Awesome Hood Light Setup

machoheadgames

Certified YJ Researcher
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Dallas, TX
Have been busy with other stuff lately but figured I’d share with y’all what I did to the YJ today and what I’ve been working on the past few days. I’ve done so much work by now that I’m really tired of working in the dark! I got this idea from mrblaine on the TJ forums. It utilizes a KC Cyclone kit which are 600 lumen lights each.

I haven’t ran the wiring yet but I will pull power from the dangling factory hood light power wire. The ground I will run to a spring loaded pin switch that bolts onto the grille. The hood closing pushes the pin and disables the ground path which shuts them off. They come on automatically opening the hood.

I found a metal store locally so I was able to buy some aluminum channel and angle. The place is technically a shop too so they cut everything to what I wanted.

the assembly was pretty easy, just take the 4” channel, drill the ends, remove the pivots from the camera clamps and bolt them to ends of the channel. Drill the pieces of angle on both sides to bolt to pivot and to bolt the KC light on. Tighten everything how you want it aimed and it’s good to go. Bolt to hood with your preferred method. I have not done this yet. I probably will use nutserts.

the wiring will be nothing special, I will just tie power to existing hood power and run the ground to the hood switch. The KC kit comes with a flip switch but I don’t want to be messing around with feeling for a switch in the dark plus there is no good looking place to mount that switch under the hood. I’m better off letting the lights function automatically.

I think I’m all in at about $150 total. They are absolutely crazy bright for the hood and make you able to see anything! It was easy to do this especially being able to buy metal as I needed it so I didn’t have to do any special work besides drilling holes which is cake in aluminum. I can definitely do maintenance work in the dark now. Oil, spark plugs, changing basic parts, etc. Anyways, hope y’all like it. I’ll post more pics and maybe a video once I’m done.

Parts I used:

KC Cyclone kit + diffused lenses (they have amber, clear, red, blue, green)

4” x 1” x 0.150” thick aluminum channel (from metal store) - cut into 1” wide pieces by the store

1.25” x 1.25” x 0.125” thick aluminum angle - for the lights to bolt to

Pivots from a camera tripod clamp kit
Light Pivots

Hood Pin Ground Switch
Hood switch

A of 1/4-20 bolts, nuts and lock washers

some pics:

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Are those the KCC-1359 lights? I found them on Qtec & Summit for a about $30 bucks a copy, not bad.
The camera swivel mounts are brilliant, you've had me messing with a cheap tripod swivel since your post!
This will be a future mod for me for sure.

I might make one suggestion, a toggle switch to turn them off during daylight when they're not needed.
 
Are those the KCC-1359 lights? I found them on Qtec & Summit for a about $30 bucks a copy, not bad.
The camera swivel mounts are brilliant, you've had me messing with a cheap tripod swivel since your post!
This will be a future mod for me for sure.

I might make one suggestion, a toggle switch to turn them off during daylight when they're not needed.
I think you may have meant KCC-1350…if so, not exactly. Those are the 1st version which features a fixed lens. Not sure what other changes were made for V2 but I think some of the LEDs themselves were upgraded or something. The lenses on mine are clipped in and you just unclip and clip on a different color or pattern if you want to change it. So it’s more modular.

What I bought is KC’s “underhood” kit. Not that I really needed a kit, but the benefit was it gave me the wiring with the little bullet disconnects so I can quickly connect to the KCs without having to do my own wiring that may or may not be disconnectable. I don’t need the loom or long wiring or the switch that came in the kit but I can certainly use the loom and wiring, never hurts to have more so I will use it for the install and save the unused portion.

I’m sure you could probably do what you wanted with V1. But after buying two of those you’ve almost bought the $80 V2 kit so it’s kind of a wash regardless.
 
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I considered the switch (the kit comes with it), just no good place to mount it that doesn’t look out of place. The plan for now was just to disconnect the ground wire in the times where I won’t use them. If I can find a clean way to integrate the switch I might. Then I could leave the hood pin as well, keep the lights “on” most of the time (disabled by hood closed) and then manually turn off with the switch in those situations. Just need a good place to mount it that isn’t ugly.
 
