Led Backlit Headlights

cherrington17 · 10-06-2006, 03:23 PM

This is a How To for giving your headlights a LED Backlighting. DO NOT do this, and wire the LEDs in permanently, I'm almost positive this is illegal in most states.

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate. If you have no idea how to wire LEDs it would be of Moderate difficultly, if you do, this will be very easy.

Time: It took me 4hrs to complete. I also did not know what I was doing, or what look I wanted, so it had more "tinkering" time involved.

Tools: Soldering gun, wire crimper/stripper, Silicone gel, and hot glue (optional)

The first few steps are simple enough. Follow the same steps you would for clearing your headlights. Remove assembly, cook for a few mintues, take lens off... if you can't do that, then you can't do this project.

Ok.
Step One: Prepare the LEDs. Sand the tips down so they are flat. This helps them project in a much wider fashion, giving less pinpoint light.
Step Two: Bend the LEDs so the leads off the back will give them an anchor point on the chrome reflector. [Image 1]
Step Three: Place the LEDs on the reflector. You could put one in each corner, one in all 4 corners, one in the center... use your imagination and keep it looking clean. I opted for 2 LEDs in the center, pointing slightly away from each other. Also, I found it much better to mount them on the TOP of the assembly, so they won't as noticeable. I also put a very small spot of hot glue on the bottoms of the LEDs as well as the wires underneath, just to hold them in place. [Image 2]
Step Four: Solder your connecting wires onto the leads on the LEDs. Test the connections, to make sure they are correct, and the LEDs work properly.
Step Five: Run the wires underneath the reflector, to the back of the assembly. They should be long enough to reach just outside the black rubber bulb housing on the back. [Image 3]
Step Six: Put quick disconnects on the wires, incase you need to remove the headlight assembly later.
Step Seven: Reassemble your headlights.
Step Eight: Run the POWER wire in threw the firewall to the cabin, and connect it to a switch. Don't bother running the ground all the way in, just use one of the many grounds on the front of your car.
Step Nine: Hide all the wiring and make sure the connections are solid. You don't want the wires to be flopping around your engine.
Step Ten: Clean up.

cherrington17 · 10-06-2006, 03:26 PM

Finished Product...

Satsuriku · 10-06-2006, 03:31 PM

excellent work dude!! i have something to do this weekend WOOT!

10-07-2006, 01:12 AM

Love the look.:

10-07-2006, 04:51 AM

Looks good, but i made my LED's so you cant see them at all. Not that yours looks bad or anything. Great how to write up as well... I didnt take enough pictures during my project.

Mounting the LED's on the back of the bezel make ppl go "where the hell are the lights?" gotten that a few times. And this is DEFINATLY a head turner.. iver had alot of compliments in 48 hours time.

cherrington17 · 10-07-2006, 10:47 AM

i was thinking about mounting them on light assembly... but that'd be really tricky, and you'd have to remount them if you changed the bulb...

and i didn't want to risk damaging the chrome reflector mounting somewhere else. if you mount on top of the reflector, you can't really see them. but alerwhoa, if you want to get a really decent picture of where yours mounted feel free to add it to here... as well as anyone else who did this and mounted in other places.

p1mptress · 10-07-2006, 03:21 PM

Looks good can't wait for my leds to get here!! hopefully in the next week they'll be in but i doubt it!

10-07-2006, 03:27 PM

I cant take pictures of where mine are mounted for the fact that you cant even see them at all. They are mounted to the back side of the chrome bezel piece thats inside the headlight. So in order to see where they are mounted The headlights would have to be dissassembled again.

Satsuriku · 10-09-2006, 11:50 AM

why dont ya make a quick pic in ms paint or something and show us lol

Headstrong2740 · 10-09-2006, 12:31 PM

Looks great!

I did mine as well...but i only used one LED in eachlight. pointed toward the back like yours. did them this weekend and had picsup and everything.. this is how they looked.

Oh...fog lights are done and will be up tonight i think with some pics of those as well.

Satsuriku · 10-09-2006, 12:40 PM

i was going to do mine but i got lazy and didnt do them yet....plus, i really dont want to put a new switch in my car.....already got 4 in there and plan on putting another 2 in some time so that will be 7 switches.............my god lol

Headstrong2740 · 10-09-2006, 12:50 PM

OMG!!! thats alot of F***ing switches.lol Are they all for just different lights??

Satsuriku · 10-09-2006, 12:58 PM

interior green and blue and wheel well lights also green and blue.

and for the 3.....well, side mirrors, headlights...and something else lol i just dont remember at this time

Headstrong2740 · 10-09-2006, 12:59 PM

Thats funny that you dont remember what a switch does. lol hope its not to important

p1mptress · 10-09-2006, 01:19 PM

why don't you hook all ur green lights into one switch and all ur blue into another so that's like 2 less switches. I dunno maybe you like so many so you seem important or something. LOL!

Satsuriku · 10-09-2006, 05:21 PM

lol i have to keep the wheel well lights and my interior seperate, i can have my interiors on with no problem but the cops would have a shit fit with my wheel well lights, hence why there on a seperate switch, and i have decided exactly what im going to do thats going to require the additional switches, so far i have 4 WORKING switches

cherrington17 · 10-09-2006, 05:52 PM

sat its called a Double Pull Double Throw switch. or DPDT...

you can wire green to switch so when its UP its on. Center will be off, and Down will be Blue. (or vise versa) that gets rid of two switches...

battistoni21 · 10-09-2006, 06:17 PM

awsome how to cherry

......

Satsuriku · 10-10-2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherrington17

sat its called a Double Pull Double Throw switch. or DPDT...

you can wire green to switch so when its UP its on. Center will be off, and Down will be Blue. (or vise versa) that gets rid of two switches...

oh shit!!! thats right!! forgot about those!! haha thanx man, think you just saved me a shit load of time and screw ups!

cherrington17 · 04-30-2011, 07:41 AM

Theres a revision to this whole thing. Putting them on the front of the reflector facing back, looked REALLY bad. Satsuriku did this later (before he left the site) and actually had the leds mounted to the diffuser stem, which completely hid them and looked great. just angle the leds back toward the reflector and be sure they are sanded flat at the tip.