LED strip lights as puddle lighting

[firemedic10584]

So I know a lot of you have done this mod and I do it on every truck I get lol. I buy the LED strip lights off amazon or ebay for 8 or 9 bucks. I also purchase the real 3M double sided outdoor tape from Walmart. You'll need 3 rolls of the tape to complete both sides of the truck. The LED lights you can cut after every 3rd LED, so you can make it as long as you want. For crew cabs, you'll need to cut out (2) 75" strips. The lights come with the wires already soldered on each end of the roll so there's no need to solder wires on to the actual lights itself. You do however need to solder on your additional wire to run them into the cab and to your power / ground sources. I utilized the footwell lights under the dash on both sides to grab power and I just made my own ground under the plastic trim where the wires run along the door jams.

For roughly $30 this is an awesome mod! I only have pictures of the lights during the day time and just where I ran my wiring into the cab at. I'll get some better night time pictures of the lights on tonight.

For those wanting to know where to run the wires inside the cab at - on the driver side, there is a rubber boot where a large wire passes through. I just made a slit in the rubber and passed my wires through there. On the passenger side, there is a plastic circle clip thing. If you crawl under the truck and look, you'll see it just has two tabs that you squeeze and it'll pop out. Look under the carper under your passenger front seat and there it is. I pulled mine out and drilled a hole in the center, installed a rubber grommet and put the piece back in place. That gave me a nice clean spot to feed my wires into the cab.

Tapping into the footwell lights causes the new strip lights to come on when you open the doors and unlock the truck. They also fade out just like the interior lights do.

Let me know if you have any questions!





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[firemedic10584]

I forgot to add - use a fresh razor blade to cut the excess 3M tape off once you have the lights mounted. Don't put too much pressure so you're slicing into the paint (you probably will in some spots) but just enough to cut through the tape and be able to pull the excess off.

 

[Whiteannerdy]

More details about where you tapped into the wiring if possible. This is pretty neat. Also maybe links to where you purchased the light strips and 3m tape.


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[ivey_usmc]

Night pics?

 

[firemedic10584]

More details about where you tapped into the wiring if possible. This is pretty neat. Also maybe links to where you purchased the light strips and 3m tape.


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Lights are here - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEWT7K4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I grabbed power from the footwell lights. Just pull down the light and there's is only two wires going to it. A yellow and black. The yellow is the hot wire. It's my understanding that even if your truck doesn't have the footwell lights, the wiring is still there..

 

[firemedic10584]

Night pics?

I'll take some tonight. They light up the whole step and the ground around the doors...pretty neat.

 

[JB1]

Hey that’s nice

 

[ivey_usmc]

I have the AMP fold out steps and was thinking about doing this.

 

[firemedic10584]

I have the AMP fold out steps and was thinking about doing this.

For $30 you can't really go wrong. Worst case, you don't like them and just take it all back off. But, you'll like them!

 

[firemedic10584]

Here's a picture of one of my previous trucks with the exact same LED strip under the door at night...

 

[ivey_usmc]

Hell yes im sold!!

 

[firemedic10584]

Hell yes im sold!!

Lol I figured that night time pic would seal the deal.

 

[firebuff17]

I have done the same thing with a minor tweak. I use the same lights, tapped into the same foot well light wire. I mounted mine behind that pinch weld on the flat spot so that the lights are shining down in the ground.
Not the best shots but all I have right now

 

[firemedic10584]

That looks good but doesn't quite give off the light output mounting them the way I did...I just like for my steps to be lit up too lol

 

[HEMIsphere05]

I have done the same thing with a minor tweak. I use the same lights, tapped into the same foot well light wire. I mounted mine behind that pinch weld on the flat spot so that the lights are shining down in the ground.
Not the best shots but all I have right now

That looks good, I may do this. I like how the lights are more subtle

 

[transam210]

I have done the same thing with a minor tweak. I use the same lights, tapped into the same foot well light wire. I mounted mine behind that pinch weld on the flat spot so that the lights are shining down in the ground.
Not the best shots but all I have right now

I like this better, the other setup is way to much light .


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[firebuff17]

I hear ya firemedic...
this gives it more of a “backlighting” I guess. Works for me.

 

[firemedic10584]

I like this better, the other setup is way to much light .


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The night time picture I posted makes it look actually a lot brighter than it actually is. It lights up just right in person. Nothing crazy.

 

[akennedyusmc]

I like this a lot. I've used these same lights for bed lights but on their own switch. Brighter than necessary but way useful when you live out in the sticks. How noticeable is the light strip those of us that don't have beautiful amp steps covering them up?


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[firemedic10584]

I like this a lot. I've used these same lights for bed lights but on their own switch. Brighter than necessary but way useful when you live out in the sticks. How noticeable is the light strip those of us that don't have beautiful amp steps covering them up?


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I've got regular steps. Granted I have a white truck so unless I told you they were there, they blend right in.