Ideas needed - Updated!

[cactusjack]

I recently mounted a trunk on my Nomad, as I've mentioned. The trunk extends several inches past the license plate/tail light assembly, and I'm sure the rear lights are not as visible as they used to be. I thought a good idea would be to add an LED array to the rear of the trunk. I found this really nice unit here: Grote, Inc (http://grote.com/product.php?product_number=53582&x=13&y=9). It was a special order item from the vendor I bought it from. Well, it arrived today and it is a little bigger than I envisioned. I knew it was 15" long (the dimensions are shown in the link), my initial hope was that it might be flexible enough to match the radius of the Mutazu trunk, which is slightly rounded. Long story short - it ain't gonna work like I thought it would.

So, I thought I'd throw this out there and I know some of you are pretty darn creative when it comes to coming up with unique uses for things. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could do to make this function, while not making the back end of my bike look like a Freightliner? The back of the unit is flat, except for about a 1/2" long, maybe 5/16" diameter escutcheon where the wires are.

Otherwise, I probably wasted my money or maybe I could use it on my Bronco as a high-mount stop/tail/turn light? As mentioned, it was a special order, so there's no return. It wasn't that expensive, but I'd like to make it work if I can.

One more thing - there was no schematic with it. So if anyone has any experience with wiring things like this, there is a brown, a green w/yellow tracer, and a white w/red tracer coming out of it.

Thanks!

Whew...Depends on how crafty you want to be. How much does the trunk curve away at the ends of the light? More than about 1/4" ea. end?

[cactusjack]

Whew...Depends on how crafty you want to be. How much does the trunk curve away at the ends of the light? More than about 1/4" ea. end?

More like 3/8" at each end.

That's a lot. You're gonna need a spacer with compound curves which will be a bear to make.

Otherwise, you could just hang it under the trunk on a piece of aluminum bar stock, shaped to match the tapered ends of the light. It would need to be about 1 1/4" X 1 1/4" X 15". It cound mount with blind tapped holes then & with some tricky drilling hide all the wires through into the trunk.

[cactusjack]

Yeah, that was about the best thing I could think of, too. I'm worried that might get me pulled over for obscuring my license plate.

Maybe I'll just get a couple of small red marker lights or something and mount one on each side of the rear surface and call it good.

[ringadingh]

CJ; That light is a STT stop, tail, turn, usually used in pairs. The wht/red is probably the brake light(stop), the grn/yel is turn signal ( which you probably won't use since you only have one), and the brown is your tailight. Is there a white ground wire on it or does the housing become ground.

[ringadingh]

What does it look like if you mounted it on the bottom of the beerbox with a couple of L brackets.

What does it look like if you mounted it on the bottom of the beerbox with a couple of L brackets.

Like somebody slapped a red turd on a Nomad.

[v0lusia]

CJ
Can you use that strip down low like Gadget did?
http://www.gadgetjq.com/ledrear.htm

Then add something like this to your trunk, they are very bright, I have them on my VOL and bought them at a local autoparts store ($10 each) They are Pacer Performance Part Number: 20-701....
http://www.realtruck.com/product/26597/pacer_mini_vehicle_led_lights_ppp-20-701_single_light.html

[cactusjack]

CJ; That light is a STT stop, tail, turn, usually used in pairs. The wht/red is probably the brake light(stop), the grn/yel is turn signal ( which you probably won't use since you only have one), and the brown is your tailight. Is there a white ground wire on it or does the housing become ground.

No, it's a polycarbonate housing, so there's no way to ground it. See, this shows how dumb I am, I figured if was a STT light, you could wire it up so the lights left of center were for left turns, you get the idea. I had no idea they are used in pairs.


What does it look like if you mounted it on the bottom of the beerbox with a couple of L brackets.

I think it would block too much of my license plate.


Can you use that strip down low like Gadget did?


That's a good idea, but the housing is probably close to 1-1/2" top to bottom, I don't know how it would look. I might spend a few CPU cycles on that and see if it's doable.


Then add something like this to your trunk, they are very bright, I have them on my VOL and bought them at a local autoparts store ($10 each) They are Pacer Performance Part Number: 20-701....

Hey, that might work. What would I have to do to wire them up?


Thanks all, I appreciate the input!

[v0lusia]

Hey, that might work. What would I have to do to wire them up?


Thanks all, I appreciate the input!
They are just 2 wire, hot and ground. So they will only do one function. I had one on my Vol as a extra brake light up on the top part of the sissy bar. You could put one up high in the trunk and use it as a brake light. Then (maybe if the long strip doesn't work) another down lower on the trunk as a running light.

[cactusjack]

Hey, that might work. What would I have to do to wire them up?


