How To: Under Hood Lights Done Easy (and cheap)

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
I've wanted to do this for a while, but never got around to it until a few weeks ago.

As you all know, the X has no lights under the hood. So here's how to fix that.

Parts & Tools:
- COB LED Bars Link Here $7 w/ Prime Shipping
- 4 Zip ties
- Drill bit large enough for said zip ties. I used a step drill
- Yeah...a drill too
- Some touch up paint
- 18 ga wire
- Sharpie
- Soldering Iron & solder
- Heat Shrink tube
- Multimeter or Continuity Tester
- Patience

These are the lights:
20151009_142918_zpskpexmtnq.jpg


I held them up to the underside of the hood, marked two holes on each end and a hole for the wires w/ a sharpie. Then drilled them out to the size of the zip ties.

20151009_144445_zpsspkjdiyu.jpg


20151009_144438_zpssbdchvb1.jpg


Once the holes were drilled, I cleaned and painted the area to prevent rust. I chose this location for a specific reason. The angle of the light bars will be directly at the engine and not in your face. That way when you open the hood you have useful light and not blinding light. I don't know if this location is the same for 1.0 trucks as the hood is different.

20151009_145126_zpsz3ok7adb.jpg


20151009_145113_zpsxl6gwtfj.jpg


So then I put zip ties through the holes once the paint has dried.

20151009_152723_zps1ssokeag.jpg


20151009_152718_zps0wpxudjm.jpg


With the zip ties in drop the wires for the lights into the outside holes, secure the lights w/ the included 3M tape and tighten the zip ties to permanently secure the lights.

20151009_155545_zpsbvc4zaak.jpg


Next you need to do whatever you see fit on the wiring. I ran the positive wire down the passenger side of the hood structure and the ground down the drivers side. This is where patience comes in. You need a ground up one side, and power lead up the other, and then you need to run one of each across the front of the hood.

20151009_151841_zpsstrdicia.jpg


Pause for a beer...

20151009_151833_zpsnw9aebr4.jpg


And once that's all done. Solder all of your connections. All the hots and grounds get tied together. I let everything hang out of the two corner holes in the hood structure.

20151009_163312_zpsnhzmnpqi.jpg


This is where the multimeter comes in. The hood sensor is used for triggering the lights. The sensor is a ground loop. If you unplug that sensor and then test which wire goes directly to ground by putting one probe in the plug and the other to one of the many grounds in the engine bay. Once you find out which wire goes directly to ground, the wire you want is the other one. That way when you open the hood ground is completed to the lights. Use a tap splice to tie that wire to the ground for the lights. The hot runs directly to battery. I chose not to use a fuse because the circuit is so simple.

Don't forget to plug that sensor back in. If you leave it loose the lights won't work.

20151009_154243_zpsnkbfd8f7.jpg


Once you've tested all your connections, heat shrink everything and shove all the excess wire up in the hood structure.

That it. It's done.

20151009_170433_zpso8f2gkt7.jpg


20151009_170424_zpscjvrauin.jpg


20151009_192441_zpswa4uafx7.jpg


20151009_192421_zpsiqktxpfr.jpg


20151009_192432_zpsdvmygytm.jpg


No extra switches, no guess work. Hood up, lights on.
 
Last edited:

mudchet

Got Mud?<br><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/
Founding Member
Location
Brentwood, TN
That step right before the soldering has me confused. Do you perform that step once or once for each light?
 

Manatiburon

Test Drive
I've wanted to do this for a while, but never got around to it until a few weeks ago.

As you all know, the X has no lights under the hood. So here's how to fix that.

Parts & Tools:
- COB LED Bars Link Here $7 w/ Prime Shipping
- 4 Zip ties
- Drill bit large enough for said zip ties. I used a step drill
- Yeah...a drill too
- Some touch up paint
- 18 ga wire
- Sharpie
- Soldering Iron & solder
- Heat Shrink tube
- Multimeter or Continuity Tester
- Patience

These are the lights:
20151009_142918_zpskpexmtnq.jpg


I held them up to the underside of the hood, marked two holes on each end and a hole for the wires w/ a sharpie. Then drilled them out to the size of the zip ties.

20151009_144445_zpsspkjdiyu.jpg


20151009_144438_zpssbdchvb1.jpg


Once the holes were drilled, I cleaned and painted the area to prevent rust. I chose this location for a specific reason. The angle of the light bars will be directly at the engine and not in your face. That way when you open the hood you have useful light and not blinding light. I don't know if this location is the same for 1.0 trucks as the hood is different.

20151009_145126_zpsz3ok7adb.jpg


20151009_145113_zpsxl6gwtfj.jpg


So then I put zip ties through the holes once the paint has dried.

20151009_152723_zps1ssokeag.jpg


20151009_152718_zps0wpxudjm.jpg


With the zip ties in drop the wires for the lights into the outside holes, secure the lights w/ the included 3M tape and tighten the zip ties to permanently secure the lights.

20151009_155545_zpsbvc4zaak.jpg


Next you need to do whatever you see fit on the wiring. I ran the positive wire down the passenger side of the hood structure and the ground down the drivers side. This is where patience comes in. You need a ground up one side, and power lead up the other, and then you need to run one of each across the front of the hood.

20151009_151841_zpsstrdicia.jpg


Pause for a beer...

20151009_151833_zpsnw9aebr4.jpg


And once that's all done. Solder all of your connections. All the hots and grounds get tied together. I let everything hang out of the two corner holes in the hood structure.

20151009_163312_zpsnhzmnpqi.jpg


This is where the multimeter comes in. The hood sensor is used for triggering the lights. The sensor is a ground loop. If you unplug that sensor and then test which wire goes directly to ground by putting one probe in the plug and the other to one of the many grounds in the engine bay. Once you find out which wire goes directly to ground, the wire you want is the other one. That way when you open the hood ground is completed to the lights. Use a tap splice to tie that wire to the ground for the lights. The hot runs directly to battery. I chose not to use a fuse because the circuit is so simple.

Don't forget to plug that sensor back in. If you leave it loose the lights won't work.

20151009_154243_zpsnkbfd8f7.jpg


Once you've tested all your connections, heat shrink everything and shove all the excess wire up in the hood structure.

That it. It's done.

20151009_170433_zpso8f2gkt7.jpg


20151009_170424_zpscjvrauin.jpg


20151009_192441_zpswa4uafx7.jpg


20151009_192421_zpsiqktxpfr.jpg


20151009_192432_zpsdvmygytm.jpg


No extra switches, no guess work. Hood up, lights on.


Awesome Mod. Now that you put a few years into the lighting mod, how was the durability of those LED's? Are they still shining or have you gone through a few sets?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Awesome Mod. Now that you put a few years into the lighting mod, how was the durability of those LED's? Are they still shining or have you gone through a few sets?
Wish I knew. I sold that truck like 4 years ago. I tried to track it down. But no luck. I miss it.
 

Manatiburon

Test Drive
Sorry to hear that. I went through the same with a small boat I poured my heart and guts in the rebuild and had to sell it. It's like it has been drawn from the Earth's surface... If you have the vin and 30$ to spare you can at least carfax it... Just to kill your curiosity...
 
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