DIY: Footwell lights - a little different
 

I know there are several threads here on this topic, but my install is a little different, so I thought this post would be informative.

The other setups I've seen are either wired to the door switches, or perhaps the parking lights, so they either turn on/off with the doors, or are on all the time at night. I wanted mine to work exactly as the overhead dome lights work. That's to say I wanted the footwell lights to switch on/off with the doors, and/or if I switched the dome lights on manually. So, here's the wiring:

The wires are soldered to the traces which connect to the bulbs (LED's in this case), rather than to a switched 12v+ source from the car.
http://deanwcains.smugmug.com/photos...69_8bbYR-M.jpg

Here are the LED's I used, 12v natively, 12 LED's, and the exact orange color to match the OEM lights:
http://deanwcains.smugmug.com/photos...51_ZpQTu-M.jpg

The color match was tough, and I tried several sources to find the "right" color. In most cases, "amber" really means "yellow", and that wouldn't have looked good, IMO. I like mods to look as though they might have come from the factory that way:
http://deanwcains.smugmug.com/photos...58_gHexo-M.jpg

That loose wire is for the driver's side, and because there are two separate circuits for the footwell lights, each side can be switched on/off manually, but both come on with an open door, and fade down when the doors close.

looks good, is it only on the pass. side though?

No. I just hadn't run that hanging wire over to the driver's side when I took that picture. My garage is pretty narrow, and the Z-doors are so large, so I can only work on one side of the car at a time. Then I have to back it out and pull in the other way so I can work on the opposite side:) All finished now, though.

Where in FL? I am in Naples. Would you like to do some wiring on my car. No color match just bright white led's.

Chris

good job...very creative...i like the dimming feature that would come from the dome lights.....sweet...


-J

+1

Nice DIY.

For those interested, here are the (orange) LED's I used:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...pecs%2FLB4.htm

These come without wires, so don't forget to order the ones listed on the "buy" page.

This place has self-adhesive LED strips, which would be very easy to work with:

http://www.oznium.com/led-flex-strips - EDIT: These suck, as they burn out quickly.

Lots of LED's on eBay, too.

That loose wire is for the driver's side, and because there are two separate circuits for the footwell lights, each side can be switched on/off manually, but both come on with an open door, and fade down when the doors close.[/QUOTE]

been thinking about doing the leds for a while now, but i would rather get to work on the system first but it looks amazing. i have a question for you, i also dont have the oem navigation so i wanted to do something "special" with the cubby. wanted to get a few ideas, and i saw yours. just wanted to see what you did with the space

:werd: I might actually try this when I have time and feel like doing something different but subtle.

Nice work men..looks very good!
Thanks for sharing your ideas!

Here's a better pic of the Garmin 255W in the cubby:

http://deanwcains.smugmug.com/photos...10_b2xZq-M.jpg

In order to set it back far enough for the door to close, and also give some storage space in front (sunglasses, etc.), you need to use a shorter mount than comes with the unit originally. Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Suction...1771321&sr=1-1

The mount is screwed into the back of the cubby, and the power supply for the GPS is wired to turn on/off with the ignition.

Never posted a pic of the driver's side footwell. It looks a lot brighter than the passenger side because of the reflections off the pedals:

http://deanwcains.smugmug.com/photos...50_o86pd-M.jpg

DAMN! everything you did to that car is exactly wut i had in mind. i suppose great minds really do think a like:thumbup: beautiful set up man, will definitely be running a set up some wut similar to this. thanks a lot of the pictures, very clean job!

Thanks for the compliments. I hope yours comes out the way you want it.

Looks great, now I've got a new project to spend my time on. Thanks for the idea!

Whats the best place to run the wires down from dome light?

How exactly did you do this project? I really love the idea on what you did but how exactly did you do it? Anyway you can go into detail on it?

I removed the plastic trim on the right side of the headliner and the A-pillar, and used a coathanger to fish teh wires over from the center light housing. Then I ran the wires down the inside of the A-pillar trim to the floor area. Finally, fished the driver's side wire along the firewall under the dash.

I don't think there's much more to tell. The first pic shows how to wire the LEDs to the center light housing. You can pop it out of the roof with a thin screwdriver. Once that's done, you just run the wires across the top of the headliner and down the right A-pillar. To mount the LED strips you can use zip ties or double-sided tape to anyplace you choose under the dash. You don't have to pay much attention to the polarity of the wires, as if you hook up the LED strips and they don't work, just reverse the wires (no damage will be done to the LEDs). If you're not comfortable soldering and pulling off interior panels, you may want to get some help.

Any specific questions?

One of my favorite mods. Everyone loves it. One question though, where exactly did you mount the LEDs on the passenger side? People keep accidentally kicking mine and breaking the resistors

genius idea, i love it! cant wait to try it!