2014 Nissan Juke Custom Headlights

At this point, I’ll just admit that I like creating lighting projects before anyone else purely for the challenge of pushing my fabrication boundaries and testing out new products.  Everybody that owns a Nissan Juke Nismo has the exact same daytime running light strip and it was starting to bother me.  So I borrowed a set from a fellow Juke-owner and got to work making them better than ever.

 

First let’s evaluate the stock OEM DRLs.

They have a chrome interior.  The LEDs create an OEM White light output, which is a slightly warm (yellow) shade of white.  The light output brightness is pretty unimpressive.  The housing is aged plastic with cracks/chips.  These things need a makeover.

 

As per the norm, first step is to get everything apart.  These have to be carefully cut open since they are plastic-melted together.

 

The chrome was stripped off and the interior was painted an automotive 2-stage black paint with clear coat.  The exterior was sanded and clearcoated as well to seal any cracks and prevent future erosion of the plastic.

 

Now comes the interesting part.  The OEM LED circuit board was ditched and individual Morimoto Switchback ModPod Minis were installed in each slot.  I’ve been wanting to use this product for quite some time and, with a little modification, these fit fantastically to achieve the result I wanted.

 

All of the wires were consolidated and soldered and heat shrunk for a nice clean output from the back of the unit.  Any unused holes in the housing were sealed and the whole assembly was sealed shut with an automotive grade plastic epoxy.  Bypassing the external OEM LED drivers, I could use the OEM plug for a direct plug & play installation.  Let’s check out the completed product:

 

The light output was far superior to the original product.  The light was brighter and more widely dispersed.  Plus it was pure white, which will match any other aftermarket vehicle LED lighting.

 

You may have noticed one additional red wire coming out of the loom.  That wire is to be tapped into a turn signal circuit to allow for these amazingly bright pure white LEDs to act as amazingly bright pure amber blinkers!  Super cool!  Let’s see these DRLs in action as a blinker compared to the running mode:

 

Moral of the story is that these are the first ever modified Nissan Juke Nismo DRLs and they’re flipping sweet.  And the best part?  Is that they’re available for purchase now!  Wahooooo!

 

Have a wonderful evening!  -13-