I am not sure if anyone has thought about this but it just came to me tonight while I was changing my oil... I was pouring the oil when I started to cus why the hell didnt they put a light under the hood... then I thought this would be a great mod. what do you guys think?

I have been thinking about getting 2 lights from a tauras and mounting one on each side.

 

Sounds good to me. I believe its been done before though with chevy parts?

 

I've been thinking of neon lights for that, instead of just a plain light bulb :)

 

Use LEDs

 

i have been planning on doing this lately, but haven't had the time. i am probably going to use neon, at least that is all that i can think of for now, and on my hood i have this plastic flap that would hide the tube.

 

humm a neon would be awesome... I might look into doing just that

 

To take cost out of the vehicle.

My '92 had a light under the hood and it was a stripper.

 

At first I thought he meant a light under the hood, so you can see things at night if they go wrong. Now it seems like it is for decoration... neons and all.

 

Don't do neon, it's not as sturdy or reliable. One big bump and it can break. LED's are essentially bullet proof, totally shock resistant, and they can be put just about anywhere.

The parts probably cost about a $1.50 for materials, maybe 3 bucks tops to have it installed on the assembly line. 3 bucks times 250,000 trucks is 3 quarters of a million dollars. That's why we don't have them.

 

the reason that i suggested neons was that i thought that it would be a cheap way of getting under hood lighting easily.

the problem that i forse(sp) with LED's ist that they are so directional. i am going to be buying some today so that i can start playing with them and i will see about using them.

do you guys have any other suggestions, or maybe just go with a regular bulb set-up

 

That and the switches contained mercury which gave them a bad rap. I think they eventually took the mercury out. Plus they probably figure few people even work on their cars anymore.

I say mount a flashlight to the seat bracket so you'll always have it. I am sure you could get the hood light assembly at the junk yard for next to nothing and rig it up.

 

Yeah, that would be the easiest. It's only a two wire setup, maybe one if you feel like grounding to your hood. Not sure if you can do that, but there is a grounding strap on one of the hinges, so it should be possible. just don't pull a john and drill through your hood... :)

I am picturing getting about 8-10 white LED's and have them all over the hood pointing in all directions of the engine bay. You can and should hide all wiring behind the insulation/heat shield. But again, the tricky part is a switch that detects when to turn the buggers on.

Plus I have no clue as to relays/fuses/resistors needed for such a job. But luckily my dad's a EE, so whatever project I bring to him, I come back with a schematic that is pretty much unbreakable.

 

well i picked up some cathode tubes and will see how that works. if it doesn't then i will return it.

 

well i hooked the cathode's up with temporary power to see how bright they are and WOW they are bright. if i have time tomm. i will try and mount them under the hood.

does anybody know if i will have problems with under hood heat?

 

Depends on the plastic the used to make them, but generally, if you don't stick it right by the heads or exhaust, it should be fine. Cold cathodes are neat, I have a couple in my 'puter and they do the trick.

Of course we all want pictures once you get it installed. Don't forget at night time.

 

pictures pictures pictures :-D

oh yeah, don't forget pictures too,

also, if you can see if you can take a couple pictures along with it, ok? :-D

OH, don't forget the pictures of the wiring set-up as well...

before you or I forget, make sure you get the pictures :-D

:-D :butthead: :-D

 

k, i will take pictures and maybe a how-to is in order :D

if they break then i don't care that much the only cost $15 so not to bad. i just have to figure out where i want to mount the switch. i have a place that i eventually want to put all my switches so i might set that up also if i get the chance

 

well i started working on it and i am taking pics.

it is going to take me longer then is needed because at the same time i am going to add a new fuse in the fuse box that i will run all of my lights off of, currently i don't have any, but i might in the future.

i don't know when i will have time to work on it though so if this take's a while then don't worry.

 

well i finally got it hooked up today!!! tomm. i need to clean up everything though. i did manage to break one of the cathodes right before i was going to install it :( so i had to go buy another set(so now i have an extra cathode).

my original idea on leaving the transformer in the truck won't work. i was going to locate it too far away from the lights and when i tried it the lights didn't even turn on. in the end though leaving the transformer close to the lights makes the install easier.

when i get the chance pics will be posted along with a how-to

 

ok, can't wait to see it :)

 

don't forget the pictures too! lol

 

i know, i know... so me of you are waiting for the pics and the how-to.

tomm. if i have time i am going to go to Alon's house and upload the pics!!! :D

everything is completely done and tonight i turned it on and WOW they really light everything up!!! the ground about 15ft around my truck was lit up to some extent and the whole engine compartment is well lit up!!! I am VERY pleased with how it turned out

 

so, when you lean over, to check your oil and whatnot, are you blocking the light? or no?

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well i guess i just have to wait until i see pictures huh?

did you take day time, as well as night time(with them on) pictures?

 

i need to get a tripod so that i can try to get some good night pics. i tried, but the where all blurry :(

 

the how-to can be found here

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum/...pic.php?t=1060