Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

This first think i did was mask off all the area I was going to work so i can reduce the chances of scratches and i could also write on the tape all i wanted.a.thumb.jpg.2dc3f74bf6730c2521b511cd8d3ee2c1.jpg

 

Then i got the lights and made templates of them so i could place on the truck as per the measurements.

b.thumb.jpg.200326805b5d02b6870cb19abaa92d76.jpg

 

c.thumb.jpg.c06cb07baae4a36fed4c741a7e837028.jpg

 

d.thumb.jpg.0e105fb5bbbe9dee5c952c27815364ef.jpg

 

Here is a tip to use when you are further in the installation...The screw there is a 10MM..The way it is designed is when you pop your lights thru the roof you crank down the 10mm and the 4 legs spread out against the underside side of the roof sucking down the light to the roof.  I had a hard time with that so what I did was unscrew the bolt and took off the legs...After i popped on the lights thru the holes I reattached the screw and legs from the underside...BUT before I did that i spread the legs to roughly 45 degrees...This helped me not have to fight the securing the light due to the tight area and helped me work around any sanding i had to do to get the light to seat.

e.thumb.jpg.82a02d68a14de3819a407112e6202eb7.jpg

Thanks to SEFTON i got a great jump on the measurements I needed to place the templates in the proper area...I also got access to a new 2021 for a few minutes and went over all the measurements for any adjustments.  There was some adjustments i did make to this on the fly...the 12 inch measurement is actually a bit over 12 1/8...The 8 3/8 is also a bit over...i was just splitting the difference to get the center light centered.  When placing my templates I used a digital caliper so this is why you see the decimal equivalents. 

f.thumb.jpg.446656c87f8fc482dd722d0d6db53133.jpg

 

The is when i got my templates in place as per my measurements.

g.thumb.jpg.614050151948f08fd83c2ddf0c06500c.jpg

 

 

 

Once i got my templates in place i used a center punch on all the centers...then i predrilled with a real tiny drill bit...then i got a middle size bit and drilled the holes...after that i drill the main holes with a 27/64th drill bit...once the hole was drilled i did intentionally wobble the drill bit in the hole to slightly widen it so the punch tool would have a tight fit to stay centered...I never tried the next drill bit bigger because I wanted to slowly work my way to the tightest possible fit...

 

i.jpg.efde0770a2abe73578ab273f67f539c3.jpgj.jpg.2ba7806cf26a391cb6fc16edc8e74d69.jpg

k.thumb.jpg.acb3cb9bdc22b30c712ec0fc5dcfdd54.jpg

 

Once i got the 27/64 holes drilled i used the greelee tool i had bought to cut out the 3/4 square holes i needed to cut out for the installation...here is the tool and how it breaks down.

h.jpg.2ab648d0568bf1812cd32df7797c4aaf.jpg

hh.thumb.jpg.85a9a9d08619c3791674591286c62563.jpg

 

I just used a 1" wrench with the tool to cut out the holes...very easy tool to use..there is lines on the side of the tool to line up so you can align you square hole.

l.thumb.jpg.8ad843c684d15553ff22ca09e75f145b.jpg

 

took less than 10 turns to complete the job

 

m.thumb.jpg.c60236c1cec080f4fc0b6a8d84f9eca7.jpg

 

i would test fit the lights at this point to see how much filing you need to do to help out the fit...you can see one of the 4 alignment marks on the tool I used to line up with my marks on the tape to make sure the square the clocked properly ....once test fit was good i pulled the tape and you can see what the hole looks like before the light is installed.

 

n.thumb.jpg.c595eb8c6d8f45cd46eb416e516851c8.jpg

 

once all 5 holes were done you can see what you are left with here...i cleaned out the tool after every hole was punched.

 

o.jpg.3825033ae47be811293ee265cf50b6c9.jpg

 

At this point i ran the harness and got everything plugged in...There are holes predrilled for all the fasteners so once you plug in the harness to the truck just aligned the fasteners to the holes and your done real quick...factory plug is in the driver pillar up towards the top.  Harness just plugs in..p.thumb.jpg.275b59302a2acc8ab3254871da87708d.jpg

 

above pic before plugging in..below pic is once I plugged the harness in.

q.thumb.jpg.615433207e13be4d57955375fe8f9dfc.jpg

 

Once I got all secured down and plugged in I just activated the remote to test the lights and here is it with the new cab lights.

