DIY: JDM foglight install

[shazapple]

*****WARNING! These are measurements I took and are not completly accurate. These are only to be used as a guide. I am not responsible for anyone mangling their bumper.

Expect to put a lot of hours into this. I took it slow and I put about 12 hours into finishing everything up.

If any parts need clarification then please tell me and I will fix it!

Post 1 - General info
Post 2 - Removing bumper
Post 3 - Cutting bumper
Post 4 - Bracket & bumper beam modification
Post 5 - Mounting
Post 6 - Wiring
Post 7 - Finished product

Tools
-needle nose pliers
-phillips screwdriver
-10mm socket and wrench
-flathead screwdriver
-hacksaw blade
-file
-wire cutters and crimpers

materials
-JDM foglights
-16 or less guage wire
-various wiring connections
-Approx 1" 5/16" bolts and nuts
-lock washers
-masking tape
-electrical tape

[shazapple]

Removing Bumper

Remove grill
Use a flathead screwdriver or needle nose pliers to undo the 4 clips on the top of the grill, then pull out and up. There are two hooks lower on the grill which you have to disengage.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13741ggth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13741gg.jpg)

Remove headlights
Remove the turn signals by taking out the one screw and then pulling with a bit of force. This gives you access to the 4th bolt on the headlight. Use a 10mm socket to remove the 4 bolts circled in the picture.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13754aath-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13754aa.jpg)

Bumper
use a 10mm socket to remove the one screw on each side of the bumper. These are located in front of the wheel well.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13761efth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13761ef.jpg)

Underneath there will be two 10mm bolts to remove
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13772feth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13772fe.jpg)

There are several plastic tabs on the top of the bumper. Use a flathead screwdriver to pop up the center and pull it out if you can (as shown in the picture). This allows for easier removal and reinstallation of the outer piece
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13783cqth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13783cq.jpg)
There are 4 more tabs located in the middle of the bumper. These will not separate but are easy to remove and install.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13790dzth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13790dz.jpg)

The splash guards may or may not be connected to the bumper, but check them out cause they need to be moved for convenience.

Now you are ready to remove the bumper skin! I suggest putting tape all around the foglight holes and on the center of the bumper to avoid scratches. Also lay down some large rags on the floor.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13826bxth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13826bx.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13833uoth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13833uo.jpg)

[shazapple]

Cutting
Heres the appoximate area to cut. From top to bottom the measurements are 3.5", 2", 1.5" and then to the bottom corner.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14024iqth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14024iq.jpg)

3" and 1 3/4"
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14072quth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14072qu.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14089zyth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14089zy.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14092hzth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14092hz.jpg)

Be sure to remove the lip at the bottom of the hole as well. I used the metal tabs on the foglight as a guide to where the foglight would sit against the bumper
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img13981ulth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img13981ul.jpg)


after cutting
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14109jlth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14109jl.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14119khth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14119kh.jpg)

Fit
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14178vvth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14178vv.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14184scth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14184sc.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14191vhth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14191vh.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14206yxth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14206yx.jpg)

[shazapple]

Bracket and bumper beam modification

Bracket modification
You will need to cut off part of the bracket in order to make it fit on the bumper beam. Cut the parts lined in yellow.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/foglampmodified9xtth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=foglampmodified9xt.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14233ozth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14233oz.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14361huth-1.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14361hu.jpg)

You also need to flatten the bracket out slightly. Two holes need to be drilled. From the 3rd pictures you can see I drilled one of them 3.5" from the right and 2.75" from the bottom. The other is 6.5" from the right and 3" from the bottom. I made my holes slightly larger than my bolts so I had some room to play.

Bumper Beam
cut the bottom of the bumper beam for extra space for the bracket
Unmodified vs modified
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14385ixth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14385ix.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14398zeth-1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14398ze.jpg)

[shazapple]

Mounting

The semi horizontal line in drawn on the bracket in a previous picture lines up with the back of the bumper beam. I found this to be the approximate location for the lights to fit in my bumper holes.
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8271/img14212qh.th.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14212qh.jpg)

With my holes already drilled in the bracket I used a paint marker to mark where to drill on the bumper beam.
underneath bumper beam, inside bumper beam
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14268seth-1.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14268se.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14333pfth-1.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14333pf.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14346rzth-1.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14346rz.jpg)

1" bolts work well to mount the bracket. I also used lock washers in the inside of the bumper beam. I thought I would need the normal washers but turned out I didnt.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14248hsth-1.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14248hs.jpg)

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9066/img14277jl.th.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14277jl.jpg)

[shazapple]

Wiring

Heres the basic wiring diagram I used (although I did not use a fuse between the parking light and the switch
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/relay3vuth-1.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=relay3vu.jpg)
I located the relays next to the battery, so some wires do not have to be very long.

