then I used a couple of dremel bits to remove more material and smooth out the hole. This caused a bunch of small plastic pieces to go inside the lens even when I stuffed a paper towel inside. The only decent way I could get that crud out was to flush out the lens with water. In order to dry the lens I left it on the dash for a couple of days in the sun with the windows up. After a couple of days they were dry.
I used 1157 style sockets and bulbs. The sockets had to have the little nubs on the side ground off, also with the dremel(very easy). To hold the sockets into the back of the lens I put a layer of RTV Silicone around the base of the socket where it meets the lens. Hopefully that will hold it and make it waterproof. The socket has a small spring loaded wire that goes around the base and holds the bulb to the base, so it won't vibrate loose.
I found these bulbs on Ebay and they do have 63 red leds on them. A bunch on top and even more all around the side. They work great and are very bright even in daylight. Because of the design they really spread the light all around the lens not just the center.
I wired these in by carefully removing some of the plastic insulation from the stock wires then soldering in 18" of wire for both parking and brake lights. The ground was made by drilling a small hole into some metal and screwing the wire with a star shaped washer to it.
Hope these pics show enough detail.

 

[gaslight]

Here you can see where I placed the ground.

Parking lights. The lens really lit up due to the camera flash.

Brake lights

 

[at_at202]

I am planning to do that too, looks great. What stuffs do I need to do that beside light bulbs?

 

[gaslight]

just what you see. Sockets, wire, bulbs and some tools.
Its good to do this at this time of the year because of the low humidity. I put silicone around the base of the socket as I was assembling everything. The silicone will seal out the moisture and hold the socket in place like glue. I also used a piece of tape to hold the socket in place until the silicone dried.
The lenses haven't fogged up on me yet so everything looks good so far.
I used a ring terminal on the end of the ground wire and used a star shaped washer to dig into the painted metal to provide a better ground.
The sockets that I got didn't have color coded wires, all 3 were black. Looking at the base I figure out which one was the ground. Then I put the bub in it and connected the other 2 wires separately to the battery to find out which was the brake and which was the parking light. I then labeled those wires.
I used a multimeter to test the factory wires on the tail lens to figure out which was the brake and parking wires. I think they were both green wires but with different color stripes and thicknesses.
Use some heat shrink tubing and electrical tape on the various connections to keep them clean and protected. In the second pic you can see that I wrapped the whole length of wire in electrical tape to protect them from abrasion. I also put some plastic wire looms on top of that. I want to make sure it lasts for a very long time.

 

[at_at202]

Thanks a lot for the information, I just finish it, its not an easy job for me =D.
But it will only turn on when I step on brake, it will stay off even when I turn on the head light.....
" I also put some plastic wire looms on top of that. I want to make sure it lasts for a very long time." I dont quite get it tho......
Here comes the picture, i'll upload more pictures later.

 

[at_at202]

Night shot

btw it looks fantastic =D

 

[MikesToy]

I'm jealous. I'm not electrician savvy. And i know for sure i'll screw my ride up. I wish someone would do mine here in Colorado (Denver or Colorado Springs).

 

[at_at202]

I'm jealous. I'm not electrician savvy. And i know for sure i'll screw my ride up. I wish someone would do mine here in Colorado (Denver or Colorado Springs).

lol me either man, my friend did that for me because he use to work in toyota dealer.

 

[gaslight]

Did you test the wires that you tapped into first to make sure you had the right ones for parking and brake lights? I also tested the bulbs to make sure they both worked properly before I sealed everything up. Make sure you made a good ground connection.
I'm not a electrician either but compared to some things I've done to other cars, it was easy to me. Just take your time when you do this and do plenty of research ahead of time.

 

[at_at202]

Did you test the wires that you tapped into first to make sure you had the right ones for parking and brake lights? I also tested the bulbs to make sure they both worked properly before I sealed everything up. Make sure you made a good ground connection.
I'm not a electrician either but compared to some things I've done to other cars, it was easy to me. Just take your time when you do this and do plenty of research ahead of time.

I think the car shop only connect to brake light wires...>.<

 

[Fo_SheeZy]

Looks good Gas, now upgrade to the 06-08 LED tails!

 

[gaslight]

I do like those tails but would like to get at a much lower price than the dealers price. I should do some surfing and find some junk yards.

 

[4wordSOUL]

Just curious, the fact that the bumper has a lens at all leads me to believe Toyota planned for some version of the T4R (in some global market somewhere) to be functional. Does anyone know if that's the case or heard of that?

Thanks.

 

[810moto]

Just curious, the fact that the bumper has a lens at all leads me to believe Toyota planned for some version of the T4R (in some global market somewhere) to be functional. Does anyone know if that's the case or heard of that?

Thanks.

explained in detail here but yes, they do serve a purpose somewhere in this world.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/accessories/1137-putting-red-bumper-lenses-use.html

 

[810moto]

I finally got off my butt and did this mod. I'm sorry I hadn't done it earlier. It was pretty easy but took some time. I used a 7/8" drill bit to make a hole in the back of the lens. Then I used a couple of dremel bits to remove more material and smooth out the hole. This caused a bunch of small plastic pieces to go inside the lens even when I stuffed a paper towel inside. The only decent way I could get that crud out was to flush out the lens with water. In order to dry the lens I left it on the dash for a couple of days in the sun with the windows up. After a couple of days they were dry.
I used 1157 style sockets and bulbs. The sockets had to have the little nubs on the side ground off, also with the dremel(very easy). To hold the sockets into the back of the lens I put a layer of RTV Silicone around the base of the socket where it meets the lens. Hopefully that will hold it and make it waterproof. The socket has a small spring loaded wire that goes around the base and holds the bulb to the base, so it won't vibrate loose.
I found these bulbs on Ebay and they do have 63 red leds on them. A bunch on top and even more all around the side. They work great and are very bright even in daylight. Because of the design they really spread the light all around the lens not just the center.
I wired these in by carefully removing some of the plastic insulation from the stock wires then soldering in 18" of wire for both parking and brake lights. The ground was made by drilling a small hole into some metal and screwing the wire with a star shaped washer to it.
Hope these pics show enough detail.

I wish they made a clear lense for this application.