[Yellow_Glide]

Completed the door handle, door pocket and door pull lighting this weekend. Thanks to 2SSRS for some last minute power source information.

Below are a couple of pics of the back side of the door panel showing the location and wiring of the three areas and the custom harness I made.

Components:
5mm LED with prewired resistor (Oznium)
LED Holder from Radio Shack (PN 276-080)
18ga hook up wire
Heat shrink tubing 1/8" dia. - cut into strips about 1" long
soldering paste, 3/32" solder, soldering iron, 1/8" and 7/16" drill bit, files, razor blade, drill

This basically the same as any door LED thread on the forum, there are several which are well written. I think Overhaulingengines did a write up on how to install the LED for the door handle. The attached pics compliment these DIYs by showing how easy it is to create your own custom harnesses.

The disclaimer - I'm not an EE or a Electronics tech, I watched my dad years ago who was involved in amateur radio. For the price of a Craftsman ratchet you can get the tools needed to do your own. Practice a few times on making these types of connections and in no time you'll look like you have been doing this for years for

Keepings things simple, once I had the passenger door panel removed I used a small piece of plywood on saw horses as a work surface. I covered the plywood with a couple of towels as to not scratch the door panel.

To lay out the new harness, looking at the back of the passenger door panel I drilled pilot holes for one light in the door pull, two holes for the door pocket and one on the top of the door handle.

I inserted the LED holders into each one of the corresponding holes. I put a little Elmers Glue around the base of each LED and inserted into the holder.

Starting with the door pull LED since it was furthest from the power source - the power window switch. I soldered a yellow wire to the red wire on the LED and soldered a black wire to the to the black wire on the LED. I used shrink wrap on each connection. I cut the newly attached yellow and black wires to about 8" in length. I did the same for the two LEDs in the door pocket.

At this point you have three yellow and three black wires: twist the three yellow wires together. Think of you left hand: the index, birdie and ring finger and with you right hand twist the three in a clockwise direction. Repeat for the black wires. Take a new piece of yellow wire: strip the end and twist the smaller wires together clockwise to "make" a larger wire.

You bow have two wires: one bundle of three yellow wires on your left hand. tane the single yellow wire in your right hand and using the exposed copper wire to form an X, twist the four wires together. If done correctly, it will look like the three wires come together to form one wire. There shouldn't be any loose wires sticking out or a big knot. Solder the connection and put heat shrink over the connection. Repeat for the black wires. Use the same process above to add the door handle light.

Once completed, use a battery charger as a power source to test the LEDs and your connections.

The last suggestion: Make a diagram for future reference. Include things like what gauge wire, LED color, part numbers and where you connected to your power source. This will prove handy six months from now whan you want to add something new in the door panel.

The 6th pic is a wire clip. I picked these up at the local electronics store: bag of 50 is a couple of bucks, but is makes the install very clean and keeps tiy wires from rattling in the door.

Finally got a pic of the finished job - door pull (1 LED), door handle (1 LED) and the door pocket (2 LEDs). Pleased with the amount of light in the three areas: someday might get around to shaping the LEDs to change the shape of the light pattern in the door pull LED. Hmm, another project on the list.