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Magnum headache rack with 4 Rigid Industries chase lights

Jordan2929

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First off, if you want to do this make sure you give yourself 15 hours, no joke. So as far as the headache rack goes I've looked at many brands and never found anything that looked even half as good as the magnum racks look. This is a custom ordered rack though that I highly doubt magnum will make for anyone, they made it for me because our family business is a dealer for magnum, the reason it's custom is because it's a "low profile hollow point" rack that I wanted without their built-in lights so I could add the rigid lights. Normally they wouldn't ship it without lights because the low profile design covers the third brake light partially, which is a no no in the governments eyes. I then ordered 4 rigid industries chase lights, 2 amber and 2 red. I drilled and tapped the holes by hand and coated the stainless steel bolts in black rtv silicone to prevent the two dissimilar metals from reacting. And now comes the real nightmare which was the wiring, each light has 6 different leads coming off it to control all the functions which include marker lights, brake lights, turn signals, reverse lights, cargo lights and the strobe function. In total I had to run 24 wires from the rack back to the drivers side tail light (which is where I mounted all 5 relays) I tapped into the drivers side tail light to get signal wires for the marker lights, left turn signal and reverse lights. I had to run a single wire over to the passenger side to get a signal wire for the right turn signal. And for the brake light I had to tap into the center-high-mount-third-brake-light, I found that wire under the driver side rear door sill. I powered all of the relays by running a 3 conductor from the battery all the way back to the taillight, I used a three conductor because I wanted the strobe function on a switch in the cab. The way I oriented the lights- the outside lights are the marker lights and brake lights, the inside lights are for the turn signals and other than that they are off. All four lights illuninate when in reverse, and all four lights strobe when I flip the switch in the cab. I plan on putting some tint film on the third brake light to make it flow a little better. This was definitely not an easy install and if you paid someone to do it I imagine the labor would be about $800 and the headache rack with 4 rigid lights would be about $1300. Definitely not a mod for the faint of heart, but once I get a lift and some bigger tires it will really compliment the look of the truck. Oh, and if I ever get around to making a video of all the functions I'll post it here. IMG_4399.jpg
 

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Highlander_1

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Great looking headache rack and lights you have added! Obviously you have patients by the time you took to wiring the lights exactly the way you want them. Doing a satisfying job like you did are worth the self-rewards, koodles to you again. Nice job.
 

19llhpb

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Looks good! This would come in handy for me, thought I was done with accessories, now you got me lookin at headache racks:unsure:! Thanks a lot!;)
 

Jordan2929

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Oh, and I don't think I mentioned why I used relays instead of the 7 pin trailer plug, which was an option. If you've seen some other threads of people wiring in tailgate light bars to the trailer plug you'll notice that the light bar doesn't blink at the same time as the actual tail light, and in some cases the light won't even blink the first time the trucks turn signal does. Overal it's not the look I wanted, but it would've saved a bunch of time in wiring.
 
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drad5757

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Great job! Is the rack mounted in the stake pockets? Does Magnum make that to fit the new Ram cab contour? How well does it line up with the roof, I can't really tell from the picture. Thanks.
 

Jordan2929

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Great job! Is the rack mounted in the stake pockets? Does Magnum make that to fit the new Ram cab contour? How well does it line up with the roof, I can't really tell from the picture. Thanks.
I’ll try and grab some pictures for you later.
 

Jordan2929

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Great job! Is the rack mounted in the stake pockets? Does Magnum make that to fit the new Ram cab contour? How well does it line up with the roof, I can't really tell from the picture. Thanks.
Yeah, they come with stake pocket mounts. Here's a couple pictures showing how it lines up with the top of the cab.

IMG_4415.JPG IMG_4414.JPG
 

Jordan2929

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Thanks a lot Jordan. I think I'm gonna have to get one of those. Looks like you drilled and added an extra bolt. That's probably a good idea. I'm thinking about side rails too.
Yes, I wasn't going to say anything about the extra bolt. It's solid with only the stake pocket mount but the extra bolt and a flat piece of aluninum acting as a large washer on the underside of the bed rail to distribute the stresses makes it feel like its never going anywhere. Most people wouldn't want to drill a hole in their bed either, but it didn't bother me for the added peace of mind.
 

drad5757

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Yes, I wasn't going to say anything about the extra bolt. It's solid with only the stake pocket mount but the extra bolt and a flat piece of aluninum acting as a large washer on the underside of the bed rail to distribute the stresses makes it feel like its never going anywhere. Most people wouldn't want to drill a hole in their bed either, but it didn't bother me for the added peace of mind.
Sorry to be a pest, Jordan, but how much does that distort the plastic rail cap? I was taking some measurements and noticed that there is a lot of flex in that plastic around the front stake pocket mark.
 

Jordan2929

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Sorry to be a pest, Jordan, but how much does that distort the plastic rail cap? I was taking some measurements and noticed that there is a lot of flex in that plastic around the front stake pocket mark.
It does press down on the plastic bed rail, had I known this I would’ve pulled the rail up and used washers to close the gap between the top of the metal bed rail and the underside of the plastic rail cap. I just figured they designed the rail similar to the previous gen trucks which had no gap.
 

drad5757

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It does press down on the plastic bed rail, had I known this I would’ve pulled the rail up and used washers to close the gap between the top of the metal bed rail and the underside of the plastic rail cap. I just figured they designed the rail similar to the previous gen trucks which had no gap.
Thanks
 

drad5757

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It does press down on the plastic bed rail, had I known this I would’ve pulled the rail up and used washers to close the gap between the top of the metal bed rail and the underside of the plastic rail cap. I just figured they designed the rail similar to the previous gen trucks which had no gap.
I swear I'm not stalking. I just ordered the Magnum Low Pro rack with their stock lights, and a set of rails. On these Rams the front stake pockets are nearly two inches further apart than the rear. This will cause the rails to be out of parallel. I was going to see if they would move the front foot back a few inches so I could use the extra bolt
(Like the one you used) to hold the rail. Could you tell me how far back from the rack to that extra bolt? My daughter has my truck this week and I can't check to see where a good location would be. Thanks in advance.
 

Jordan2929

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I swear I'm not stalking. I just ordered the Magnum Low Pro rack with their stock lights, and a set of rails. On these Rams the front stake pockets are nearly two inches further apart than the rear. This will cause the rails to be out of parallel. I was going to see if they would move the front foot back a few inches so I could use the extra bolt
(Like the one you used) to hold the rail. Could you tell me how far back from the rack to that extra bolt? My daughter has my truck this week and I can't check to see where a good location would be. Thanks in advance.

Just for reference- this is the drivers side, and the front of the truck is to the left of the pictures.

IMG_4426.JPG IMG_4427.JPG
 

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