Amber DRL Conversion Options

[Peter949]

A little update for everyone: I'm still waiting on 2 more vinyl options to come in, but so far the best looking option is using Tamiya clear orange model car paint. The biggest problem with this is that after it cures it becomes very brittle, and I'm not sure how colorfast it will be when exposed to heat/UV over time.

I did also try stacking a few combinations of a reddish film with kapton tape, but I noticed a significant amount of light loss using this method after I reinstalled the headlights. The photos make them seem much brighter than they actually are

I'm currently waiting for some amber Lamin-x and Oracal films to deliver and will report back once I can try them. I honestly think that changing the LEDs themselves is the proper fix, but in lieu of that being viable at this time I will have to live with the films.

Just wanted to say awesome work.

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[moproblems]

A little update for everyone: I'm still waiting on 2 more vinyl options to come in, but so far the best looking option is using Tamiya clear orange model car paint. The biggest problem with this is that after it cures it becomes very brittle, and I'm not sure how colorfast it will be when exposed to heat/UV over time.

I did also try stacking a few combinations of a reddish film with kapton tape, but I noticed a significant amount of light loss using this method after I reinstalled the headlights. The photos make them seem much brighter than they actually are

I'm currently waiting for some amber Lamin-x and Oracal films to deliver and will report back once I can try them. I honestly think that changing the LEDs themselves is the proper fix, but in lieu of that being viable at this time I will have to live with the films.

Be careful with Kapton, I destroyed a set of 7k headlights trying to use it as a filter for the DRL on my BMW.

 

[JustNick]

Be careful with Kapton, I destroyed a set of 7k headlights trying to use it as a filter for the DRL on my BMW.

Out of curiosity, what exactly got damaged?

 

[moproblems]

Out of curiosity, what exactly got damaged?

The extra heat buildup from the surface of the pipes no longer being perfectly clear basically burned the light pipes and the LEDs. High power LEDs create a TON of heat especially at the firing end. The headlights were not salvageable and were effectively destroyed.

 

[JustNick]

The extra heat buildup from the surface of the pipes no longer being perfectly clear basically burned the light pipes and the LEDs. High power LEDs create a TON of heat especially at the firing end. The headlights were not salvageable and were effectively destroyed.

Interesting, I had considered the heat but didn't think that it'd get to be quite that hot with the addition of the filter. I may need to power the module up on the bench and measure the temps before I wreck the light pipe. Thanks for the heads up

 

[moproblems]

Interesting, I had considered the heat but didn't think that it'd get to be quite that hot with the addition of the filter. I may need to power the module up on the bench and measure the temps before I wreck the light pipe. Thanks for the heads up

If you measure the LEDs and do some testing on them you may be able to find a drop in replacement component and have them resoldered on the board.

 

[jrRaptor]

The heat build up is because Kapton is used as electrical and thermal insulation and LED's get hot - heat couldn't transfer effectively.

 

[JustNick]

I took some temperature measurements with a 30 minute interval. With a 45F ambient reading, the stock DRL internal temperature hit steady state hovering at 49F. With the stacked filters in my previous posts (worst case scenario), steady state was 54F. This was measured at the light pipe closest to the emitter, engine off, no air flow

The film that was supposed to deliver was delayed yet again so that's all I was able to accomplish today

 

[JustNick]

The truck is back together and I'm really digging it. I found that Oracal 8300 Transparent Orange only needed one layer and was a very close match to the rest of the Raptor line up. I did lose a little brightness compared to stock, but it's bearable until a new LED replacement option is available.

Basically what I did was cut small strips of the vinyl and apply to the sides of the light pipes using a small Allen wrench, then put the vinyl on the top of the tower and trimmed to fit

My biggest gripe is that in my excitement to find a good match, I forgot to purge the headlight with dry air. Now that the temps have dropped outside, I've got a bit of condensation in the lights. I'm not looking forward to pulling these lights again just to dry them and fill with argon, but it's worth it for the pursuit of perfection!

 

[Deleted member 6814]

Definitely looks cool, but having done this myself, it is way too much work. I’ll wait for the mid cycle refresh when they update the truck. Hopefully they give it the amber DRL’s that it should have come with.

 

[moproblems]

The truck is back together and I'm really digging it. I found that Oracal 8300 Transparent Orange only needed one layer and was a very close match to the rest of the Raptor line up. I did lose a little brightness compared to stock, but it's bearable until a new LED replacement option is available.

Basically what I did was cut small strips of the vinyl and apply to the sides of the light pipes using a small Allen wrench, then put the vinyl on the top of the tower and trimmed to fit

My biggest gripe is that in my excitement to find a good match, I forgot to purge the headlight with dry air. Now that the temps have dropped outside, I've got a bit of condensation in the lights. I'm not looking forward to pulling these lights again just to dry them and fill with argon, but it's worth it for the pursuit of perfection!

I'll watch this intently, I gotta dig my old lamps out of storage and show you what happened and why I'm leery still. I still don't quite understand why Derrick needs the entire assembly to do his mod.

 

[JustNick]

I'll watch this intently, I gotta dig my old lamps out of storage and show you what happened and why I'm leery still. I still don't quite understand why Derrick needs the entire assembly to do his mod.

My temperature measurements were only elevated by a couple of degrees, so I'm not really all that concerned with them melting. I did see a few examples of bmw DRLs melting completely unmodified as well and it looks like they use a single high powered Led compared to our 6 significantly smaller ones

 

[Ag3ntC00p3r]

The truck is back together and I'm really digging it. I found that Oracal 8300 Transparent Orange only needed one layer and was a very close match to the rest of the Raptor line up. I did lose a little brightness compared to stock, but it's bearable until a new LED replacement option is available.

Basically what I did was cut small strips of the vinyl and apply to the sides of the light pipes using a small Allen wrench, then put the vinyl on the top of the tower and trimmed to fit

My biggest gripe is that in my excitement to find a good match, I forgot to purge the headlight with dry air. Now that the temps have dropped outside, I've got a bit of condensation in the lights. I'm not looking forward to pulling these lights again just to dry them and fill with argon, but it's worth it for the pursuit of perfection!

If you do pull them once again, can you post some pics of the removal/reassembly process? From the previous pics looks like grille and some trim/facia pieces have to be removed.

 

[JustNick]

If you do pull them once again, can you post some pics of the removal/reassembly process? From the previous pics looks like grille and some trim/facia pieces have to be removed.

It's funny, I started taking pics the first time but got distracted by my buddy that came to help. I'll at a minimum take some pics and mark them up showing what needs to come off. It's generally in this order: the radiator cover, the grille, the inner fender liner, the fender flares, the lower painted fascia, loosen the front two bolts of the fenders, theres a trim piece below the headlights, and then finally the headlights come out. You can take that list of things off using just a trim removal tool, 7mm, 8mm, 10mm sockets and a Phillips screwdriver

 

[Ag3ntC00p3r]

It's funny, I started taking pics the first time but got distracted by my buddy that came to help. I'll at a minimum take some pics and mark them up showing what needs to come off. It's generally in this order: the radiator cover, the grille, the inner fender liner, the fender flares, the lower painted fascia, loosen the front two bolts of the fenders, theres a trim piece below the headlights, and then finally the headlights come out. You can take that list of things off using just a trim removal tool, 7mm, 8mm, 10mm sockets and a Phillips screwdriver

Awesome. Thanks!

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