New Reverse Lights!

[Natedogg1701]

So i got sick of not being able to see a thing when i backed up at night, ever since i got the black alteza tail lights my reverse lights wernt bright at all. So i noticed the 2 red reflectors in the bumper of my pathy and thought of much more useful they would be a lights instead. i had been talking before about possibly doing h.i.d. reverse lights, well emptyV proved that wud be a dum idea, so i just went to my local wally world and picked up one of there 22$ fog light kits. with a little modification to the plastic that held the relflector in and a little wiring this was my end result.oh ya they arent ghetto rigged on the wiring part. !4 gauge wire from the battery back (fused). used power for factory reverse lights to control coil on the relay, hid all wiring and made it look pretty. cheap modification i think is worth it.

[naladude911]

That looks sick, better pic of install please. How EXACTLY did you wire them, step by step?

[Natedogg1701]

well not to be rude but explaining everything to you would be a waste of time. your S.O.L. bkuz you dont have the reflectors in your rear bumper.

[JonathanPrem]

Nate can you get some Day shots. I want to see if it will look oem or aftermarket- ish. Btw Are you running this setup on a switch or when ever you knock it into reverse

But Its first and it does look cool

[Natedogg1701]

thanks for the compliment. and ya il take some day shots wen i get the chance. and i used a relay which is controled by the reverse light oin the passenger side. if you pull the lower plastic panel off the passenger side in the hatch area. there is a void where i ran a wire through the rubber gromet for the tail light wiring, then just tapped off the positive wire to the factory reverse light to power the relay. coil in the relay draws next to nothing so it doesnt effect the brightness of the light. then i frilled a hole from underneath into that void, just big enough for 3 wires, power into and out of the relay, and a ground for the relay. then just hid all the wires nicely up above anything that moves or would damage them, coupla zip ties and wala, looks pretty. ill take a pic of where i drilled the hole so you can see.

it doesnt really look oem, its a fog light kit from wally world, and they only sell them in the size that works, with a housing that has a blue tint. im planning on night shading them and seeing how well they'll blend in. and they do stick out a bit, like half an inch or so, maybe less. reason being is there is metal behind the plastic that the reflectors clip into, its the end of the frame/ support for the bumper. you could trim the metal, the actual metal thet gets in the way isnt structoral at all its just thin sheet metal. but i didnt have the time or tools. me nd my buddy did this in about an hour n a half. so they dont look like they belong on there from the factory, but there not gaudy or horid looking. any1 who doesnt own a pathy wudnt notice that they are aftermatket. but i really dnt care, they work great and i can see so im happy.

[Empty V]

That looks sick, better pic of install please. How EXACTLY did you wire them, step by step?

You shouldn't be asking these questions because you should never touch anything that has to do with anything, ever! Sorry dude but you don't posses the mental capacity to handle any project that requires thinking. Stick with running around using mommy's ATM card and stalking girls on facebook.

Billy

[Empty V]

It looks like you've accomplished what you've set out to do, nice work! And the idea wasn't dumb, it was a good idea it just isn't feasible. Now we're all waiting for the daytime pics.

Billy

[JonathanPrem]

I think im gonna copy your idea . If you don't mind can you post the site to the fog lights and what Size bulb/Hid kit did you put in it.

Thanks alot

[Natedogg1701]

by all means copy, im glad you all like the idea. personally i think its the cheapest mod i find the most useful that i've done. the lights are a walmart fog light kit. 22.00$ for the kit(they sell several kits, just get an idea of the size of the reflector and go look at what they have, only 1 kit at my local store would fit nicely), bought 2 rolls of 14 gauge wire, 1 black 1 red, each roll cost like a lil less than 3$, and an inline fuse holder, like 1.50$. i think i spent all of 32.00$ after tax. the rest was my friend and mines labor and time. oh yea i already had the relay and the connectors and the miscalaneous mounting hardware.

