2008 style tails will fit 99 to 07 trucks??

 

Did some more ordering.

I ordered a set of red LED tail lamp bulbs and white LED reverse lamp bulbs for the tail lights to go with the 08+ OEM tails. Completely done with the tails now since I've got the bulbs to match.

Along with the new 08+ rear bumper setup I ordered a set of white LED license plate bulbs since the setup comes with new license plate lamp assemblies. This will complete the rear bumper setup - brackets, lights, pads, and all.

I finally decided on a third brake lamp. I think the factory one makes the truck look very dated and wanted an aftermarket one. Problem is that most of the aftermarket ones are very ugly to me. I wanted something that looked more stock, and all I could find was either clear ones or smoked ones, both of which aren't really going to match the theme of the truck. The idea is to keep Amarillo theme, but just updated. I finally found this:

99 13 Ford F250 Ranger Tail LED 3rd Brake Light Red Lens Rear Cargo Lamp Stop | eBay

To me it still looks very factory, but will match the 08+ tails perfectly, plus it was pretty cheap. If I don't like it I'm only out a small bit of money and will just put a new stock one on most likely. Also, it comes with all the LED's, so I didn't have to buy any extra bulbs.

For the headlights I ended up ordering a 55-watt 6000K HID kit. It'll give a nice bright white light. To go with that I ordered the LED switchback white/amber front turn signal bulbs to match the white. I will be removing the corner lights on the front as I hate how they look behind the reflectors and LED bulbs will just be worse. Also, I'm fairly sure the truck can easily be seen from the side. lol That will complete the headlights.

For the fog lights I ordered a 35-watt 3000K HID kit. To go with these I bought a set of yellow lens OEM style fog lights on eBay for 35 bucks shipped. I've got the factory clear ones, but I figured these yellow ones would set it off pretty well, not to mention actually giving me fog lights instead of driving lights.

I think that wraps it up for lighting stuff for the truck for now. My only other thoughts are getting the 08+ tailgate, painting the fender flares, and changing/removing the side steps. Other than that I think I'm done with the exterior.

 

Yes, you just need to splice a different reverse lamp socket, you can get them from Advance Auto.

 

You kinda lose the cargo lamp feature, but I agree that 3rd brake lamp is about the best choice I've seen. I wish someone would make one like that with the leds for the brakes then some clear led projectors on either end. I had one like that for my old dodge.

 

Agreed. I've been told you lose the cargo lamps basically, but I most likely will be putting some LED under rail lights in to light up the bed better than the factory cargo lamp anyways. The aftermarket clear and smoked LED brake lamps just don't look right at all and this one does as it looks factory looking instead of something that clearly sticks out.

 

Which LED tail bulbs did you use?

 

I ordered all of my stuff from DDM Tuning. I've used them in the past and they've been great. I went with a 3157 red LED bulb. I just picked the brightest 360 degree bulb they offered.

 

Auto,
Looks like you did a fair amount of clean up on the underside which is my first warm weather project. Can you tell me what paint you used as it looks superb.

Mark

 

Thanks! I did mine over a period of a few power washings. I used un-diluted Purple Power in a spray bottle and soaked the hell out of everything and used a nice heated power washer on the underside two times over the course of a couple days to get it prepped. I didn't want to deal with scuffing and such as it's a real PITA laying on your back. I used Rustoleum Hammered finish in black. It actually comes out almost a dark metallic gray color. Best part is it leaves a finely textured finish that hides imperfections well and it's semi-flat so it never really looks dirty. I used it without an undercoat or top coat as I didn't want to have to try and cover up primer or have un-even clear. So far it's stuck perfectly, even through our latest winter episodes. I'll honestly probably just re-apply once a year for upkeep. I would think after you do it initially it will take very little to preserve the finish.

 

CT,
Thanks so much for the wisdom.
MK

 

Got some of the bulbs in and a few more things installed.

The headlight setup is complete. Currently running Depo Harley Davidson-style lights with clear reflectors. I removed the corner lamp as it looks odd shining through the reflector. The high/low beams are a DDM Tuning 55-watt 6000K HID kit. The parking/turn signal light is a DDM Tuning 60 LED white/amber switchback that is white with the turn signal off and amber with the signal on. I wanted to run a light that looked like it actually belonged on the truck unlike most of the aftermarket lighting. The smoked housings go well with the rest of the black trim on the truck and the clear reflectors instead of amber don't clash with the yellow on the truck.