I think you may have meant KCC-1350…if so, not exactly. Those are the 1st version which features a fixed lens. Not sure what other changes were made for V2 but I think some of the LEDs themselves were upgraded or something. The lenses on mine are clipped in and you just unclip and clip on a different color or pattern if you want to change it. So it’s more modular.

What I bought is KC’s “underhood” kit. Not that I really needed a kit, but the benefit was it gave me the wiring with the little bullet disconnects so I can quickly connect to the KCs without having to do my own wiring that may or may not be disconnectable. I don’t need the loom or long wiring or the switch that came in the kit but I can certainly use the loom and wiring, never hurts to have more so I will use it for the install and save the unused portion.

I’m sure you could probably do what you wanted with V1. But after buying two of those you’ve almost bought the $80 V2 kit so it’s kind of a wash regardless.
Aha!
As inexpensive as the kit is, what's another $20-30?
 
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Aha!
As inexpensive as the kit is, what's another $20-30?
Hah, yeah pretty much my thinking. For all I know the version 2 could be worth the extra money over version 1 even without the kit components. Just made most sense to buy the latest and greatest. Especially for the ability to swap lenses quickly. If I ever mount it sound bar in the cab I may put a cyclone on it and use the amber lens for an easier on the eyes light inside. We’ll see.
 
Wonder if you can get a mercury switch to kick them on when you open the hood?? Just dont install multi colored underside lights like the ricer crowd doey OK. ;)
You can I’m sure, just haven’t found a switch I like. That would certainly make cleaner work of the wiring. Do you know of a good switch to use?

lol, no way in hell I’d ever go with anything R, G, or B. Amber or white only and under the hood, probably only ever white.
 
I have a blue Cyclone light mounted under the middle of my YJ dash. It was left over from another project. I have blue dash lights so it matches. lol

I have an Xterra with a bunch of cyclones. 4 as DTR lights, two switched white rear hatch interior lights and three switched red interior lights. I love the red "submarine lights", great for when someone needs to see while driving, without blinding the driver.

II have one or two extra cyclones and have long though about putting them under the hood. I think I'd rather have it on a regular switch though that a hood activated switch. They'd be on any time the hood is open and you probably spend more time under the hood in the day time than in the dark. That same Xterra has a bunch of "rock lights" as puddle lights, they're hooked up with the interior light circuit. Open the doors, they come on. It's great. Except for the fact that I keep most of my tools in it, so whenever I'm working on any car, the hatch is open. Rather than have all the lights on for hours at a time for no reason, I throw the switch on the rear interior light, which shuts them off. And almost never remember to turn them back on. So my puddle lights and all my hard work, usually go for nothing because they never work because I shut them off.
 
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As for the lights themselves, I'd like to say they've been trouble free, but they haven't. BUT KC has been great about it. Beyond great, One winter one of them had a couple LED segments die. I contacted them, they asked for a photo and they sent me a new one right away. The next year another one has the same issue. They replaced that one quick, same as the first.

Maybe two years after that, I had another one go out. I asked the "am I doing something wrong, I thought these were exterior lights, are they not"? " This was my third one to go out in 4 years and they've got a 25 or something year warranty and this is a weekend only car at the most, so not a lot of hours on them. They replaced that one quick as well. When it came, I installed it and the light was a bright pure white light. Where as the older ones had a blueish tint. I emailed asking about that. Sent a picture of the front of the truck with the one white, and three bluish tint. I didn't expect much. Maybe that they'd send me one of the older style with the bluish hue. Instead I got three new bright white ones in the mail! (it's several years later now with no more issues) So they've done right by me,. Though I have sent them a boat load of money myself. lol
 
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I have a blue Cyclone light mounted under the middle of my YJ dash. It was left over from another project. I have blue dash lights so it matches. lol

I have an Xterra with a bunch of cyclones. 4 as DTR lights, two switched white rear hatch interior lights and three switched red interior lights. I love the red "submarine lights", great for when someone needs to see while driving, without blinding the driver.

