Since I installed my backup camera literally through the 3rd brake light, and I'd
been looking for a better visibility stop/turn modification for the Aluminess I wound up needing 3 new lights.
My measurements came up with this for the 3rd brakelight:
STL69RRXB -
http://www.etrailer.com/p-STL69RRXB.html
And these for the stop/turn additions:
STL69RCB -
http://www.etrailer.com/p-STL69RCB.html
I love the 3rd brakelight. It's the perfect size and shape, and nice and bright.
The stop/turn signals aren't exactly what I wanted, but they work. I went with crystal clear because I thought it would look better- perhaps more subtle- on the Aluminess. I originally wanted to mount them on top, but there was not enough clearance with the swing arms, and the sides don't light anyway.
If I bump anything they'll get crushed, but that's a risk I'm willing to take at this point, since few other lights seemed well suited.
Once the lights were installed, which included space for the wires as they don't sit flush with the back of the light (one is carefully measured, the other has a big aluminum hole behind it...) I was left with wiring.
I went through the taillights, thinking this would be the easiest way to wire each side. I was surprised these were Torx, and noted I only carry a torx key set as part of my hex key sets in the van. I used a T-15 screwdriver from the garage.
The Aluminess bar actually gets in the way of a direct line on one screw, but the whole lens was fairly easy to remove.
While there was no easy way through with the wires, there were MANY holes through to the inside of the van, and a LOT of dust. I've always thought dust was coming through the rear door seals, but it's obvious there are 6 or 7 good entry channels right here. The white is interior panels, which are not sealed to the holes.
More holes on the other side with upholstery showing.
I decided it best to seal all of these with aluminum tape. Hopefully this will cut down on the dust inside the back of the van.
Since gaining the wiring was not as simple as originally suspected, I turned to the trailer plug.
The current tap (for the Hella reverse lights) and the rest of the wiring was a mud and dirt collection point. Not good considering it will be awhile before I get around to sealing up the ends of my clips.
I don't have a photo but I tapped into each of the ground, left, right and park and since those are the same pins for a 4-way flat plug I wired one in next to the 7-pin so I can skip the adapter next time.
The crystal lights don't seem as bright, especially the parking lights, but the stop/turn signals are sufficiently bright in the day. Both sides are visible in cases where the side lights are occluded, as long as the observer is not too tall.
This could have gone better- namely they don't look quite like I wanted and they are in a vulnerable position, however I'm happy with the additional visibility. I need to make my wife drive in front of me sometime to see how they work on the road.
Linear Mode
