DIY: Dashboard Ambient Lighting (ABL)

[19K3SS]

Just a thought, for those that used the digikey light pipe... Is the material pliable? Could it be heated and bent at a 90* angle? I'm thinking on the edge near the passenger door, where the light fades out, instead of completely carving up the dashboard to attach a second light for that panel, you could drill a hole that will be covered by the panel and with a bend in the tube to go through that hole, you can put the light inside the dash.

[Jayhawk500]

Originally Posted by 19K3SS

Just a thought, for those that used the digikey light pipe... Is the material pliable? Could it be heated and bent at a 90* angle? I'm thinking on the edge near the passenger door, where the light fades out, instead of completely carving up the dashboard to attach a second light for that panel, you could drill a hole that will be covered by the panel and with a bend in the tube to go through that hole, you can put the light inside the dash.

Funny you ask this...I talked to one of the Tech Reps @ Digi-Key and he says that one of the other reps heated and bent the light pipe into a "Z" shape. Now here's the kicker, The white stripe on the pipe, is the light reflector. If your going to bend the pipe this stripe must stay undistorted, or it effects the light output. I didn't get a tempature at which the pipe begins to soften. I'm still waiting on a call back from Digi-key.

I also asked, if there was a "reflector" that could be put on the end of the pipe to reflect light back into the pipe to brighten up the end furthest from the source. He is also checking on that as well.
If this fails I'll try my wifes busted compact mirror. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

For those, that have removed their door panels... Are there points along the bottom of the insert panel for hold down clamps, for a lower light tube?

[TAG UR IT]

^I don't recall...hold up...lemme see some pictures.

Oh, and I got mine done.

DO NOT JACK UP THE PAINT. TAKE YOUR TIME. OR THIS WILL HAPPEN!!!

By the way, I was told the paint color is called Graphite Silver. We are currently trying to find the paint and paint supplier and where you can get some should you jack it up. Why?>>>....cause $120 for new "applique" is just waay too d@mn much money.

Here's a few pix. You can see how the paint got messed up. Worst case, I'll just drop the line a bit and sand some more...and then figure out how to raise the line back up. We'll see. The light does kind of trail off at the end. And, I'm thinking of ordering a new blue light from GM to install on the right side. It doesn't dim that much...but just enough to make me want to add to it.

[TAG UR IT]

I might make the doors a little larger with the blue...sand a bit more...to allow more light to come through.

You can see by the pix that I messed up on the sanding....it was late...I was tired...and it was like 3am or soemthing. I just cut corners. Wasn't smart.

On the doors, take out the three screws and only pop the first rivit. DO NOT pop anymore than that. You can't re seal the rivits...They will go back in, but won't "click"...no matter how hard you try. It WILL go back together...as there are "latches" above the rivits...but there is NO POINT in taking off more than that first rivit. I learned that from the first door panel. Just 3 screws, first rivit, and bend the part up and over the edge of the panel. DON'T just bend it in half....you know what I mean. Lift up and move over the edge. It'll stay so you can do the work. Refrence pix 3 and 4. Pic 3 shows how far to go...just one rivit past that 3rd screw. And pic 4 shows how to hold back that part. It just goes over and stays. Really easy.

You can see in the part that I"m holding up that there is a black line behind it...that's electrical tape....due to messed up sanding...which you can see in the later pix.

Again, take your TIME....400, 800, 1000 grit sandpaper in that order!!!!!!!!!!!

[TJ91]

Hey Tag, did you use the light tube or the el wire for the dash?

[Jayhawk500]

Did you all see the white stripe on Tags light pipe in the first two pictures?
This is what reflects the light out of the tube. Notice it is 180 degrees from the panel. This is the white stripe you don't want to deform if you plan on bending your pipe.

[19K3SS]

Originally Posted by Jayhawk500

Did you all see the white stripe on Tags light pipe in the first two pictures?
This is what reflects the light out of the tube. Notice it is 180 degrees from the panel. This is the white stripe you don't want to deform if you plan on bending your pipe.

If that's the case, where it is the side that does not touch the panel, but is on the exposed edge, if it were to be bent in to go into the dash behind where the panel attaches, it should suffer less deformity, as it's going to be compressed as opposed to being on the outer edge of the bend and being stretched.

But then again, I'm just thinking out loud... I may have to order a piece just to experiment that on to see if it would work the way I'm seeing it.... I've certainly blown money on stupider things before! At least buying one for the sole purpose of heating it and bending it to see if it's even possible would put my mind at ease.

