yup and there is also several truck stops around here that sell them as well as a tractor supply company. Best thing is they are somewhat recessed making trees harder to hit them.

Generally I like building my own stuff, but this was too good to pass up. I just hope all the lights work. lol.

 

it'll be a good project.

even if those bulbs are out, they aren't hard to find

 

nope, but the LED ones are a little pricey.

 

i used to be into leds, and still am, but only for certain applications. in my opinion, i like the look of incandescent bulbs on older trucks. newer sporty cars, leds all around. again, that's just me

 

All the bed mount bolts are now undone and the old bed is ready to come off. Just got to wait for my help to come back from the doctors office. The snow on the bed is a good indication what I am currently working in.

Probably not gonna be able to use the bumper I had build a while back either.

Since I am not planning on reusing/selling the old tail light assemblies, I determine it would be easier to just label and undo the wiring from each of the sockets. After I get the new bed on I am just gonna hook those wires to the wires from the "new" lights. Gonna shorten the wiring up on the "new" bed lights.

 

I didn't feel like waiting around, so I decided to take the old bed off myself. This will give you an idea of what kind of room I am working in as well. ON second glance it looks like to bumper might be able to stay on there. Might look a little odd though. we will see. Might not clear where the reverse lights are mounted either.

Also measured real quick the mounting holes. Looks like they line up from what I can tell. Not that that surprises me. Gonna have to ream out the holes on the bed though as they look like they are slightly smaller than the 1/2" hardware I am using.

 

If you leave the beds up like that you have the beginnings of a make-shift carport!!!

Jerry you better get down there before one of those things fall on him...All we need is for his lady to come home and see the feet of the wicked witch sticking our from the underside of a truck bed!!!

.

 

but my antennas won't fit under it !!!!

Which brings me to another possible problem. The lip on the new bed might not clear the antenna mounts. Which means I might have to remove them and put them on the bed itself and loose the mounts.

Pay no attention to the antenna cable running through the back window. lol.

 

Wiring done for now until the bed goes back on. Notice the piece of factory toyota wiring that was cut off the original harness.

Wiring for the front amber markers seem a little short, gonna have to lengthen those up as well.

 

Bed is on. 4 out of the 6 bolts are tightened down for now. Gonna have to coax it if I want to put those other two in. Too dark to take photos now though and I still have to wire up the lights. Probably gonna be it for the night. I got more done than even I thought I would, let alone my girlfriend. lol.

But I tell you what, This thing sits a heck of alot taller off the ground than the old bumper did. Probably another 3-4" taller. I did have to take the home made bumper off and I did have to remove the CB antenna mounts as well.

 

WOW!....you had a good day....wish I had been off, I would helped you ......or giggled like a school girl at you, or both.

wiring.......meh.....I work alone with alot of stuff as you know, and I'd really have to figure out what all was going on there with that web of wires.

looks good though....good grab....makes up for the tires I scoffed up before you.

Laughing looking at that one pic thinking "those poor Malloy's"....hehehe

 

Haha you got it backwards. The lady that has actually lived there for 30 some odd years thinks she owns the place.


While I am looking at that same photo, that reminds me, one of the drawbacks to this bed is that that chain will no longer wrap around the frame. lol. And the fact it's aluminum which does not make for a very good towpoint haha.

 

sounds like it may be time to acquire some welding skills......and a welder.

so let me understand this......it matches up right?
it's mostly aluminum?? or is there alot of steel?

the lighting configuration looks fantastic until you showed that rat's nest of wiring ....but i'm sure that's a 1 for one switcheroo for ya.

 

remember, I will be taking off my bumper in the spring......I bet we could utilize that bumper with it's hitch somehow there.

 

listing is still up.....I noted the "$350" asking price.

http://scranton.craigslist.org/cto/2146165269.html

 

hey guys! guess what!! i just scored a sweet new bed for my truck (pics later). only 350 bucks, all aluminum and wood, great shape, too! i just have to drive out to wilkes-barre to get it. and it comes with....

oh, um...

wait a minute...

 

haha wow, I didn't notice that price before when it was first posted. But yeah, I picked it up for that $250.

Wiring was easy, I just snipped everything to like a 6" pigtail from all of the lights in the back. Wired the smaller 2" lights in the center together along with the Lic Plate light. Those will get wired to the original Toyota wiring harness.

The Stop/Tail/Turn is just gonna be wired to the wiring harness that was from the old lights.

And the marker lights are gonna be wired of the tail light wires with what I had already had setup on the truck which I think was spliced into the tail light section of the old light harness.

Will get more photos up later today when it's light outside.

Looks like I might be having the bed welded to the frame.

 

I got one side wired up. The turn signals, corner lights and red running lights in the back are all incandescent bulbs. Only ones that are LED are the stop/tail lights. Tail light itself don't look too bright, hard to tell in the daytime though I guess.

Too much snow and such to finish this thing today, maybe tomorrow we will see.

 

Pics or Ban?

 

Very cool, B! Sorry I've been MIA on this one, lol. Not sure why my User CP isn't notifying me of 'CERTAIN' script's I've signed up for! grrr. ANYWAYYYYY, looks good, and can't wait to see it all done. Not sure if I missed it, ...but are you painting it or coating it with Bar Top or something? Just curious, cuz of the weather you contend with.

Hope you're doing well, Brandon, ....have a great New Year,

Mark