How To: LED CHMSL From Impala / Monte Carlo

[iceman]

This is a real easy job, and there are many ways to do it.. just sharing the way I did it. Post up yours if you want ! Simple, two wire hookup. First, disassemble the housing you get..



Entire assembly

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=194246

Opened up

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=194247

Board, still connected.

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=194255



Carefully pull the wires out of their home and you'll get this.
http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=197769

[iceman]

Next, drill two holes (or one, doesn't matter, just make sure the contacts are not touching) through the brake light housing. You want to do this on the side where the original power plug would go. If you were holding the CHMSL as it would sit in the actual trunk lid, this is the bottom left.

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=197770

[iceman]

a few more strategically placed holes and cable ties to hold the piece in.... also take note to clean the crap off your carpet from making holes at this point too. I trimmed the board juuust a hair to get it to fit good.

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=197774

[iceman]

Insulate the pins with a little tape, so just the very end thin part is not covered. Remount the stock CHMSL assembly, insert these pins in the stock plug - black to black, red to green. Use a little more electrical tape to keep it snug..

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=197775

[iceman]

Finished product... kind of a bad angle but you get the point

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=197779

[iceman]

my lense is spray tinted....

(and my car is dirty too)

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=197780

[AaronGAGT]

What is that blue bulb for????

[iceman]

It's not blue it's superwhite.. Just one of the stock brake bulbs before I took them out.

[Rba007]

Anyone have any ideas how to clear that lense? Ala eblend?

[Robznob11]

I posted a how too called clear 3rd brake light, with pics. I have now went led but with a twist I used solar glass for the lense. looks like a mirror but you can see the lights througe it when they light up...

[EBlend]

Its simple! take out the lenz, take out the rubber peice, and cut off the raised lenz peice with a dremel tool right on the edje. Then take a peice of thin plexi glass and cut it in a shape of the whole oval assembly. Then glue that peice in there. Then take and drill some small holes in the plexi so that the rubber gasket could lay back into the assembly. Then just mount it on and you have a clear lens.

[EBlend]

here are some pics for those intersted
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/bc/abobco/lst?.dir=/2003+Grand+AM+Pics&.view=t

[Rba007]

So, this is the Impala LED array, with the Grand Am housing? Ive got the impala peices sitting right here in front of me, Just wondering. Im gonna be taking my time here so i can make a clear version. Does the impala lense fit (So i can slice that one up without fubaring the Grand am One)?

[Vintalage]

The lense does fit, but it is not a clean fit. There are very small gaps around corners. Also, the impala lense will not lock into the grand am's housing and I think the impala lense is thicker (taller) so the screws won't tighten.

[Vintalage]

by the way RBA, i've got day pics up of the thrid brake light lit so if you haven't seen it, check it out. :D

[Phantom Phoenix]

where are the pics?

[Rba007]

Sweet! I just went out and bought myself a dremel tool, its a momentus day, I also got myself some nice plexy and sealant. Im gonna go outside and play now...

[lightningGA]

thats sweet....anyone know how much the Impala light costs at the dealer?

[Rba007]

Its gonna be like 65-70 Im willing to bet. Mine is in and working great. I didnt do any zip ties, I used a bit of silicone just to secure it in there on the ends of the array. I didnt clear it, since the brown array wouldnt have been all that "stylish".

[iceman]

Originally posted by lightningGA
thats sweet....anyone know how much the Impala light costs at the dealer?

No clue, normally about 50% more than gmpartsdirect, so yeah I'd say 65ish probably.


Dave, good stuff w/ silicone. I was going to do that, but I couldn't find any at the time, and that was the night my **** got stolen, I forgot, hehe

[lightningGA]

Originally posted by iceman
No clue, normally about 50% more than gmpartsdirect, so yeah I'd say 65ish probably.


Dave, good stuff w/ silicone. I was going to do that, but I couldn't find any at the time, and that was the night my **** got stolen, I forgot, hehe

so then I should just order it through gmpartsdirect.....cool thanx

[Vintalage]

Originally posted by lightningGA
so then I should just order it through gmpartsdirect.....cool thanx

Yeah, I was told from the dealer $75.00. On gmpartsdirect, $35.00. Never buy parts from dealers!!! Overpriced whores!

If you happened to miss this thread, the prices were in here:

http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17198

[GTluver]

19.95 shipped from ebay :D

[tenspeed]

Good mod. When I made my LED light, I just put the board in the housing and snapped the red cover on. No silicone or wire ties required.

There are many ready made LED strips. You need about 11" worth. Junkyards, auto supply stores and JCWhitney are all good sources. A couple of small strips made for motorcycles would also work.

You could rent an Impala and have a car for the day and the brake light too....

[AznGA]

So how long do these LED strips last?

[GTluver]

well they are leds so i figured they should last along time.....mine's been working just fine.....for bout close to a year now

[EBlend]

picked myself up an led strip from the junker for 5 bucks canadian, but instead of mounting it in the housing, i mounted it on the red lense. So the leds are a few mm away from the actual red lense that is seen outside. Works awsome :D no drilling holes either, just soldered the wire ends to the metal connectors running along the bottom of the factory light