Adding puddle lights

Anybody added puddle lights to your 1st gen? Found some threads over on tundrasolutions of guys doing it but don’t care for the placement. Lookin for ideas on placement. I originally wanted to do them in the mirrors but not 100 sure. I’d have luck getting them in the cab

 

I got this idea from @Professional Hand Model

 

Not a 1st gen so yell at me all you want (there is a 1st gen in the first picture if that makes it any better ). I stuck some led strips to my frame rail and routed wiring up through a rubber grommet into the cab.

 

@Tundra2, that’s a clean setup, I hadn’t considered the led strips .that’s a way better throw of light than the factory door lights



@APalmTree, no hate here man, I like that placement on the frame. You wire them in to come on with the keyless entry?

 

That's the running joke on all the 1st gen threads

Currently, I have them wired up to the cargo light circuit so it comes on when I press the unlock button or when the doors are opened. At some point, I plan to switch it over to the courtesy light circuit by the e-brake.

 

i have to dig up the link but there is a timed relay controller thing that if you wanted could easily be wired up to the wireless door lock system to turn on a light youd fit under your mirror that only turns on with the key fob and not anything else.

 

I also got the idea from @Professional Hand Model
https://www.tundras.com/threads/the-best-10-mod-you-can-do-to-your-truck.68083/#post-1768305

 

I’m curious about the relay. Original game plan was to mount in the bottom of the mirrors. I was gonna drill the base that attaches to the door since the bottom is flat. What I didn’t account for was the stud that the mirror itself rotates on.

*here’s the lights I was gonna use. I’m second guessing they maybe too big.


Next placement idea, the mudflaps were removed for paint, which left this hole in the bottom of the fender.figure this will kill 2 birds with one stone. Seals ups the hole and I get puddle lights lol



When I was brainstorming this idea, I was gonna run into the cab and add a pigtail fuse in the fuse panel. Except I now know the fuse for the dome light circuit is under the hood.would be pretty ease to run up the inner fender and into the engine bay

thoughts on placement?

 

I had to really look at that second photo because it's rotated 90° to figure out what it was. Inside drivers side door jamb by hinge?

That would be doable if you think it would provide enough light there. I recommend taping that light to the fender with clear tape, and touching the leads off to a drill battery or something so you can get an idea of the light out put before committing fully.

 

@Tundra2

Spot on about drivers side door jamb

Idk what’s up with that door jamb picture, I rotated it every way you can trying to get it right side up. When it uploads it rotates, right on the phone though.

* good call on the drill battery idea. Might’ve saved me a screw up. Appreciate it

here’s the advertised specs on the lights:

• 10 watt LED produces 800 Lumens!
• Stud mount, 1-1/4" threaded housing (as pictured)
• Ultra bright White LED.
• Machined aluminum housing is black anodized.
• Impact resistant construction.
• Fully sealed, corrosion and waterproof.
• Draws only 200 milli-amps each at 12 volts.
• Weighs just over 4 ounce each.

 

All additional lights that I buy I always test to see what kind of light out put they have before mounting to know if it's gonna be right for where it's going. I usually post them here.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/ultimate-lightbar-pod-thread.88038/

I didn't do that with the light strips as there were already pictures available through @Professional Hand Model

I mocked up some rear pods in a location that @Darkness reccomended, but I've got something else in the works that I hinted about on that thread I linked you.

Looks like those lights are good quality. Where did you get them? I may add something similar to the corolla.

 

Lights came from GenRight off-road. Hopefully they’re as impressive as the specs seem to be lol. I’m hoping the throw will be pretty wide since they’re marketed as a rock light

 

Ah! Never heard of them. What'd they cost a piece?

 

Too much lol, buying the set saves a couple bucks though. The set runs $100. I had orginally bought them for a low profile reverse light but ended up going with a different and brighter reverse light

https://genright.com/products/led-10w-stud-mount-back-up-rock-light-pair.html

 

For a Benji they ought to be good or I'd be a mad mofo

 

For real lol, hopefully get sometime to fool with em tomorrow and see what they look like and then report back

 

Had time to test yet?

 

Man still haven’t gotten to fool with this project. Car decided to run through a double circuit pole right at quitting yesterday. Finally got all the parts to button up the wife’s sequoia only to find the air bags still won’t air up tonight. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll update as soon as I see what they’ll do

 

@Tundra2, good news I got to test the lights out and they’re bright as hell. I buy them again. Bad news I don’t know that I like the placement of them in the fenders. The more or less are acting like rock lights there. The throw would be so much better in the mirrors.




I’m not sure why it keeps rotating my pictures either.

how hard is it to Pop the lenses part of the mirror out?

 

Hmmm need to find a light that’s more of a flood pattern rather than the circle of light. That would help way more

 

Here’s what I came up with.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/2005-everyday-american-build.74663/#post-1983104

 

Yeah, those lights look great overall, but wrong location. Mirror might be more acceptable. I would happily redo my door strip lights underneath. Zero Complaints.

I can't get @Baller's pics to load so I can't say one way or another on that.

 

Here’s my “build” thread. Check the 15th post. I’m not sure why the pictures wouldn’t be loading. They’re working for me.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/2005-everyday-american-build.74663/

 

I was on company computer. Not all pictures load on it.

 

Yeah those are cool. Glad to see so many different styles!

 

@Baller that’s more along the lines of what I was trying to accomplish. That looks good

@empty_lord, I meant to get a picture of em under the mirror. They covered a lot of ground right there.

 

I’ve got a set of kc Hilite cyclones I was planning on using for under the hood lighting. Gonna see what they look like on the mirror also

 

I also used the same strip lights for under the hood as I did the door light.. The pictures speak for themselves...

 

Shoulda went PHM Style under the body with the LED Strips. Under $20 and so easy. I’d return those Helicopter Landing Pad Bat Signal Lights and reset with LED Strips.