Hey everyone! I'm psyched about this one....I just finished my lighter ring and it WHOOPS ass! I recommend this to anyone who wants their lighter ring to be bright blue and look good. I will post pics in a day or 2 when I get batteries for my camera...sorry. O.K. here's what I did. I went to NAPA and got a universal illuminated cigarette lighter assembly(under $9.00)...here's a link if you want to get it online(no local NAPA's)
http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=15625496&prmenbr=5806
This assembly comes with a light blue/green ring instead of the more common orange one. I got some info from the blue lED posts I've read...and for this project you will need 1 2600mcd 5mm. Blue LED from Radio Shack(part no. 276-316, $3.99) 1 330 Ohm 1/2 watt resistor(part no. 271-1113, $0.99 pack of 5), a soldering iron(under $8.00), and some thin rosin-core solder($3 or $4) I also used some red heat shrink tube from NAPA and some small flatnose copper alligator clips as heat sinks when soldering.(don't want to burn up $4 over and over)
Well, I took the drivers side panel off of the console, and unplugged the white and black clips, and twisted out the little bulb that plugs into the lighter assembly. Then I unscrewed the big nut off of the assy. and removed it. I then slid the orange plastic piece off and threw it away(the plastic piece.) You will be re-using your existing assembly. First push your tabs back in if they aren't grabbing like they used to. You have to file down the little notch on the outer chromed piece that stck down through the orange plastic piece because the green one doesn't have a slot in it. Then slide the green ring onto the body, place it back in its hole(gentle pressure should pop it back in.) Replace the backing from under the console, and screw the big nut back on. make sure that the backings light socket is facing you. The black clip clips to the tab on the assembly the farthest away from you, and the white one clips onto the very bottom of the assembly. Here's where you have to be creative. The little bulb that sits in the socket that plugs into the bottom of the assembly is white. This doesn't produce a great color with the blueish green ring. I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS PART(do what you will with the LED part) I wanted to keep the socket incase they made a plug-in LED/bulb that size in the future and I could remove the bulb/LED and the resistor and take it back to normal....But this is what I did. I cut the wires coming from the bulb about 3 inches back. I then took the little bulb and socket over to my workbench....and...with the bulb in the socket I busted the bulb so that the bottom was still in the socket ant the prongs of the element were sticking out. I pulled off the very thin copper element between the prongs, and carefully(safety glasses!)crushed(with needle nose pliers) the little white glass bead holding the 2 prongs together.
I cut both of the legs of the LED about 1/4 of an inch away from the head. I then clipped 1 little heat sink to each prong on the led against the head. Then I carefully(this part sucked) soldered the prongs from the bulb to the legs on the LED.(keep the LED/bulb out) I stripped the ends of the wires to the socket and then the ones from the harness where I had cut it. Next, I soldered one side of the resistor to the green wire attached to the light socket.(use heat sink on resistor leg)Then, I slid a piece of shrink tube onto one of the black wires, twisted the black wires back together,soldered them, and heated the shrink tube until I was happy. .....THEN...(BE CAREFUL NOT TO SCREW UP INTERIOR WITH MELTED SOLDER...YOU WILL BE SOLDERING IN THE CAR IN THIS NEXT STEP...COVER THE AREA IN OLD T-SHIRTS OR SOMETHING...JUST IN CASE.) I slid a long piece of heat shrink tube over the green wire from the harness...and had to solder the other end of the resistor to the green wire from the harness.(use heat sink on resistor leg) Then I slid the shrink tube over the resistor and solderd ends and heated it until everything was covered. NOW! THE FUN PART...PAY ATTENTION! Look closely at the LED...See how inside the LED the legs turn into a big flat piece, and a small flat piece? The small flat piece is the side that plugs in where the green wire connects to the socket. WOAH! Look at that awesome glow. I actually set the bulb/LED in the socket lightly and pressed it in at the base with a small pick so I didn't screw up the little prongs I had soldered together. Now! set your new LED/Bulb into the socket, give it a little turn to secure it in there, and turn your headlights on to see the awesome glow!!!(you may need the key to be in the accessory position...but I'm not sure. It looks even better with the lighter out! Put the side of your console back on and you're done. DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY THINK...THIS COMES OUT BLUE...NOT TURQUOISE, GREEN OR BLUE-GREEN...BECAUSE OF THE LED..IT IS BRIGHT BLUE!

