Up next Custom Kandy-Coated 1992 Chevy C1500 Published on April 30, 2024 Author BRANDON BURRELL Share article Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Mail 0 LIGHT IT UP- Upgrading to LED Illumination in a Ford Maverick Swapping to LED Illumination LED lighting is a common thing on modern trucks. But what if you have an older truck or even a base-model truck? Only in the last few years have vehicle manufacturers started doing all-LED lighting, so a ton of trucks are still on the road with the older, halogen-style lights. Having new LED lights not only provides better visibility for the driver, but they also allow others to see the truck better, especially at night. Upgraded lighting also makes the truck look like a higher-end model. In my case, with my XL base-model ’23 Ford Maverick, other than the headlights and tag lights, all other bulbs were halogen. I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing I am: “Why would a manufacturer do half and half? Surely, the cost for the bulbs during the build process isn’t that much different.” Fortunately, companies like Diode Dynamics offer a full LED upgrade for pretty much every vehicle on the road, so I reached out to place an order for this little truck. By doing this LED upgrade and seeing this truck on the road, not only does it look like a higher trim level vehicle, but it also provides better visibility.Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Of course, these bulbs swap out like standard bulbs do, but they offer far greater light output. For the front running lights that are turn signal bulbs, I upgraded to an LED switchback. By doing this, the running light is a bright white LED that looks better and adds more front-facing lighting for those dark nights, but when the turn signal is activated, the bulbs turn orange for the turn signal. When adding LED turn signals to most vehicles, a resistor must be added to eliminate the hyper flash caused by the new bulbs. Diode Dynamics also supplied those so we could have a complete install. While swapping out the bulbs, it was a must to replace the ugly orange front bumper lenses with something a little classier. For this, I got with Klearz Manufacturing, which offers a clear lens for the Maverick. Klearz has a few options with these lenses as far as color and tint. Because my truck is white, I chose white housing and clear lenses, which pretty much disappear into the bumper when the lights are turned off. Follow along to see the transformation from dull, halogen bulbs to the super modern LED bulbs. I also upgraded all the bulbs in the taillights, making the truck safer by adding more light for people following you. 01. Diode Dynamics has everything needed to upgrade the dull, halogen bulbs in this truck, including the resistors needed to stop hyper flash. The Klearz bumper lenses will complete the look. They install the same way the factory lenses do. 02. As you can see, even the lights for the bumper lenses look higher-end when side by side with the stock bulbs. 03. For the taillights, adding a red LED bulb makes your brake lights brighter than factory, which ensures vehicles behind you can see you better. 04. First thing I had to do was remove the third brake light. Two cargo lights and a brake light that came with halogen bulbs will get upgraded. After removing a couple Phillips head screws, the cover came off. 05. You can tell how dull the factory halogen bulb on the right is compared to the new LED on the left. 06. With all bulbs swapped and the third brake light reinstalled, these LED bulbs add a ton more light when needed. It makes loading the bed much easier with the amount of light output. 07. Going from the stock orange running light up front to the much brighter, white light up front gives the front end a much higher end look and provides better forward light output. These also switch to orange when the turn signal is applied, then instantly back to white. 08. For me, the ugly factory orange bumper lenses had to go. The new clear lenses are exact replicas of the OEM lenses and clip in the same way. I even upgraded the bulb to LED to make them brighter, and they now match the headlight color when on. SOURCES Diode Dynamics 314-205-3033 www.diodedynamics.com @diodedynamics Klearz www.klearz.com @klearzmanufacturing
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