Hi,

I like the LED globe in the light .... I got mine working ok but as you stated "there is no OFF position"

Has anyone had a go at retrofitting a 3 position switch on a ute?

Light install:

Decided to upgrade the interior light by installing switches in the doors to activate the light when the doors open. Apparently this was standard option in some utes but not in mine.

Halfway through the install I decided to upgrade the original bulb to an LED type to put out more light as the original bulb type is quite dull. (70's dull lighting) As I couldn't find a standard size LED to fit, I had to retrofit a larger dual prong type bulb and solder a short wire to the negative end to earth it.

The install went as follows

(1) Original light as installed







or new







(2) Purchase switches (approx. $5 each on Ebay)





(3) Disconnect battery. Unscrew light assembly and disconnect from original power and earth wires

(4) Get two new earth wires approx. 2m long each and run them through the holes in the assembly. You will need to solder each of these to the original lamp socket where the old earth wire used to connect to. (My factory earth wire was disconnected already for some reason)







(5) Extra step, (optional), Install LED bulb and solder earth wire from neg. terminal back to tab behind the light bulb socket




(6) Remove kick panels. Install door switches, my ute already had the circular holes to fit them into.




(7) Reconnect light assembly and run wires through the headlining to the rubber grommet above each door. You will need to run the wires through each grommet and down each A-pillar to the bottom of the doors where the switches are. May take a few tries to snake the wires down.




(8) Connect each new earth wire to each door switch with crimped connection

(9) Switch the light to the off position. Reconnect battery.

The light will now operate when the doors are open, or when switch is engaged. however there is no "off" position.

Yea Mik its plastic primer. Seems to be the go when painting plastic.

October 2011 until February 2012....nothing much done on the ute except I installed new door locks and new door handle. Also installed the new 1/4 window rubbers and frames. Got to learn how all the door parts work. Im definitely in need of a replacement window regulator for the drivers door. Had alot of problems with it. Also painted and installed a spare rocker cover...but it leaks oil like the Exxon Valdez.

Today I took the seats out in preparation for the replacement grey ones I bought of another member. Tried to install those bloody door switch lights but got no where as of yet. Found a bunch of handy stuff under my seats such as a few spare lighters, some $$...enough to buy lunch with. Check out my rats nest of wiring. No wonder I have so many electrical problems

must like red just a tad overboard with it, each to there own

Looks good, what did you end up prepping the plastic with for paint? Plastic primer?

Better clear some room for ryans mammies too, more than a handful can be too much sometimes

fark yeah jeff ill get my tits out

Looks bloody good jeff , the paint looks great , i will have a good gander tomorrow night mate.

For a long time I had planned to do a few custom things to the interior. I had already made custom made door trims and sunvisors but I also wanted to spruce up the centre console, the glovebox lid, and the dash fascia. I bought some spare parts from DatsAndy including a dash fascia w/ gauges, “Datsun” text rocker cover, “Datsun” stainless steel vents (seeexy), and some extractors. Also some unpainted wiper arms. Also have a set of orange decals from Gerrie at lisadecals. Got most of these parts on by Lakeside but didn’t get to fit the new gauges or rocker cover in time.

















Idea was too paint the items orange to match the body and to use the same fur fabric that I used on the door cards. Thanks to Levey for the console badge.

Parts before:




Parts painted:




Console 99% finished: Still need to find a way to finish off the exposed fabric edges.




Also made a Datsun logo stencil and sprayed the glovebox lid. It came out okay but there is a little bit of overspray on some of the letters. Might make a better quality stencil and try it again.










Installed:




Lastly was putting some detail on the dash fascia and getting it ready for the spare gauges. Hand painted some detail on the round faces and the lettering. Plan is to get some LED lights to replace the dull green ones. Thinking about backlighting the new console as well with an LED. Still need to install all these.

Here is a bit of an update on my daily ute build. Been doing many things over the last few weeks in September building up to the Lakeside Japanese Car Show last weekend. Wanted to get a lot done for the show and I nearly managed to do all I wanted to.

First off was a much needed radiator flush! Opened the radiator cap for the first time a few weeks ago and was very surprised to see a mocha latte in my radiator…or so it seemed. Should have checked it a loooong time ago…foolish I know. Anyways, I drained out all the diarrhea water and flushed the system with clean water about 5 times until the water was clear. Then filled the system back up with proper coolant. Also replaced the radiator cap for good measure. Very surprising how much better the engine runs after the flush! Very noticeable difference and I recommend everyone check their radiator fluid and not leave it be like I did for almost a year! Also bought a new thermostat (thanks DISCO_BOB) to go in for good measure…still need to install it.

Radiator poo water:




Next task was to finish my DIY paint job by wet sanding and buffing, task I have been putting off since Easter. For this I took 1200 wet and dry sandpaper, soapy water, and some elbow grease to the whole ute. Wasn’t sure how much to sand it and in a few spots I sanded too much. I think an even finer paper would have been good too but I managed with the 1200 grit. Then I got some Mirror Shine fine cut cleaner and bought a buffer to buff the whole ute. Never used one before so it was a bit of a learning curve at first. Watched a few tutorials on youtube before hand. Its very easy to burn into the paint and in a few spots I did just that. Lucky I had some leftover paint to touch up.

Pics before & after buffing:













Show & Shine @ Lakeside Raceway:

haha im glad your happy jeff , we'll get to the rest soon