LED tail lights

  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    LED tail lights

    Has anyone ever done LED tail lights on a Z? I was planning to do them on my MR2 before I got my Z,
    just like this thread: http://www.mr2.com/forums/threads/76…Led-taillights

    I think it'd be a neat design.
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • Z_Karma
    Z_Karma
    Administrator
    • 3318

    #2
    There is a groupbuy going on

    http://z31performance.com/forum/mark…ht-kouki-87-89

    But i do like the LED ring idea.


    84 AE/Shiro #683/Shiro #820/84 Turbo
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #3
    I've seen the groupbuy but I don't exactly like the $250 price point, and honestly I think they look a little tacky.
    For $8 per ring, and an hour or two of fiddling around in the hatch these rings would look pretty good. Probably would look best on Zenki tails too.
    Maybe a cheap alternative to the groupbuy LED's. I think I might buy a few of the rings and see about wiring them in.
    Should be just like in the MR2 thread I'd assume. Find which wire does what on the plug and wire the power for that and then a common ground.
    Think I'd have to wire in resisters or anything? Normal bulbs are something like 1.5 amp and the LED's are something like 0.002 amps
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • Z_Karma
    Z_Karma
    Administrator
    • 3318

    #4
    If you're talking about duping the "bulb out" warning system, I would think so, I see a few 50W 60ohm load resistors on amazon for this purpose.

    I've temporarily mounted 5mm lensed LED strips in a zenki housing and didn't like the way the outer lens pattern made them look. I tried with and without the internal fresnel type diffuser.
    I was going for the Dodge Challenger outline look.

    Having unlensed SMD LED's right up against the outer lens might look better, at least they didn't look bad on the MR2.


    84 AE/Shiro #683/Shiro #820/84 Turbo
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #5
    I forgot about that warning light >_> Oh well I can always try and then see what happens.
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • 862sik
    862sik
    Senior Member
    • 2159

    #6
    I have been toying with a nice way to put LEDs into our tails. I personally don't like the circles. I thought of a design to look more like this \\ //////// But there are many ways to do it. I also adored the look of the BMW solid lined accent for the brake lights. I think that would be clean for an accent on the rear of our cars. After this led retrofit im doing on my buddies lexus, I may start moving on to the z if I can find some cheap as hell parts. Im really waiting to see those group buy ones to see how bright they really are.
    My Build Thread
  • Ven
    Ven
    Senior Member
    • 510

    #7
    Don't like the the circles. Looks kinda meh. Much better if the whole assembly is filled with LEDs. Like so

  • edwin86z
    edwin86z
    Member
    • 60

    #8
    Here are a couple I've personally done. I wasn't trying to make it perfect, just messing around, so it kinda looks like crap… The first one shows 2 separate units in the housing. I din;t really like it, so I ended up making another setup with it covering the full housing. It wasn't curved with the housing, and just looks like a long rectangle…

    I'm working on a new one (I mentioned it in the group buy thread as well, as someone brought up the zenki style). The new one has a fully regulated power supply, better leds, and will all be on a drop-in pcb. It will just be simple off, low, high (no sequential), but it will be affordable. I'll post up details later on in this topic to keep all the info together. Not trying to sound like I'm making money or anything off this, just for fun, and to help out the community. Attached files
  • Butter
    Butter
    Senior Member
    • 1519

    #9
    I did a homemade job with crib board and LED's.
    http://youtu.be/TQ_fsIwC1Ho?t=2m2s

    sigpic
  • les_joey_paul
    les_joey_paul
    Senior Member
    • 743

    #10
    edwin86z;n770614 wrote: Here are a couple I've personally done. I wasn't trying to make it perfect, just messing around, so it kinda looks like crap… The first one shows 2 separate units in the housing. I din;t really like it, so I ended up making another setup with it covering the full housing. It wasn't curved with the housing, and just looks like a long rectangle… I'm working on a new one (I mentioned it in the group buy thread as well, as someone brought up the zenki style). The new one has a fully regulated power supply, better leds, and will all be on a drop-in pcb. It will just be simple off, low, high (no sequential), but it will be affordable. I'll post up details later on in this topic to keep all the info together. Not trying to sound like I'm making money or anything off this, just for fun, and to help out the community.
    I'd be interested in a zenki set if you go through with it
    http://z31performance.com/showthread…2-2-(-now-NA2T
    My build thread (:
  • Ven
    Ven
    Senior Member
    • 510

    #11
    Originally posted by Z_Karma
    There is a groupbuy going on

    http://z31performance.com/forum/mark…ht-kouki-87-89

    But i do like the LED ring idea.
    Did this thread get deleted or something?
  • michaelp
    michaelp
    Senior Member
    • 9384

    #12
    Originally posted by Ven
    Did this thread get deleted or something?
    No, vb4 uses different URL layouts than VB5…so once again, dozens of links are broken.
    - VG30DET (HE341) 86 300ZX - 1982 280ZX Turbo - Headered NA 1986 300ZX 2+2 - 2000 Xterra -
  • Ven
    Ven
    Senior Member
    • 510

    #13
    Originally posted by michaelp
    No, vb4 uses different URL layouts than VB5…so once again, dozens of links are broken.
    Can't even find it via search.
  • jazztrumpet439
    jazztrumpet439
    Senior Member
    • 297

    #14
    Yeah, I havent been able to find it either…
    sigpic
    1984 300zx Turbo (Daily Driver Project)
    Shiro #341 (Summer Project)
    1985 300zx N/A (SOLD 6/13/13)
  • KuroZ31SS
    KuroZ31SS
    Junior Member
    • 4

    #15
    Originally posted by Butter
    I did a homemade job with crib board and LED's.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ_fsIwC1Ho

    your link is no longer valid. do you have a working link or some more info on how you wired your setup?
    1988 300ZX NA 5SPD