Quick and easy license plate light

[D-Rock]

I needed a license plate for my newest project "Beatus" and looked through my toolbox. I came up with a real quick and simple light. It took me maybe 5 minutes to put together and install. The only contingent is that it requires having a 4 prong trailer plug. Surprisingly the trailer lights on this rat actually work! And since the ground and the running lights are next to each other, it plugs right in. All you need is one license plate light and one of those negative and positive pigtails, just solder them together, shrink some tubing and its done.





Sorry the pictures are so shitty.

[TacoDell]

hmmm... this seems somewhat hokey to me.

Thought most vehicles already have wiring established specifically for the license plate light...

why wouldn't one simply utilze that ?

besides... muh flat 4 connection needs to be used to light up my trailer

I really don't get your methods... sorry

[NorcalPR]

It's a "cheap" hokey trick...

The proper way would be to get the male harness that plugs into the stock female harness. A cheaper way would just be to cut off the female harness and use spade connectors.

[D-Rock]

Originally Posted by TacoDell

hmmm... this seems somewhat hokey to me.

Thought most vehicles already have wiring established specifically for the license plate light...

why wouldn't one simply utilze that ?

besides... muh flat 4 connection needs to be used to light up my trailer

I really don't get your methods... sorry

Most (all) vehicles do have wiring established new from the factory but when you purchase a vehicle used that is 25 years old, used as a farm truck, previously owned by a goober, and beat as fuck, you may not have all the factory wiring in pristine shape. Maybe this is a "hokey" setup, but that is a relative term, considering what you're working with.


I wasn't expecting to have to justify this setup, but here goes... I pulled the rear bumper off since it was rigged up and held on with one bolt per side. The plate lights were attached, but not hooked up. I reattached the plate to the back of the bed and still had no plate light. At this point, I could have poked around under the rusty bed and tried to track down the proper wire for the plate light, but since the 4 prong trailer lights were dangling in my face, I figured I'd test those and see if my other 2 prong plug would plug in and utilize the proper wires. It worked, so I went with it.

Maybe I didn't clarify that this was more of a temporary fix, but hokey or not, since most of the rigs on this website are a "work in progress" I thought maybe someone else could utilize it while their new custom bumper is being built, or they're in the process of bobbing their bed or any other number of examples.

If you are constantly towing a trailer and using the 4 prong, then you're probably not too worried about having a plate light, since there is a big ass trailer blocking the plate anyway. However, around here, cops will find any reason to pull me over, and I have been stopped for a plate light before. So this hokey trick will at least prevent me from having a reason to get stopped.

I hope my justification is acceptable to you TacoDell.

[D-Rock]

Originally Posted by NorcalPR

It's a "cheap" hokey trick...

The proper way would be to get the male harness that plugs into the stock female harness. A cheaper way would just be to cut off the female harness and use spade connectors.

That would work fine also. I don't know how that would be any more proper, but its another option. It all depends on what you have in your tool box.