HOW TO Install Custom Footwell Interior Lighting

[jimmy_bob]

I did this to my VT a few months ago and thought someone may benefit from my so called knowledge. That is to say custom interior footwell lighting. This replaces the old green ones in the footwell AND adds rear ones under the front seats. My setup allows me to have them turn on when the doors open and, with the flick of a switch, whilst driving. There is also another switch which allows me to change from white to blue.

Take a look





If you likeee follow these steps knowing that i will NOT take responsibility if you damage or wreck any part of your ride or your person.

You will need the following
- LED module (from jaycar. they come in lots of 10)
- 2 Switchs (DPDT)
- Zippy box or enclosure (for switches)
- Lots of wire (two core audio wire works great)
- soldering iron and solder
- cutters, electrical tape etc

Now, as i explained mine use the existing footwell light wires so be prepared to cut off the drivers side light holder as the two wires (negative and positive) are used to power part of this circuit. From memory there is a white wire and an orange wire but i cannot remember which is negative and which is positive. you may need to search around to find which is which. Using these wires will allow the lights to turn on with the door, but we also need another wire so that the lights can be turned on even when the doors aren't open. I just happened to have a negative wire under the console which wasn't connected to anything (the guy who owned it before me had a phone charger screwed into the fascia. idiot). you can make your own by simply grounding a wire to the body if you cann't find a spare one.

Now, i made mine in two parts which ended up being identicle. A white LED circuit and a blue LED circuit. Using the LED modules from Jaycar you will need to solder some together like so: one for the left and one for the right. I put one module under the glove box, one module under the steering wheel, and two modules under each seat as shown in this diagram.
NOTE: there needs to be enough wire to go from under the rear seats, along the door sill and under the glove box (leaving extra is good because you can tuck it away)

Remember when soldering these, the positive on one LED module must go to the positive on the next module.

You then need to join the left side and the right side with some wire, like so.
NOTE the two wires sticking up. when the left and right side are joined, another wire needs to be soldered on to connect to the power


Next, do the exact same thing with some other LED modules. For example some blue ones.


The positive on both the Blue Leds and the White Leds (RED WIRE) is then joined/soldered together as they share the same positive (for some reason cars switch the negative off and on) and then soldered to the POSITIVE OF THE ORIGINAL FOOTWELL LIGHT WIRE.


Now you are left with two negative wires. One from the White LED's and one from the Blue LED's. Now you will need one of the switches. This switch will change the color of light. On the back you will notice three prongs. One of these wires needs to be soldered onto the left prong and the other wire to the right prong leaving the middle prong clear.


Now you need the other switch which will change wether the lights come on with open doors OR whilst your driving/in the car. The middle prong from the switch in the last step needs to have a wire soldered from it to the middle prong of this next switch.
Like so:


You will notice in the picture a green and purple wire/line. One of these needs to get soldered to the Negative of the ORIGINAL FOOTWELL LIGHT NEGATIVE. The other wire needs to get soldered to the negative which you either find or make (there may be a spare acc wire which turns on with the accessories).

That is basically it. You then need to house the switches in a box and strategically place it some where inconspicuous as i don't believe this is legal (especially whilst driving)
I put mine next to the rest pedal


NOW this bit can be done however you want as this is just how i hid the cables
It is easier to run them as you go so you know how much wire you need. Depending on what model you have, you will find some wires going from under the drivers seat into the door sill (under the scuff plates). you will need to remove the plastic trims on both sides and run the LED wires with these.
This pictures shows the wires i mean

And yes you can hide them better if you wish.



Starting from the Left front seat, Stick the Led moduls under the seat so that they face into the rear. Then run the wires under the seat rack and into the door scuff sill thing. up under the glove box, and behind the radio so that the wires stick out into the drivers footwell.

This is just the way that i did it so any suggestions on how someone might do it better are welcome.
If you need anyhelp just ask and i'l try my best.
hhhhhhhhh

[kindo]

Thanks dude im thinking of trying it out, how long did it take you?

[jimmy_bob]

without instructions it took me almost a whole day, but i couldn't figure out which was the switching wire. follow these instructions and it will take 5-6 hours.

[kindo]

Thanks man!!!

[jimmy_bob]

if anyone else has done this could they please post pics

[shiftySLE]

Isnt this a bit of a ricer mod, no different to the under car neons. It doesn't look too bad but why do you have to see your feet so much at night.

[shiftySLE]

BTW, the 'how to' part of the thread is well explained.

[jimmy_bob]

yeah i know. i hardly ever drive with them on. but got sick of the green ones and the white light under the rear seats looks pretty cool.

