Airborne Janitor Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Was scrolling though my photos and found these photos with notes. They may be useful to anyone who plans to install the factory bed light on their MJ. This is a factory cargo bed light and switch with panel for a Jeep Comanche. It will fit all years, and up to 1990 or so, the wiring for it will already be present. For some 1990 and later, it will have to be wired in. The last three pictures show some measurements of the factory mounting holes in the back of the cab for the cargo light. The hole for the power wire is 1" in diameter, with the bottom edge of the hole 15/16" above the back glass mounting rubber. The screw holes are about 5 5/8" apart. The rubber mounting gasket could be used as a template for the screw holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acfortier Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Great info! Might make sense to move over to the DIY section? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I have the factory directions on here somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 https://comancheclub.com/topic/55863-cargo-light-mounting-holes-pictures-measurements/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I wish we could get someone to reproduce the actual cargo lamp. I asked OGR about this but they didn’t reply. I’m guessing they are too busy. They are very compact an i would think someone could just wake the shell. We could use a small led strip inside for the light itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camjeep3 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Could the base be 3d printed and use a readily available off the shelf lens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 2 hours ago, camjeep3 said: Could the base be 3d printed and use a readily available off the shelf lens? There is a nice led light that is pretty close to the shape and design of the oem one but it did need a good base. Sounds like something @Dzimm could make. I’m guessing it’s the same material as the tailgate bumpers if those are UV stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Here is the light I used in the past. Cast aluminum housing with polycarbonate lens. Nice and bright plus waterproof. Just need a good gasket that has a bit of a wedge design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 2 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said: There is a nice led light that is pretty close to the shape and design of the oem one but it did need a good base. Sounds like something @Dzimm could make. I’m guessing it’s the same material as the tailgate bumpers if those are UV stable. I've actually been asked to make the gasket part for these before but don't have a factory light nor any dimensions or good photos of the light itself. I could certainly use an off the shelf reflector/lens and custom make a housing and such to match the original. Although would be much easier to just find an off the shelf cargo light and make an adapter to make it fit the MJ roof line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 5 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said: Here is the light I used in the past. Cast aluminum housing with polycarbonate lens. Nice and bright plus waterproof. Just need a good gasket that has a bit of a wedge design. Do you have a link to this? I could take a look at it and see what it would take to adapt it to the MJ. I'd probably use PETG to make a wedge adapter and then custom cut the gasket out of some rubber. I am really not sure how UV stable the 3D printable rubber is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Glad to see my pictures may be helping out others! Interesting note on the factory lamp, because of its design, the left bulb is grounded through the left screw, and the right bulb through the right screw, with power in the middle. Remove one screw, and the light on that side goes out, the other will stay on. I have a cargo light on hand, if pictures/measurements of the base are needed. Or, I could loan it out if needed for design work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Dzimm said: Do you have a link to this? I could take a look at it and see what it would take to adapt it to the MJ. I'd probably use PETG to make a wedge adapter and then custom cut the gasket out of some rubber. I am really not sure how UV stable the 3D printable rubber is. I’ll dm you the link. I was going to put together a kit for this some time back with wiring harness, new switch and bezel along with the lamp and gasket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, schardein said: Glad to see my pictures may be helping out others! Interesting note on the factory lamp, because of its design, the left bulb is grounded through the left screw, and the right bulb through the right screw, with power in the middle. Remove one screw, and the light on that side goes out, the other will stay on. I have a cargo light on hand, if pictures/measurements of the base are needed. Or, I could loan it out if needed for design work. The factory cargo light i had was great while it lasted but unfortunately, the plastic they used to make it got extremely brittle in the tropical sun and started cracking on its own. Pretty much the entire piece is transparent plastic that is painted on the inside. The one I replaced it with was a quality piece with aluminum body and stainless hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said: The factory cargo light i had was great while it lasted but unfortunately, the plastic they used to make it got extremely brittle in the tropical sun and started cracking on its own. Pretty much the entire piece is transparent plastic that is painted on the inside. The one I replaced it with was a quality piece with aluminum body and stainless hardware. Yes, it’s surprising (maybe not so surprising) how cheaply made they are. Not that it really pertains to this topic, but my opinion is, if you feel you need a cargo light, and you have some kind of roll bar, I would mount a separate light to the roll bar for that purpose, rather than drill holes in the cab to mount the cheaply made original. I’d also consider some kind of lights under the bed rail, mounted with tape or magnets. My Silverado has them and they are super handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Janitor Posted January 31, 2023 Author Share Posted January 31, 2023 6 minutes ago, schardein said: Yes, it’s surprising (maybe not so surprising) how cheaply made they are. Not that it really pertains to this topic, but my opinion is, if you feel you need a cargo light, and you have some kind of roll bar, I would mount a separate light to the roll bar for that purpose, rather than drill holes in the cab