 

r.thumb.jpg.39a83cb61e958c48ba1f727a6fc6d1db.jpg

 

 

Yes there are steps to working this the headliner in side...The next post with cover generalities of what you need to do to get to the underside of the roof.

  • Like 7
  • Thanks 1
Posted (edited)

So this pic is the backside of the center light center attachment point so you can see what is looks like after it was screwed down

 

20210410_131206.thumb.jpg.88a4646d54a12b5367bcee66a513fe96.jpg

 

How i got access on the inside was my own way due to having a sunroof...I cannot speak for headliner removal without sunroof.  So if i was doing this over again I would first remove the side pillar cover that covers the front seat belts...It has 2 10mm screws and a 7mm screw to be removed.  There are a couple of clips holding the panel in place.  just pull towards the interior and they will come off easy.

 

sidepilars.thumb.jpg.3775f48dfcf745380d5c048ed5bdeeb6.jpg

 

i just placed the covers in behind the front seats just out of the way.  next you need to pull down the rubber door gasket on both sides and I just let them droop.

 

doorstripping.thumb.jpg.f2e5a5f4bdfa0f83f5070ed9883a6929.jpg

 

The your off to the window pillar covers on both sides...once you get to two covers off there will be 2 10mm screws on both sides...there is a really strong clip holding the panel on so you will have to pull on the upper part in towards the stereo...they are really grabbing on...i broke one side removing it.  you can see the clip in one of the following pics.

 

windowpilarsa.thumb.jpg.0db7cc4e16ea29bbc06559a6823891f0.jpg

 

you can see the clip in this pic...it is right next to the yellow sticker

 

windowpilarsb.thumb.jpg.fe94de4276755c5b97c3d4d9e5ec43ca.jpg

 

Next i would remove the overhead console light assembly.  It is 2 little covers you pop off and then remove 2 T15 screws that are in the round holes.

 

overheadconsole.thumb.jpg.3dfe8f6af3a51935519f2bd955863174.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

next it is sun visor time.  There is a cover covering the screws at the hinge part..You will need a T15 torq for visors and the center overhead housing...following pics so it disassembled.  Worst part of it is the harness that is plugged in.  GM glued the harness to the headliner...you will have to reach under it and rip the harness off the headliner so you can get it to the hole to unplug the visor.  it is a pain.  Take note of the white ring thing and how it is positioned...It is just clipped the visor so you will have to pop it offsunvisorsb.thumb.jpg.0fa0d9be1fd9a5ca769c33778345739f.jpg

 

above pic is just after visor removed with white thing in place.  Lower pic is the individual partssunvisorsa.thumb.jpg.a384429005044ecd10a3fed2e0c4afbb.jpg

 

The clip that the visor clips into just has an access door to be opened and then a single T15 screw to be removed.

 

sunvisorsd.thumb.jpg.e29d944136847407ac28ab49ca216cf8.jpg

 

here is just a general pic of the visor mounting plate

 

1662644610_sunvisorsc.thumb.jpg.98a6e67bcbaa6aab47571676fe9516cf.jpg

 

well at this point I just worked my hands in there and did all the work...i didnt want to a disassemble my sunroof so i just worked around it.  If you dont have a sunroof then you probably have lots of room at this point...let me know if you have any other questions and I can fill in the blanks...obviously you just reverse the above instructions to put it all back together.

windowpilarscovers.jpg

Edited by hotairgypsy
  • Like 3
  • Thanks 2
Posted

Man great job!  I’ve done a TON of writeups on another forum I was on and I know how much time it takes. 
 

This is excellent and a great contribution to this forum.  

 

THANK YOU!

Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, motorsswin said:

Great write up. Any need for silicon or anything like that or do the lights have a rubber gasket to seal to the roof?

the lights come with a foam liner on the bottom .there is even double thickness right around the mount...i didnt get a pic of that but someone else can upload down the road to the thread....  i tried silicone for the middle one bit i may land up redoing it cuz i think my silicone may have been bad...at least if i have to redo it i only have to drop the center housing and i can get to all the bolts i hope :)

Edited by hotairgypsy
Posted

Just wanted to say great write up.  The rest of my kit is arriving this week.  I like the idea of using a hole punch vs using a dermal.  I think I will reach out to my local auto parts stored to see if I can rent one.