Whoa long writeup. The funny thing is I've seen writeup for sfmu's, and brake swaps a lot shorter that this writeup LOL

-------jezreel
hrc stage 1, sfmu, ml, prokits, egt, boost gauge, apexi tt, costum dp, dynotune fp gauge. gst muff, turbo spoiler

nothing like driving with the windows down and the music low: i love hearing the turbo spool, swwwhhhttt!!!!
thanks for www.kaptainmyke.com for the sig hosting :thumbsup

I like to be thorough... so many people aren't

or you could just buy a new bulb

The point was to make it GLOW. The factory illuminated ring(orange) is too dim for my liking.

Points for the write up :thumbsup. Get those pics up! I don't wany my cigerater lighter to be the star of my car though (ALL my other interior lights are blue, but I don't want the thing to be super brite).

will you make one for me and ill buy it from you? there are just too many words in that write up for me to pay attention long enough. if not, just post some pics :P

This thread is useless without pics! :P

Originally posted by DR1665
This thread is useless without pics! :P

OK..OK...1 hour...I'll go get batteries!

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/440224/5
DR1665...the glow is just like the color in your pic! I took pics of it in the dark, and the bulb assy, but they didn't show up on my camera...it takes shitty pics in the dark...I'll add more pics as soon as I can..Its F'ing cold out there!!

Originally posted by chrysler kid
or you could just buy a new bulb

the stock ring is orangish. just changing the bulb don't work too good. i've done it and the blue only shows good if you leave out the part that goes inside the lighter. so yea if you buy a replacement lighter w/ a diff ring it should look a lot better.

I think it's a nice touch. Sometimes the littlest thing can tie a whole car together or throw the balance way off. It looks cool imo. So does your interior trim. I didn't cheat by using primer, I just got some silver spray paint and went at it! :P Now I think I will do it up the right way before the shootout, but after I get a new console in there after the involuntary weight reduction last week. :P

Originally posted by DR1665
I think it's a nice touch. Sometimes the littlest thing can tie a whole car together or throw the balance way off. It looks cool imo. So does your interior trim. I didn't cheat by using primer, I just got some silver spray paint and went at it! :P Now I think I will do it up the right way before the shootout, but after I get a new console in there after the involuntary weight reduction last week. :P

I didn't cheat either..lol...that was a bitch to sand those fucking pieces down to smooth. I used a mini Dual action air sander with 180 grit on the big areas, and hand sanded the rest. Then the painter at my shop sealed it, painted it, and cleared it. I just had him seal the piece that goes around the stereo because I didn't want to screw up the small tight angles of the piece...It will totally have to be done by hand. I will do that in the spring when I have time...then repaint it. I'm gonna do my ignition ring next...I think the ring itself is clear, with an orange bulb, but I'll have to check.

Ehh, i just pulled out the cig lighter and put a gauge there.

