BRIGHTER VIEW

Dapper Lighting Upgrades for Ol’ Red

OONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL ELEMENTS TO driving safely is the ability to see. At night we need the aid of lighting to help us do just that. Most 2019 cars these days come equipped straight from the factory with some really nice lights. But let’s take it back 40, 50 and even 60-plus years ago to the trucks we all love and restore. Their sealed 7-inch lights have served their purpose through many years and applications, but they definitely don’t make it easy to see while driving at night. Fast forward to today. Most cars now use projector lights with HIDs or LEDs. In the aftermarket world, 7-inch headlights have been available, but the crazy super fancy-looking new headlights sometimes work—but sometimes they can take away from the originality of a classic truck.

Here comes a company called Dapper Lighting whose main goal is to bring modern lighting to classic rides. The company blends modern technology without sacrificing too much of the classic stylings. The headlights that we installed into Ol’ Red are the Dapper Lighting LED Seven, what they call the modern solution to a classic problem. It’s truly an awesome product and the install is very simple: Remove the original headlight and unplug it, and then plug the LED Seven right into the factory socket. It’s that simple with no wiring necessary. Now, we took it one step further and added the daytime running light/switchback halos. That adds a little wiring, but it’s still simple and the detailed instructions make it a breeze.

It took about an hour total time to install these new headlights, and they absolutely changed the look of the truck. Most importantly, now it’s much safer to drive at night and our field of vision is expanded dramatically.

01 We were excited to see these bad boys firsthand.

05 With the headlight ring removed, we could also remove and unplug the headlight.

08 The Dapper Lighting setup plugs right into your original harness. It’s that easy!

07 The wiring diagram and included instructions make this swap a breeze.

03 First, we removed the headlight bezel with the three screws holding it in place.

02 Here’s where we began with our factory 7-inch sealed lights.

06 Old versus new! Easy to see that this was a muchneeded upgrade.

04 Next, we loosened the screws on the headlight ring.

13 LEFT. We tested out the Halo function before finishing everything up. 14 RIGHT. We reinstalled the headlight bezel and tightened down the screws.

09 Next, we cleaned up our wires and tucked them behind the headlight housing.

12 Here, we’re finding the running lights and wiring up the LED halos and switchbacks using the provided wiring diagram. We made sure to properly solder and heat shrink all necessary connections.

16 RIGHT. Nice and clean and ready to hit some dark roads. Let’s ride!

11 We tested everything out before wiring in the LED halos and switchbacks.

10 Now we could reinstall the headlight and trim ring cover and secure.

15 LEFT. On and off these headlights make a huge difference!