Subaru Impreza map light in my Fit

[wdb]

My other car is an STi and my wife has a Subaru Legacy. I have become very accustomed to the map lights in these cars and dearly missed them when I got the Fit. So I got to thinking: some of the STi folks are crazy enough to cut big holes in the roofs of their cars to install a rally-style air vent; doing so means that the map light has to go. What do they do with those old map lights? So I posted a WTB over on IWSTI.com and got several immediate responses.

$15 plus several hours' worth of fooling around with wires, sharp objects, and fabrication of one-off clamp mounts later:

[bdrake]

Sweet! Nice, clean work.

I'm considering a set of map/makeup lights (makeup for the wife, not for me). One idea I had was a row of "194" LEDs mounted into the headliner. I'm still in the dreaming stage on this one.

--Barry

[Fitcapo]

Nice job on the install looks good.

[saiko]

Wow that clooks super clean. Nice Job!

[danger69]

Great job on the fab work. Any DIY. How does the color match?

[GAFIT]

Looks like it was meant to be there...nice job!

[wdb]

Thanks everyone for all the kind words.

Originally Posted by danger69

Great job on the fab work. Any DIY. How does the color match?

Color match is not perfect if you hold the parts right next to one another, but when the maplight is installed the color is so close that it looks like it was put there by the factory.

DIY would be pretty hairy; it involved cutting a very strangely shaped opening and fabricating mounting brackets from scratch. I thought about it but I really don't think anyone else would try it even if I did a DIY. There's a DIY around here somewhere for a Honda maplight installation; that one should be much easier, because there are no brackets to make and the opening is a rectangle.

[Lear 45]

WDB, where/how did you run the wires? That's the big issue. I bought a maplight out of a Civic in the junkyard, and am ready to start cutting (will post complete job), but I can't yet think of how I'm gonna power the thing. Appreciate your experience on this matter.

BTW, am I correct in assuming that your light is NOT fastened in? I don't know how to get over that hurdle either, but maybe it isn't necessary.

-- Lear

[Road Dawg]

1st class job. Now maybe you found a side job of installing those lights in Fits, LOL. Really, well done...........

[wdb]

Originally Posted by Lear 45

WDB, where/how did you run the wires?

I tapped into the overhead interior light. The wires run from there. I preconstructed the extension wiring, then dropped the interior light (two screws) and spliced it in. Then I fished it up through the interior light opening and pushed it forward to the hole I cut for the maplight. There was a foam spacer in front that I took out temporarily to make it easier to retrieve the wires.

As for the connections: It helps to know a wee bit about automotive electrical circuits, but this one really is simple. Just find the +12v that is always hot, and ground. Tap into them and presto.

BTW, am I correct in assuming that your light is NOT fastened in? I don't know how to get over that hurdle either, but maybe it isn't necessary.

Never having messed around with overhead lights, I was quite surprised to find that the center overhead light actually screwed into a plate that is spot welded to the roof. Very secure. The Subie light is mounted the same way -- in a Subie, which didn't help me much. So I made brackets that allowed me to clamp the light to the headliner. Think of a sandwich: bracket > headliner < maplight. When I tighten the screws, the sandwich gets squished. It's not going anywhere.

I think there is a Honda light that has tabs which probably do the same basic thing. That may be what you have.

[Mela_SC]

Very nice job! I also miss map lights on the Fit.

BTW, my other car is a STI, too Funny, I didn't think anyone else got that combination

[kenchan]

wdb- you inspired me to do the same.


guys, check out my newbs section Ken's Blog for a diy i did today... as
wdb mentioned, it requires some fabrication of the brackets. the ceiling liner
does not seem to follow the contour exactly around the lip of the module, but
it works. i didnt get to spend a whole lot of time on the install but it turned
out nice.

http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/membe...t-finished.jpg

thanks again, wdb!

[smatts]

Nice mod, I've always wanted map lights, just haven't had the courage to cut the headliner.

[trancedsailor]

yeah I'm definitely not man enough to try this lol

[pauljazz]

Nice job.

All Uk JAZZ come with map lights

[wdb]

Originally Posted by kenchan

wdb- you inspired me to do the same.


guys, check out my newbs section Ken's Blog for a diy i did today... as
wdb mentioned, it requires some fabrication of the brackets. the ceiling liner
does not seem to follow the contour exactly around the lip of the module, but
it works. i didnt get to spend a whole lot of time on the install but it turned
out nice.

http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/membe...t-finished.jpg

thanks again, wdb!

Wow, I just saw this for the first time tonight. Props for you for trying it, and great job with the DIY! Your process was almost exactly like mine. Small difference is that my brackets fit over the entire light, screwing through the wells where the light used to connect in the Subie. When I tighten the brackets they squeeze the light and the headliner together - no gaps! I have to admit that they were my second atttempt at brackets; the first left a little gap like yours, not much at all and probably never noticed by anyone but me, but it still drove me nuts. So I redid the brackets.

Again, great job!

Originally Posted by pauljazz

All Uk JAZZ come with map lights

Oh sure, make us feel bad.

[kenchan]

wdb- but the final product has no gap on mine either.