 

Again Well done!!!!

Posted
On 4/9/2021 at 10:09 PM, hotairgypsy said:

This spot is reserved for the interior headliner work i am going to show you ...so stay tuned here

Any progress on this part?  I would love to see how you accesses the inside.  
 

thanks!

Posted

I know the OEM cab lights that are installed after vehicle purchase are only available for HD models.

My question is will the wiring harness that fastens to the trucks electrical supply be the same for a 1500 series.

I would like to install GM cab lighting rather than after market on my 1500 but question if wiring would be compatible.

Any help??

BTW, great write up.

  • 5 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

Just wanted to say thank you, just competed the installation this evening.  You saved me a lot of hart ache.  I did go with the Greenlee,  I found an older model #731 but new unit for under $100. 

 

Thanks again

IMG_20210515_205212.jpg

IMG_20210515_205238.jpg

Edited by KTDanforth
added model number
  • Like 1
  • 5 months later...
Posted

Amazing post. You are the only one! .. I know you kinda answered this, but if you were to redo it.. you WOULD use good silicone on all of them? Or would you just use the foam double padding they have?

Posted
20 hours ago, Biebs said:

Amazing post. You are the only one! .. I know you kinda answered this, but if you were to redo it.. you WOULD use good silicone on all of them? Or would you just use the foam double padding they have?

If I do this mod, I'd probably either use a tiny brush and paint the bare metal edges or even paint on a thin layer of epoxy over those edges. Can't imaging having a bit of the silicone being pushed away during the install and being exposed if the foam gasket breaks down later.

Posted
On 4/16/2021 at 2:43 PM, maine shadow said:

I know the OEM cab lights that are installed after vehicle purchase are only available for HD models.

My question is will the wiring harness that fastens to the trucks electrical supply be the same for a 1500 series.

I would like to install GM cab lighting rather than after market on my 1500 but question if wiring would be compatible.

Any help??

BTW, great write up.


I opened up a 2020 gmc 1500 - it did not have the factory wiring, right into the pillar like the 2500, but it is possible to run the wire from the harness just would have to make some modifications 

Posted

Side note, the Square holes are 100% necessary for the stock clips to work and pull it tight so follow his steps exactly and rent/buy that tool if you can

 

the clips (I’ll add a photo) have little pop outs that clip into place but only a square will do.

 

If you absolutely can’t get that tool or rent one and can’t dremel a perfect square, I’ll post  another on a suggestion 

 

 

