DIY Car Underbody Lights Under 500 Indian Rupees or Just Under 10-USD!!

Hola!

I'm Sid studying high school currently.

Its raining here in Mumbai, India.

I undertook this about a month ago and i must say this project has been damn awesome. In Mumbai rains, you cant imagine driving actually, but this installation has borne it all. Everything including tough rains.. :-D

The car I worked on is a Ford Figo (2011-petrol variant).

Its kind of easier with vehicles that come with user manuals having complete vehicle information including fuses.

Ford operations manual includes all the stuff.

It can be applied to any car, but with utmost care. {i'm not responsible for blowing up your car though, if anything goes wrong, hopefully it wont}

BEFORE PROCEEDING, PLEASE MAKE SURE, NEON / LED UNDERBODY LIGHTS ARE LEGAL IN YOUR AREA.

Step 1: Checking Your Car's Compatibility

------Check the place where your car's fuse box is located. We will not be tapping directly from the battery. It eliminates the need for a huge length of wire going from the battery to the switch.

-----It is better, if you could get info about which fuse operates which system.

-----We will be tapping our power from the park/tail lamp. In Figo, it has been alloted a 7.5 ampere fuse.

-----These lamps (LHS and RHS) are activated when you turn on your car's headlight switch.

------Also check if your car has edges on the side/skirt area for wires to route out of your car.

IF your car has all the requirements (fuse box, wire routing), you are good to go.

Make sure you have all the materials before starting.

If your car doesn't have these, don't be disheartened. LOOK UP THE BIG INTERNET. Your car has to have a fuse box. AND most important, find the park/tail lamp fuse you will be tapping into. Tapping into any fuse can be scarily dangerous!!

Step 2: Materials

GET the materials before starting up.

1. LED light strip with waterproof coating (minimum of 5 metres) {{if buying immediately, INDIA ONLY, its crazy cheap, and good quality}}--

https://paytm.com/shop/p/autonation-blue-led-strip-light-5-m-AUTAUTONATION-BDELH24373F0FB82C7

2. Wiring (Depending on your car) It took me 10m interweaved wire for my Figo.
3. A solder iron (optional) if you could borrow or solder the individual pieces of LED strip with their leads.
4. LOTS OF Adhesives-- especially cyanoacrylates like feviquik. Be careful with feviquik as it can damage the paintjob on your car.
5. Magnets-- Flat and powerful magnets---if you have 2 old rotting spoilt harddrives, you are as lucky as i am. From 2 non working harddrives, you can get 4 magnets.
6. An old cloth to clean stuff
7. Lots of patience and B-R-A-I-N. :-)
**Sorry if I missed any materials, you can get it in between this instructable.

Step 3: Starting Up

Your courier containing LEDs just arrived?? Great. To start with, check your LED strip works with an LED driver. Do not ever plug it directly into your 220v socket.

Now measure the length you want to install your underbody lights to.

Next measure the length of the bumper where the lights would go up.

Cut the led strip into the various lengths at the LED Cut Points only!!! Else it would render your LED strip useless....

These points are generally marked on the led strip.

After cutting 3 pieces in the desired lengths, solder the leadwires carefully OR get it done from a hardware shop.

Once the leads are soldered,

proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Installing/Wiring

To attach the LED strip to the underbody, the stick on the led is useless.

I HAVE tried using feviquik,araldite(epoxy), double sided foam tape to stick the LED strip to the underbody, but all can prove to be useless.

So get some flat and powerful magnets, like neodymium ones and using epoxy, stick one magnet on each end of the strips only which will be installed on the sides of the car, not the bumper. LET this cure/ DRY completely. IT may take overnight.

Now i assume, you have your LED strips ready with leads soldered and magnets attached, you have wire for connecting,insulation tape,and scissors. You should have also bought a cyanoacrylate/ feviquik by now.

For my figo, i measured the wire from under the glove box, where the fusebox is placed.

Give wiring for your car accordingly.{{{{REFER TO THE PICS, These steps can be read only by understanding the layout}}}}

OLD--(FOR passenger side, two set of wires originating from this side, one to the bonnet and other to the underbody.now take it to the vertical plate in the underbody)---OLD

UPDATE-- i have routed the wire to the bonnet via engine bay, thanks to Stelu for the idea, it looks much cleaner...

FOR driver side, take from fusebox again and conceal it in the dash/console.till the driver side door, continue as for passenger side. Refer to the pics. READ THE NOTES>>

Step 5: Attaching the Lights to the Underbody

REFER to pics......READ THE NOTES


The magnets cling to the under body....position the strip tightly, or else it will give a flickering effect if the strips are loosely placed.

You can stick a doublesided foam tape to the center underbody with feviquik and then, remove the sheet and press the centre of the strip on it firmly, this gives extra support.

FOR THE BUMPER, attach it simply with fevikwik or any other cyanoacrylate. It works good.

Step 6: Connections/ Insulation

PICS AND NOTES pls..

Step 7: Finalizing

Your car interior should look like this.You can conceal the wires according to the colour of your upholstery. like i covered mine with black tape and practically nothin is visible... refer pics.

As an added feature, i have installed a kill switch, which can cut the lights out even with the headlights on.It is placed strategically under the dash, above the footwell. It has been connected with Ground wire.

Step 8: Enjoy the Sweet Fruit of Your Hardwork!!

Wait till the sun sets, take your hotwheels for a round and get the deserving woos. Drive safe, dont drink and drive, and enjoy. Dont race on road, take it to a nearby race-track. :-))

Any doubts and suggestions are always welcome!

Please vote for the i'ble for the car and motorcycle contest if you like it, it hardly takes a minute.
Thanks!!