[Chef Nails]

This is a mod I have been wanting to do to BeetleJuice for a while now. I did this to my truck awhile back and it has been very handy. This is the kind of mod that can really save you when you need it. Few things are worse than being broken down in the middle of nowhere and having to fumble around under the hood in the dark. Total cost is somewhere between $12 and $15. I had some miscellaneous electrical items already that prevented me from buying more materials, so I would guess that on the high end the project could cost about $20. I should preface by saying that I am NOT an electrician and I used what I consider to be basic common sense when doing this – if anyone wants to repeat this project do your research first, just in case I made a novice error and overlooked something.

What I used for the project:

2 LED strip lights, the waterproof flat type.

Primary wire – so long as it is similar in size to the wires on the lights it will work fine. I used old copper speaker wire.

In-line fuse holder with a 10A fuse. I used a 10A fuse because I have a lot of them and it worked…

Wire strippers/crimpers

12v automotive switch. I used the round LED illuminated type.

Electrical tape

Misc electrical connectors, spade type, O-ring and butt-type connectors.

Corrugated electrical looming – not shown. It is the black accordion looking tube with a slit down the side.


Two (no less) cups of Target brand Donut Shop coffee.

Beastie Boys playing on smartphone.

Also you will notice a red battery pack in the first photo. I scavenged this off of an old swivel-sweeper vacuum and kept the battery pack and charger. Whenever I am experimenting with LED projects, I use the battery pack to test the lights and all of the connections. I am a tinkerer, not a professional electrician – but I haven’t burned anything down. Yet…

 

[Chef Nails]

This is where I drilled a small pilot hole and then drilled it out with a larger bit, being very careful not to let the drill bit touch the underside of the hood. I chamfered the hole to make the edges smooth and installed a rubber grommet so they wouldn’t dig into the wires, then mounted the lights where I wanted them. I will probably move the right light out just a bit, I’m really picky about symmetry.

 

[Chef Nails]

There is a very convenient hole right next to the spot where I ran the wires – which is one reason for the placement of the LED strips. I fed a stiff wire through there, pushing it upward until it was poking out near the top of the underside of the hood near the switch, and then I tied the speaker wire to it and pulled it out through the little hole at the bottom. I didn’t want the light strips too close to the engine compartment or they would only illuminate a small area. The switch popped in like it was made for that spot!

I put an access hole in the firewall back when I installed the secondary amp so I used that to route the wires from the hood into the engine compartment. From there it was a simple matter of attaching the in-line fuse holder to the hot side of the battery and then connecting that to the hot wire going to the switch, and doing the same with the negative wire going to the ground side of the battery. The hot wire going to the lights went through the switch and the in-line fuse holder, and the ground wire to the lights went straight to the battery. I put the corrugated wire looming on the wires as I got them into place. I’m a stickler for a clean installation.

 

[Chef Nails]

This is an underside view of the lights in place. I will be installing a new underhood liner soon – I’m scheming on something custom. I will make cutouts for the lights and hide the wires, if needed. I may even have some airbrushing done on the underside of the hood. One of the many thing is love about my bug is that the possibilities are endless.

 

[Oh Randi]

I just love reading your threads. Just thought I'd say that.

 

[Chef Nails]

Why thank you Randi It's nice to know my insane bug love is shared! And to answer the burning question of 'just how bright are they?'...

 

[scarabY2k]

VERY NICE WORK CHEF!!!
Gonna have to put this on Cup's to do list.

 

[raemhild]

This is the ****, great idea and execution.

 

[cruel1]

That is one awesome idea. I have more LED's and neon's on my truck than I care to admit to. My little Beetle is getting ready to light up the neighbor hood. I will definitely be using your idea but will be doing it a little different though.