DIY: xB Underhood LED Lighting

[ShadowBox]

This DIY will walk you though putting the 6 LEDs on the bottom side of your hood. This will help illuminate the engine bay during shows and will also help to light up behind your grill if you have a mesh grill like me. I heard from others that Rob (DriverLost) has a similar thing done to his car, but I've never seen it.

Pictures with Hood Open:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/P1010974.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/P1010979.jpg

Pictures with Hood Closed:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/P1010973.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/P1010978.jpg

To start off, I’m not responsible if you screw something up. You are doing any modifications at your own risk. Also, I hate to state the obvious, but be careful not to drill a hole through the top of your hood. This would likely ruin your day.

The holes I used to mount these LEDS normally act as drains to allow any water that may get in the hood to escape. By placing LEDs in these holes, you are blocking the drains. You could drill additional holes for drains if you feel they are important. I decided I’d live on the edge and didn’t opt to drill any drains.

I used Oznium Superflux LEDs for this project, so I drilled holes that would accommodate them. If you use a different type of LED, adjust your drill size accordingly.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0096.jpg

Lets get started:

1 Use a drill w/ a 23/64” drill bit to open up the existing 7 mm holes on the underside of the hood. Be careful not to force the drill. Instead, let the drill slowly open the hole. Remove any burs with a round file. Be careful not to scratch the surrounding paint.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0094.jpg

2 Use a fish tape or similar tool to run across the top of the hood, between the large holes on each end.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0116.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0117.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0095.jpg

3 Attach a power and ground wire to the fish tape and pull it through. Make sure you give yourself plenty of extra wire as you will need it to make slices for each LED. You will also need enough wire to run your power/ground source. Place the extra wire on the passenger side of the car. You will run the wire across the hinge w/ the washer fluid hose. Also, I suggest using somewhat small gauge braided wire (18 – 22 ga). If you use too thick of wire, you won’t be able to pull it through the 23/64” holes to make your splices.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0097.jpg

4 After the wire is run, use a small hook to pull the wire through each hole. This is kind of tricky, but you will get the hang of it. After you hook a section and get it through, I used a nylon zip tie to insure that if I pulled too hard at another hole, it would not disappear. Also, take care not to scratch the insulation off of your wires when pulling them through the holes.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0099.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0100.jpg

5 After you have the wire pulled through each hole, you can start splicing in the LEDs. Just break each wire with some wire strippers and attach the LEDs (be sure to wire + to + and - to -). Reinsulate the connections with electrical tape. You can then press the wire back into the hood, BUT do not press the LED into the hole.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0105.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0101-1.jpg

6 After splicing each of the LEDs, I temporarily hooked up the power and ground in order to check that all the connections were good and lights were functional. This is optional, but a good practice on all installs. I used a small 12 VDC power supply, but you could also just hook some leads to a 12 VDC battery.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0102.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0103.jpg

7 Next, press all the LEDs into their holes. I opted to add a little adhesive silicone to each to give them a little extra holding power. I then removed any excess with a clean paper towel.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0114.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0107.jpg

8 Next, drill a 3/8” hole at the bottom of the hood for the wires to exit the hood, by the washer fluid line. Fish your wire down through the hole then slide a ¼” rubber grommet over the wire and place it into the hole. This will help protect the wire that will move in and out of the hole, slightly, each time the hood is raised.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0108.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0109.jpg

9 The final step is to route the wires to your power and ground source. I routed the wire w/ the washer fluid hose to the inside of the fender. I then took it to the top of the fender and into the engine compartment. I spliced into my existing switched lighting power source and ground. You can go about a million different ways here, so you’re on your own.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/IMGA0118.jpg

10 A final touch that will make this installation more professional looking, is to use electrical tape or a very long piece of heat shrink tubing to wrap any exposed wires to make them look more like a stock installation. I also attached the wires to the washer fluid hose as many times as possible to insure that it does not get pinched by the hinge as you open/close the hood.

I may still go back later and add a couple more lights closer to the hinge latch to better light up behind the grill.

One last picture w/ my kick ass hood prop:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/cyclman68/My%20xB/2007-08-27%20-%20Under%20Hood%20Lighting/P1010982.jpg

Thanks and enjoy your new lighting!

[minkushxc]

can you post links to the pics i cant see them

[Bud-D]

Ya - DIY's with no pics are kindof a drag, huh? :(

[05sciko]

can they not take down the diy's without pics??? i can read well and good but the pics really help (plus im a sucker for them)

[Bud-D]

I've sent messages asking the same thing but they go unanswered. I've also asked if certain posts / threads be removed, but was told that nothing gets removed, only MOVED. I'm only guessing that by removing anything (posts, threads, user logons that I KNOW don't get used and people have left the club) will only lower the numbers (total posts, total users, total threads, etc). "They" don't want the numbers lowered - it 'looks better' to see the furum member count never lessen, or the total threads and posts (off to the right side of your screen there).

[05sciko]

wow. i guess thats why the search feature sucks so much