Gretsch
SILVER Star
Based on your wiring diagram, don't you need a hot lead into the switch, AND a ground?
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Based on your wiring diagram, don't you need a hot lead into the switch, not a ground?
damn near lit up like an operating theater! i really like the minimal shadowsFinished up the under-hood lighting install this evening. Overall not too bad, just a little time consuming to make it look good. Here's what I did...
I found these LED lights on Amazon for $16. You get a set of 4 light strips at 12" each. I went with the "daylight white" to maximize the brightness. The lights are waterproof and can be cut to length and/or connected in-line to power all 4 strips. They also come with 3M adhesive tape on the back. I decided to use all 4 strips placed around the inside of the hood to give me light on all parts of the engine bay. Eventually I decided to cut one strip in half and put a piece on either side of the hood near the firewall. I didn't want the lights shining directly at me and blinding me, so it worked out that they tucked neatly into the recesses of the hood for the wiper motor.
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Once I had the layout down, I started connecting the strips. You can buy press-on connectors for these type of lights, but I decided to save some $$$ and just solder them together.
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First I cut the ends right behind the plastic connection and carefully cut down and peeled away the silicone covering to expose the remaining portion of the connection leads.
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There was actually enough solder remaining that I just tinned the end of my wires and then attached directly to the strips. This is the wire leads from one strip attached to the connection end of another strip. These lights have two (+) and two (-) connectors each. You do have to make sure that your connecting wires go to the same + and - positions on each strip as you connect them. I finished each one off with some heat shrink and then tested off the battery to make sure the string worked.
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After all the strips were connected, I cleaned up the spots on the hood where I wanted to mount them so the 3M adhesive would stick. I started with the strip that had the free wires to connect to the battery on the PS side of the hood and went around clockwise....just wanted to make sure I didn't end up with the leads on the DS and have to figure out a way to run them across to the battery. After that it was just a matter of wiring up to a switch. I had an LED toggle switch already, so I wired into that. I have a small fused distribution box installed under the hood, so I just ran from that to the switch. There was a factory hole in the back of the PS fender that was a little bigger than the back of my switch. I fit nicely and has about an inch of clearance from the hood lift assist spring when closed. It was a little tight getting my hands back there to make the final connections, but it's doable with some patience.
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These lights are SUPER bright and make every part of the engine bay visible. They are also drawing a minuscule amount of power off the battery. They weren't even pulling enough to register a change on the digital volt meter I installed in the cab. I'm pretty happy with this mod, especially for being completed under $20.
just a quick ? how much have you driven it since the lights were installed? my concern is engine compartment heat breaking down the 3m tape.@kirvesmies it also works well as studio lighting for video chat meetings on the laptop!!
just a quick ? how much have you driven it since the lights were installed? my concern is engine compartment heat breaking down the 3m tape.