to mount the cheaply made original. I’d also consider some kind of lights under the bed rail, mounted with tape or magnets. My Silverado has them and they are super handy. My plan is to use the factory bed light switch to activate LED strips in the bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted January 31, 2023 Share Posted January 31, 2023 8 minutes ago, schardein said: Yes, it’s surprising (maybe not so surprising) how cheaply made they are. Not that it really pertains to this topic, but my opinion is, if you feel you need a cargo light, and you have some kind of roll bar, I would mount a separate light to the roll bar for that purpose, rather than drill holes in the cab to mount the cheaply made original. I’d also consider some kind of lights under the bed rail, mounted with tape or magnets. My Silverado has them and they are super handy. I'm going to be running both in my current build but I’m going to use the aftermarket light listed above if @Dzimm can make a gasket for it. Lights under the bed rail are great for fishing things out of the bed but I really like the cargo lamp for illuminating larger objects and especially when working behind the truck. Plus I’m using the rolling hardtop cover so bedlights and cargo lights will complement each other. My bedlights will be jamb switch activated by opening the tailgate but the cargo lamp will have the dash switch like oem. The stock cargo lamp was not bright at all but the modeI used above is just over 700 lumens and worked great as a work light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 2 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: I'm going to be running both in my current build but I’m going to use the aftermarket light listed above if @Dzimm can make a gasket for it. Lights under the bed rail are great for fishing things out of the bed but I really like the cargo lamp for illuminating larger objects and especially when working behind the truck. Plus I’m using the rolling hardtop cover so bedlights and cargo lights will complement each other. My bedlights will be jamb switch activated by opening the tailgate but the cargo lamp will have the dash switch like oem. The stock cargo lamp was not bright at all but the modeI used above is just over 700 lumens and worked great as a work light. Sounds like a good plan. I travel quite a bit in my Silverado, towing the CJ. I have a fold up hard cover on the bed, and it’s usually full of stuff. So like you mentioned, the under rail lighting really comes in to play there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaman09 Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 How are you guys running your power to the bed to power the under rail lighting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, pizzaman09 said: How are you guys running your power to the bed to power the under rail lighting? I have all custom wiring but I just ran 12v fused from my power distribution block, pinned through the bulkhead connector and routed to the tail section along with all the tail lights and fuel wiring. I have 2 12awg wires bonded together I’m using to power a 12v outlet in the bed and the under rail lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 22 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said: How are you guys running your power to the bed to power the under rail lighting? One trick way to do it, would be to copy how the XJs got constant 12v power to the back for the heavy duty trailer option. There is a plug in for the fuse box, once plugged in, you install a circuit breaker and now you have a 12v lead. From there you would have to figure a switch out, but a tailgate switch like ghetdjc320 mentioned would be an elegant solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaman09 Posted February 1, 2023 Share Posted February 1, 2023 1 hour ago, ghetdjc320 said: I have all custom wiring but I just ran 12v fused from my power distribution block, pinned through the bulkhead connector and routed to the tail section along with all the tail lights and fuel wiring. I have 2 12awg wires bonded together I’m using to power a 12v outlet in the bed and the under rail lights. That makes good sense. What are you using for under bed rail lights? I already have an unused fog light switch and circuit as my truck appears to be missing the fog lights, and honestly I don't like the tacked on look of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Janitor Posted February 1, 2023 Author Share Posted February 1, 2023 14 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said: That makes good sense. What are you using for under bed rail lights? I already have an unused fog light switch and circuit as my truck appears to be missing the fog lights, and honestly I don't like the tacked on look of them. I've got a set of these I'm going to install in a month or so. LEDs are generally low draw, it appears these don't require relays, and I think it will be easy to tap into the factory switch. https://amzn.to/3XRzRFu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howeitsdone Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 @Dzimm Want me to ship you a cargo light so you can get dimensions and model the housing? You can ship it back when you're done. Lenses would still need produced somehow and I don't have the time to mold them, but it could be a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 37 minutes ago, howeitsdone said: @Dzimm Want me to ship you a cargo light so you can get dimensions and model the housing? You can ship it back when you're done. Lenses would still need produced somehow and I don't have the time to mold them, but it could be a start. That’s just it, there is no separate lens on these cargo lamps. The entire lamp is a lens, just a clear plastic lens that is painted black in areas. It’s really not a good or durable design but it could be improved on. The housing is just too fragile. Perhaps it could be designed around an existing LED so the bulb holders and contacts would need to be remade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted February 8, 2023 Share Posted February 8, 2023 2 hours ago, howeitsdone said: @Dzimm Want me to ship you a cargo light so you can get dimensions and model the housing? You can ship it back when you're done. Lenses would still need produced somehow and I don't have the time to mold them, but it could be a start. Thank you for the offer. Right now I'm working on making an adapter for an aftermarket option to fit nicely on the MJ. It's on my list to investigate reproducing the original or at least a close original so I may be in contact with you in the future on borrowing an original one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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