Originally posted by 95dsmrsproj

Originally posted by DR1665 I think it's a nice touch. Sometimes the littlest thing can tie a whole car together or throw the balance way off. It looks cool imo. So does your interior trim. I didn't cheat by using primer, I just got some silver spray paint and went at it! :P Now I think I will do it up the right way before the shootout, but after I get a new console in there after the involuntary weight reduction last week. :P

I didn't cheat either..lol...that was a bitch to sand those fucking pieces down to smooth. I used a mini Dual action air sander with 180 grit on the big areas, and hand sanded the rest. Then the painter at my shop sealed it, painted it, and cleared it. I just had him seal the piece that goes around the stereo because I didn't want to screw up the small tight angles of the piece...It will totally have to be done by hand. I will do that in the spring when I have time...then repaint it. I'm gonna do my ignition ring next...I think the ring itself is clear, with an orange bulb, but I'll have to check.

nope there's a slight orangish tint to it. i put a blue led in to replace the stock orange bulb and it doesn't light the ring up at all. if you leave the actual lighter out (and leave just teh housing) then the light will show pretty good since the hole where it shines through will be exposed and it will illuminate the inside of the housing. with the lighter inside though the ring barely glows blue. the LED is used is a lot brighter than the stock bulb too.

CEREAL5...what size gauge do you have in there? was it hard to cut it all out?....i would do the blue ring, but my lighter thing doesnt even work and i never use it...i wired a three one under the dash for emergency crap, and wired it so it was always on, not just on with the key...
doug

I used my cig lighter area for rice.

S2000 PUSH-BUTTON STARTER. The coolest, easy mod to replace your cig lighter. I push a button (that is lit up btw) and the car starts. Gotta love it:thumbsup




"And my jam knock in the Mitsubishi
Girls pee pee when they see me,
Nava-hoes creep me in they tee pee..."
>Biggie Smalls -- R.I.P.

think pep boys sells one with the correct color for the lighter ring...must go check it out today

Yup they do it costs 9.99..so there is another place to go if you canot get at napa

Originally posted by MCubed45
""nope there's a slight orangish tint to it. i put a blue led in to replace the stock orange bulb and it doesn't light the ring up at all. if you leave the actual lighter out (and leave just teh housing) then the light will show pretty good since the hole where it shines through will be exposed and it will illuminate the inside of the housing. with the lighter inside though the ring barely glows blue. the LED is used is a lot brighter than the stock bulb too.

no...lol...I was talking about the ignition ring...I got a blueish-green ring for the cig lighter assy. at Napa...The ignition ring is clear...Just thought I'd clear that up.

Oh, and for anyone reading this post...I found an easier way to attach the LED to the existing socket after the resistor has been soldered inline. All you have to do is cut the leads on the LED and bend them, and insert them into the outer edges of the copper contacts in the socket...between the outside edge(copper contacts) and just on the inside of the edge of the socket. Confusing, I know. I'll try to take pics tomorrow.

I took pics a few minutes ago...its really dark outside, and no neighbors had their front lights on...so the pics turned out pretty good! They are of the cigarette lighter ring and the HVAC Blue LED backlighting! Check them out at the link below...pages 5 and 6(pic on page 6 is also on page 5...I just added it to my write-up too!)
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/440224/5

BTW im finally done with My LED conversion (yah found out later i could get ready to go led's for same price i got my solder on ones :( not kewl)....btw the iluminated key ring is the easiest one of them all...just take plastic covers off after detaching 3 screws under stearing column, twist lil bulb assembly like the one in lighter...cut wires...splice new led assembly....tada...

BTW the Radio Shack LED's work better if you sand down the dome shape and make them flat that way they give a nice wide angle pattern...

Originally posted by BlueMoonEclipse
BTW im finally done with My LED conversion (yah found out later i could get ready to go led's for same price i got my solder on ones :( not kewl)....btw the iluminated key ring is the easiest one of them all...just take plastic covers off after detaching 3 screws under stearing column, twist lil bulb assembly like the one in lighter...cut wires...splice new led assembly....tada... BTW the Radio Shack LED's work better if you sand down the dome shape and make them flat that way they give a nice wide angle pattern...

Thanks, I'll try that out(sanding)...and I attempted to do the ignition ring twice, and got a blue spark and blew a fuse both times...maybe I'll get it right on the 3rd try...lol...or maybe I'll be smart enough to disconnect the battery before hand.
I've read about the Varads too, but I think the challenge is the fun part!