LEDs for foot-well, glove-box, rear seats.

[bluefront]

I wanted a small amount of lighting, enough to be useful, and not enough to bother you while driving at night. These do it.....there were blues, red, green, or clear (Advanced Auto Parts $15). I used blue....I think the clear might have been better. They come in two strips of four, the 3/4" LEDs are about 18" apart.
I mounted them with velcro, rather than the 2-sided tape it came with. I can re-locate them to get the best angle. There are plenty of spots to stick the things. The one by the driver right knee was mounted using an "L" bracket for clearance issues (I mounted it high enough so my knee wouldn't hit it). None of the lights can be directly seen when sitting. The lighting is plenty for me.....two over the driver foot-well, two over the passenger foot-well, two over the glove box (when the glove box door is closed, these cannot be seen at all). They are wired into the dash lights (spliced into the shifter lighting). The LEDs dim with the dash lights, and can be turned off completely by a switch located by your right knee.









Now the light for the rear seats is not LED....it's a small utility light from Advanced Auto Parts ($3). I tried a few different ones (the one in the first picture was too bright). This is mounted to the removable panel under the rear of the arm rest, using a DIY bracket to get a better angle. It's about 5w and it also doesn't bother you left on while driving. It's also wired into the dimming circuit. It provides a useful amount of light to the rear seating area.

There are several ways these lights could be wired....but I think I'll leave them as is....seem to work great. Sorry for the poor night photos...

[Sponsor]

[FocusFreak09]

thats nice

[TerryB]

Good idea. I've been looking for something easy to do. I just want a little accent lighting. Nothing overbearing.

[bluefront]

Yeah it couldn't be much easier. The little LED modules are wired in parallel, so you can cut one out of the string and use it by itself. The thing draws very little power. The entire setup is rated at .09A.

[FocusedEnergy]

I especially like the utility light idea for the rear. I may do that, but put the LED's I've got on hand in it instead of the incandescent one. +1 to you.

[bluefront]

I've got the lower rear seat removed.....just a carpet-covered thin pad back there. I mostly use that area for carrying stuff. A light in that location is very helpful. Located in that position, the single light can illuminate both rear foot-wells, as well as the rear seat.....depends on how the light is angled.

[honhon]

good idea. i am thinking of something like that... but something more hidden.

[loudfocus01]

Cool idea man. I've gotta say, you modify a car different than anyone else i've ever seen.
You do nice work though and I'm glad we have an innovative member like you on this site.

[bluefront]

Well thanks for the kind comments. There are numerous ways to approach this modding thing. As for me....I'm not into speed or fast driving. So that eliminates many of the mods you see on this site. And I'm not into replacing body parts or wheels for the looks.....costs too much.

But there are countless mods you can do with the Focus that don't cost a lot, that are mostly labor involved, that personalize the thing to your own taste, and that add functionality to the car. That covers most of what I've been doing to my Focus.

I've also been doing a lot of little boring stuff.....like taking pieces off to check into and fix areas that might be rust-prone. And I'm almost finished with my under-hood modifications to prevent water entry to the engine bay......something I've never seen done by anybody on this site.

In all....there's a lot that can be done to a Focus, without breaking the bank.