Glow Pony Grille Mod
Thread Starter
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 311
From: IL
Glow Pony Grille Mod
Hey Stang Bangers, I thought I’d share my latest project with the community. No it’s not a slice of Swiss cheese in the shape of a pony. It's actually a piece of acrylic that I cut out. The holes are for the LEDs.
Next step was to wire up the LEDs. I used 3 LEDs and a 220 ohm resistor per group to handle the 14 volts. There are 4 sets for a total of 12 LEDs in all.
Here is the pony snapped in place. The black Plasti Dip started to lift around the edges so I decided to peel it off and scuff up the surface. The plastic is actually chromed and there is a thin film of metal on it. It looked really cool after I used a scotch brite pad on it so I left it with the brushed look instead.
Getting everything fastened together was a bit of a chore. I ended up using some threaded fasteners and epoxy. Now I can use small screws to hold it to the grille. Pretty unassuming except for the power wires.
Backside with wire routing.
The taped up circuit board with the resistors. Nothing fancy here.
I really like the brushed look better than the chrome. It also matches the dash board and steering wheel trim.
Here is the finished result, not too bright, just a subtle accent. Not very noticeable during the day but adds a nice glow at dusk. When it's off you wouldn't even notice that anything has been done. I know mods like this aren't for everyone. Even I was a bit leery as I was working on it. I was inspired by the new Mercedes Benz commercial. In it they show a quick shot of the Mercedes star lighting up. I was like, “I gotta have that!” Turns out it's an actual option you can have installed on certain Benz models. Mine cost far less than what they charge!
Next step was to wire up the LEDs. I used 3 LEDs and a 220 ohm resistor per group to handle the 14 volts. There are 4 sets for a total of 12 LEDs in all.
Here is the pony snapped in place. The black Plasti Dip started to lift around the edges so I decided to peel it off and scuff up the surface. The plastic is actually chromed and there is a thin film of metal on it. It looked really cool after I used a scotch brite pad on it so I left it with the brushed look instead.
Getting everything fastened together was a bit of a chore. I ended up using some threaded fasteners and epoxy. Now I can use small screws to hold it to the grille. Pretty unassuming except for the power wires.
Backside with wire routing.
The taped up circuit board with the resistors. Nothing fancy here.
I really like the brushed look better than the chrome. It also matches the dash board and steering wheel trim.
Here is the finished result, not too bright, just a subtle accent. Not very noticeable during the day but adds a nice glow at dusk. When it's off you wouldn't even notice that anything has been done. I know mods like this aren't for everyone. Even I was a bit leery as I was working on it. I was inspired by the new Mercedes Benz commercial. In it they show a quick shot of the Mercedes star lighting up. I was like, “I gotta have that!” Turns out it's an actual option you can have installed on certain Benz models. Mine cost far less than what they charge!
5th Gear Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,966
From: Raleigh, NC
Wow! I admit when I read the thread title I thought this was going to be awful, but that's really good looking. If I weren't planning on dropping the pony when I get a new grill I'd definitely do this.
