How to Wire Footwell Lighting

[Pharmaro]

I did mine yesterday too using the $24 Pep Boy's LED strip and tapped the grey wire for the dome light and into the cigarette lighter. Installed a 3-way (SPDT) switch, also from Pep Boy's, into the center console where the PDIM and auxillary cig power source is. So now I have it set up to come on when the dome light does, on demand (through the cig lighter), and off at all times if I want.

Thanks TonyNo!

[WCoolBreeze]

I used the GM Cupholder and Footwell Lighting Kit, it was all Plug and Play. No cutting of wires and No T-taps. The two hardest parts was to remove the console and drill three (3) holes, and those steps were not that hard.

Walt B.

[jason2574]

My hat is off to you. I can't get to the wires to put on the t-tap to save my life :(

[buzzy56]

Originally Posted by jason2574

My hat is off to you. I can't get to the wires to put on the t-tap to save my life :(

You can do it if I can. I am 6 ft.2 and have fat fingers.If you put a heavy quilt over the door sill and a nice pillow for you head to rest on it will be easier on your body when it is contorted underneath there.Just come up for air for a moment and go back at it.Tight quarters I grant but once you put some cushion beneath you it is easier to position your body and to stay with it until you finish.Stick with it don't give up .well worth it.If my old body can do it you certainly can too. Get er done !!!!!

[jason2574]

Originally Posted by buzzy56

You can do it if I can. I am 6 ft.2 and have fat fingers.If you put a heavy quilt over the door sill and a nice pillow for you head to rest on it will be easier on your body when it is contorted underneath there.Just come up for air for a moment and go back at it.Tight quarters I grant but once you put some cushion beneath you it is easier to position your body and to stay with it until you finish.Stick with it don't give up .well worth it.If my old body can do it you certainly can too. Get er done !!!!!

I'm 6'4", so those extra two inches must have been the difference

But persistence paid off and I got the T-tap on...totally worth it. Awesome mod!

[nyrfan]

Originally Posted by jason2574

My hat is off to you. I can't get to the wires to put on the t-tap to save my life :(

Here is a little tip for taping the grey wire (for the footwell lighting) to help avoid having to squeeze under the dash (as it's really tight).


Trick/tip to avoid breaking your back:

The grey wire to be used is on the very back wire harness which also happens to be grey (I believe there are 4 in total, all different colors). All you need to do to find the wire is put your steering column into the highest position (this will give a gap directly under the steering column to look through). This will then give you a clear view of the wiring harnesses, and the ability to quickly and easily tap into the grey wire. No need to break your back to try and get underneath & upside down. Go this route and you'll be pain free and done in minutes.

[JDrake1987]

Thank you TonyNo for the the pictures and the process. Thanks to you I was able to do this myself. This is my very first project EVER. It's such a thrill to do something yourself. I have other projects lined up for myself now. This was so much fun despite the 98 degree weather.

Here is my finished result!

[TonyNo]

Good job to all!

[MSUCamaro]

Ok, so to be absolutely clear here cause I don't wanna wire this wrong and burn a fuse or burn my car

I want to hook my SMDs up to the ambient lighting. Therefore, I have two options...correct?

I can either tap into the PURPLE wire on the PURPLE connector under the driver side dash.

OR

I can tap into the PURPLE wire behind the passenger side kick panel.

Right?

What do I do with the black wires coming from my SMDs in both of these cases? Do they still simply function as grounds that can be attached to metal behind the side covers of the center console or do they need to be connected somewhere special?

[Darth_Emma]

Originally Posted by MSUCamaro

Ok, so to be absolutely clear here cause I don't wanna wire this wrong and burn a fuse or burn my car

I want to hook my SMDs up to the ambient lighting. Therefore, I have two options...correct?

I can either tap into the PURPLE wire on the PURPLE connector under the driver side dash.

OR

I can tap into the PURPLE wire behind the passenger side kick panel.

Right?

What do I do with the black wires coming from my SMDs in both of these cases? Do they still simply function as grounds that can be attached to metal behind the side covers of the center console or do they need to be connected somewhere special?

I connected the ground (black) wire to the blot behind the center console as shown in this picture from the first post.

[nyrfan]

Originally Posted by MSUCamaro

Ok, so to be absolutely clear here cause I don't wanna wire this wrong and burn a fuse or burn my car

I want to hook my SMDs up to the ambient lighting. Therefore, I have two options...correct?

I can either tap into the PURPLE wire on the PURPLE connector under the driver side dash.

OR

I can tap into the PURPLE wire behind the passenger side kick panel.

Right?

What do I do with the black wires coming from my SMDs in both of these cases? Do they still simply function as grounds that can be attached to metal behind the side covers of the center console or do they need to be connected somewhere special?

Just so you know, wiring it this way will have them on while you are driving.

If you go this route I'd recommend adding a switch so you can turn them off when you want. I'd imagine having them on while driving could be quite distraction.

On a side note, only ACC sells the blue that perfectly matches the ABL, all other blues will be slightly different. Here is a picture of mine using the ACC lights.

[DraggnFrameGMC]

I finally put mine in on Saturday. Sorry about the crappy phone pics and the dome light was on to which kinda killed the shots.

[copper3000]

Damn, sweet lighting!!

[FurySS]

Here is AAC amber color LED's with Inferno Orange interior. I tapped into the purple wire on the purple harness no problem. The amber color is dim enough that it is not distracting to have on while driving. 1st pic also has amber dome on, 2nd pic is just footwells.