Hi all - I just wanted to post about an underhood upgrade I did recently. I don't have any pictures, but the work is pretty self-explanatory; if you need pictures, check out this article - which I basically followed from memory:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/electrical/1606-led-revival-of-a-gm-underhood-reel-light/
Prior to owning my TJ (which is my first Jeep), I had a C1500 pickup that had this feature, and it was real handy at times. I wanted the same thing for my TJ.
So I went on Ebay, and found one of the lights. Now - if you do some looking - you'll find that these retractable underhood lights are actually not anything new. I found some models on Ebay that dated from the 1930s. I think it was even an option on the Wagoneer at one point (?). But the C1500 light is kinda nice. It's fairly inexpensive ($25 - 30.00) and somewhat easy to find (you could probably get one much cheaper out of a pick-a-part if you were so inclined), has a nice cranked mechanical working (not a spring-wound like some I saw, which can break), plus an on-off switch. The lamp is also covered by a plastic dome.
I ended up swapping the lamp (1156, iirc) for an LED substitute - a much brighter experience. I left the OEM underhood light attached (I also replaced the lamp in that with an LED bulb, too), and wired the GM light in parallel with it. I mounted the new light on the passenger side, on the reinforcement hood channel above the battery, just in front of the harness connectors (EMC?). Before I tightened everything down, I verified nothing was pressing on anything. I ran the wires in split-loom thru the channel, then up and connected to the OEM light harness using a pair of scotchloks (boo, hiss - but not many options otherwise - use what you think is best). Make sure you verify polarity of the wires and such if you use a polarized LED in the light.
I now have a nice and useful (and bright!) light on the end of an 18 foot long cable; I can almost walk it around the rear and light up the inside of the engine compartment on the driver's side - that's a long cable! The light also has a magnetic base, so you can stick it to any convenient steel part; night time tire changes should be much easier, should it be necessary!
This is one of those things that would have been nice as a standard feature, but it's great that it's easy and cheap to add. Take a look into it, you might just love it!
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/electrical/1606-led-revival-of-a-gm-underhood-reel-light/
Prior to owning my TJ (which is my first Jeep), I had a C1500 pickup that had this feature, and it was real handy at times. I wanted the same thing for my TJ.
So I went on Ebay, and found one of the lights. Now - if you do some looking - you'll find that these retractable underhood lights are actually not anything new. I found some models on Ebay that dated from the 1930s. I think it was even an option on the Wagoneer at one point (?). But the C1500 light is kinda nice. It's fairly inexpensive ($25 - 30.00) and somewhat easy to find (you could probably get one much cheaper out of a pick-a-part if you were so inclined), has a nice cranked mechanical working (not a spring-wound like some I saw, which can break), plus an on-off switch. The lamp is also covered by a plastic dome.
I ended up swapping the lamp (1156, iirc) for an LED substitute - a much brighter experience. I left the OEM underhood light attached (I also replaced the lamp in that with an LED bulb, too), and wired the GM light in parallel with it. I mounted the new light on the passenger side, on the reinforcement hood channel above the battery, just in front of the harness connectors (EMC?). Before I tightened everything down, I verified nothing was pressing on anything. I ran the wires in split-loom thru the channel, then up and connected to the OEM light harness using a pair of scotchloks (boo, hiss - but not many options otherwise - use what you think is best). Make sure you verify polarity of the wires and such if you use a polarized LED in the light.
I now have a nice and useful (and bright!) light on the end of an 18 foot long cable; I can almost walk it around the rear and light up the inside of the engine compartment on the driver's side - that's a long cable! The light also has a magnetic base, so you can stick it to any convenient steel part; night time tire changes should be much easier, should it be necessary!
This is one of those things that would have been nice as a standard feature, but it's great that it's easy and cheap to add. Take a look into it, you might just love it!
