I pulled off the front Z badges from the side of my 350 and installed three LEDs in the squares.

These LEDs are 1.6mm x 0.8mm so I have to use a magnifying glass to solder the wires and resistors to them. Its hard to believe they are 1300 mcd's each. To the human eye they are as bright as the ones I and others have been putting in the side markers. Stare at them and you will be seeing three dots for a while....

I'm on my second set of LEDs and it looks like I have a viable assembly process. The first set took 4 hours to make and have been on my car for two weeks. They have survived two rain storms and two car washes so I believe they are water tight.

Before I start selling them on Ebay, I thought I would try some feedback from the forum. I hooked mine to the turn signals. I have the Clear side markers with three amber LEDs hooked up to the parking lights.

What do you think?

 

Its tough to get a good picture with a digital camera. Trying to catch them when they are on is a pain....

 

are they on all the time, or only when you signal?

 

very nice! I would prefer on all the time, and not with signals. That might be enough to take off my clear/led sides and put the smoked ones on instead, along with these!

 

They look great!

 

so what did you do? Take off the side emblem, drill tiny holes in the 3 dots and then put in the ultra tiny high intensity led's?

I like em but I am also surprised you have not been hit by any members of the rice patrol yet! (screw em!)

Oh and to answer a question. it depends on how you wire them. You can have them blink with the blinker (wire to the blinker harness) or have them on with the parking lights (wire to the parking light harness) Easy enough!

 

looks good man. 3mm LEDs? or smaller?

 

Very Nice....

 

How did you ensure that the assembly is watertight?

 

DAMMIT I WANT MY SET FRIST!!! hey i know where you live . just name your price and help me install them.

 

dude how soon can we get them, and how much will they cost? Can we do it ourselves? Let us know more info.....

 

I plan to offer them on Ebay with an opening price of $70 and an instant buy of $75 with free USPS priority shipping to the continental US.

I like Ebay, because buyers can see my feedback rating and know they won't get ripped off.

The LEDs are half the size of 3mm. 3mm were too big.
I don't recommend trying this unless you have several years experience with a pencil tip soldering iron and a very steady hand. I wasted a dozen LEDs trying to get the right set up and methodology on my first set. The second set used a different style of LED, same size and intensity, that dropped the assembly time to a couple of hours.

The LEDs are glued into the holes and the back side is covered with silicone.

 

Excuse my ignorance, but I don't have my Z yet.

Is there already a hole behind the side emblem or would I have to drill one?

 

Steps to install are:
Jack up car and put on jack stands.
Remove front wheels.
Remove inner fender liners.
Press out the Z emblem from behind using the butt end of a screw driver. They are held on by two sided tape and have two posts that stick through the body. Press on these posts.
Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the center of the indentation where the badge goes. I will provide a template with the units I sell.
Remove the two sided tape from the body.
Feed the wires through the new hole.
Remove the protective film from the back of the new badges.
Press the badges in place.
Run the wires along the upper fender area using the factory clips that are holding wires or windshield washer lines (depending on the side of the car).

Remove the appropriate bulb socket (turn or driving) to make cutting the wires easier.
Attach the appropriate wires.
Best method - soldering and heat shrink tubing.
Better method - use crimp on connectors.
Worst method - use scotch locks.

Put the fender liners back on.
Put the wheels back on.
Remove jack stands.
Lower car and enjoy.

 

does that cost include new side badges or do we have to remove them send them to you and then wait to get them back.

I would assume they are for new badges. If so, would you do it for less if we send you our originals?

thanks. I like the idea alot!

 

Can we have a group buy for members?

 

ya how does it work with the badges? is it going to be some sort of exchange deal? Like we send ours, you send us a different pair back, or what? It seems to be a waist to buy a whole new pair?

 

The price includes new badges.

I would be willing to sell them to forum members on an exchange basis for $45.

We could do this one of two ways.

You would have to pay $70. When I receive that amount in a money order or PayPal, I will ship a set. You could then ship me your original set. After I receive them and inspect them I would refund $25 by check or PayPal.

The other option is you take yours off and send them to me along with $45. I would ship a set as soon as I receive them, as long as I don't get too many in the queue at once. You would need to email me to set this up so I can be sure and have a set ready to go.

Shipping USPS priority mail is less than $4 in the continental US and usually only takes two days. The post office will even give you a box for free.

Anyone interested in either of these options can PM me or email me at z327@airmail.net. I check my email at least a couple of times a day. I check PM's on a less regular basis.

I plan to make two more sets this weekend if my Nissan dealer has them in stock.

 

im interested in the $45 option. How do we take our Z emblems off? Thanks......

post some night shots for us!!

check ur email.....

 

you wont find it on their website, but courtesy parts can get stock parts as well, or so I found out recently. if your dealer doesnt have them, courtesy might be able to get them to you quickly.