i was getting tired of the stock map lights in my '95 pickup, so i finally did something about it. i knew i wanted better focus, rather than general "task" lighting, and i also wanted to be able to run them while driving, and not have any appreciable interference with visibility on a dark road.

i considered replacing the stock bulbs with LEDs from autolumination, but the assembly design has inherent flaws that contributed to my ultimate choice of replacing the entire unit, lights, mirror and all.

i pulled the stock mount out, measured until i couldn't stand it anymore, fabbed up a hardwood mount into which i put two 12vdc cigarette lighter sockets, figured out how to keep the common ground separated from the hot, and screwed the new "base unit" into the normal spot after hooking up the wires. hot goes to the single hot coming down from the ceiling, and ground is provided by the metal screws, just like the standard setup.

new light is provided by a pair of ratcheting LED "torches" by wagan tech, which i got from J&R for $8 each. URL:

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4027196

the gold "spot" on the side of the LED light is an auxiliary cigarette lighter socket. there's a magnet mounted on the opposite side of the secondary cig lighter socket. as i found out immediately, the mirror mount goes away without the stock maplight assy, so i also had to ding up a quick-n-dirty mirror flap. it doesn't nicely swivel on a ballhead like the stock one does, but that's not a big issue for me. i like having dual mirrors since i get around 200° side visibility now.

if anyone wants more detail than that, feel free to post or PM me. here's an image of the (mostly) final setup:

 

That's actually pretty sweet. It's nice because you already have the rear "ceiling" light to come on when getting in the truck... I always thought it was too bright to have the front and rear come on at entry. This is cool... I just wish you could have retained the movable mirror, be it the stock mirror or not...

 

I bet that really lights up!

 

when i turn these on, there's so little stray light that i first wonder if they're on. but when i hold a topo under them, it's very nicely lit. i may still try to do something with the standard rear view mirror, but this is nice too, since i can fold it up and see the entire windshield with no blockage, or fold it down to block more sun than usual. a ballhead swivel would be my next addition if i could wrangle it...