P
Planecrazy
Guest
I did this upgrade five or six years ago to my KG Trunk (and BradleyMaynar's as well), and really like the added visibility (and custom look) I got! There are many different LED lights available, but I chose one that was self contained and originally designed to mount on the top of nineties GM Blazers/Jimmys, Suburbans/Tahoes, and Astro/Safari Vans. It fit my trunk nicely and because they were used on many different vehicles they're not very expensive on Fleabay or Craigslist. If you don't have a trunk I have no doubt that you could find a smaller LED brake light to custom fit to your tail piece if you are so inclined.
The KG Slidemount Trunk comes with taillights built in, but they're single filament lights so they don't incorporate the brakes. By adding the separate LED light I get a big improvement in visibility and "capturing attention" when I'm slowing down or stopped. The first pics show how the light looks on the trunk. Each end cap is connected to the main body of the light by multi-ribbed rubber connectors, so there is some "wiggle room" in following the contour of the trunk. I was originally planning to fill the small gap with black silicone, but never got around to it. All these years later, with no leaks, I've never felt the need to go back and do it - the light looks just fine as is.
You'll notice in the above picture that there is a filler material between the light and the trunk lid. I used a closed cell foam mat (picked up at Harbor Freight), which has done a nice job of filling the slight contour differences between the trunk lid and the light housing. It also helps isolate the light from vibration, seals the mounting holes against the elements, and gives it a finished look. I believe I used two or three layers of this mat until I obtained the result I wanted.
The light is mounted by drilling two holes through the trunk lid and anchoring the it with screws that go through mounting holes on each end cap. I was originally planning to epoxy in a locknut and use machine screws to hold the light, but in my haste to get the project done before a weekend rally I cut two small blocks of oak and "temporarily" secured the light with drywall screws (as you can see in the pic below). Now, all these years later the assembly has never loosened ... so I've never changed it. In addition, you'll see that there is a third hole drilled right next to one of the mounting blocks to allow the wires to come through the trunk lid.
You'll note that the wiring is held to the inside of the trunk by using a self adhesive cable clamp. I did this purposely so that if I ever needed to remove the light the anchor points would be reusable. I also wanted to allow enough "play" in the wiring so that when the lid is repeatedly opened and closed the wires wouldn't crimp and break. I also used a zip tie around the wood block to cinch down the wires coming out of the light and through the trunk lid, so that if the wires ever get snagged inside the trunk they won't be yanked out of the light (requiring complete dissassembly). I covered as much of the wiring as I could with heat-shrink tubing and shrunk it tight, of course.
Following the cable down to the bottom of the trunk you'll notice that it exits the bottom as far forward as possible, and that I used epoxy to seal the bottom from weather and insects. The wiring from the built in lights exits the trunk in the back, and I thought about running these wires to the same exit hole and enlarging it. However, I decided against that strategy because I didn't want the wires running underneath anything that was stored in the trunk, and I also didn't want to have to pull out the old wiring (to enlarge the hole) and risk damaging it unnecessarily.
You'll also notice that there is a second epoxied area that doesn't have a wire going through it. That was an existing set of holes that KG used (and I reused) to anchor a plastic tie which holds the wires up against the underside of the trunk. By the way, the epoxy was originally clear, and it "disappeared" into the finish by taking on the color of the trunk below it. In retrospect I'd use a gray or black colored epoxy for a nicer and more uniform appearance over time.
Looking under the trunk in the picture below you can see that I brought the two sets of wires together (using plastic ties) and then combined them in a standard 4-prong trailer connector - two wires for the stock taillights and two wires for the LED brake light. I could have added a second 2-prong connector to the arrangement (the original lights ran to a 2-prong plug), but I wanted to streamline it and make it a simpler affair to connect and disconnect when removing the trunk. The other end of the connector is zip-tied to the trunk bracket, and this arrangement has worked flawlessly.
The entire project was inexpensive and easy to complete. I hope this gives you folks some useful ideas for any similar projects you might be planning.
Regards,
The KG Slidemount Trunk comes with taillights built in, but they're single filament lights so they don't incorporate the brakes. By adding the separate LED light I get a big improvement in visibility and "capturing attention" when I'm slowing down or stopped. The first pics show how the light looks on the trunk. Each end cap is connected to the main body of the light by multi-ribbed rubber connectors, so there is some "wiggle room" in following the contour of the trunk. I was originally planning to fill the small gap with black silicone, but never got around to it. All these years later, with no leaks, I've never felt the need to go back and do it - the light looks just fine as is.
You'll notice in the above picture that there is a filler material between the light and the trunk lid. I used a closed cell foam mat (picked up at Harbor Freight), which has done a nice job of filling the slight contour differences between the trunk lid and the light housing. It also helps isolate the light from vibration, seals the mounting holes against the elements, and gives it a finished look. I believe I used two or three layers of this mat until I obtained the result I wanted.
The light is mounted by drilling two holes through the trunk lid and anchoring the it with screws that go through mounting holes on each end cap. I was originally planning to epoxy in a locknut and use machine screws to hold the light, but in my haste to get the project done before a weekend rally I cut two small blocks of oak and "temporarily" secured the light with drywall screws (as you can see in the pic below). Now, all these years later the assembly has never loosened ... so I've never changed it. In addition, you'll see that there is a third hole drilled right next to one of the mounting blocks to allow the wires to come through the trunk lid.
You'll note that the wiring is held to the inside of the trunk by using a self adhesive cable clamp. I did this purposely so that if I ever needed to remove the light the anchor points would be reusable. I also wanted to allow enough "play" in the wiring so that when the lid is repeatedly opened and closed the wires wouldn't crimp and break. I also used a zip tie around the wood block to cinch down the wires coming out of the light and through the trunk lid, so that if the wires ever get snagged inside the trunk they won't be yanked out of the light (requiring complete dissassembly). I covered as much of the wiring as I could with heat-shrink tubing and shrunk it tight, of course.
Following the cable down to the bottom of the trunk you'll notice that it exits the bottom as far forward as possible, and that I used epoxy to seal the bottom from weather and insects. The wiring from the built in lights exits the trunk in the back, and I thought about running these wires to the same exit hole and enlarging it. However, I decided against that strategy because I didn't want the wires running underneath anything that was stored in the trunk, and I also didn't want to have to pull out the old wiring (to enlarge the hole) and risk damaging it unnecessarily.
You'll also notice that there is a second epoxied area that doesn't have a wire going through it. That was an existing set of holes that KG used (and I reused) to anchor a plastic tie which holds the wires up against the underside of the trunk. By the way, the epoxy was originally clear, and it "disappeared" into the finish by taking on the color of the trunk below it. In retrospect I'd use a gray or black colored epoxy for a nicer and more uniform appearance over time.
Looking under the trunk in the picture below you can see that I brought the two sets of wires together (using plastic ties) and then combined them in a standard 4-prong trailer connector - two wires for the stock taillights and two wires for the LED brake light. I could have added a second 2-prong connector to the arrangement (the original lights ran to a 2-prong plug), but I wanted to streamline it and make it a simpler affair to connect and disconnect when removing the trunk. The other end of the connector is zip-tied to the trunk bracket, and this arrangement has worked flawlessly.
The entire project was inexpensive and easy to complete. I hope this gives you folks some useful ideas for any similar projects you might be planning.
Regards,
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