I did some light swapping on the front end. I like LEDs, obviously, and I'm always looking for something better. I found it...
The old lights:
Trucklite 1st generation headlights - going strong for 3 years now.
Ebay 80w spot/flood lights - not military and made in China...but crazy bright.
The new lights:
JW Speaker 12/24v Mil-Spec headlights - Made in USA with correct military connectors
Whelen Pioneer Plus 24v scene lights - Made in USA and designed/built for fire service.
I've been trying to get rid of all the Ebay specials and get back to better lighting that was actual Mil surplus. Seems trivial, but I prefer to keep everything on the truck military. It doesn't have to be correct for the truck, but I prefer things to be surplus, or at least made in the USA, or made by me (still made in the USA). Oshkosh has been using the JW Speaker lights in their newer vehicles and there was a Whelen lighting upgrade kit for the HEMTTs that used the Pioneer series of lights.
I was on the fence with the new look after I finished installing them...until I took a stroll down the road. Those lights make a huge difference. They are here to stay.
The old ones
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The new ones
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Old and new comparison
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Complete
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I made all new connector cables for the batteries. I was able to use the old ones for a short while when I went to the 4 battery configuration but it wasn't very organized due to their lengths and some of the cables were showing their age. All the ends were soldered and finished with all new terminals and proper color marine heat shrink.
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Most of my bed tiedowns are rusted solid on the inside. I've gotten some freed up but it's only a matter of time before I'll have to do it again. Decided to start over and replace them all so I can hit them with a little lube every now and then to keep them in good shape.
I found a different style than the standard tab version. Some of the hooks on the straps and chains I have don't work well with the tabs. This style is a direct replacement but uses a D-ring instead. I like these much better. They appear to have been used exclusively on the M548 Tracked Cargo Carrier.
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