Making the Reflective Parking light into an actual light

[RangerReviver1990]

I've seen people with the late 2000's rangers do a "blinker mod" and I guess it was common 10 years ago or something. And a couple months ago, I saw on eBay a LED replacement to the stock reflective side marker for my '90. Would it be possible to modify the side marker and stick a small halogen bulb in there and wire it up to my parking lights and blinker relay?

 

[Snoranger]

I've seen people with the late 2000's rangers do a "blinker mod" and I guess it was common 10 years ago or something. And a couple months ago, I saw on eBay a LED replacement to the stock reflective side marker for my '90. Would it be possible to modify the side marker and stick a small halogen bulb in there and wire it up to my parking lights and blinker relay?

Yes. I did this over 20 years ago on my ‘90 supercab. I may be able to dig up a pic or 2, but probably not. Let’s see how good my memory is.

I pulled the headlight bezels/ marker lights. Removed the reflector. Drill out the bezel for clearance to pass the wiring through. (I wouldn’t recommend drilling the reflector, if the bit catches at the last second. It will pull the bit through into the outer housing and mess it up.) I’d use a piece of pipe (either black pipe or copper, whatever fits the best.), heat it up, melt the hole.

Use a push in rubber bulb socket and a 194NA bulb. Like this:

When you wire it up, if you use an incandescent bulb, wire up one side to the marker light power and the other wire to the blinker power. (This won’t work if you use a LED bulb, only incandescent.) Wired this way, it will light up as a parking light. It will work as a blinker with the parking lights off. It will flash opposite of the blinker with the parking lights on.

 

[RangerReviver1990]

Thanks, I never would've thought about heating up a pipe and making a hole that way.

 

[RangerReviver1990]

Yes. I did this over 20 years ago on my ‘90 supercab. I may be able to dig up a pic or 2, but probably not. Let’s see how good my memory is.

I pulled the headlight bezels/ marker lights. Removed the reflector. Drill out the bezel for clearance to pass the wiring through. (I wouldn’t recommend drilling the reflector, if the bit catches at the last second. It will pull the bit through into the outer housing and mess it up.) I’d use a piece of pipe (either black pipe or copper, whatever fits the best.), heat it up, melt the hole.

Use a push in rubber bulb socket and a 194NA bulb. Like this:
View attachment 114674

When you wire it up, if you use an incandescent bulb, wire up one side to the marker light power and the other wire to the blinker power. (This won’t work if you use a LED bulb, only incandescent.) Wired this way, it will light up as a parking light. It will work as a blinker with the parking lights off. It will flash opposite of the blinker with the parking lights on.

Would the hole have to be the same size as the little lip in the bulb socket? Or slightly smaller?

 

[Snoranger]

Would the hole have to be the same size as the little lip in the bulb socket? Or slightly smaller?

Probably a little smaller, so it will stay in place.
I actually did it a little different when I did mine. I use some cracked Ranger license plate light housings and epoxied them into the hole I drilled into the reflector. That allowed me to use factory pigtails I cut out a parts truck. I only did it that way because I had everything in my garage, so it cost me nothing.