Replacing marker lights

[mjsmith1223]

Our faithful '84 Coleman Sun Valley has had all four of its marker lights broken.  All that's left are the bases.  I'd like to replace them with new lights, but need a little help.  The orginial marker lights were pop riveted to the side of the pop up.  Do I just drill out the pop rivets to remove the old lights?  When installing the new ones, do I pop rivet those into place using the original holes?  Or, do I just move the new ones over a little bit and screw them on?  Is it OK to mix LED side marker lamps with incandescent tail lamps?

Mike

[Jeremy]

Go ahead and drill them out and just shift them a little bit up to get you into some new wood.  Not really sure about mixing LED's and regular lamps.  I just picked up new two lamp marker lights from Wal-Mart/Meijer and I think they're pretty bright.  I also added lower marker lights on the frame to finish off the look

[AustinBoston]

The orginial marker lights were pop riveted to the side of the pop up.  Do I just drill out the pop rivets to remove the old lights?  When installing the new ones, do I pop rivet those into place using the original holes?  Or, do I just move the new ones over a little bit and screw them on?

If the marker lamps have one wire, they rely on the rivets for grounding.  Either use the same holes, or make sure new holes will provide an adequate ground.

Is it OK to mix LED side marker lamps with incandescent tail lamps?

Yes.

Austin

[austinado16]

If you've never drilled out rivets, here's a tip:

They probably are 1/8" rivets.  Buy a new 1/8" drill bit. Spend the extra .50 cents and buy the Cobalt bit.  Begin drilling straight into the rivet, but then move the drill so you are drilling at an angle.  Start blipping the drill trigger and move the drill at an angle from one side to the other as the bit eats away at the top surface of the rivet.

This will keep the rivet from spinning under the load of the bit, and you'll take the head off the rivet very fast.  A little shot of spray lubricant or penetrating oil before you start to drill will keep the cobalt bit happy and help it last a long time.

Once the rivet head is off, you can knock the rivet body into the trailer.  Use new screws to mount the new marker lights in the same holes as the rivets used. I like stainless screws, and I like to put some putty tape, or 3M Strip Caulk around the light bases so they don't leak into the body of the trailer.

LED's are fantastic.  Use 'em every chance I get!

[mjsmith1223]

Hey everyone, thanks for the help.  I'll give it a go sometime soon.

Mike

[AZsix]

Hey everyone, thanks for the help.  I'll give it a go sometime soon.

Mike

I realize this comes a few weeks after your post but just in case you haven't gotten around to it yet. I just had to change four of the marker lights on my PUP. It was easy. I drilled the rivots out put the new marker light assemply on (I bought them at Wal-Mart) and used the same holes to rivot them back in.

[mjsmith1223]

I realize this comes a few weeks after your post but just in case you haven't gotten around to it yet. I just had to change four of the marker lights on my PUP. It was easy. I drilled the rivots out put the new marker light assemply on (I bought them at Wal-Mart) and used the same holes to rivot them back in.

Hey thanks.  It's looking like a project for this weekend.

Mike

[ScouterMom]

have you looked at places where they would have choices in trailer and equipment lights? you might find exact replacement covers for your camper without having to replace the whole fixture.  I found a matching size replacement cover for my '73 starcraft right at the store where I work - NOT a big box store that doesn't have alot of choice like WalMart or Kmart - but someplace for the do-it-yourself auto, hobby, or constuction people.

they didn't have a match for the large tail lights, but for the little rounded rectangle lights and the round lights, the covers fit perfectly and came in either red or amber.

Unless the lights themselves don't work, or you really want all new lights.

laura

[flyfisherman]

Just happen to have a RV catalog that lists the clearance & marker lights and I was surprised to see the different brands or manufacturer's ... Bargman, Grote, Pathfinder, Peterson. Shows both the entire light assembly plus just the  replacement lens and bulbs. Now, got me curious as to what my PU has! Of course, the pricing that's listed might not be current, but take the Peterson brand for example (kinda looks like my Starcraft's) ... says the entire light sells for $4.59 and just the lens only, $2.49 and, of course, one would have to pay shipping  -  I wonder how that compares with with the replacement marker light pricing at Wal-Mart?



Fly

[AZsix]

Just happen to have a RV catalog that lists the clearance & marker lights and I was surprised to see the different brands or manufacturer's ... Bargman, Grote, Pathfinder, Peterson. Shows both the entire light assembly plus just the  replacement lens and bulbs. Now, got me curious as to what my PU has! Of course, the pricing that's listed might not be current, but take the Peterson brand for example (kinda looks like my Starcraft's) ... says the entire light sells for $4.59 and just the lens only, $2.49 and, of course, one would have to pay shipping  -  I wonder how that compares with with the replacement marker light pricing at Wal-Mart? Fly

I think I paid $2.49 for the entire light. In my case I had to replace the whole thing because the plastic was brittle and cracking from the hot AZ sun. Now I have some extra lenses in case any of them break. BTW, they were the exact match for what was already on the PUP.

[Allagash]

I replaced one of the rear marker lights on my pup today. I bought the whole light at Wal Mart for around $6. It's an LED and I simply unscrewed the old light and screwed on the new one. The LED's are the way to go. Bright, waterproof, and vibration resistant. I'll never go back to incandescent and will replace all my lights with LED's as they fail.