The last time I was at the dealer, I saw the newly designed tail lights from the '01 4Runner.  They are much clearer and have a more sculpted shape than the previous '96 -'00 tails. As you can see in the pics below, they really clean up the back and look especially nice with the chrome bumper.

If you are considering this mod, you can order from Burtman Industries

These are total replacement tail lights and come with the wiring harness seen in the photo. Some of the bulbs in the new tails are smaller than the ones they are replacing, so it's necessary that you replace the wiring harness and bulbs. To install the tails, you need to remove the screws in the bottom plastic trim plate, the plastic cargo cover holders and from the old tails themselves.  Now you can pry back the plastic side panels, unclip the old wire harness, remove the ground and pull the old tail lights out. Since I had already had these panels apart when I did my stereo install, it took about 20 minutes. Make sure the plastic panels aren't too cold because they could crack when you pry/bend them.
 

 
 
 

 

As you can see above, the Desert Dune paint likes to play tricks on your eyes in different lighting.
 

Install pics courtesy of Nite2Cris


Click here to see a video comparing both tails. (199kb)


 

site created by Jason Burtman (WebMaster)