Run 3 wires through the firewall of your car to your switch. I used the hole to the left of the brake system. See this thread
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=465
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14446urth-1.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14446ur.jpg) https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14459xfth-1.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14459xf.jpg)

One wire goes to the projector relay, the other wire goes to the side bulb relay, and the third wire you can hook onto any power supply. It determines when the relays will be active (I used the same wire for both switches/relays) I used the parking lights as the power supply, therefor when the car is turned off or the parking lights turned off then the foglights will also be off.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14494jlth-1.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14494jl.jpg)

A relay has 4 terminals that each have a number.
30 - 12v fused power supply
85 - ground wire
86 - switch wire
87 - foglight power wire

Power wires to the relay
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8602/img14506jz.th.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14506jz.jpg)

Ground wires for relays
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9168/img14515ne.th.jpg (http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14515ne.jpg)

Relays and fuses.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/04/img14533wfth-1.jpg (http://img167.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img14533wf.jpg)
I used a 15A fuse for the projectors, and a 7.5A fuse for the side bulbs. Amperage = Power divided by Voltage. the projectors are 55w each, and the battery is 12v, so 110/12 = 9.6A, so a 10A fuse would barely do for the projectors.

See either of these threads in order to wire up a stock foglight switch
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showth ... ght+switch (http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5784&highlight=fog+light+switch)
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=2217

[shazapple]

Finished product

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/3200/img2097rj0.jpg

[jakmobile]

Awesome write up!

I've got a white wagon, wanna trade bumpers :o

[Wiscon_Mark]

Bravo!

Excellent writeup Lee, you are a god.

[JPaul99GT]

so the markers come on only with your turn signals right? not with the parking lights. it ended up turning out really good. how long did it take you total?

[shazapple]

Both my relays are activated by the parking lights, not the turn signal. Both the projection and the side lights are turned on by a switches by the steering wheel.

I cant remember how long it took me because I spread it out over two days. Id say 10 hours would be a good estimate.

[JordanIsHere]

Looks hot, nice work!

[iampetro]

i thought the JDM fogs would fit into a north American GT without modification. is the cutting really necessary?
i want to buy some of these but i dont have the time to mod my bumper

[shazapple]

This is pretty much the bare minimum you need to do for these fogs. They will not fit without cutting

[chipLRX-SLI]

so if you had the jdm bumper beam you would not have to cut the bracket? would a stock usdm bumper fit onto the jdm bumper beam . also could i get better pics of the areas i need to cut . by better i mean larger .

[ProjectLGT97]

Can you swap the USDM GT bracket with the JDM projector bracket...?

[chipLRX-SLI]

not sure ! anybody got a set of usdm fogs. if they do work man then i have to get a set of usdm fogs and the brackets or just the brackets. but you would still have top cut the bumper /

[ProjectLGT97]

Well I'm planning on getting some JDM projector fogs in the near future I'll let you know how it works out :wink:

[chipLRX-SLI]

not trying to be rude just curious but do you have pictures that display the holes for the mounts ,
in the
bumper beam
and
the mount itself

[shazapple]

I've never seen the USDM foglight bracket so I have no idea if they could be modified.

The pictures are all there in the posts, but there was a change with the forum software and now they don't work as links anymore. Just copy the link that shows up beside the pictures and there should be a larger version

[chipLRX-SLI]

i attempted the copy and paste of the url link already but it was uncucessful . its all good ill figure it out .

[chipLRX-SLI]

ok complicated question. if i where to remove the plugs and wires from the wiring harnees of a subaru that already had fog lights and traced the wires all the way to the switch, the removed what i needed and spliced it into my harnees ? would this work and be less complicated than wiring it all sepratly .

[1-3-2-4]

Question what is the bulb size used?? Please say H7....

