First off, this is not to pay back folks following me with their brights on, no matter how much they deserve it. It’s because I enjoy camping/overlanding and this is the best way for some work lights.


New Scenic lights up top. Old PowerfulUk Reverse Upgrade on lower right. The partner on the lower left was sacrificed to install the roof ladder.



And when it is turned on. After dark, it is MUCH brighter.


I previously had the reverse light upgrade from PowerfulUk (Link and the ). It worked great while it lasted. However, when I put in my Lucky8 ladder on the rear of the Defender (Link) , I lost one of them. No longer did I get the super brights that I enjoyed, valued. And boy are the standard ones dim.

So, I decided to upgrade mine with some work lights. Since I like my Rigid D-SS Pros (Link) so much as the “Ditch Lights”, I decided to see what Rigid had that could work. I decided to go with their “Scene Lights” and picked the Radiance Scene White Backlights (Link) . What follows was my red-neck process to install them. Parts of it I’m super proud of. Some of it is a “transition” until I find something that works better.

First off, I created my own “harness”. Each light only draws 30 watts from the LEDs, so I wanted to make my own harness that was pretty small so I could route it as seamlessly as possible. I used 16ga GXL Stranded Wire (Link) inside ¼” expandable sleeving (Link) for a little more protection and to make it neat. Really wish I had 3/16”. I made an overly long section of maybe 15’.


Made my own harness as I couldn't find two wire, flat cable.

Next, I laid out how to route it. At first, I wanted to route it through the back of the Defender, underneath and then into the engine compartment. Routing thru the trim wasn’t the issue. Once I got to the bottom, I really didn’t want to disassemble all of the felt/under-carriage protection. So, I decided to route it the same path most folks take for front lights – thru the A-pillar. I practically disassembled the roof rack trying to route all the cables thru the black parts of the OEM Expedition rack. Unfortunately, all the turning parts have internal baffles/structure in them that are solid. If I had a VERY long 3/8” or larger metal drill bit, I may have tried. As it is, I only routed from the A-Pillar to the first turn at the end.

Once I drilled the two holes, I inserted two EPDM grommets to help protect the wires and minimize water ingress (Link). I made the holes 3/8#. I intentionally wanted it tight. Once I had the main run in, I then worked both ends.


Rubber grommet to help protect.


For the front, I routed it from the rack, under the front roof rail end caps.




Here’s a video of a similar installation. At 22:20 shows what it looks like. ( ).


Almost seamless routing. I was happy.


Then route it between the edge of the roof panels. Caution! Front roof trim (above the window) is NOT clipped in. I looked at the Workshop manual and the way to remove it is to pull the headliner and unscrew 8 bolts. So, do NOT try to pull it up. As other videos have shown, mine also isn’t exactly centered and my passenger side is the smaller gap. Rats. There’s a slight bit where I couldn’t shove the wires under. If it starts getting ugly or lifting, I will take off the external sleeve and fit each individual wire in there. I’m almost confident it will. Here’s a video of an install ( ). The wiring starts at 4:00. Shows how to remove the A-Pillar. I looked EVERYWHERE for a flat wire like they have. I would have preferred to have used it. Here’s the PowerfulUk version of the A-Pillar removal ( ).

Now if I ever have window problems, it's on me!


I don’t route wires through the firewall. There are other videos and threads how to pierce the rubber boot/grommet around the steering housing. I have a 4-switch Trigger wireless controller ( ). I have fixed the switches to the left of the wheel with 3M trim tape and it’s rock solid.




I used a connector kit ( ) to make a connection from the “harness” I created to click right into the Bluetooth controller. A few zip ties and the engine compartment is OEM quality.


Don't tell anyone, but the Jeep Mounting bracket for the Trigger Controller allows it to perfectly mount in that pocket. I then made a connector for my harness to connect to it.


Again, I would have liked to route the entire thing thru the black aluminum edge of the OEM Expedition rack. I only did the long run from the front rack mount to the rear rack mount. So I had a choice. Route & mount the wires under the rack or on top. I literally disassembled the rear and laid it out in my shop. I tried routing within the flat rear platform, but again the internal baffles were my nemesis. After a lot of thinking, I chose the lesser of two evils: I mounted it on top where I wouldn’t see it, rather than the bottom where I would. I’ve taken two test drives and no whistling. I may rearrange things or replace some of the retention clips, but for now it works. But, it’s not the most elegant install.

Tried everything for a good route. The aluminum plates and black trim have lots of internal baffles that are tough to route around.


In order to mount the lights to the rack, I purchased two short, black aluminum bars. I likely purchased them too thick, but I’ve had success with other applications. 3/8” thick x 2” wide x 12” long (Link). I wanted to attach it to the slots, but I couldn’t find a way to do two of them. I wanted it anchored. So, eventually I just pulled the trigger and drilled straight thru the rack for the second mounting point. I liked the button heads as they seemed more aerodynamic. I guess I lost the intent with the wiring harness! The rear mounts are 5/16-18x2” stainless button head cap bolts ( ) . I think 1 7/8” would be better, but I couldn’t find the size. Used stainless washers and lock nuts I had on hand.







Finally, I ordered a ¼” bumper to space things. The black trim is ¼” “proud” so I needed a spacer and this seemed to fit the bill (Link). 6” long x 1 ¼” wide x ¼” thick. It helped to have a drill press with a 3/8” cobalt drill bit to get the bars and spacer drilled to match.

The other side used 5/16-18x1 ¼” stainless button head cap bolts ( ) but on the bottom I used 5/16-18 oval nuts. Did the deed.

I had a Trigger Y-connector harness ( ) that I used as the splitter. I connected it to my harness from the engine bay and then to the two lights. I connected each one with waterproof heat shrink connectors. Then put a heat sleeve heat shrink over the pair and then (just because I like over-kill), I wrapped with electrical tape.

The wiring harness was secured to the top of the rack with stainless & rubber exterior cable clamps ( ) and stainless, self-tapping screws ( ). I’m looking for all black cable clamps and am replacing the screws with aluminum ones as soon as they arrive (https://www.mcmaster.com/screws/aluminum-hex-head-drilling-screws-for-aluminum/)



Will shrink the loop on the left when the aluminum screws & smaller cable clamps arrive.

In use, it is marvelous – as long as you don’t look directly at it! Plenty of light broadcast widely. When backing up in the woods, you see everything. My rear camera even shows daylight colors (not night time black & white) when it is on.