This is probably just one of the problems GM ran into in getting this done for production. It almost makes me wonder if buried somewhere on the passenger side of the dash is another plug like in the fuse panel and behind the speedo. Maybe it's just hidden extra good!

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by TJ91

Hey Tag, did you use the light tube or the el wire for the dash?

light tube. Works fine. Now I need to figure out how to get it to stay in one place.....maybe clear tape. And, I think I'm going to order that last blue light for the right side of the dash. Oh boy....I just got another idea.... Hrm....I wonder how this would work....

Originally Posted by 19K3SS

If that's the case, where it is the side that does not touch the panel, but is on the exposed edge, if it were to be bent in to go into the dash behind where the panel attaches, it should suffer less deformity, as it's going to be compressed as opposed to being on the outer edge of the bend and being stretched.

But then again, I'm just thinking out loud... I may have to order a piece just to experiment that on to see if it would work the way I'm seeing it.... I've certainly blown money on stupider things before! At least buying one for the sole purpose of heating it and bending it to see if it's even possible would put my mind at ease.

This is probably just one of the problems GM ran into in getting this done for production. It almost makes me wonder if buried somewhere on the passenger side of the dash is another plug like in the fuse panel and behind the speedo. Maybe it's just hidden extra good!

You never know! There could be!

[ryeguycamaro]

Just use a small ball of electrical duct seal. It holds the digi key light tube great. I posted a pic of this earlier. The duct seal holds tight and won't let loose like tape will. One of my friends used a zip tie and he fished his hand in somehow to cinch it tight. that holds well too but you have to drill more holes.

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by ryeguycamaro

Just use a small ball of electrical duct seal. It holds the digi key light tube great. I posted a pic of this earlier. The duct seal holds tight and won't let loose like tape will. One of my friends used a zip tie and he fished his hand in somehow to cinch it tight. that holds well too but you have to drill more holes.

Zip ties aren't a bad idea.

Electrical duct seal? Is that like a gummy substance? I was thinking of somethign like that....or clear tape.

Also, to prevent light seeping through around the applique, I'm going to put in some thicker felt like tape (like on the doors) to close up any gaps. I just have to find that tape, gummy stuff, and I was thinking of maybe doing some foil like stuff behind the light bar. Maybe that would reflect more light.

[TJ91]

im definitly going to go with two leds for the passenger side. But i dont think im going to do any sanding. The panels dont seem like they need it, they come set up just like the door panels so im sure it would work well without sanding. But i might want to go with a thicker band down the road so i can always sand it then....
Now off to the dealer to order me some parts

[TAG UR IT]

i've got a couple of ideas i want to work with
personally, i like the thicker light across the dash.
the thin light is okay, but i really couldn't see anything without sanding. even the doors could be a millimeter or two wider.

we'll see. i have another light on order, have an idea for foil to go behind the applique, and also want to install some tape around the edges to keep the light from seeping through. All in time. First thing....I need to get the paint to fix this d@mn botched sanding job. It's getting better, but it's still too wide.

[slacker]

I just did my dash ABL, and I did't sand anything. I did thin the light tube out on the far right side with a knife so it would fit better- trick is don't touch the white strip. With the tube thinned out, you can place it higher on the applique so the light is even all the way across. I put some foil tape across the left and right ends to straighten the darkened area covered by the 2 sided tape holding the plastic clips on- if you've done it, you know what I'm talking about.

Mine looks great, glad I didn't sand after seeing that pic!

I still have to do the doors. BTW, I used the factory lights and digikey tube. I'll try to get pix tonight of how it looks.

[TAG UR IT]

HEY! DON'T LAUGH AT MY SANDING JOB!!! I fixed it for the most part. It's a wider sanding job, but isn't all jacked up like it was in the pix.

I added the soft side of velcro tape on the bottom and side of the left part of the dash and it quickly fixed the problem of blue light "seeping" out of the bottom of the left applique. I'm going to repeat with the right side. I also put in the foil tape on the left side. I tried it with and without....no real difference either way.

I'm looking at repainting a part of the applique and then "adding" paint to it...

By the way, if anyone needs to repaint the applique, the paint code is.....::::::::



GRAPHITE SILVER: paint code - 3CJ

Trying to find the paint is a B!TCH!....I have yet to find someone who knows what it is and can make it. I might need to get someone to try to match it for me. Might be the only way......since GM knows what it is, but does not make it....and outsources for us to get it town. I called two dealers paint and body shops who said they order the paint from a paint supplier in town to mixes it and delivers it to the GM body shops. But, they have no idea how to make this paint yet. UGH....