[shazapple]

H3 is the bulb for the main foglights.

If you already have foglights then you could hook just cut off the plugs and splice on the jdm foglight plugs. I dont think the circuit could handle the side bulbs as well.
The easiest way to do it would be to cut off the plugs, hook that into a relay as shown above. Then you are drawing power straight from the battery with proper wiring and fusing. This way you can also hook in the side bulbs and not have to worry about the stock wiring or fuses

[1-3-2-4]

damn... What bulb goes in the projector part? Gah... I have an 3000K HID H7 kit I can't use now...

[chipLRX-SLI]

ok so i have the wire all i need is the relay and a fuse coupler thingy.ok so i splice a wire into the power wire off the parking light switch, then i attach the wire to the fog light switch and have a fuse between the switch and the parking light switch. then i ground my switch and run a wire to the relay where i connect a wire with a fuse to the battery. then i ground the relay and run wire to both fog lights. sorry im no good a wiring man .

[chipLRX-SLI]

to be honest i used the KISS system and ran a wire to a switch from the baterry and a wire that connected to both fogs and grounded the second from the fogs and it works great. im gonna install a jdm bumper beam tommrrow that im getting for 5o bucks

[shazapple]

I hope you have a fuse in there, and I hope your switch can handle that much current. Otherwise you're going to have troubles, possibly fire

[chipLRX-SLI]

theres a fuse other than that its fine i have had them wired like this for 2 weeks now and there are no scortch or melt marks on the wires or surrounding wires

[Huffer]

So did anyone work out if the JDM fog can be bolted to the USDM mounting bracket (after being removed from the USDM fog)?

[immortal1kon]

i would say no because compared to the usdm fogs the jdm fogs are huge. i have mine and i just took everything apart yesterday and found out that the usdm brackets wont work. your best bet is to either customize the jdm one.... or custom make a braket which shouldnt be too bad.

-any one in the northern va area who would be ale to help me put these in ?? i dont have all the cutting tools needed haha

[1-3-2-4]

Great thread!

[httrdd]

Nice info OP! I will be using this next week when I install JDM projector fogs. I wonder what it is like seeing the road in the dark! :lol: :grin:

[immortal1kon]

my install was a success, only took a whole Day and alot of hand cutting but i modded the jdm bracket and just bolted it to my front bumper support. the front fogs holes need to be cut to the max to be able to comfortably fit the fogs.

[subajay]

saved for later.

[jduldula]

Can you swap the USDM GT bracket with the JDM projector bracket...?

No you can't the fogs brackets are two completely different sizes with the JDM being huge compared to the USDM fog. WIth the size difference comes the hole size difference and are between the holes that the bracket mounts onto the fogs. If you want to modify even more of the brackets than you already have to, then it can be done. Anything can be if you really want to, its just not efficient in this case to getting the job done.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/2-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/3-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/photo-1.jpg

[1-3-2-4]

question the projection part is a h3 bulb right?

will a h3 HID fit or do you need a H3c?

[Mr Evolution]

Some pics with the lights on

[pmichaud]

Just got done with this on my 98GT; these instructions were in valuable. Everything noted was accurate including the time. Nice write-up.

Thanks

Paul

[TbirdMan]

How hard would it be to drill the USDM bracket bolt hole pattern into the JDM bracket? It would seem to be much easier than drilling the bumper beam.

[phi11]

easier?
the bumper beam is plastic.
the bracket is steel.

[TbirdMan]

Ahh, didn't know that.

[harrymaneuvers]

Can someone provide some insight into how to align and mount the lights?


I have read everything there is to read on the subject and just want some tips on how to hold the lights up to the bumper and then decide where to drill...

Am I looking for the back of the bracked to be square with the car? Am I supposed to hook them up and point them until they are straight?

I noticed that the first picture in the mounting section is not showing up... anybody know what this pictured showed?

[TbirdMan]

question the projection part is a h3 bulb right?

will a h3 HID fit or do you need a H3c?
I would not suggest it, the projector housings have been known to melt with HID's. Osram makes some excellent halogen bulbs for these though

If anyone is interested in a circuit that allows the secondary "turn assist" lights to work like the JDM cars, i have worked with some people to design a simple solution that cost less than $50 https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=21561

[coastiespeed]

Thanks for the writeup! This would've been a PITA without it! Took some time getting the placement right for the mounting holes on the bumper support but man does it look good. Can't wait to try it out tonight. I think i'm gonna get some hyper yellow bulbs does anyone have any recommendations?

