Let there be light.

[concordcarlos]

I confess to being one of those dudes who always adds lights to stuff. If there is power, i'll add some lumens. Went camping with the 4runner and saw the need for more lighting to the rear.

Bought a reel of "waterproof" LED's off Ebay.

5M 5630 300LED White Red Blue Green Light Strip Super Bright DC 12V Adapter | eBay

Everything else I already had on hand.
16g primary wire, red and white.
Soldering gun.
Heat shrink tubing.
Wire loom, the mesh kind.
Putty knife to remove inner panels.
Socket/wrench.
Wire strippers.

The hardest part was getting the wire to feed from the rubber boot on top of the lift gate back to the bottom of the lift gate. The only thing I still need to do is remove(again) the inner panel on the lift gate and notch it so it lays flat over the wire. Not shown in the pics is removal of the metal plate that holds the electronics of the wiper/rear window. To get a hand on the wire as it feeds back, you need to pull that.
I also made some cornbread with my daughter, but that's another write up.

 

[shootmymime]

Cool. Yeah that would be nice having a light back there!

 

[D Farms]

Those 5630 leds are really bright, Ive got a bunch of them ready to make into a hexagon halo ring around my projectors, just need to etch the pcb. they are a little on the blue side though.

 

[concordcarlos]

They do have a slight blue tint. The warm white might not,but I haven't seen those in person. How difficult was your projector retrofit?

 

[Ingeniero]

Nice job

I see you job about the dim rear ligth, looks great!!!, I have some cuestions I hope you can aswer me, What kaind of color you use, white, cool white or warm white?, and in ebay say long=5m not 5ft, you cutting?, and one more, what you use to paste the led´s to you 4 runner?, their have tape? and you think the tape resist the vibration?
Thanks for you time, I hope you can help me.:thanks:

 

[concordcarlos]

My mistake,the reel is 5 meters not 5 feet. I Used the cool white , waterproof on the eBay drop down menu. The lights have an adhesive backing. Just make sure to clean the surface before sticking them on. Smooth surface holds them best. I did cut them to size, there are markings showing you where to cut. I think the glue will hold up ok.

 

[Ingeniero]

Thaks

Thanks for you time my friend!!!:

 

[AZ4Running]

Nice and bright. Mire light is needed back there for sure.

 

[kolelt]

Very nice sir. I like it !

 

[4x4runner2002]

well i just ordered a set of the white, waterproof. really good idea, i may put the extras under the hood or order another set for under the hood.

 

[concordcarlos]

The only issue with the 5 meter roll is there are only leads the start and end of the roll. So depending on how much you use, there could be waste. I have seen adapters that you can snap on cut ends, although I don't have any experience with them. Under the hood might be my next mod.

4x4runner2002, are you going to use a mercury switch or pressure switch for your hood lights?

 

[Ducmonsta]

The only issue with the 5 meter roll is there are only leads the start and end of the roll. So depending on how much you use, there could be waste. I have seen adapters that you can snap on cut ends, although I don't have any experience with them. Under the hood might be my next mod.

4x4runner2002, are you going to use a mercury switch or pressure switch for your hood lights?

You can actually cut it at any 3 led interval. You'll see a black line that draws across a pair of contacts. You can solder a lead to any of those contacts and not have any of your reel wasted.

 

[4x4runner2002]

The only issue with the 5 meter roll is there are only leads the start and end of the roll. So depending on how much you use, there could be waste. I have seen adapters that you can snap on cut ends, although I don't have any experience with them. Under the hood might be my next mod.

4x4runner2002, are you going to use a mercury switch or pressure switch for your hood lights?

i was gonna use a pressure switch. im not familiar with mercury switches. ill look into them.

like the guy said above im pretty sure you can solder on new leads

 

[D Farms]

these make really good rock lights also, but since they are made to run at 12v, not 13.8 they tend to be brighter and burn out more quickly, however if you attach them to metal they last a long time.

 

[Pot Hole]

...like the guy said above im pretty sure you can solder on new leads

It is very easy to solder on new leads and should not waste any of your reel.

We just did this mod to my son's 2000 4runner and it is a great addition, especially if you find yourself working out of the back of your truck in the dark. My son and I hunt a lot and it works great for putting on gear and organizing equipment before the sun comes up or after the sun goes down. Thanks to CC for the info!

 

[Pot Hole]

..Under the hood might be my next mod.
4x4runner2002, are you going to use a mercury switch or pressure switch for your hood lights?

If anyone is thinking about doing this mod as well as putting lights under the hood, you can purchase the necessary switches and more than enough waterproof LED strip to do the rear tailgate mod and add lights under your hood at this link. The package is designed for a Nissan Titan (I have one), but it just as easily be used for the 4runner. The LED strip that comes with this package is a little higher quality and I personally think puts out more light than the eBay strip (I have both so I can compare).

 

[concordcarlos]

Snap on wire leads

Got these on Ebay. $2.50 for 6 of them. Just have to make sure they are for the type of LED strip you have, i.e 5630's. Different strips have the the metal tabs at slightly different widths I think.

 

[Jc12]

nice! i totally accidentally ripped your idea off! I did the trunk the same way as you except i soldered right to where the bulb goes in and then i just installed a regular toggle switch under the hood as i don't always want it on when the hood is open (super bright).

 

[concordcarlos]

Hahah. I will be doing the same engine light mod as you....as soon as I can. Where did you put the toggle switch?

 

[Jc12]

Hahah. I will be doing the same engine light mod as you....as soon as I can. Where did you put the toggle switch?

i put it along the passenger side wall near the fuse box. I am glad i read this thread tho as i had never heard of mercury switches .. but they make so much sense now.