Blue Ribbon 4x4 Build Thread

Well, here they are. Do headlight pics ever get old? One day I’ll get these damn things figured out… then I’ll change my mind.

 

That looks deadly! Nice job as always Geno.

 

Just awesome!

 

Thank you, Rafael! Much appreciated!

 

Just nabbed these Pros at a killer price! Going in the bumper next to the fogs, the plan is to connect the backlight to the turn signals.

 

I should probably hook up my backlights someday lol. Interested to see what you think when you get that done

 

My backlights never got hooked up on my ditch lights either.
Hopefully the amber matches the rest of the lights.

 

Well the hard part is done. I mainly wanted these lights for front bumper/ditch lights for an integrated turn signal. Though I may not since it may be overkill.
Modded the bumper panels to receive the lights and welded some tabs for the light mounts. Just need to to make a harness to make everything work.

 

Such a good looking front end!

 

Thanks bud!

 

Everything is hooked up except the backlights. I’m really having doubts about the looks. I really think it’s gonna be overkill, especially with the new direction of deleting the raptor lights and going more simple with the headlights. A temporary hookup will be difficult without tapping the turn signal wire and damaging the wire.
On the plus side, those Pro DD are worth the cash!

 

Ok, wired up to the DRL/turn signal connection. I actually really dig it. The Diode Dynamics backlights are on while the truck is running, and the turn signals work great. When the headlights are turned on, the fogs are activated and the backlights cut out with the projector shrouds.
I think the backlight amber color matches nicely.

 

Sick

 

Thank you sir!

 

looks really good

 

Thanks Casey!

 

I was racking my brain for the next mod. Then I remembered these.

 

Here’s a closer look at them opened up. When I opened them there’s a slight clear coat odor. I wonder if I closes them up too early after clear coat. I do know I would try epoxy primer this time. These also look like a ton of work to remove the old paint.
On a color scheme note, these were painted 100% blue. So the new headlights don’t match the scheme. My mind is all over. I’m glad I opened them, now I have an idea of what it would take to repair these. I’m just unsure of the next step.

 

Honestly, talk to a local body shop about how they remove paint on a plastic bumper. It's some kind of chem bath that makes the paint just slough off. Might work if you can remove all the electrical.

 

I have a chemical that I use to strip stuff. It’s super nasty. Still a good idea though. I may try it. Thanks Adam

 

First coat with the Aircraft Remover. I don’t know if I’m just in a bad mood and need to wait a day for this. But I think I need to start over.

 

Decided to take a break and share some recent offroad adventures.

 

Welp. One more trick up my sleeve. I have some donors. These old modified tails still work great and they’re bright. But the lenses are cracked and these donors have a few LEDs out. So I’m gonna redo them. Won’t cost anything but paint. So I have a new plan for paint prep, and a new paint scheme.

 

The old ones are apart. I’ll show a little more detail of how and where to cut open the sealed ones.

 

Parts piles give me anxiety. Electronic parts piles would put me into cardiac arrest. I salute your skill, Geno.

 

Thanks Adam! There’s about to be double the parts for this frankenstein build.

 

Let’s get to gettin.



I use a Dremel rotary and EZ lock cutting wheel, it works fantastic on plastic (rhyme!) Wear eye protection, I’ve cowboyed it a couple times and regretted it.
Place the cutting wheel at an angle when cutting, it allows the back to release easier. When reassembling, the back will nestle right where it needs to sit, without falling inside the lens.



I use a flat screwdriver to pry apart the melty boogers, some spots may require a recut. After prying apart, I knife off the leftover melted plastic or break it off with pliers.

 

Donors have a continuity issue. The old tails are still good though. Something that’s bugged me the whole time I’ve had these tails is the slight pink color of the parking light bars. The old ones were tinted black. These are clear, so I ordered a can of red tint.
Also something I’ve wanted to try-is a sequential module to light the three vertical strips of LEDs. But the way the board is wired will make them activate when I hit the brakes. Bummer.

 

Red tint on the bars. You can see the color difference when the light is on. More red than orange/pink now.

Before and after:


I sprayed the bars with Niteshades Red. Super thin coats, just one pass. Make sure it completely dry, then two more coats, same process.

1st coat


2nd coat

3rd coat

Comparison with the old black tint.

Side by side on brightness. Right side is tinted red. Left is the old black.


Then a coat of matte clear.