Install an Underbody Kit
For a clean installation these 3 points are key:
- Mount the tubes securely
- Install the tubes so only the glow is visible and not the light source
- Run the wires away from exhaust and suspension components
Gather some tools and supplies
If your car is low to the ground, you will need a jack and a pair of sturdy jack stands to raise it up. Ramps will also work.
You will need a power drill, and a set of drill bits. You might need a sharp utility knife.
Test - make sure the kit works properly
Carefully unpack and test your underbody kit. Connect it to your car battery, and make sure all tubes light up the way they are supposed to. It is not fun to install an underbody kit only to have to pull it off because you found out something was defective.
The tubes light up and everything looks good. Lets move on!
Where and how to mount the tubes
Stick your head under the car and look for a suitable mounting location for the sides, front, and rear. Some vehicles will be very easy — almost as if they were meant for an underbody kit.
If you have plenty of room to hide the tubes, great! If not, there is still a way to install. You might need to use an aluminum "L" beam to hide the tubes. You do not want the tubes visible from the street. You can get an "L" beam at your local hardware store. Cut it to the proper length and use it to hide the tube. You might need it for the sides, front, or rear.
We start with the rear tube
The rear of the Scion tC makes for a very simple tube installation. We find an optimal mounting location on some metal flashing. We drill a few starter holes, and then screw in the included screws and cable tie mounts that come with the kit. We are careful to keep the tube and wire far enough away from exhaust lines!
Next, we move on to the sides
The Scion tC has plenty of room on the sides. We decide to install the tubes as far into the car as possible. And then angle the tubes outward so they give lots of glow both under and around the car.
Jack the car up
Although we don't have to lift the car to install the front and back tubes, the Scion tC is too low to the ground to fit a power drill under the sides. We just use a jack and jack stands to lift it up. It is very important to use jack stands since jacks can easily fail. Be safe!
Note: If you don't have a set of jack stands or ramps, you can buy them at your local auto parts store. Ramps sell for about $25. And jack stands/jacks are a bit more.
... and mount the side tubes
We position our side tubes and mark drill holes with a permanent marker. We drill the starter holes and screw in the the cable tie mounts. The tube is then cable tied in place and clamped down. We cut off the excess cable tie.
Now finally, we do the front tube
The front of the tC is fairly easy, although we must cut part of the plastic to make room for the tube. We use a very sharp box cutter, although a dremel would also work. One the tube has a nice cavity to sit in, we secure it with cable ties to some holes we cut in the plastic.
Run the wires
Once the tubes are mounted, we route the wires towards the front of the car, using zip ties along the way. The wire is secured away from moving parts and extreme heat.
To get the wire from the driver side to the other side of the car, it must pass over the exhaust line. There is metal flashing that we can put it over, but to be on the safe side, we put the wire inside of a wire loom. This helps isolate it from the heat even more. If it touched the exhaust line, the kit would likely blow a fuse within an hour of the car running. The wire would be damaged and you would likely have to buy a new tube.
Get the wires into the car
The most convenient place on the Scion tC to run the wires into the car is a rubber grommet under the floor. We remove the plastic door sill piece and then pull the carpet up to access the grommet. It is easily pushed out. We then cut a small slit in it to feed the wires through. Once the wires are all fed through, we push it back into place. Now all the wires are inside the car ready to be hooked up!
There are grommets on both sides of the car, but we choose the passenger side because there is more room under the dash on that side to mount the ECU.
Give it power
We run a power wire straight from the battery, through the firewall, into the car, and to the ECU. Of course, we fuse the power wire close to the battery with the included 2 amp fuse. We ground the ground wire to the chassis.
Getting a wire through the firewall can be tricky. You'll have to get on your back and stick your head way up into the dash. A friend, a clothes-hangar and maybe a bright light can be helpful in routing the wire. Look for a big bundle of wires going into the engine bay. You can try squeezing a new wire in there or carefully drill a hole somewhere else.
Finishing up
We find a place for the remote display. We decide to mount it with double sided foam tape at the top right corner of the windshield. We pry off the a-pillar so we can route the wire down and under the dash.
We tidy up the mess of excess tube wires and mount the ECU under the dash. We mount an on/off switch on the dash near the steering wheel.
All done! Go cruising and enjoy =)
Thanks to Bobby Lee on our forums for offering his car and installation help. You can see more photos of his Scion and other projects in the gallery.
Be sure to check out the awesome FlowLighting Inferno LED Underbody Kit