If you're looking for a visual and performance enhancement for your S197 Mustang that looks great and will set your car apart from the rest, you might wish to try a set of these cool replacement head- and taillight assemblies from Mr. Bodykit. For improved safety and brightness it's hard to beat light emitting diodes (LED), so for the taillights we chose to go with a set of the "Generation 3" True Red LED taillights. Each taillamp assembly has 24 LED lamps and uses the factory back-up light in a bright silver quadrant similar to the factory assembly. However on the Mr. Bodykit unit the silver reflective surface is carried clear across the bottom of the housing. The overall effect is that they look stock but somehow nicer. When they're lit, they blow the factory lights away in intensity. The lamps fit both V-6 and GT Mustangs. Their list price is $239.99.
For headlamps we chose to go with a pair of Generation 1 Projector Lamp headlights for our Mustang. They have a black housing and feature halo rings and LED turn signal lights. These lamps divide the low and high beam functions between two lamps and the low beams go off when the high beams come on. The halo rings are wired into the parking lights and will illuminate when the headlamps are still off for that secret agent look. The low beams are at the bottom while the halos surround the high beam lamps and the halos show when the low beams are on but are over shown by the bright light setting. The headlamp assemblies also have a vertical row of white LED turn signal lamps, which are easily wired into the stock turn signal wiring using the supplied Scotch Lock connectors. The headlamp assemblies list for $249.99 a pair.
Also included in our upgrades were Mustang black parking lights at $79.99 a pair. They eliminate the amber lens of the stock lamp housing and replace it with a clear lens over a black background. The special bulbs provided are silver when off but glow the legally required amber when lit. The black headlamp housings and parking lamps were chosen to be consistent with our silver and black color scheme of our '06 Mustang GT convertible, but check their website for the numerous styles and finishes available, including plenty of options for Fox, SN-95, and New Edge Mustangs. Let's take a look at what's involved in getting these cool Mr. Bodykit upgrades onto our S197.
Here's the group of goodies we got from Mr. Bodykit. When we began the project we had a lot of questions in our heads and we were apprehensive about possible modifications to the factory wiring. However, after a short while it became clear that the Mr. Bodykit equipment was a plug-and-play operation. The new taillight assemblies use the factory wiring harness from the OE housing and the new LED fixtures simply plug into the factory bulb sockets. The headlights also used the factory plugs for the split function high and low beams. The halo rings simply connect to the side marker lights using the provided Scotch Lock wire taps and the vertical row of white LED are connected to the turn signal lamps to function in conjunction with them. The blackout bumper lights require no fasteners and simply snap into place in the bumper cover using the factory attachment points.
 We begin the taillight installation...  We begin the taillight installation by removing the rear trunk interior trim panel. It's retained by four plastic push pins which are released by pulling up on the center cap and also two wing nut fasteners which attach to the taillamp housing mounting studs. When the six fasteners are removed the panel can be taken out of the trunk as shown. |  Next, peel the carpeting back...  Next, peel the carpeting back and remove the 10mm nuts from the end of the three lamp housing studs as seen here. |  Disconnect the electrical...  Disconnect the electrical plug for the taillight assembly. Push down on the side of the plug to release it and then force the grommet through the opening toward the rear of the car and then remove the light housing from the taillight panel. |
 Set the housing face down...  Set the housing face down on a towel and unplug the three bulb fixtures by twisting them counter clockwise. Do the same with the backup lamp at the bottom of the housing. The stock taillight harness will be reused with the new LED taillights. |  The new taillights have an...  The new taillights have an internal harness for the LEDs which are simply connected to the OE harness. Remember that a diode is a one-way electrical path and if the polarity is not correct they will not light up. Since the plugs can be connected either way it's easy get the polarity reversed. Reverse the plug on any LED section that doesn't light up by testing their operation now, before bolting everything back together. Even though Mr. Bodykit included a flyer with a notice to this effect we got a couple of them backwards anyway. |  Both taillight housings have...  Both taillight housings have two relay boxes attached, each with a piece of two sided tape already installed. To test the fit of the boxes and make sure they didn't interfere with the proper seating of the housing we trial fit them, exposing only a tiny portion of the adhesive. Once we were happy the taillights would still fit the body of the car, the relays were installed permanently. |
 Here the lamp housing is carefully...  Here the lamp housing is carefully installed after the wiring pigtail and grommet were passed through the body. Ensure the grommet is fully sealed too, or you'll have a water leak. Next the fasteners and trunk interior trim panels were replaced. | | |