[Fonzie]

Yeah it can be semi practical too though. I'd never use them while driving, but having heaps of lights turn on when you open the door is often very useful.

[vnsmanual]

hey nice how to,

just wondering if anybody knows the process for adding foot well neons in a vn commodore? whats the process of installing as there is no orginal lights to use wirng from.

thanks

[jimmy_bob]

Its basically the same. don't know about a VN but in most commodores there are spare wires (usually in pairs tied together under the dash facia or radio) incase you decide to put in any holden options or a phone cradle etc. If not you can easily run a wire from the battery + terminal, through the firewall and use this as your +12V. Then you will need to ground another wire to the body and you can use this as your negative. This is all provided that the neons run on 12V. if they don't then you will need to put resistors and shit it.
Please correct me if i'm wrong anybody.

[FstStig]

Excellent write up bro. Yes it is a slight ricer mod, but at the same time it can be very useful when you are trying to look under your seat incase something has dropped under there. That's the way i see it anyways.

[VS6]

can you do this by simply running a series connector from the cigarette lighter to both leads of the lights?

[Maxxiz]

I got a VS Acclaim, So I dont have the footwell lights, instead of having the extra switch, would the black wire coming from the middle of the first switch to the second switch just be earthed instead?
Oh and what exactly do you mean by LED modules? Are they separate LED's or do they come in that white box with 3, if so im assuming you get those boxes from Jaycar too? and was 3 LED's in the front sufficient?
Max

[Maxxiz]

Anyone?...

[lil_mickey]

I got a VS Acclaim, So I dont have the footwell lights, instead of having the extra switch, would the black wire coming from the middle of the first switch to the second switch just be earthed instead?
Oh and what exactly do you mean by LED modules? Are they separate LED's or do they come in that white box with 3, if so im assuming you get those boxes from Jaycar too? and was 3 LED's in the front sufficient?
Max

i belive i have seen them @ jaycar as a box like that but with 10 LEDs...
I may be wrong....

[lil_mickey]

I got a VS Acclaim, So I dont have the footwell lights, instead of having the extra switch, would the black wire coming from the middle of the first switch to the second switch just be earthed instead?

Max

You will still need both switches, just leave the green wire off the first. This will stop the door from activating the lights.

If you dont want to have the colour changing option remove the second switch and connect the middle wire strait to the black wire from the lights you use,

Also there WILL be a door switch (footwell light) wire going to the BCM, Interior dome light and originating from behind the drivers kick panel on all commodores (exept BCM on VB-VL)

I think that it is a white wire on most off top of my head.

[Zeussy]

Nice write up, at first I was like arrghhhh wires everywhere, but then I read it all and it made perfect sense...

Good effort on the 'How To' might have a go at this one day, how many other colours can you get?

I'll probably only need Blue and White though, I like the idea of White LED's for high visability, is there a way to put in an intensity control? Like turn the brightness down a bit if its too bright? Then turn it up if you want to see? (If you get what I mean?)

[lil_mickey]

is there a way to put in an intensity control? Like turn the brightness down a bit if its too bright? Then turn it up if you want to see? (If you get what I mean?)

A varible resistor on the red wire will do what your after

[VXHBD6]

Wired up my neons so they come on when I turn my lights on, but also have a killswitch installed so I still have the option if I want them off. Does the job pretty well!

[jimmy_bob]

Sorry havn't been on for ages. At the moment i think you can only get the modules in white and blue from jaycar, but i have a feeling that they may be bringing them out in red and green??? By modules i mean the white box with the three leds in them. they come in a pack of 10 and there wired in series together, so all you need to do is cut them up and start wiring. as hardstyle said, i would definitely recomend putting in a killswitch (well hidden), coz if you get pulled over by the red and blue they wont like them being on. When you do this DIY make sure you have spare fuses lying around, coz i blew the interior lighting fuse, had none to replace it, and the relay kept trying to turn on and off and on and off and on and off...
although that was because i connected some wires around the wrong way!!!

[MR_VX]

i have a vx s pac and i never knew there was foot well lights under the dash? does any one have a pic where they are located. if i do have them they dont work!

[VYMAD]

In the VY there are small round holes, around 20 mm diameter in the plasic covers that are directly above your feet. Right behind the glove box on passenger side and behind fuse panel on drivers side. So if you looked straight up from the brake pedal, you'd see it. Hope this helps.

[MR_VX]

so should it be the same for the vt/vx?

[VYMAD]

Couldn't tell you, but just have a look where I said, the holes have small square bits on both sides, like you could imagine a bulb pushing into. I would hazard a guess that it would be the same for VX as VY.