FYI... I already had factory fogs so wiring was easy. I just spliced both hot wires together into the factory harness and I'm gtg, i'm not worried about the extra draw from the "turn assist" bulbs.

I've got a factory fog switch that came with the jdm fog lights if anyone wants it. I'll post an ad in the classifieds soon if i don't hear anything from this thread.

[coastiespeed]

Ok... So after having the lights installed for a while i've had some issues. The car has acted like it didn't want to start, and then started. I didn't check the battery level before, but now it reads 12.46 i'm going to charge it tonight and see if it goes down again. Could the larger wattage JDM Fogs (because of turn assist lamps) be causing some sort of battery drain? Or did i wire it wrong?

[failbot88]

How would I go about wiring my new jdm fogs to my old usdm fog switch/harness? I'm not very educated in wiring ^_^

[legacy22]

Anyone made custom brackets for these? Ive done this once modding the jdm brackets but my current install leaves me without the jdm brackets to work with. I just could use some measurements for the bolt holes where it bolts to the bumper beam and the actual foglight bolt holes. Im not quite sure how I can determine mounting holes so they sit right in there. Any help on custom brackets would be awesome. :)

[Speedwagon]

I made use of the JDM brackets, and one of the factory USDM fog light holes. I don't know if all the bumpers have the 4 holes per side, but mine does. And from looking at the junkyard Outbacks, 2 are for Outbacks, and 2 are for GTs.

First, I moved one of the nut inserts over to the inside most hole. This gives you a point to mount to on both sides, so they they are identical.
http://ubuntuone.com/0P2aVZbzraxBO4TCSHSGcR

I notched the bumper beam out a bit(you have to get right up to the metal, and it doesn't hurt to file off just a touch of the metal). Just like as mentioned earlier in the thread. I also shaved a bit off the bottom lip of the bumper beam.

I did NO cutting to the JDM bracket at all. I flattened the top, so it wasn't angled. And reversed the hook. Once that was done, I drilled a hole on the outermost area I could, and moved my other nut insert there. I had enough room all around, to put all 4 bolts back in to the fog light.
http://ubuntuone.com/1KYUFpHLPde00Hh32ynOcG
http://ubuntuone.com/03S1KJ32zDRqNEXJjcpRe5
http://ubuntuone.com/5eP6feX4sod4EzBNPx7d2E

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/03/IMAG0141-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/03/IMAG0143-1.jpg


It took a fair amount of cutting of the bumper cover to get it to fit. I think this method makes the lights sit a bit more forward, but I'm not unhappy with the result. It certainly fills up the fog light cavity. When it was done, I had to align the lights down a bit from where they were. Which leads me to believe I ended up with the brackets pointed slightly upwards. But aiming wasn't hard to accomplish.

Wiring the projector was simple, as the wire colors are identical on the USDM GT and JDM GT fog lights. Aux turn is obviously not there. And though I haven't poked my DMM up under the dash, I would imagine there is a constant 12V signal powering the turn relay that could be tapped into to power another non-clicking relay, one per side, to power these aux turn lamps.

[Kcwiro]

This is a very good write up - I am doing the mod on my 1999 Legacy L *30th Anniversary* so I got all the GT body bits... Point of reference is I did the initial cuts but after that I had to firm up the cuts *probably didn't get a good line from measurements* after I reattached the bumper to get the lights to go in... I just know after I used the dremel the lights would not slide in the holes... hence I have to grind off more of the necessary material...

Be careful with those bumper plugs... mine were full of all the mud and dirt roads I've rallied on over the years so I ended up breaking a few since they would not release... I'll post pics after I finish the job and document my HID install for these and my JDM Headlights...

[AssYriaNrocKer]

Thread saved for later.

I have the JDM fogs and brackets as well as the USDM fogs and brackets. Has anyone found a better way of mounting these things? This is a great and informative thread but considering this thread is about 6 or so years old a lot of the pictures are missing. The mounting process seems cumbersome and instructions on the wiring is a bit vague.

Any helpful tips would be appreciated!

-RONI-
:headbang: