Alright, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into – making my car look like it has cat eyes. Sounds a bit silly, I know, but I saw some designs online and thought, “Hey, I could probably do that.”
Getting Started – The Idea Phase
So, the idea was simple: make the front of my car have these glowing, cat-eye-shaped lights. Not the main headlights, but something extra, maybe around them or subtly integrated. I wasn’t looking for anything too crazy, just a cool, unique look, especially at dusk or night.
First thing I did was grab a notepad and sketch out some rough ideas. Where would they fit? How big should they be? What kind of glow? I decided I wanted a sharp, slightly angled look, mimicking how a cat’s eyes narrow.
Gathering the Bits and Pieces
Next up, figuring out what I needed. I knew LEDs were the way to go. I went for some flexible LED strips – the kind you can cut. I specifically looked for ones that had a good diffuser option or were designed to give a smooth line of light, not just dots. Didn’t want it looking cheap.
Here’s roughly what I rounded up:
- Flexible LED strips (waterproof ones, just in case)
- Some thin plastic sheets for shaping and diffusion
- Wire, connectors, heat shrink tubing
- A simple 12V switch
- Basic tools: soldering iron, wire strippers, cutters, heat gun, multimeter
I decided against anything too complex like controllers or animations for this first try. Just on/off. Keep it simple, stupid, right?
Bench Testing – Making Sure It Works
Before touching the car, I laid everything out on my workbench. I cut the LED strips to the rough shape I wanted. This was trickier than I thought; getting that specific cat-eye curve with a straight LED strip took some careful bending and shaping of the backing I planned to mount them on. I used some thin plastic, cutting it into the desired shape, then carefully stuck the LED strip along the edge.
Then, I hooked them up to a 12V power supply I have for testing. Just simple wiring: positive to positive, negative to negative, through the switch. Flipped the switch, and bam! They lit up. Phew. I played around with the plastic diffuser material over them until I got the soft glow I was aiming for. Looked pretty decent on the bench.
Moving to the Car – The Real Challenge
Okay, now the slightly nerve-wracking part: fitting them onto the car. I popped the hood and spent a good while just looking, figuring out the best spot. Ended up deciding to mount them discreetly along the bottom edge of the headlight assembly. It seemed like there was just enough space.
Getting power was next. I decided to tap into the parking light circuit. This way, the cat eyes would only come on when the parking lights (or headlights) were on. Seemed logical and safer than wiring them completely independently with a switch I might forget. Found the right wire using my multimeter (checking voltage when the parking lights were on/off), carefully tapped into it using a proper connector (no sketchy wire twisting!), and ran a fused wire for the positive side. Grounding was easy – just found a good chassis ground point nearby.
Mounting the LED assemblies took some fiddling. I used strong, weatherproof double-sided tape and some small, strategically placed zip ties for extra security. Running the wires neatly and making sure they wouldn’t rub against anything sharp or get too hot took some time. Lots of tucking wires into existing looms where possible.
The Final Result and Test
After getting everything connected and secured, I triple-checked all my wiring. Didn’t want any shorts! Then, the moment of truth. I turned on the parking lights. Success! Both sides lit up with that cool, cat-eye glow I envisioned. It wasn’t overpowering, just a subtle, distinctive look.
I waited until it got darker to really see the effect. Yeah, it looked pretty cool. Gave the car a bit of personality without being obnoxious. It’s been a few weeks now, they’ve held up through rain and car washes. No issues so far.
It was a fun little weekend project. Took some patience, especially the wiring and mounting, but wasn’t overly complicated. Just needed to take it slow and be careful. Definitely satisfying to see an idea turn into something real on my own car.