EmptV let me correct myself, your right you didnt say the h.i.d. idea was dum, it was just a little, lets say unreasonable, the bulbs wouldnt get time ti heat up and would flicker every time i go past reverse, ide go through bulbs like it was my job, and the housings would melt from the heat, these are basic 55watt h3 bulbs that come in the kit and they work great. ill have to take the pics 2morrow, you deff noticew them, but thats because they have a blue tunt to the plastic housing, im going to nightshade them and see how it comes out. and oh yeah emptyV quick question, where did you get your roof basket? i think its sick and want to pick one up, what'd you spend on it and did it bolt up nice or was a little custom fabbing needed? p.s. nice comment to nala, madd funny and sadly true.

[Natedogg1701]

so sorry this took me 4ever to do but i have pics of the lights durring the day. they deffinitely grab yoou attention, of you know your pathys, but they dont stick out and look weird. im going to try night shading them and see how it works out. but i care more about their functionality rather than looks. P.S. forgive how dirty she is, the salt and sand here in new england is brutal, i washed it 2 days before taking these pics, and its already this bad. let me know what you guys think.

[abadlovesong]

Actually, that looks pretty bad a**. And how much that sticks out from the bumper is nothing! I was thinking a lot more than that. I think i'm gonna pick up the parts to do this. Hopefully, i can find the fog lamp kit that isn't blue.

And that's why i'm glad i live down south! i don't have to live with a car that looks like that after only 2 days since washing.

[Natedogg1701]

lol ya i know, but when spring gets here nd i wax her up she shines and looks gorgeous, im gettin black rims soo, liftin it 2 but gettin the rims 4 the lift kit first, then tinting the windows, paintin the chrome SE symbol on the tail gate black, nd gettin new grills (lower grill too, not in the pic but im gettin 1) and paintin them black to, goin for the murdered put look. gotta tint the tails darker too. and the light kit is actually a fog light kit, only had it in blue for a size that wud fit, beggers cant be choosers right? im just glad at how well they work and they look ok 2.

[abadlovesong]

lol ya i know, but when spring gets here nd i wax her up she shines and looks gorgeous, im gettin black rims soo, liftin it 2 but gettin the rims 4 the lift kit first, then tinting the windows, paintin the chrome SE symbol on the tail gate black, nd gettin new grills (lower grill too, not in the pic but im gettin 1) and paintin them black to, goin for the murdered put look. gotta tint the tails darker too. and the light kit is actually a fog light kit, only had it in blue for a size that wud fit, beggers cant be choosers right? im just glad at how well they work and they look ok 2.

Yeah, having a black paint job makes it look alright, but i have a champagne/gold pathy. prob won't look as good. I might shop around at a few diff places for a kit that isn't blue.

And be careful about blacking out ur ride. Might not be able to find it in a dark parking lot.

[Natedogg1701]

thats y the key fob has a panick button. lmao. and naa i love that murdered out look, best pary about a black truk is i can tint the windows a lil darker than legal and it wont syick out to bad, my buddy had a white car wit tint done to the legal limit and it looked wiked dark, other frind of mine has a black car with well below legal limit and it doesnt even look that bad, so im pumped to get that done, and kuz its an suv i can do the very back 3 as dark as i want, im gunna do 2 n 1/2 % so the system is completely hidden.

and actually theres some1 on this forum with yoyr color pathy with black 22"s and tinted windows, tinted tails and darkened headlights and it looks sweet 2 be honest, came out real nice.

[abadlovesong]

In georgia, the legal limit of tinting is very strict. i75 coming in from florida has too many drug runners coming thru that they want to be able to see into the cars better. Wish i could tint mine a lot.

i'm thinking about black rims with chrome accents. seen a few rigs around here with them and they look bad a** with bigger tires.

a few i'm looking at:

[Natedogg1701]

those do look nice, but prob kore than what i wanna spend, im gettin rims and center caps for like 350, the tires i want are prob gunna be like 650 or more, so id rather just get basic black steel wheels with a lil design to then and get some nice bfg or cooper tires.

[abadlovesong]

i'm really looking at the bottom right XD series rim. It's only $750 for a set. Which really isn't too bad. To be honest, i haven't looked that much, and one website had these. So, i'm sure i'll find them or something similar cheaper.

