I've been holding out on yall for a while and now it is time to unveil my lastest and greatest cheap mod. We did this first on my fiancee's tC a while back and it was finally time to do the Tundra. I wanted to wait for the color matched door handles, but its easy to do again.
The total spent on this project was a little less than $10, because I had a lot of the supplies laying around the house. If you have common mechanic tools, wire, etc. you can do this for $10.
If you do this right, your LEDs will fade on when you push unlock, then when you close the door they will stay on until you turn on the ignition or push lock, then they will fade out. They also come on when you open the door and go off when you close it. To get this effect you must tap into the light i show you.
As always, this worked for me. Do this at your own risk it requires cutting/drilling
Materials and Tools
2- LEDs, i use oznium.com, they are the 4chip superflux (brightest LEDS i've found) ($3.29 each)
Philips head
Flat head
13/64 drill bit
drill
wire strippers
4.5" angle grinder w/ cut off wheel
18 guage wire
wire crimps or other suitable wire attacher thingy
10mm nut driver
t30 torx driver
few extra missile clips (help section, advance auto)
electrical tape.
misc handyman tools
I did not take pictures of the full tear down of the truck to spare you guys the superfluous information and pictures (door panel removal is in the DIY section)
Here are what the LEDs look like, my lovely fiancee is showing them for you. I use these because they are 4 chip leds, they are super bright and they are prewired and waterproof and CHEAP @$3.29
First remove the door lock part of the handle by removing the little rubber thing
Then unscrew the torx t30 behind that cover, the bolt wont fall out. Then you can pull the lock cylinder out, it helps to use your key. On my truck, the passenger side is a dummy cover there is no lock cylinder on that side.
Next order of business is to drill the holes in the covers where you plan on mounting the LEDs, I found that a 13/64" hole was perfect for the "domed" part of the LED to peep thru.
Next is the part where you guys may decide this mod is not for you. You have to cut some excess metal off of the lock cylinder in order for the LED to fit inside the cover and go back together properly. You will see that this is not a structural piece, and nothing snaps to it, it is just there. Cut it off. Here is a pic of what I cut off, dotted line in red
Here you will see the LED glued in place where the metal used to be, i cut it so it was a snug fit so the LED wont move.
Next you need to run wires to power the LEDs. You want to use this light under the dash to tap into for power because it is the only light that fades in and out, and it works with the key fob...totally sweet.
Remove the door panel and run your wires. I arrowed the path i took, went through the grommet by the speaker, and then through the door grommet.
Here are the installed shots of the LED under the door handle.
HERE is the money shot.....the fade on/ fade off with the unlock/lock button
GOOD LUCK
-Tim
__________________
2008 Tundra RCSB, Slate Metallic, Sport Appearance Package
5.7L, 6 Speed, 4.10s
McGaughy's 4"/5" drop
22" Boss 331s wrapped in Nitto 305/40
Custom true duals with X-pipe, 18" Magnaflow
Black headlights, Black taillights, anytime fogs
20% tint on stock privacy glass
Superflux LEDs custom installed in door handles
Homelink Auto-Dim mirror w/ compass and LED console light
Last edited by jeepnuts311; 07-26-2009 at 12:23 AM.
Totally awesome bro!!!! Rep points sent!!! Sweet write up! I'ma addin' this to the mod list for sure!
Thanks man,
I'm not gonna lie, I love this mod. first of all It was cheap to do, and every time its dark and I unlock my truck it makes me grin
If I can help anybody, or if anything was unclear just PM me or ask on here.
-Tim
__________________
2008 Tundra RCSB, Slate Metallic, Sport Appearance Package
5.7L, 6 Speed, 4.10s
McGaughy's 4"/5" drop
22" Boss 331s wrapped in Nitto 305/40
Custom true duals with X-pipe, 18" Magnaflow
Black headlights, Black taillights, anytime fogs
20% tint on stock privacy glass
Superflux LEDs custom installed in door handles
Homelink Auto-Dim mirror w/ compass and LED console light
Very nice...well done. A cheap and functional mod! I'm sending you Beer (aka Rep Points...)
__________________
2007 Crewmax 4x4 Limited - Silver
2.5" OME Front Lift w/Toytec 1" Diff Drop
1" Toytec Block rear w/Bilstein 5100 shocks
20" Ultra Mammoth Wheels
305/55/R20 Toyo Open Country A/T
Line-X Bed Liner
Undercover Tonneau
Console Vault
Two car seats and a box full of princess toys!
CBTMA Member
Last edited by wildbill129; 07-26-2009 at 03:20 AM.
I had fading puddle lights in my IS350 but they were in the bottom of the mirrors. I used red LED's and they looked sick at night. I'll definitely be doing this eventually.
__________________
"Skin grows back - paint doesn't" - Chip Foose
09 Tundra. 5.7 DC 4x4.
07 FJ Cruiser. 6 Lifted. 35's. Winch Bumper. One of a kind. Sold.
06 IS350. Slammed. Greddy Axle Back. Fujita. ACE 18's. Sold.
Anyone know of a light you could wire into on a 06 DC? I just checked and didn't see a light similar to the fading one you wired into.
I bet your truck at least has the wires for that light even if the light is not there. A lot of stuff is prewired
Quote:
Originally Posted by deluxx
Nice job, for those that have the puddle lamps, I assume can tie in to those since it is already tied in to the factory alarm.
The puddle lamps would work, but they would not create the fading in/out, they are just on/off.
They only come on when the door is open (on my truck) I tried that first cuz it would be easier to wire up.
-Tim
__________________
2008 Tundra RCSB, Slate Metallic, Sport Appearance Package
5.7L, 6 Speed, 4.10s
McGaughy's 4"/5" drop
22" Boss 331s wrapped in Nitto 305/40
Custom true duals with X-pipe, 18" Magnaflow
Black headlights, Black taillights, anytime fogs
20% tint on stock privacy glass
Superflux LEDs custom installed in door handles
Homelink Auto-Dim mirror w/ compass and LED console light
That's AWESOME! Thanks for sharing. Has this been added to the DIY sticky yet?
Thanks RONE, maybe they'll move it
-Tim
Edit: looking at that last pic in the driveway I need LED puddle lamps too
__________________
2008 Tundra RCSB, Slate Metallic, Sport Appearance Package
5.7L, 6 Speed, 4.10s
McGaughy's 4"/5" drop
22" Boss 331s wrapped in Nitto 305/40
Custom true duals with X-pipe, 18" Magnaflow
Black headlights, Black taillights, anytime fogs
20% tint on stock privacy glass
Superflux LEDs custom installed in door handles
Homelink Auto-Dim mirror w/ compass and LED console light
Ya but I have a 1st gen tundra (06 not 07). Anyone know if there would still be wiring for something similar?
Oh, in my fiancées 05 tC we had to use the dome light circuit. It fades on when unlocked.
Hope this helps
-Tim
__________________
2008 Tundra RCSB, Slate Metallic, Sport Appearance Package
5.7L, 6 Speed, 4.10s
McGaughy's 4"/5" drop
22" Boss 331s wrapped in Nitto 305/40
Custom true duals with X-pipe, 18" Magnaflow
Black headlights, Black taillights, anytime fogs
20% tint on stock privacy glass
Superflux LEDs custom installed in door handles
Homelink Auto-Dim mirror w/ compass and LED console light
DIY: "BMW style" LEDs in door handles <$10
Linear Mode