The fog light setup is complete. Currently running Winjet OEM-style lights with yellow lenses. The lights are a DDM Tuning 35-watt 3000K HID kit. I decided to go with yellow lenses and lights so that I had an actual fog lamp setup instead of just driving lights as it projects are nice pure yellow light down low. There was an option to get ones with projectors in them, but they didn't quite look right without having projectors in the headlights.

Mirror setup is complete. They are a Chrome Factory Outlet 2008+ mirror conversion with power tilt and heated lenses. The signal lenses are VMS smoked LED lenses. I am running the chrome mirror caps to keep the Amarillo theme but have a spare set of yellow mirror caps painted to match the truck. The 08+ mirrors look much better than the 99-07 mirrors and you can see much more out of them. I decided to use smoked lenses as they blend into the black mirrors and hide the lights unless they're on and the LEDs look much nicer than regular bulbs.

The third brake light is an Apex Auto Parts Manufacturing red LED third brake lamp assembly with chrome trim. This was the only third brake light I found that actually looked like it would fit the truck and looked like it belonged there. It's completely red instead of red and white. I would have preferred the trim be black, but the chrome looks decent as well. I may paint it in the future black.

 

The tail lamp setup is complete as well. Originally I was using a set of 08+ tails that were smoked, but I hated the fact they just looked like a black blob with no definition. Also, once I put the Amarillo stickers on the bed they just didn't quite look right. I decided to go to an OEM 08+ tail setup and use LED bulbs. The reverse lamps are DDM Tuning white 10x2323 LED bulbs. The tail/brake lamps are DDM Tuning red 23x5630 LED bulbs. This setup fits the original Amarillo package much better and simply makes it just look updated. Also, I like the bowed-out look of the 08+ tails compared to the 99-07 style that the aftermarket uses.

The rear bumper setup is complete now as well. It his an Aplonex International 2008+ OEM-style chrome rear bumper conversion with parking assist. It came with new license plate light assemblies, harness, brackets, and hardware. I ended up going to the Ford dealer and getting the backup sensor plastic brackets as the 99-07 ones are different. I was able to re-use my backup sensors and harness as they are the same part number as the 08+. It looks so much better than the 99-07 bumper setup plus it's chrome to fit the Amarillo package and the backup sensors work perfectly. I also installed DDM Tuning white 6x5630 LED's in the license plate lamps too.

For flairs I ended up using APS pocket-style flares painted to match. The black looked good, but the yellow flows much better and keeps the Amarillo theme since the truck original came with yellow painted flares.

Basically at this point all I've got left is finding the 08+ tailgate for a good deal. Also, I'm thinking of changing grilles as well but want to retain some of the chrome to keep the Amarillo theme there still. I am wanting a grille without the Ford badge as it's blue and nothing else on the truck is blue at all, just yellow/black/chrome with small bits of red here and there. Also, if the I get the 08+ tailgate and it doesn't have a camera the emblem will get shaved off too. I'm also thinking of changing the side steps too as the factory ones make the truck look dated. I like the truck much better without them, but I need steps for the wife and kids. For the grille I'm thinking of using this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-07-Ford-S...58963c&vxp=mtr

It's chrome and black and removes the Ford emblem plus it looks mean as hell. I was debating doing a yellow paint stencil of some sort on the A/C condenser behind the grille since you would be able to see it. Might be a nice little touch to the truck. Here's a few older pictures.









Anything else you guys suggest?

 

I was waiting for after Christmas to do the 3rd brake lamp on my truck, and they are now out of stock...

BUT I did get the late model taillight swap done, and the 07 style headlamp conversion done... I went with "spider" style LED brake/tail lamp bulbs to give it a slightly different look and have the appearance of a little more LED surface area. Upgraded the flasher too of course. I think I am going to order LED bulbs for the backup lights, but I am trying to decide first if I want to also get amber 3157s for the front parking lamps OR do I want the switchback style?

Also I am weighing if I want to: modify/fit a stock 07 type grille, buy one that is already done, or just go with a full billet replacement... hmmm

...and I am quite intrigued by the late model style mirror conversion.

 

You want the switchback LED's. They are MUCH better looking.

 

Looks pretty good. I upgraded the tailights as well and like the look and the fact I can tell if the brake lights work through the mirrors.

Have you thought of Billet Badges? Maybe a custom version for the front that says amarillo on it in red and yellow.

Also for the newer tailgates Rock Auto sells the handles which can house the backup cameras. Might be cool with front and rear custom badges.