Easy fabricated turn signal metal housings and LEDs

[Steve]

As we all know, the plastic turn signal housings in the Atom are junk. Mine were all cracked from "slightly" to "severely."

Inspired by this thread, I decided to make my own brackets and install LED bulbs. I couldn't find rivet nuts, and I don't have a welder, so I had to do everything without any "specialty" tools besides a drill press (which I borrowed from a friend).

Tools needed:

• 2 7/8" hole saw
• 1" hole saw
• Drill with various bits
• Dremel tool with a carbide bit (for metal carving)
• Drill press (not necessary, but very helpful)
• Flat hand file
• Circular bastard file
• A couple of clamps

Supplies needed (supplies shown are PER housing):

• A sheet of 16-18 gauge aluminum large enough to cut a 3" hole
• BA15 base Wired Socket(BA15D for brake lights, BA15S for all others)
• Two #8-32 x 2in stainless pan head screws
• Four #8-32 stainless standard nuts
• Two #8-32 stainless nylon lock nuts
• Two #10 stainless washers
• Two 3/8" aluminum binding posts
• Two #8-32 x 1/2" pan head stainless screws

Step 1: Use the drill press and 2 7/8" hole saw to cut a disc from your sheet of aluminum. Since the hole saw has a 2 7/8" outer diameter, the inside diameter of the disc it cuts will be approx 68mm, which is the exact size of the stock housing.
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Step 2: Clamp the 68mm aluminum disc to your drill press and drill a 1" hole in the middle, using the same pilot hole for the drill bit. This ensures the smaller hole is in the middle.
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Step 3: Remove the existing housing from the bracket on the Atom. Use the existing hole in the bracket as a guide to center the center hole aluminum disc inside the hole in the bracket, then clamp in place.
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Step 4: Use the existing bracket as a jig and drill three holes in the aluminum disc.
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Step 5: Use the BA15 socket as a jig by centering the socket in the aluminum disc and line up one of the drilled holes on the top. Mark holes with a pencil.
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[Steve]

Step 6: Use a straight edge (I used a hand file) and draw a straight line through both marked holes (this line is the diameter of the disc and should bisect it evenly).
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Step 7: Use an existing lens cover as a jig by placing over the disc and rotating until you can see the diameter line through both holes. Insert a sharp tool through the screw holes in the cover and mark up and down on both sides.
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Step 8: Drill two small holes (large enough for a #8 bolt) in the marked locations closest to the center. Drill two larger holes (not quite large enough for the binding posts) in the outer holes.
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[Steve]

Step 9: Use the bastard file to make the outermost holes just barely big enough to force the binding posts through. These binding posts will hold the screws that secure the lens cover.
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Step 10: Prepare the disc for mounting by inserting it in the rubber enclosure and inserting the 2" long stainless screws in the two smaller interior holes.
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Step 11: Hold the disc against the existing mounting bracket to gauge how much you'll have to Dremel. Use the carbide bit to remove a small piece of material on each side of the existing bracket so that the disc can mount flush with the middle screws in place.
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Step 12: Mount the bracket in place with the three existing mounting screws and lock nuts.
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[Steve]

Step 13: Place a stainless nut on each the 2" screws and tighten all the way to the bracket. Place two more stainless nuts part-way down the screws, the mount the wired socket against the nuts, then use the lock nuts to secure in place. Depending on the length of the bulb, adjust the rear nuts and lock nuts so that your bulb is where you want it.
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Step 14: Wire the ground wire on the inside of one of the lock nuts (or to any ground), and wire the hot lead to the white wire on the socket. I used heat-shrink tubing over all splices. Test the bulb before installing any covers.
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Step 15: Use the 1/2" stainless screws to secure the lens cover. When complete, replace the rear plastic (or carbon fiber) housing that covers all the wires.
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[bolus]

Nice! but what's that crap you said about not being able to get the hole saw to work? Those look better than mine!

[Steve]

Nice! but what's that crap you said about not being able to get the hole saw to work? Those look better than mine!

LOL - I borrowed a drill press (I'd never used one before) and attached the hole saw to that. Must be beginner's luck!

However, I'm already wishing I'd used a thicker gauge of aluminum. And I'm also eyeing some fully enclosed LED options on eBay. I want to keep my car "waterproof," (quotes intentional) so I may end up pulling these ones off and going that route.

The white LEDs I chose seem to be heating up the enclosure quite a bit. I love the super-bright look, but I think it's gonna melt the rubber surround...

[Terry Kennedy]

Step 2: Clamp the 68mm aluminum disc to your drill press and drill a 1" hole in the middle, using the same pilot hole for the drill bit. This ensures the smaller hole is in the middle.

You may want to try a step drill bit - it makes this sort of thing a lot easier, by increasing the diameter of the hole a little bit on each step, to keep things centered.

The white LEDs I chose seem to be heating up the enclosure quite a bit. I love the super-bright look, but I think it's gonna melt the rubber surround...

Is it possible that you bought LEDs with load resistors by mistake? They're for people with cars that don't have replacable flasher relays (like BMWs) or for people who can't be arsed to replace the flasher relay with a LED one.

[Steve]

Is it possible that you bought LEDs with load resistors by mistake?

They weren't marked as such (I'm familiar with them cuz I have to buy the "error free" ones with the resistors for my Maserati), so I think they were just the standard ones. They are their "high power" ones, however, so I'm not sure if they emit more heat than standard. I'll call them (VLEDs) tomorrow when they're back in the office.