OK, here's a COMPLETELY useless and 100% reversible $20 mod which I share only because it's silly, kinda cool, and doesn't involve vinyl, lubricants, or loose women. It's worth absolutely nothing in the 1/4 mile and doesn't improve performance a whit. As a matter of fact I don't know why I even did it, which is good because when I'm sick of it I can remove all traces of it and go on my merry way.
I purchased, on a whim, a pair of those LED glowing bolts (mine are red) and installed them in the grille inside the Mazda insignia to make the Madeye Mazdaspeed. I haven't hooked up the power yet since it's been bone-numbing co-old out and I've been in Russia for 3 weeks adopting a son... but wanted to share the "kit" and installation with y'all.
Parts:
- 1 pair LED bolts, your choice of color
- some spare wiring, a fuse, a switch, and a soldering gun (check the basement)
- A few zipties to clean up the wiring and keep it outta the wind
- The backing plate to a Stainless Steel U-bolt, found in the same basement coffeecan as the switch (no I don't have another)
- A mil-spec safety toggle switch cover - just so passengers will ask questions about it once it's installed.
The bolts turned out to be JUST the right size to interference-fit into the diamond-holes in the grille in about the right place, so I ran the bolts through the grille and secured them using the backing plate to the SS u-bolt (won't rust). I played around a while and found that tightening the bolts will "recess" the "eyes" more than shown in the pic, making the look a little more sinister/sullen. If you want to really secure it, put a dab o' silicone adhesive on the bolt threads.
Secure the wiring using the spare zipties... and FUSE the power cord, just because it's the right thing to do. Hook up the ground and you're good to go!
I've checked, after a couple hundred highway miles at speed in the rain the bolts have not receded or loosened, so I guess they're OK.
I'll be hooking up the power once the weather warms a bit and may use a resistor or something if the LEDs prove too bright, other than that, that's it! I'l attach a pic or two of the install, but don't yet have one of the "on car" look. Will post once I take one.
I purchased, on a whim, a pair of those LED glowing bolts (mine are red) and installed them in the grille inside the Mazda insignia to make the Madeye Mazdaspeed. I haven't hooked up the power yet since it's been bone-numbing co-old out and I've been in Russia for 3 weeks adopting a son... but wanted to share the "kit" and installation with y'all.
Parts:
- 1 pair LED bolts, your choice of color
- some spare wiring, a fuse, a switch, and a soldering gun (check the basement)
- A few zipties to clean up the wiring and keep it outta the wind
- The backing plate to a Stainless Steel U-bolt, found in the same basement coffeecan as the switch (no I don't have another)
- A mil-spec safety toggle switch cover - just so passengers will ask questions about it once it's installed.
The bolts turned out to be JUST the right size to interference-fit into the diamond-holes in the grille in about the right place, so I ran the bolts through the grille and secured them using the backing plate to the SS u-bolt (won't rust). I played around a while and found that tightening the bolts will "recess" the "eyes" more than shown in the pic, making the look a little more sinister/sullen. If you want to really secure it, put a dab o' silicone adhesive on the bolt threads.
Secure the wiring using the spare zipties... and FUSE the power cord, just because it's the right thing to do. Hook up the ground and you're good to go!
I've checked, after a couple hundred highway miles at speed in the rain the bolts have not receded or loosened, so I guess they're OK.
I'll be hooking up the power once the weather warms a bit and may use a resistor or something if the LEDs prove too bright, other than that, that's it! I'l attach a pic or two of the install, but don't yet have one of the "on car" look. Will post once I take one.
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