Originally Posted by evanphi

Parts list (including things I already have that you might need)

License plate bar: https://www.amazon.com/d/Exterior-Ac...ty/B073V2NDQY/

Split Loom (I ordered 10ft each of 3/8" and 1/2" and that was MORE than enough. You could do the whole thing in 3/8 if you stagger your connectors properly, which I did not): https://www.amazon.com/Black-Split-T...dp/B00J7RKTDA/

Add-a-fuse (this will tap into the fuse panel on an unused fuse location that is switched power. I'll have more details and photos on this soon. The Hella kit comes with a wire tap for this, but I don't like those taps because it exposes wiring where it doesn't need to be exposed. This way you can also have the lights on without having the headlights on.): https://www.amazon.com/10-Pack-Add-c...dp/B01DYQM6EO/

The lights will be up to you... KC HiLites makes a similar fog lamp kit to Hella. I've just always been a Hella fan. I also like the Hellas because they have solid stone shields. The KC HiLites mount at the bottom of the light also really limits your options in terms of how it can be mounted:
Hella: https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-0057509...dp/B002MOAHCI/
KC HiLites: https://www.amazon.com/KC-HiLiTES-15...dp/B006V7TCAK/

Stainless 1/4" Self-Drilling Screws: https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Sel...dp/B00GYKV04K/

Washers for stacking the lights and mating the self-tapping screws to the bracket: https://www.amazon.com/Sutemribor-St...dp/B07CG9J4NC/

Butt connectors, blades, etc (with heat shrink on already!): https://www.amazon.com/Ginsco-Connec...dp/B01LXTK37Y/

Crimp tool: https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Tools-1...dp/B0069TRKJ0/

Then you'll need a drill and sockets of a couple different sizes as well as a ratchet to put it all together... Oh and a round bastard file to make the mounting hole longer on the top of the bracket.


Stay tuned for the wiring inside the car. It is pretty simple and I've already found where I'm going to ground everything to.

Originally Posted by evanphi

OK so here's the beginning of my Fit Battle Car... or just my car that needs better lighting.

I purchased the bull bar plate mount and hella fog light kit on Amazon.

Mounted front and back



Had to elongate the holes, stack 5 10mm washers and cut off the bottom off the rock guards.




Plate comes off the front by unscrewing two 6mm bolts (10mm socket). I had mocked up where it would be according to the two bolts that hold the plate on the mount and their location on the bumper.


Then slap some lights on there:


Now onto the wiring...

Relay location


Wiring tidied up. The instructions in the Hella kit are awesome. But you can look up any "how to wire a relay" video and it'll tell the same thing.
Red with 15A fuse direct to battery
Blue is ground
Black is switched power to the lights
Yellow is the switched 12V pickup to trigger the relay
The green wire is the ground to the lights themselves. I went with old Honda ground colour (from my motorcycle) as I didn't have any blue.


Full shot of the wiring


Closed up. The plate mount wouldn't go back on with the original two bolts underneath (which are used so you don't have to drill holes in the bumper). So I just did the single bolt through the middle of the plate mount which went right into the light mount and bumper. This also allowed the plate to sit a bit lower to clear the nuts underneath that hold the lights on.



Looks pretty badass if you ask me!

Now what about the inside wiring...? Well that's going to have to wait. I need to get that yellow wire into the cabin. Ideally it would go in through the hood release cable grommet, but the fender liner is proving a challenge. Canadian models have this extra bit at the bottom and those three screws hold it on. The liner is really held on tight at the bottom by these blind holes/clips. Any idea how to get them off? Another option is go go through the door wiring flex rubber... but I don't want to put a hole in such a high-moisture area if I can help it.
[img]

So this is where I now sit. Some badass fog lights installed, but no power for them just yet...

Originally Posted by evanphi

OK the continuing stoooooooooooooory (Muppets anyone?) of the lights:

WIRING!!!

To get access to all the following areas, you can watch this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUrSINfLXww

It is for changing a hood release cable, but we want access to the same areas! You can ignore the bits about the grille/bumper.

Alright. I bit the bullet and purchased three of those screw clips. They came overnight from my local dealership and they were 16$ CAD for the three. Just pry off the old ones and pop them out.


Now you can remove the pop-out clips that hold the fender liner in, basically from the shock back. When you pull it out of the way you will see this:


The cable is the hood release cable. Good to know if you can't get your hood open some time! The other grommet beside it would be a great spot for running a LARGE power wire, such as for an amplifier. I'm pretty sure it goes through to the cabin, but I couldn't lift up the carpeting inside to verify this. What you're going to do now is pass your trigger wire back from the relay following the hood release cable, and then pass it through the same grommet as the cable. A little bit of lubrication here works wonders. Spit works... or if you're fancy use silicone lube grease. Pull it through and then add some of the split loom to protect the wire (forgot pic of this, sorry), and be sure to ziptie it in place. I ziptied mine right to the hood release cable.



Passed to the inside


Lots to work with! Just in case I ever have to cut it off or something, I left the whole length and coiled it up and ziptied it.


Now we need a 12V source to trigger the relay. I used the SRS fuse as it is switched power, which means I must have the key in the ON position for the lights to work. FWIW, the Fog Light fuse is just below it (20A) but it is constant power. Put the original fuse (7.5A, brown) in the slot closest to the fuse panel on your add-a-fuse, and the trigger fuse (2A, purple) in the outside one.


Detail


Ground wire to the switch can be attached to the hood release


These then get worked onto your switch. Bottom is 12V from the add-a-fuse, middle is the yellow trigger back to the relay, and the top is the ground so the switch will light up when it is on.


BONUS: I also added a voltmeter, also tapped off that 12V feed and grounded to the same spot. Just jumpers off the light switch. I LIKE FARKLES. I SHOULD RIDE A BMW 1200GS TO STARBUCKS.


Key on, but engine off. Woohoo it works!



DRUMROLL PLEASE...

WOOHOO IT WORKS


My stone shield/grills


RE-assembly is reverse of all this... really you just need to reinstall the interior panels and reattach the fender liner using your (Canadian) as-expensive-as-starbucks-coffee clips. Take a look at the video at the top of the post to see more detail.

Final thoughts/issues: The previous owner of this car had a dog. And smoked. And had some critter problems... some of the sound dampening was chewed away, and you can see the pile of seeds under the hood release! Also... my switch doesn't light up. It likely just has a bad LED inside it, and some people on Amazon were reporting the same thing. I'll probably go to Princess Auto and get something like this:

Otherwise this project was super fun and relatively easy to do.

How to aim your foglights: 25 feet from a wall on level ground, the beam cutoff should be 4" below the height of the center of your light.


If you have questions feel free to post them here and I'll answer what I can!