Custom shift light

[STORMCAT]

Well now that I'm pulleyed up I can say things happen real quick when you hit the upper power band. I purchased a small MSD LED shift light from Jegs. It's nice to bang off the shifts and not worry about hitting the limiter or trying to see the tach at speed. I didn't want to see the shift light hosing so
I took it apart and made the LED into a remote display. I first used the supplied red LED arrangement. I mounted it in a spot that was in my line of sight. I made a real thin alum. plate , wrinkle painted it and just wedged it in the gap under the dash. It worked great !!
Than after a few drives I realized that a only drove the car with the Steering wheel that high so I could see the tach. I've been doing for so long I was use to it. Well now with the shift light and no real reason to see all of the tach I placed the steering wheel in the most comfortable spot for me. Well now the first location wasn't so good

I broke open my stash of ricer LED stuff and a fabricated an even more interesting shift light and I went with Blue LED's to match the rest of my " Blue Light Special " ( If you've seen my car you'll understand ) I must say It came out cool and looks like little aero bullets protruding from the dash. Just a little accent and not to overpowering. The placement is perfect for heads up driving and is very bright for day time viewing !!! I know I've got too much free time on my hands but these Blue lights have a real purpose and look cool as well !! :banana

 

[STORMCAT]

Few more photos...

A few more photos....

 

[SYCO GT]

Sweet! Like the GTO in XXX...

 

[rsvdhd]

What is that like at night? It seems like it might get annoying after awhile no?

 

[STORMCAT]

What is that like at night? It seems like it might get annoying after awhile no?

Not really it just flashes briefly as you hit the specified RPM , it does not stay on. You're looking at the road so you see the light indirectly. It needs to be bright for day time viewing...

 

[cobrajeff]

Way cool, Brian.

After riding along with bony, though, I think they'd look like a marquee sign on Times Square -
they'd be flashing ON all the time! :rofl :rofl :rofl

regards,

Jeff

 

[B O N Y]

Brian,
Sweeeeeeet!


Jeff!
EXCUUUUUUUUSE me, we never violated any laws of man or nature. Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight. Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

[GFORCE]

If you think shifts happen fast.

Go from the pulley up grade to the whipple.You learn how to roll on the power
on to hook up,I like custom shift light,Real cool.

 

[davisp]

Stormcat, is the wiring straight forward. Which shift light did you buy from JEG's and where do you make the electrical connection for the shift light? Thanks, PD

 

[STORMCAT]

Stormcat, is the wiring straight forward. Which shift light did you buy from JEG's and where do you make the electrical connection for the shift light? Thanks, PD

I bought it from Jegs. MSD has two mini stand alone units that uses a inductor type pick up. You just clamp it on a COP wire. I was able to get the unit under the Coil cover and hide the wire. MSD has two units one has shift point for multiple gears and one that has a single set point.
I bought the one with multiple set point cause it was cheaper part # 121-8963. You basically need a switched 12v power and a ground. there is a spare circuit which I just used one of those piggy backer fused connectors. I just snaked the wire thru the parking brake cable grommet.

The unit has a built in tach . It reads a little off but you can just play with the setting to get it to trigger at the point corresponding to the tach needle location.
Taking apart the tach and extending the wires is just a simple operation with a low watt point type soldering iron. You can hide the tach wire by pushing it in the small gap in the dash and display board. You can find some small 26 ga wire at a hobby shop. I had some all black two lead I used for my custom job. The MSD cluster will require 3 wires.. Let me know if you need more picks. I'll try to take some when I'm back at the shop..

 

[Tungsten]

Progressive shift light

Seeing this made me wonder about another product I am having built for one of our track cars.

You may have seen the progressive led bar that many of the race cars have on the steering wheel. Typically they are a number of leds that start from either one side and move across as you approach the redline or they come up equally from both sides towards the middle. The advantage of these over a shift only light is it allows you to gauge how quickly the rpms are coming up and giving you more time to plan for the shift. It also allows you to monitor where you are in the power band on road courses for momentum cars.

The design that I am working on has 22 leds and we are trying to get it in a flexible model that could be mounted under the "brow" on the instrument panel. That way it is invisible unless it is on. The color of the lights can be set up any way the customer wants, 5 green, 10 yellows, 6 red etc.

I have a working prototype, but is is rigid and about 12 inches long. That won't work for me, but the concept does work.

Just so those that know me don't get confused, I am not doing anything in the construction or technical aspects of this, I am just giving advice and opinions to a guy that has come up with this.

