LED Strip lighting on the vehicle.

[SilicaRich]

This gives me so many ideas! I've been wanting to put some interior lighting, especially along the rear gate and rollbar and I feel like this maybe my solution. Anyone have an idea how well these work for exterior use? I see how these could also be efficient lined on the sides of my rack and near/on the ladder

 

[4x4junkie]

Anyone have an idea how well these work for exterior use?

The waterproof stuff should be fine outside, though I can't swear the adhesive it comes with will last as long as the strip will...

Worse gets to worse, you could always replace the adhesive with some 3M Mounting Tape (sortof like double-sided foam tape, but much better/weatherproof... gray tape w/red backing). I did this on a small piece as a license plate light. It's only been a few months, but so far so good (been through a couple washings and one rain event).

 

[Ducky's Dad]

replace the adhesive with some 3M Mounting Tape

The better quality strips come with good tape, not so much on the cheaper Chinese stuff. The good tape is 3M VHB (Very High Bond) and UHB (Ultra High Bond). I have found small rolls of VHB on Amazon and the UHB is available from some industrial suppliers. The trick is to find the roll size you need. 3M manufactures this stuff in monster 10'-wide rolls and then their jobbers slice it into whatever size they need, so it's not like buying a roll of masking tape at the hardware store. Home Depot has some stuff in retail packaging that looks like it might be VHB, but I have not tested it yet.

I have had some light strips on my truck for about three years, and they are great.

 

[4x4junkie]

^^
Good to know.

This is the stuff I've used in the past:
http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Exterior-Mounting-1-Inch-60-Inch/dp/B00004Z4BV

And recently I've started using this (just to see if it actually is stronger/more durable):
http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-414-DC-Extreme-Mounting/dp/B009NP1JQC

I've used the VHB too, IMO, this stuff beats VHB by a good margin, but I don't have experience with the UHB you mention.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

The first one you linked above is available at Home Depot, but it is pretty light duty, not VHB. The second one is also available at HD (I think) and might be VHB, but probably not. The genuine "3M VHB" rolls that I have seen are printed with that logo on the inside of the cardboard core. The repackaged stuff that I have used came on a plain cardboard core but was sold as a 3M product by the distributor. My recollection is that the UHB that I ordered online came with a light blue covering, and the VHB came with a red covering. I used a 3M tape from HD a few months ago on a project and still have that roll somewhere in the shop, so I'll look for it.

If you are using VHB or UHB tape for mounting LED strips, try to buy a roll that is narrower than your light strip, so that it doesn't hang out beyond the edge of the strip. This stuff is difficult to trim, both before and after application.

 

[4x4junkie]

Yeah the roll of VHB I had did have "VHB" printed in red on the backing (and I think the core too, but I remember for sure on the backing). The tape itself was a white color.

The two I linked, the tape has a similar consistency to VHB, but is gray (1st link) or black (2nd) in color. The gray tape held a small altimeter in the corner of my windshield much longer than the VHB did (about 7 years after which I took it off myself, vs 2 or so years for the VHB).

Trimming any of them with scissors isn't too overly difficult as long as the backing is still on it.
However there is this too, which may be the same tape. It's ½ inch width would match a LED strip better (I haven't used it myself)
http://www.amazon.com/3M-03614-Scotch-Mount-Molding-Tape/dp/B002JOVUO0

 

[freshlikesushi]

http://amzn.to/1gZQNUu

this is the stuff you need. VHb tape. what you use for adding bodywork and stuff like sideskirts and jazz

 

[pugslyyy]

http://amzn.to/1gZQNUu

this is the stuff you need. VHb tape. what you use for adding bodywork and stuff like sideskirts and jazz

That stuff is really good. I have a big roll of it - anytime a mounting fails (like the LEDs) I just use it.

I've also used it to mount things on my roof without making holes (like when I added another solar panel I taped it down instead of screwing.)

I also use it in combination with screws - it is great for holding a piece in place in an awkward location to make putting in a screw easier (If I'm mounting something to wood I'll do this)

 

[rayra]

Well I'm gonna have to try that stuff, as my installation has already failed. Despite prepping the painted surface with an alcohol wipedown, my LED strip flopped down loose from the bottom lip of the hatch, when I opened it last week. Black vehicle, 100F+ heat. The '3M' branded backing of my product did not adhere well enough. Might also be an interference issue with the hoops / hatch latches, have to investigate that.
The top and side strips are adhering, but seem a bit loose. All the mounting locations align with the rubber gasket on the body of the vehicle, ought to be getting pressed in place when the hatch is closed.

 

[freshlikesushi]

this is why i did the leds i did.....

 

[Ducky's Dad]

Black vehicle, 100F+ heat. The '3M' branded backing of my product did not adhere well enough.

Might just be the wrong tape product. I installed some strips on the inside face of my camper shell back window, black fiberglass, a couple of years ago and the stuff is still as tight as the day I applied it. Lots of time in the sun in So Cal and AZ, parked outside year around, no special prep or treatment. However, I think the tape I used on that was UHB with the blue backing. Bought a small quantity because it was so expensive.

 

[pugslyyy]

Well I'm gonna have to try that stuff, as my installation has already failed. Despite prepping the painted surface with an alcohol wipedown, my LED strip flopped down loose from the bottom lip of the hatch, when I opened it last week. Black vehicle, 100F+ heat. The '3M' branded backing of my product did not adhere well enough. Might also be an interference issue with the hoops / hatch latches, have to investigate that.
The top and side strips are adhering, but seem a bit loose. All the mounting locations align with the rubber gasket on the body of the vehicle, ought to be getting pressed in place when the hatch is closed.

3M makes a lot of different adhesives, some are more permanent than others. I've done a number of LED strips and some the adhesive has held up better than others. I tend to try what they come with (because I'm cheap and it's easy), and then if it doesn't hold up I go back with the good stuff.

 

[LR Max]

Thank you for the write up. I need to add some new interior lights (I had an old light that worked...but its gone now) and an LED strip around the interior would be clutch.

 

[rayra]

pugslyyy, pretty much the same here. Everything I do is kind of iterative. It's always 'in process'. MkI, MkII, MkIII. Making constant design improvements. I rarely figure out every detail before I lay hands to building something. I try to buy quality when my life might depend on it, but the rest of the time I'm a cheap-***. I also have way too many hobbies and interests to really do the 'buy once, cry once' thing for much of anything.

 

[freshlikesushi]

Yeah, I tend to do the buy once thing so stuff isnt falling apart