[abadlovesong]

those do look nice, but prob kore than what i wanna spend, im gettin rims and center caps for like 350, the tires i want are prob gunna be like 650 or more, so id rather just get basic black steel wheels with a lil design to then and get some nice bfg or cooper tires.

quick question. what fuse rating did you use (amps/volts) and was it fast acting or slow blow? also, what relay did you use?

i found clear driving lamps at my walmart, they are bigger than what you have, but i may be able to make it work.. i'm still deciding..

[Natedogg1701]

well i just bought an inline fuse holder and used a 15 map fuse, havent blown it and i know i wont kuz the current draw at 12 volts is a lil more than 9 amps, and on top of that little of a draw the lights arent on very long so theres no issue.

as for the relay, i have a ton of em, i just used a basic relay with normally open contacts. 4 prongs on the relay itself, there should be a little diagram etched into the plastic of the relay and numbers next to the prongs to coincide with numbers on the diagram. basically there are a pos and neg contact for the coil, when you give the coil 12 volts it energises, which will close 2 other contacts and allow power to flow through them. u may know how a relay works, but if not thats just a basic description. hope it helped, any other question id be glad to help.

P.S. shoe a pic of the kit u got so i can c which one it is, all walmarts pretty much have all the same stuff in em so im curious 2 c which kit u got.

[fueler]

cool mod. my buddy had something similar on his Escalade, on a switch so he could turn them on and off whenever he pleased. I'd like to do something similar but it would have to be very low key...

[99QX4]

Interesting!! I know the feeling of seeing nothing while backing up, had limo tint on my QX and unless the street lights around were really bright i usually had to roll the windows down to see anything.

[abadlovesong]

well i just bought an inline fuse holder and used a 15 map fuse, havent blown it and i know i wont kuz the current draw at 12 volts is a lil more than 9 amps, and on top of that little of a draw the lights arent on very long so theres no issue.

as for the relay, i have a ton of em, i just used a basic relay with normally open contacts. 4 prongs on the relay itself, there should be a little diagram etched into the plastic of the relay and numbers next to the prongs to coincide with numbers on the diagram. basically there are a pos and neg contact for the coil, when you give the coil 12 volts it energises, which will close 2 other contacts and allow power to flow through them. u may know how a relay works, but if not thats just a basic description. hope it helped, any other question id be glad to help.

P.S. shoe a pic of the kit u got so i can c which one it is, all walmarts pretty much have all the same stuff in em so im curious 2 c which kit u got.

thanks man, that's the info i needed. just wanted to make sure i was getting the right stuff. As for the light kit, i didn't buy it yet. i wanted to do a few measurements to make sure it is do-able

cool mod. my buddy had something similar on his Escalade, on a switch so he could turn them on and off whenever he pleased. I'd like to do something similar but it would have to be very low key...

i'm going for low key as well. that's why i'm trying to see if i can fit clear lights and not the blue ones nate has. when i get around to doing this mod, i'll post pics and let you know how it is.

[Chuck Tribolet]

Fuses for lights should be fast blow. Slow blow fuses are for motors that havea high start-up current draw.

[abadlovesong]

Fuses for lights should be fast blow. Slow blow fuses are for motors that havea high start-up current draw.

was thinking as much.. never hurts to ask

[Natedogg1701]

oh damm..look at the hottie layin in front of the G35 lol Im glad everyone like my idea, when i did it i cared more about functionality more than i did looks, but they dont look that bad, and i still have to night shade them and see how it works. the "to do" list on my pathy is a mile long and tinting those lights isnt too high up there, lol. but it will get done. thanks every1 for the possitive feedback.

[slickroger]

this is a very nice mod, doesn't hurt to have extra lighting when reversing.

thanks for the idea I see this happening when it warms up a little

[Natedogg1701]

oh snap....look who it is, where ya been roger, hybernating or suttin? lol

[Buzzman]

Thanks for the idea and the write up.My Pathy is blue, so I'm thinking they will look great in the bumper.A spring project for sure.

[rydebynite]

Hey where you ever able to get the lenses sprayed....? Update any new pics of how it looks or did you just leave the lenses blue? Has anyone else had any luck i think i might takle this project seeing how my chick drives my s*** alot and she always fussing about not being able to see w/ the tints being to dark.