Another METRO Project

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by MPGeo

[B]Will have to come up with a good tach option that doesn't involve $150 (going local price) for a factory 3cyl gauge cluster...

I have a spare tach cluster that I'd sell for less than $150.

[pletby]

Those Lights look awesome.

[MPGeo]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

I have a spare tach cluster that I'd sell for less than $150.

How much less???

[MPGeo]

So i tried two of the top rated free tach apps i could find for android and they did not work well at all... Since they use sound to percieve rpms, i think the road & vibration noices in my empty shell make engine noise hard to translate accurately into rpms...

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by MPGeo

How much less???

How about $80 shipped?

[freebeard]

Those rectangular arrays of individual parabolic reflectors for each LED could provide a good beam pattern. You'd want a picture of the low beam cut-off to judge.

Price seems good too, compared to those $600 Jeep lights I saw.

[MPGeo]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

How about $80 shipped?

Let me think about it... I don't necessarily have to have the factory gauge look, and there's options out there, but I'll keep it in mind.

[MPGeo]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Those rectangular arrays of individual parabolic reflectors for each LED could provide a good beam pattern. You'd want a picture of the low beam cut-off to judge.

Price seems good too, compared to those $600 Jeep lights I saw.

I'll have to do some research... I don't know what exactly to look out for, and the more i read your light related posts the more i realize i don't know what I'm doing concerning LEDs...

But i do agree that the price seems low. The trucker's store had several styles of LED 4x6's available, but they were all either high or low beams... Since tractor trailers w/ 4x6s usually have a 4 light setup... And the chepest I saw there was low $200s for a pair.

[MPGeo]

So I have a few updates.

So after putting about 127 hard loading city miles w/ few highway miles on the engine trying to seat the rings... I finally felt comfortable enough to begin commuting back and forth to work.

So today was my 3rd straight day successfully completing the 120 miles/day commute back and forth to work. I finished the first tank, and going on my second tank... By the looks of it I will be having to fill up more than once weekly for the time being, not for sure yet. Once I get several tanks in, and can get a some what reliable miles-per-tank outcomes then I will be posting them up and begin some other mods.

But in the mean time I have been busy looking into the LED issue. And I've settled at least on a few lights.

Here are the headlights I actually purchased, although I have not received them yet... figured I would give them a shot.

And I also was able to buy a battery hold down, plus some extra project LED lights.


The amber lights will be eventually fitted in the front turn signal location, and my intentions is to use them as a combination of turn signal/running/fog light while at the same time lessening the "pocket" size of the turn signal lamp area... I will most likely not use them as running lights once the alternator delete mode is in full effect, we'll see.

As for the red LED it's actually a 2x6 w/ 18 combination bulb, marker light... not exactly a stop light, but it's about the right size for the third brake light and fairly bright... and since the price was right I decided to give it a shot. If it looks good enough during day light then I'll leave it, if not I will find or build a replacement.



So far all I have done is put it in the over and cook it then separated the assembly. I have already started cutting and sizing, but ran out of time and since I'm driving the car to work in the morning I've put it all back together... TBC.

[MPGeo]

Originally Posted by MPGeo

If it looks good enough during day light then I'll leave it, if not I will find or build a replacement.

So it did not work... So I tried a different approach for the 3rd Brake Light

Ok, so here's the scoop on why and LED brake light mod:

#1 - TO INCREASE MY SAFETY !
- LEDs are brighter & faster, which increases the chances for awareness & response time for trailing driver.
- **TO COME** Strobe Module - will serve as an attention getter and increase the awareness level another notch.

A byproduct of this LED mod is reduced electrical load, but this is just a byproduct and not the intent of this specific mod at this time since I'm mainly a hwy driver w/ very little stopping... Later I will be changing all lighting to LEDs to reduce electrical load during early morning or winter driving w/ hopes of reducing alternator run time or perhaps completely eliminate alternator usage

OK.. So I took all the pics for a How-To thread later, but here's the scoop

Here's all the parts used, purchased at a local trucker's store


Here's the assembly prior to painting / it's an aluminum bracket


The pictures don't really do it justice, but it is much, much brighter in person.
BEFORE...

AFTER...