II have one or two extra cyclones and have long though about putting them under the hood. I think I'd rather have it on a regular switch though that a hood activated switch. They'd be on any time the hood is open and you probably spend more time under the hood in the day time than in the dark. That same Xterra has a bunch of "rock lights" as puddle lights, they're hooked up with the interior light circuit. Open the doors, they come on. It's great. Except for the fact that I keep most of my tools in it, so whenever I'm working on any car, the hatch is open. Rather than have all the lights on for hours at a time for no reason, I throw the switch on the rear interior light, which shuts them off. And almost never remember to turn them back on. So my puddle lights and all my hard work, usually go for nothing because they never work because I shut them off.
My point made exactly, though Macho does have a point about just unplugging them, albeit a PITA.
But I do get where he's coming from...KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
I still think the swivel mounts are a great idea though!
 
As for the lights themselves, I'd like to say they've been trouble free, but they haven't. BUT KC has been great about it. Beyond great, One winter one of them had a couple LED segments die. I contacted them, they asked for a photo and they sent me a new one right away. The next year another one has the same issue. They replaced that one quick, same as the first.

Maybe two years after that, I had another one go out. I asked the "am I doing something wrong, I thought these were exterior lights, are they not"? " This was my third one to go out in 4 years and they've got a 25 or something year warranty and this is a weekend only car at the most, so not a lot of hours on them. They replaced that one quick as well. When it came, I installed it and the light was a bright pure white light. Where as the older ones had a blueish tint. I emailed asking about that. Sent a picture of the front of the truck with the one white, and three bluish tint. I didn't expect much. Maybe that they'd send me one of the older style with the bluish hue. Instead I got three new bright white ones in the mail! (it's several years later now with no more issues) So they've done right by me,. Though I have sent them a boat load of money myself. lol
Sounds like you originally had the first versions and they upgraded you to the second versions? Not sure on that but sounds like it. Hopefully if so, that means the later versions that I just got will be nicely reliable.

as for the switching, I can certainly see the benefit to the switch. I just don’t know where to put it that isn’t ugly or tacky. I’m really picky about stuff like that. Plus in normal use, I don’t care if they’re on for a short period during the day. Like an oil change or whatever, no big deal leaving them on for that short amount of time. If it’s going to sit in my garage for a month or two, yeah, definitely don’t want them left on so a switch would be nice there, although a quick disconnecting of the ground from the hood pin would take care of that for me, and doing that every once in a while for a long period of time wouldn’t bother me much. Although a switch would be better hit again, haven’t figured out where I want that switch to be.

good to hear KC has taken care of you. I really hope the versions of lights I just got will be problem free so I don’t have to deal with issues at all.
 
My point made exactly, though Macho does have a point about just unplugging them, albeit a PITA.
But I do get where he's coming from...KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
I still think the swivel mounts are a great idea though!
I just don’t see myself unplugging them often enough for the PITA factor to become a real annoyance. What I could probably do is get a round push button switch wired inline and stick it to the step on the hood. Would be out of the way, nearly unnoticeable, and there to do the job if needed. But for a 30 minute oil change in sunlight or the garage, I don’t plan to turn them off for that since the battery drain will be minimal. And hell in the garage, my lights suck and having the hood lights on would actually still help even in daytime. In the driveway not so much, but again, not on long enough to bother turning them off, most of the time.
 
Got the thing bolted up with some rivet nuts (nutserts) today. All that’s left is to decide how I’m going to do the wiring….and then do it. I will combine the 4 wires into two and then tuck into a loom and run it down the center of the hood. I have loom clamps that will clip themselves to a 1/4” hole, so I’ll


For actuation, I am leaning towards the hood pin AND a flip switch together, just not sure where I’m going to put the flip switch. Flip switch would be left on majority of the time and only used to disable for extended periods of time.

A gravity switch method is also a possibility but I haven’t found anything I like yet. Ideas and links to those ideas are always appreciated.

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Figured I’d update this thread. Originally I was going to install this hood light setup and wire the power to power and the ground to a hood pin switch. the plan was to pull the ground wire if I needed to shut off the light a while. I did do that, and didn’t like the way it turned out. The switch was inconsistent and didn’t always spring all the way up, causing intermittent problems.

