Thread: Hooking up Bed roll lights

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I have been wanting to do this for a while but refused to spend $100+ for the lights. I went to the auto supply and bought two 1157 bulbs(actually LED) and sockets, found two of the mounting bushings for the tbird IFS steering shoved the bulbs and sockets in the bushings. Very good fit and look good in the bed roll. I figured out a way to run the wires without drilling any holes. Crimped on some quick connects and think I am ready to terminate. After all that than I started thinking. I do this all the time! "Do than think"! !. Is the 1157 a dual element bulb stop and turn signal? 2. Does the socket have to be grounded? My tail lights have 6 wires coming out 2 of each red, white, and black. One of whites is frame ground than one each of the others is terminated at the light housing. Before I go wiring up and blowing fuses and who knows what else I figured I better ask.

Yes, 1157's are dual element bulbs. Seems odd that white was used for ground, but yes the sockets need a good ground. There is a high and low pin on the bulb and if memory serves me right the low pin is the stop light element. If you're not sure you can check with a VOM. Wire it temporarily and turn the flasher on the side you're working on. The VOM should swing with the flasher.

Thanks NTFDAY! OK I was able to come up with a grounding method. I am wondering if I can hook these connections to the extra wires at the tail light. I will try and see.

When you go to LED bulbs you have to use an electronic flasher in the fuse block.

Originally Posted by sunsetdart

When you go to LED bulbs you have to use an electronic flasher in the fuse block.

Sunsetdart, this is true if he's replacing his taillights, but it sounds like he's adding LED lights to his bed rolls, supplementing the existing tail lights so the flasher he's been using should still be OK.

Base has to be grounded, hook the other two,one to the taillight wire and one to the correct stop/turn wire (left or right )

Cant wait till dark!

Works great. I have $22.00 invested. Better than $100.00 plus. I took a LED bulb and 1157 socket, mounted a ground and pushed it inside a rubbed IFS bushing. This fit tight and flush inside the bed roll. There was enough gap in the roll to run the wires out and down the bed support and terminate to the extra wires coming out of the tail lights. I have tail, turn signal, and stop lights.

Glad it worked out well for you. I don't know why people make such a big deal about wiring stop/tail lights. You need at the most 4 wires. One for the left turn signal/ stop light, one for the right turn signal/stop light, one for the tail lights and one for ground if the lights aren't mounted in metal. One other thought, if you have trouble with the lights mounted in the pick up bed most likely it's because of a bad ground between the bed and the frame. The easiest way to cure this is to make a short 12 gauge wire and run it from the bed to the frame.