LightGuard Lite - economical tail light protection from OmahaBravo Designs

[Optimus🤖]

My tailgate locks? Why would I need this?

Because your tailgate can be hacked in a matter of 30 seconds and there goes your tail lights. Scroll to :48 second mark; you'll hear that the owner had his tailgate locked:

Spend $45 or $1600 for OEM and at least $800 for aftermarket tail lights.

 

[Najaf4life]

Ordered.

 

[OmahaBravo]

My tailgate locks? Why would I need this?

Theres a variety of reasons you might want them:
TLDR: it locks but its a LOT more vulnerable than you think.

Here's everything i've learned/discovered/actually executed myself:

1) A tailgate on a 17-22 truck with no tonneau cover can be opened manually in less than 10 seconds. From there its just four 8mm fasteners. Look up my second pinned post on instagram showing a door handle at night.
2) Got a tonneau cover? Thieves can bust through most covers as they arent designed to resist a ton of prying force.
3) Got a tonneau cover that would make Fort Knox jelly? See my third pinned post on IG showing a wrench going into the tailgate/tail light gap. Technically the tailgate doesnt need to drop. This takes a touch longer but can still be done in under 5 min.
4) No tonneau cover but you have latch hole covers? Thieves can still drop the tailgate in under 30 seconds by accessing the latching armatures via the cover panel. Again, check out my instagram.

Lets say you have a Tonneau cover, you bought OB's TailGuard and CoverGuard b/c you like overbuilt , and you bought some off-the-shelf security replacement screws. Thieves can break into the truck, unlock it, hit the tailgate drop button, rummage through the security bits they got from Amazon/Home Depot and still walk with your lights.

In fairness, even im on the fence on whether the last situation should be a design consideration seeing how it would take an immense amount of work to prevent cab entry.

Here's the deal,. I cant say you need anything I make (scratch that: if you have the Harborfreight LP4s, you need my covers. IYKYK). All i can say is that there are a lot of vulnerabilities on these trucks that make it simple for a thief to take $3k+ worth of parts off them. Now that you know, you have to decide if you need any level of security and, if so, how much.

I've been told my sticker is the first in all of aftermarket history to not add ANY hp. The only improvement you'll get is increased security (or better vision b/c the side throws arent blinding you anymore )

 

[Tugboat]

My wallet is already in "Holiday Recovery" mode, so I'll be ordering after first of the year
@OmahaBravo what would you recommend for tailgate with SmartCap?

 

[OmahaBravo]

My wallet is already in "Holiday Recovery" mode, so I'll be ordering after first of the year
@OmahaBravo what would you recommend for tailgate with SmartCap?

The SmartCap you have is a nice looking topper and it looks well built. If I were in your shoes, i'd get the replacement fasteners and call it a day. Thats assuming you feel like you need some level of protection.

Another thing i'd do is relocate the horn. The wires to the horn are front and center just behind the grill. Thieves can easily cut them and not worry about any sounds afterwards. KD Fab (no affiliation) makes a kit for diesels to easily do this. There are also other DIY methods mentioned in the Security section on this forum.

 

[gsea]

I'd like to see more thief-perforation mods.

I also went with the "move to a place where I don't worry about this nonsense anymore" mod.

But, I do travel a lot, so perhaps this is for me after all.

 

[OmahaBravo]

I'd like to see more thief-perforation mods.

Pretty sure the law would frown upon that

 

[CaseyJ]

I keep mine in my truck but mainly because I'm constantly doing something in which i need them.

I started to post about an idea i had for storage but didnt know how to start to draw it... then I realized... i DO know how to start
Thank you, SEMA!

View attachment 235660

Where does one get these CAD drawings?

 

[Optimus🤖]

Where does one get these CAD drawings?

He creates them!

 

[CaseyJ]

The head of these fasteners is only 0.010" larger than the washer on the stock fastener which is what i designed for. For context, a typical credit card is about 0.030" thick (3x thicker).

When you say thicker.. do you mean this protrudes farther from the inside of the bed rail? I already have rubbing issues, I was hoping these were thinner than stock so they wouldn’t push out any more on the light guard and allow me to keep the stock tie down brackets in place.

 

[CaseyJ]

He creates them!

I feel like he said “thank you SEMA” for a reason… it’s like Ford (and all other manufacturers) already have CAD models of their vehicles. Just need to know how to access them… I’ve got lots of ideas and don’t feel like recreating all of the CAD over and over again to make a simple mod.

 

[CaseyJ]

Found it! Guess I gotta start a business and sell stuff automotive related first to be able to join SEMA and then the SEMA Garage Tech Transfer Program.

 

[Optimus🤖]

I feel like he said “thank you SEMA” for a reason… it’s like Ford (and all other manufacturers) already have CAD models of their vehicles. Just need to know how to access them… I’ve got lots of ideas and don’t feel like recreating all of the CAD over and over again to make a simple mod.

"The SEMA Garage’s Tech Transfer program was originally conceived as a way to help member companies acquire original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) computer-aided design (CAD) data, making it possible to quickly produce parts that fit the latest models. By logging into the Tech Transfer online portal, a member has access to OEM CAD data and the opportunity to request specific data for one or more vehicles."

 

[Optimus🤖]

Found it! Guess I gotta start a business and sell stuff automotive related first to be able to join SEMA and then the SEMA Garage Tech Transfer Program.

Yep! I just posted after finding the info for you. @OmahaBravo does do his own stuff though so I thought he was using CAD software called SEMA .

 

[CaseyJ]

Yep! I just posted after finding the info for you. @OmahaBravo does do his own stuff though so I thought he was using CAD software called SEMA .

yeah pretty sure he’s using Fusion, which is what I use.
Will be nice to get access to newer Ford interior drawings to be able to build off of.

 

[trmrzla]

Yes, being a member of SEMA provides CAD drawing from the manufacturers and they are VERY helpful!

 

[TellurideTremor]

Just ordered. Thanks OB!

 

[OmahaBravo]

When you say thicker.. do you mean this protrudes farther from the inside of the bed rail? I already have rubbing issues, I was hoping these were thinner than stock so they wouldn’t push out any more on the light guard and allow me to keep the stock tie down brackets in place.

The head height is shorter on the LightLocks than the stock fasteners. See below.
This will allow the base LightGuard bracket to sit flush against the surface its attached to. I'm not sure it's going to provide the clearance you want for those tie-downs (b/c the stockers arent pushing the bracket out THAT much) but it will provide a touch more clearance.

 

[OmahaBravo]

Found it! Guess I gotta start a business and sell stuff automotive related first to be able to join SEMA and then the SEMA Garage Tech Transfer Program.

Yup, it wasnt a cheap endeavor but its opened doors, for sure.

 

[CaseyJ]

The head height is shorter on the LightLocks than the stock fasteners. See below.
This will allow the base LightGuard bracket to sit flush against the surface its attached to. I'm not sure it's going to provide the clearance you want for those tie-downs (b/c the stockers arent pushing the bracket out THAT much) but it will provide a touch more clearance.

View attachment 235967

That is a significant difference! I’ll be ordering soon!