FMJ
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
So i am at the 3 year warranty running out point and it’s time to start some more mods. 2017/18 Mustang GT in Magnetic Grey. Mods so far are:
Rear muffler deletes
side lettering vinyl
rear side reflectors swapped from amber to red
Rear side window louvres
Stainless fuse box cover
Customised engine cover paint and vinyl
Ford performance shift knob
led side lights, interior lights, reverse light and DRL/fogs
Sound tube delete
I wanted to do something different and miss how retro my previous S197 looked so decided to try to replicate a few more classic features on my S550.
I wanted to change to traditional red tail lights but found that this isn’t easy. Yes you can swap to US lights but the wiring, LED boards, connectors and drivers are all different. It’s not plug and play. Even if you buy expensive adapters you will still have no orange indicators meaning MOT fail and no payout if somebody rear ends you having not realised what US style flashing reds mean. You can pay about £800 for new LED boards to include amber LEDs to fit to US tail lights or even £1200 to have them fitted… but that’s insane!
You can stick on red tinted film but I don’t really like that option and find that it darkens the light from the LEDs too much again possibly getting you in hot water come a collision.
I wasn’t that bothered about the sequential turn signals I just wanted the traditional red lenses but with the U.K. functionality.
So I got a pair of used US tail lights for £300 and very carefully cut them open with a hot knife blade. I did the same to my Uk tail lights. Then I swapped the LED boards and wiring over. So I now have US tail lights with U.K. electronics. The lights were bonded back together and are nice and water tight.
Fitted to the car you cannot see the cuts or new seal at all, even with the boot open. The U.K. LEDs shine through the red reflectors perfectly.
It’s not an easy process and you do have to be very careful but I love the result and am very glad I did it.
Here are the videos before and after. Please note the flickering is just due to camera frame rate, the lights don’t flicker in reality.
Before
After
Rear muffler deletes
side lettering vinyl
rear side reflectors swapped from amber to red
Rear side window louvres
Stainless fuse box cover
Customised engine cover paint and vinyl
Ford performance shift knob
led side lights, interior lights, reverse light and DRL/fogs
Sound tube delete
I wanted to do something different and miss how retro my previous S197 looked so decided to try to replicate a few more classic features on my S550.
I wanted to change to traditional red tail lights but found that this isn’t easy. Yes you can swap to US lights but the wiring, LED boards, connectors and drivers are all different. It’s not plug and play. Even if you buy expensive adapters you will still have no orange indicators meaning MOT fail and no payout if somebody rear ends you having not realised what US style flashing reds mean. You can pay about £800 for new LED boards to include amber LEDs to fit to US tail lights or even £1200 to have them fitted… but that’s insane!
You can stick on red tinted film but I don’t really like that option and find that it darkens the light from the LEDs too much again possibly getting you in hot water come a collision.
I wasn’t that bothered about the sequential turn signals I just wanted the traditional red lenses but with the U.K. functionality.
So I got a pair of used US tail lights for £300 and very carefully cut them open with a hot knife blade. I did the same to my Uk tail lights. Then I swapped the LED boards and wiring over. So I now have US tail lights with U.K. electronics. The lights were bonded back together and are nice and water tight.
Fitted to the car you cannot see the cuts or new seal at all, even with the boot open. The U.K. LEDs shine through the red reflectors perfectly.
It’s not an easy process and you do have to be very careful but I love the result and am very glad I did it.
Here are the videos before and after. Please note the flickering is just due to camera frame rate, the lights don’t flicker in reality.
Before
After
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