66EF9956-5C58-4F0C-97C2-9C2A5CC96EC0.jpeg

608F0360-0D0C-43E3-8D80-59E802A2E572.jpeg

  • Like 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Yes they are a good addition to make the truck more visible.   I have the OE ones in the lower front corners. I added some amber fogs to the bumper from Diode Dynamics SS6 model and wired them to my upfitter switches.   
    • I had an issue with a new 1985 Z-28 some years ago. The 4WDB's were less than adequate when purchased IMO.  I had taken it in for small warranty services and asked them on three occasions to check them. Each time is was "could not duplicate on the service ticket. The warranty ran out about a month after my last visit and had to take it back for warranty rework. I again complained about the brakes. Well, low and behold, this time they determined the rear calipers were sticking and gave me a quote to repair. They had records as well as O had receipts of each time complained about the brakes while still under warranty. My dad was a life long body shop owner and told me to keep my cool and tell them that I wanted to speak to the GM Regional District Manager. The service manager disappeared for a few minutes, came back and told me they would replace the calipers free of charge. 
    • Towing a 2022 Lance 24 ft travel trailer with our 2021 GMC Sierra 2500HD, gas.  Loaded, trailer is about 6,000 lb.  We get up to 10 mpg at 55 mpg, such as I-5.  Pleased with the combination.
    • I decided to give it a shot and see what sort of a gong show it would be to a pan drop themed oil change on my 2025 gas truck with the 10 speed. All indications I had seen so far was that there was no way that pan was coming out of there due to the cross over exhaust pipe not allowing enough clearance for the back end of the pan to duck out from under the valve body since it hangs lower than the pan to trans mount flange and certainly the filter does. I never touched any of the exhaust mount hardware at all, be that the engine manifolds to Y pipe, the bracket on the side of the transmission, or the two bolt flange further back behind the trans/transfer case. I put the truck up on four jack stands as there was no way I was going to struggle with that lack of clearance under the truck. The truck was cold as it had sat over night so all the trans fluid had drained to the pan, so I drained the bit of oil that would come out of the level check plug at the bottom near the front of the pan and put the plug back in to reduce the ensuing mess after that. Then took out all but one bolt front and rear and then pushed up on the pan and took out the remaining two bolts and then let the front of the pan tilt and spill out most of its contents into a drain pan. I then popped the pan gasket off its two locating nubs and kicked it a bit to the left side so it was no longer on the flange of the pan to get all the clearance I could and managed to get the pan slipped out of there by swinging the front of the pan to the right but keeping the rear part of the pan inline if not slightly to the left of its mounting flange area and lifting the front of the pan enough to keep the rear part of the pan low enough that allowed the pan to "JUST" slip out without forcing anything. I installed a new trans filter and seal and as per GM instructions on this site I torqued the two bolts to that 44 inch pound goal ( they take an 8 mm socket ) In reversing the pan procedure after I had cleaned up the pan both inside and out completely ( touching the outside of a dirty pan and dealing with installing a gasket at the same time would be a disaster ). First I slipped the pan into place and yes it took me a while as it won't go unless its slid in just at the right angles, then once the back of the pan was into the area of the flange mount, I went and got the gasket and then threaded that through the front of the pan and feeding it under the filter etc and finally working it onto the flange of the pan and lining up the two locating nubs to drop into the pan. Then lifted the pan up into place and get a couple of bolts started and check and make sure the gasket is where its supposed to be as the bolts were being put in. I never used any power tools as I don't have any of the whimsy little drive guns, I use what looks like a small screw driver handle with shank that has a 1/4 drive on the end of it and added an extension and those bolts use a 10 mm socket as some times power tools can bite a person if used on delicate parts ( torqued to 80 inch pounds ). Also should note as per rules around pulling the add plug out first, yes I cracked that loose with a 8 mm Allen bit socket on a 3/8 slim head ratchet as there isn't a lot of room to work with there either due to the exhaust on the right side of the trans.    I already had delco ULV oil on hand and of course the quart bottle pump wasn't made for those small cap threads so I had to use some other containers that the pump would fit and keep transferring oil over into them so a wasted exercise there but indeed the small pump did work just fine as ULV oil is thin and easy to pump in summer time weather. I put in 9.5 quarts as per prior minimum recommendation and yes that cut it pretty close as once I had the truck ( off the jack stands so its level ) and the trans oil up to 167f , about 6 ounces came out but a level kit or what have you could throw it off just enough that it wouldn't be enough oil so probably that 10 quarts is a good amount to put in so one doesn't have to add more oil as when its hot I sure wouldn't want to be adding oil so would have to let the exhaust cool. All I do for warming up the transmission is sit there with it in park and rev it to about 2500 rpm and it takes close to 20 minutes to get it up to that lower limit of 167f, weird how it will warm up more doing that then by driving it, I am not real keen on power braking the truck to get the temp up there and don't seem to have to either. By the way I only have 9000 miles on the truck so probably not a very good payback on doing it that soon and the magnets had such a minor thin layer of fines on them so that was good to see and the color of the oil was a darker red then new oil but still looked very good as it should and I've not done any towing with it so its been living a pretty easy life so far. The filter is made in such a way that its next to impossible to pull out the filter media but there certainly was some fines showing up there which makes sense give the trans having to break in.    I hadn't really planned on explaining this much of what I had done since there are various instruction videos kicking around or I think so, as the gist of my message as that by fluke or what have you, for some reason my truck has just enough clearance to slip the pan out from the trans. Of course there is no guarantee that other trucks like this in general will also allow the pan to be taken out without messing with the exhaust as I expect its probably a crap shoot if it will or won't, I was just happy to find out that mine would work and avoid all the other struggling and possibly damaging things in the process,     
    • Do you fellas think Fog Lamps would  be a good upgrade for our 2024 2500 HD Custom ? As you probably know it did not come with them ,  Would you put in GM Chevy parts ? Do they get wired up to the switch panel ( Upfitter or whatever the correct terminology is ) on the dash ? Thanks
  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...