Joe at "Joe@4x4Wire.com" suggested I post this question.

"Brighter rear lights"

How do you brighten the rear lights on a 3rd generation 4Runner?

I have a 1999 4Runner and once you remove the light assembly (easy to do), just remove the 2 bolts holding the lights in place and apply a little pressure at 90 degrees outwards from the angle the 2 bolts go in and the lens assembly will pop loose. Then just unscrew the 3 bulbs from their housing mounts. The bolts can be seen as soon as you open the rear hatch. Once you have the light assembly off you can see 6 small screws (easy to remove) on the back. Then from what I can see & tell there are 2 plastic nubs on the lens itself, one in the clear section and one in the red section, that snap into the black housing but they sure are in their tight. Just one of those things, once they snap them together I don't think they are suppose to come apart. I tried to unscrew the 2 metal pins that snap into the body panel but they don't seem to want to come lose. I figure if I can remove the lens cover off the black housing body I would be able to cover the gray plastic separating panels, witch have no reflective silver on them, with aluminum duct tape, it's highly reflective and very adhesive. I was going to make some templates then cut out the pattern into the tape and apply it to the gray non-reflective separators. I figured that would double the reflective surface area inside the lens and therefore brighten the lights. However I need to figure out how to remove the lens cover without breaking it. Anyone done this before or have any ideas?

 

Have you thought about brighter bulbs? Maybe, I just don't get the point of the mod you're trying. Maybe some rationale on why you want brighter rear tails would help.

Also, I'm not sure if the tails from 2001 and 2002 models are brighter but they definitely make the truck look newer. They also appear to be a shinier texture on the exterior. Can others w/ upgraded tails chime in on whether they're brighter or not?

 

Two external “Backup Lights” under your rear bumper will do a great job- 55 watt each.
That’s what I did about 2 weeks ago. Highly recommended.

 

Brighter bulbs put an overdraw on the electrical wires.

 

I tried it and was unable to get the assembly apart. I did manage to crack a very small non-functional piece off in trying, though. I do use brighter bulbs and they made a little difference but weren't really worth it in my opinion. Finally, I found a couple of 55 watt driving lights on clearance at Walmart for $8. They are now mounted on my roof basket and tied in with the reverse lights and I CAN SEE!!! They're also great for setting up camp in the dark. That's all in my build thread. So far so good, I haven't had them very long.
I've seen lights mounted under the bumper and even in the bumper. I've even seen some sort of receiver hitch mounted light that plugs into the trailer wiring.

 

nice 6 year old thread bump
or did you try running 55W lamps off your stock system and burn up your truck?

 

Ach! Totally missed that!

 

Nope I known better than that.

 

Hummm, wonder if I could mount something to my trailor hitch?

 

Avatar suits you, & who cares? Still an issue & my Runner is still rock'n

 

glad you like my avatar. It is just kind of weird that you bump your own thread in such a manner after several years of inactivity

 

As others said, I just did some cheap Wal-Mart 55w lights sealed with rtv. They are plenty bright enough when it's dark out.

 

I mounted some 55w backup lights under the bed (relayed from backup light circuit directly to the battery) and put 100w bulbs in them. Also installed a switch in the cab with a piezo (so I don't accidentally leave them on) so I can turn them on manually as well.

Holy tailgater-stoppers!

I'll try to get some pics up soon...