2013 F150 Raptor Style Grill Light Install

2013 F150 Raptor Style Grill Light Install

Between Strapt Performance and the last company I worked for, we have sold hundreds of these Raptor grill lights by Custom Auto Works.   But this is the first time I get to install them and on my own truck.  Custom Auto Works is one of the first brands I added to Strapt performance that we did not already sell before.  One main reason is the company and owner run CAW the way I wish all manufacturers ran their business.   The owner Randy is always available, whether it be for installation questions, warranty requests or order updates.   The Lifetime warranty is hassle free if you own your truck longer than the life of an LED bulb.

Now on to the installation.   On my 2013 F-150 the grill lifts up with the hood.  So this installation is going to be different than the newer trucks where the grill stays in place when the hood opens.  No matter what model you have you can install these in an hour or less with basic hand tools.  A plastic trim tool will be nice to have but you can get by with a screwdriver to pop out the plastic retainers where needed.

In the box you will find the light bracket with LEDs installed and the harness assembled and nicely loomed along with some instructions.   Depending on your application you will either get a plug and play adapter harness to connect to your corner marker light or a pair of quick taps to tap into the marker light wires.  My 2013 came with the quick taps.

On the 2013 all you need to do to install the light bracket is remove 2 nuts behind the grill, place the light bracket over the studs then reinstall the nuts.

Before you tighten down the nuts lower the hood and check the position of the lights.  There are some slots in the bracket for adjusting the light to make sure you have it centered in the slots in the grill.

Next pop out a few of the plastic retaining clips that hold the hood insulation pad to the hood.  Then you will fish the wire loom behind the insulation pad and towards the driver side hood hinge.  Then reinstall the retaining clips.

Use a supplied zip tie to hold the wire loom to the side of the hood hinge.   Now run the harness along the fender well towards the driver side headlight.  Next you will remove your headlight housing, it's just 3 screws, two on top and one on the side on the radiator support.  Route the wire loom through a hole near the airbox and into the area behind the headlight.  Snap the quick taps around the wires that go to the side marker light then plug in the end of the wire loom into the quick taps.   CAW does say which wire is positive and negative in the instructions.  But you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right anyways, if the light dosnt work just switch the wires and plug back in because these LEDS are polarity sensitive and will only work one way.

After you tested the lights and made sure they work you can reinstall the headlight and you are all set.   The Raptor lights will come on whenever your side marker lights are on.   You can choose to install these and wire them in another way if you want these on whenever the ignition is on.  You will just need to choose a power source that is hot when ignition is on.  On a Super Duty or some newer F150 trucks you can wire these in to the Upfitter switches.   

These lights are available for F150, F250/F350 Super Duty and Ford Ranger.  You can see all the available options at the link below.  Many models have an installation video available on the Custom Auto Works website.

Raptor style Grill Lights – Strapt Performance Diesel And Offroad