Installing flexible LED strips below your tails.

[Token]

Movies show the credits at the end. I do it at the beginning:

Original idea: hemiwagn; he's got a million great ideas
Sourced LEDs: Cdn_Magnum; nice find
Technical resource: jaak; keeps me from blowing stuff up unintentionally (he’ll also be the one laughing at my soldering soon)

Let’s get to it. After tinting them, the tail lights are not as easily seen as they were stock, but the bright red stock tails just had to go. So as a measure of security, I added a strip of flex LEDs under the tail lights.

This mod is really quite easy to do and should take about 30 minutes per side to complete.

I installed: 2 @ 9.5” RED Flex LED strips http://www.oznium.com/led-flex-strips


You will need to cut 3 LEDs off of the strip you get, because it’s too long for this application. Using a utility knife or scissors cut the 3 LEDs from the strip. Dab a little silicone onto the cut end to maintain water resistance.

Tools and other stuff you’ll need:

• 2 @ Weatherproof flat electrical connectors. Purchased locally at an auto parts store
• 4 @ diodes, I used IN4001 because that’s what I had on hand
• 2 @ resistors, I used 1K 1/2w 5%CF again had these on hand
• Wire Cutters
• Small Utility Knife
• Soldering Iron & Solder
• Heat shrink tube
• Electrical tape
• Silicone
• Wire, I had 20ga.

For the purposes of illustration, I have removed the wiring harness from the back of the tail lamp, this can easily be done with it in place, but it’s so much easier with it removed and so easy to take out, there’s no reason not to. Just twist & pull the bulb sockets and the whole thing comes off with the bulbs still installed.


Trim away some of the insulation from the Solid Brown wire, going to the parking lamp, the Brown & Violet wire, going to the brake lamp, and the Black ground wire.
When tapping into an existing wire I always separate the strands and feed the new wire through, before winding, soldering and taping


Attach the black wire in the harness to the negative lead on the connector.
Attach the Solid Brown wire (running light) to the diode, then the resistor, then the positive lead on the connector. I attached these, soldered then heat-shrink.



Attach the Brown & Violet (brake light) wire to the diode, then to the positive lead on the connector.

Attach the other end of the connector to the leads on the LED
Use a couple of drops of silicone to affix the LED strip to the top of the facia.
Plug in the LED connector, plug in the tail lamp connector into the body harness, and re-install the tail light
It should look a little like this:

[Crazy R/T]

Do you install the strip in the light houssing or below?

[Magma]

Its in the gap below the tails.

[dumpster]

would you be able to put them straight to the brake light without the use of all the diodes and resistors? i say this because im not sure what the heck is going on (sorry im a bit on the slow side when it comes to the teck part of why you use these) with everything here. i would very much want to use your idea but i dont need the leds to be on with the tails just the brake.

thanks token for sharing

[Token]

would you be able to put them straight to the brake light without the use of all the diodes and resistors?

You sure can. Then you just need to tap into the black wire (ground) and the brown/violet wire (+12v) and you're good to go.

[dumpster]

thanks i just put my order in for the red 9.5

[36 chambers]

i like those looks nice!!!!!!!!!

[Jaak]

Lookin' good Dave!




OK, just teasing about the disco crap...

[MR. J]

Awesome idea, looks good.

[joseph]

This place also sells flexible LED strips, red or amber, just tape it up with the 3M tape and connect.

http://www.customdynamics.com/flex_led_array.htm

[BlsdEsq]

Can you post a close up of the finished install? I will definately be doing this when I tint my tails.

[Hemi Mag]

what happens w/o the diodes and resistors? I assume they are just there to make them come on the same time the regulars do?

AC

[Token]

what happens w/o the diodes and resistors? I assume they are just there to make them come on the same time the regulars do?

AC

The resistors are there to dim the LEDs like the running lights, the LED strip takes very little power and would be on full bright all of the time, essentially negating the transition from running light to brake light.
Because the +12v is being pulled from both the running light and brake light and fed into 1 (one) LED strip the diodes assure there is no current flow back onto the other circuit.

Can you post a close up of the finished install? I will definately be doing this when I tint my tails.

I'll get some more shots as soon as I wash the car LOL

[hemiwagn]

Nice write-up Dave. I've seen those on your car and they just flat out look great! It is amazing the 'presence' that little strip has -- it has the same impact as a full tail light!

[blackmagnum06]

hey token those look awesome! i was wondering if you can do a set for me and ill pay you for it.