Thanks all, I appreciate the input!
They are just 2 wire, hot and ground. So they will only do one function. I had one on my Vol as a extra brake light up on the top part of the sissy bar. You could put one up high in the trunk and use it as a brake light. Then (maybe if the long strip doesn't work) another down lower on the trunk as a running light.

I assume I would just connect them in parallel with the taillight, brake light or turn signal circuits, whichever I wanted to use?

[v0lusia]

They are just 2 wire, hot and ground. So they will only do one function. I had one on my Vol as a extra brake light up on the top part of the sissy bar. You could put one up high in the trunk and use it as a brake light. Then (maybe if the long strip doesn't work) another down lower on the trunk as a running light.

I assume I would just connect them in parallel with the taillight, brake light or turn signal circuits, whichever I wanted to use?Yes

[cactusjack]

Here's what I finally did...

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc218/slhanks4/hosted_photos/IMG_0917_RSZ07.jpg

I was at Walmart looking for windshield wiper blades and I wandered onto the lighting aisle. I found these Piranha 2 led marker lamps, about $6-$7 each. They are hooked up as running/tail lights right now, I just connected them to my aux fuse block so they come on with the rest of the lights. I may add 2 more - 1 on each side. I bought the only 2 they had in stock.

You can also see the saddlebag side rails I installed Friday evening.

[audiogooroo]

Nice! Looks good cactusjack!

[ringadingh]

Lookin good CJ, now you need the rear fender bumper to go with the rails.

[cactusjack]

Lookin good CJ, now you need the rear fender bumper to go with the rails.

Yeah, I'm trying to find one of those.

[misunderstood]

Lookin good CJ, now you need the rear fender bumper to go with the rails.

Yeah, I'm trying to find one of those.

Hard to find used. New about $150 + shipping

http://www.powersportspartsonline.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/32412/vpid/4566436/vpcsid/0/rid/126370

[cactusjack]

Yeah, I'm trying to find one of those.

Hard to find used. New about $150 + shipping

http://www.powersportspartsonline.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/32412/vpid/4566436/vpcsid/0/rid/126370



Thanks Dave. I assume 1500/1600 Nomad = interchangeable? I see a lot of parts online for the 1500 Nomad, and not the 1600. I always assumed the vendors need to update their content.

[radco]

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[ruruson1]

IF you want womething different check out VIP trunks, yours looks very similar and they have an LED spoiler thet may fit it. you can find it by googling VIP motorcycle trucks.

[cactusjack]

IF you want womething different check out VIP trunks, yours looks very similar and they have an LED spoiler thet may fit it. you can find it by googling VIP motorcycle trucks.

I have the Mutazu DMY trunk, which is the same thing. It had a VIP badge on it, which I promptly removed. I didn't care for the spoiler look, so I didn't order one.

[cactusjack]

I found a thread discussing the rear fender trim on the Delphi Vulcan Forum. The 1500 trim will not interchange with the 1600 fender without some "creative engineering". Nobody makes a 1600-specific unit. The issue, apparently is how the upper end of the rail attaches to the fender struts. Also, the 1600 fender is wider and the clearance between the rail and the fender edge is only the width of a couple of sheets of paper.

I'm posting this in case anyone is thinking of ordering the fender trim that Misunderstood posted the link to, expecting it to bolt right on.

[ringadingh]

I found a thread discussing the rear fender trim on the Delphi Vulcan Forum. The 1500 trim will not interchange with the 1600 fender without some "creative engineering". Nobody makes a 1600-specific unit. The issue, apparently is how the upper end of the rail attaches to the fender struts. Also, the 1600 fender is wider and the clearance between the rail and the fender edge is only the width of a couple of sheets of paper.

I'm posting this in case anyone is thinking of ordering the fender trim that Misunderstood posted the link to, expecting it to bolt right on.
Get creative and put one on, Im sure you can do it CJ. ;)

[tomk]

I found a thread discussing the rear fender trim on the Delphi Vulcan Forum. The 1500 trim will not interchange with the 1600 fender without some "creative engineering". Nobody makes a 1600-specific unit. The issue, apparently is how the upper end of the rail attaches to the fender struts. Also, the 1600 fender is wider and the clearance between the rail and the fender edge is only the width of a couple of sheets of paper.

I'm posting this in case anyone is thinking of ordering the fender trim that Misunderstood posted the link to, expecting it to bolt right on.

I have read the same thing. They don't make one for the 1600. I purchased the trim for the rear fender and it just doesn't fit. So for now, I have bag rails and a kind of empty spot under the fender.

[macmac]

NO !!!!!!! Jack the fenders are not nearly the same between the 1500 and the 1600....

If you can get a pic up of that led lamp I'ld like a look.