Looks like ball park price around $ 250. Any opinions???

Tungsten

 

[tpraceman]

I wish someone would make one work with a laser light pen.
This way it could be mounted remotely behind the seats and light up any surface it was pointed at the dash, pillar, steering wheel, review mirror ect.

But I must say you two guys are very imaginative......every think you might just be a ittle like inpector gadget:lol

 

[STORMCAT]

Seeing this made me wonder about another product I am having built for one of our track cars.

You may have seen the progressive led bar that many of the race cars have on the steering wheel. Typically they are a number of leds that start from either one side and move across as you approach the redline or they come up equally from both sides towards the middle. The advantage of these over a shift only light is it allows you to gauge how quickly the rpms are coming up and giving you more time to plan for the shift. It also allows you to monitor where you are in the power band on road courses for momentum cars.

The design that I am working on has 22 leds and we are trying to get it in a flexible model that could be mounted under the "brow" on the instrument panel. That way it is invisible unless it is on. The color of the lights can be set up any way the customer wants, 5 green, 10 yellows, 6 red etc.

I have a working prototype, but is is rigid and about 12 inches long. That won't work for me, but the concept does work.

Just so those that know me don't get confused, I am not doing anything in the construction or technical aspects of this, I am just giving advice and opinions to a guy that has come up with this.

Looks like ball park price around $ 250. Any opinions???

Tungsten

Don,
That's what I wanted to do originally but I don't have the electrical talent to get it done. I've talked to a few people who said it could be done but it would take some devices to read the system etc... It's funny I recently discussed this with freeflyer and Tony G. This was just a quick fix.
Will you be able to set the range or is it fixed ? I'd be in for one or two?? Making one to fit the contour of the brow would not be that difficult

 

[timcantwell]

As always, you are the master of lighting effects. You should go to work for George Lucas!

 

[timcantwell]

Seeing this made me wonder about another product I am having built for one of our track cars. You may have seen the progressive led bar that many of the race cars have on the steering wheel. Typically they are a number of leds that start from either one side and move across as you approach the redline or they come up equally from both sides towards the middle. The advantage of these over a shift only light is it allows you to gauge how quickly the rpms are coming up and giving you more time to plan for the shift. It also allows you to monitor where you are in the power band on road courses for momentum cars.

The design that I am working on has 22 leds and we are trying to get it in a flexible model that could be mounted under the "brow" on the instrument panel....I have a working prototype, but is is rigid and about 12 inches long. That won't work for me, but the concept does work.


Looks like ball park price around $ 250. Any opinions???

Tungsten

I agree that a progress light is better for the track, but I think that 12 inches is too much (That's what she said.) Sorry, I digressed, I think that to make it more aesthetically pleasing and still functional, it should be limited to about 4 inches across the brow.

 

[STORMCAT]

I agree that a progress light is better for the track, but I think that 12 inches is too much (That's what she said.) Sorry, I digressed, I think that to make it more aesthetically pleasing and still functional, it should be limited to about 4 inches across the brow.

I would agree. I was thinking about 3 to 4 LED's of each color and just two colors . Yellow as an indicator that you close to you set shift point and than the shift point color. Some of the LED's I use are super small so I'm sure we could condense down the size... George Lucas is my Idol !! I'm working on light saber door pulls ...:biggrin

 

[B O N Y]

I agree that a progress light is better for the track, but I think that 12 inches is too much (That's what she said.) Sorry, I digressed, I think that to make it more aesthetically pleasing and still functional, it should be limited to about 4 inches across the brow.

For 35 years Mrs. Bony has believed the 4" is really 12"
Please keep the secret alive for me.:banana:willy:banana

 

[davisp]

Thanks for all of the details STORMCAT. PD

 

[barondw]

Here is a link for a shift lite that I have been using since April 2006 and posted in picture galleries.

http://www.fordgtforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=430&cat=500&ppuser=42&sl=b


Dave

 

[Tungsten]

Update

I communicated with the fellow that is fabricating the light and he said he can get it down to any number of lights and colors. He is going to remove the circuit board from the light bar and have it as a stand alone box that can be remote mounted. The electronics that he has built in provides for each light to represent 350 RPMS. So....10 lights would get you to 3500 etc.
I would assume he could change the values so that we could get to a lower number of lights.

I am going to get a prototype made and will get it installed to check it out.
Stay tuned.
Tungsten