Haven’t been working on the Jeep much lately so I didn’t do anything to fix it until now. I wanted to improve my install any amount I could. I started at the lights and figured out how I’d get the wiring routed and such. I ordered some stainless loom clamps (bolt style) and bolted the loom down to the bolt holding the aluminum lights support bracket.

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There is a 1/4” hole about 2/3 the way down the hood, which I fastened a stock style “rosebud clip” loom clamp to. I secured the loom at that end.

There was a hole in the hood channel right below the rosebud clip hole. I downsized the loom so it would fit and then fished it down to the hole at the very bottom of the hood (where the loom comes out).

So that gets the wiring from the lights secured and ran down to a part of the hood where I can work on it.

Next, I had to plan how I wanted the the lights to actuate. Since I was no longer using the spring loaded switch, I needed an alternate solution. The YJ factory hood lamp being removed leaves a hole to bolt to and an indexing slot to keep the light from rotating. I learned the factory TJ/JK/JL hood light will bolt right up. So I ordered one.

The TJ hood switch comes with a bulb inside, which I removed. The contacts were bent to hook to the bulb. I straightened them out and put female terminals on them. This isn’t my picture but is the same concept. I drilled a hole in the non-connector end (top in this pic) and ran my two output wires out the tilt switch housing.

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The TJ switch has a backer plate which bolts up to the hood and then the TJ switch clips to it. The backer plate bolts down with a self tapper style of bolt. I used a random screw I had on hand.

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I wired the pigtail for the TJ switch up to the stock YJ hood light wiring. I hooked up the KC lights to the output but the results were too jittery. The tilt switch isn’t really ideal for supporting draw from the lights. If you tap the hood at all you get lots of flickering. So back to the drawing board….I needed a relay.

I got a relay from Fastronix and fastened it to one of the hood tie-down nuts. Bolted up perfectly.

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What I ended up doing was wired the factory wiring to the TJ switch and split the ground to the lights as well. The outputs of the TJ switch go to the relay to trigger it. Power comes through the TJ switch and powers the circuit that feeds the KC circuit from the relay.

The basic operation is that tilting the hood up allows the TJ switch to trigger the relay, which powers the lamps. The switch is still finicky but instead of flickering lights, I get a relay going on and off but it takes more effort to kill the relay activation than it did to make the lights flicker. So it’s a win.

The light output is great and functions well.

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And here’s a video of it in action. Works well.




BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

That switch is going to trip when I’m driving. I don’t want the hood light to come on when I’m going down the road, so I’m redoing the ground side. The ground currently grounds the lights and also goes through the switch to ground the relay. The relay/switch side I’m going to ground to the parking brake circuit instead. This way when I’m driving, the light can’t come on. Then when the Jeep is sitting and the parking brake is set, that will allow the circuit to ground (but still only when hood is lifted). So this will prevent the lights coming on when going down the road.

I am currently waiting on some heat shrink to arrive and then I will finish it up. Overall this project finally turned out great and the wiring is really clean. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get it that clean.
 
This is on my "to do" list. Grounding through the parking brake switch is a stroke of genius.

Well done!
Thanks! I’ve wanted this since I got the Jeep. I had the original light and for some unknown reason the whole assembly fell off the hood. The bolt/hole was not stripped so I have no idea what happened. That thing never really gave much light anyways. I originally did not hook up to the parking brake, thinking it wouldn’t be an issue, but now since it’s so easy to trigger the relay, there’s no way that thing isn’t going to be on and off constantly on the road. So I figured p-brake was the only real way to do it.

I’m waiting to receive a diode and some heat shrink and then it will finally be permanent. For some reason when I splice in the parking brake circuits with relays sometimes I get feedback into the dash bulb, so that’s why I’m going to use a diode even if it may not have a problem.

Thanks for the kind words, good luck on yours when you do it. The light output depending on the route you go is well worth the hassle. Plus, it was kind of a fun project.
 
This is on my "to do" list. Grounding through the parking brake switch is a stroke of genius.

Well done!
Also I should make it clear that I didn’t ground the whole assembly through the parking brake, only the relay. I left the lights to have their own dedicated ground via the stock hood ground wire to try and keep the parking brake switch from having to do too much. Mainly to make sure the parking brake didn’t diminish my light output.
 
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