Illuminated pony Proof of concept.

[Murse-In-Airy]

So I just did a thing. (My wife says I can’t leave anything alone.)

Nowhere near complete but for a proof of concept, I believe it will work without the $700 GT pony emblem.
I ordered electro luminescent wire off Amazon and if I form it tightly around the pony emblem I should be able to route it behind the emblem and connect to the headlights.
If I can make that work, then when the headlights come on I’ll have an illuminated pony outline.
I’ll post again when I get it done.

Amazon link to EL wire.

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[GrumblesTheDog]

I have to say, I really look forward to your posts!

I wondered about using EL wire too for this exact purpose. Where are you going to stash the inverter/driver?

 

[jaycake]

So far it looks good, I'm looking forward to the finished product.

 

[DYohn]

Not my cup of tea but nice job finding a solution that looks like it will work.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

I have to say, I really look forward to your posts!

I wondered about using EL wire too for this exact purpose. Where are you going to stash the inverter/driver?

Wherever I tap the headlight. I’ll just tape the inverter to the harness there. I’ll have some spare EL run behind the nose cone but I won’t be visible.

 

[Davedough]

Interesting concept. I look forward to you revising it. Nice find with that wire, it looks like if you can get it to form around that pony tighter it'll look pretty good

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Interesting concept. I look forward to you revising it. Nice find with that wire, it looks like if you can get it to form around that pony tighter it'll look pretty good

That’s the next challenge. I think I can do it pretty well. Just going to take some patience trimming the rubber tab away where I need a sharp bend. Then finding the right method to affix it tightly to the emblem.

 

[mdolan92869]

That’s the next challenge. I think I can do it pretty well. Just going to take some patience trimming the rubber tab away where I need a sharp bend. Then finding the right method to affix it tightly to the emblem.

Not the same tape as the emblems on the doors!

 

[All Hat No Cattle]

I suspect that when the GT starts showing up there will be an aftermarket lighted emblem available for a lot less than $700.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154498468967?hash=item23f8d38c67:g:W94AAOSwzv9gzTs~

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=lighted+emblems&_sacat=0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313625985828?hash=item490590c324:g:bYkAAOSwkWZhCX~c

 

[dgipson]

So I just did a thing. (My wife says I can’t leave anything alone.)

Nowhere near complete but for a proof of concept, I believe it will work without the $700 GT pony emblem.
I ordered electro luminescent wire off Amazon and if I form it tightly around the pony emblem I should be able to route it behind the emblem and connect to the headlights.
If I can make that work, then when the headlights come on I’ll have an illuminated pony outline.
I’ll post again when I get it done.

Amazon link to EL wire.

Wondering if it would be better to replace the emblem with clear plexiglass cut in the shape of the pony with with nicely polished edges... drop an LED in the middle behind the plexi and then cover up the shape of the pony so it only shines out sideways.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Wondering if it would be better to replace the emblem with clear plexiglass cut in the shape of the pony with with nicely polished edges... drop an LED in the middle behind the plexi and then cover up the shape of the pony so it only shines out sideways.

I thought of that…. I’m just not that good with plexiglass. I could do vinyl over the top once cut, and even route a channel out of the edge to lay EL wire into. But cutting plexus isn’t something I have the tools or patience for.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Might have this finished tomorrow. Last week I was able to find the correct headlight wires and splice the inverter in.

Used the headlight harness from the left headlight. Reasonably easy to unplug and have access to, once you remove the funk tub. Blue and Grey wire for positive. Black and Green wire for negative.
Before I could get the wire secured to the emblem I had to travel a bit for work. Then family / father stuff cropped up. Finally got a little time yesterday to work a little more.

I used a dremel to cut one securing post off. Then ground a channel from where the post was to the edge of the emblem. This allows the emblem to lay flat in the recessed area or the “grill” while the wire runs out the back.

Next step was to get the wire tight to the edge of the emblem and get it to stay there. I tried some clear plastic gorilla tape that didn’t hold the EL wire tight into the corners. I tried gorilla glue which even after a 4 hour cure peeled right back off. So this morning I brought it to work, where I’ve got some time on my hands, and tried Super Glue.
(I didn’t want to use super glue in case it didn’t work. Ran the risk of discoloring the plastics with nothing to show for it, but that’s what it came down to. So knowing I might have to order a whole new emblem, I gambled and gave it a try.)

It appears super glue was the answer. Applying small areas at a time, cutting small bits of the securement tab to help it flex into the sharp angles, and pulling it tight with zip ties while it cured…I think I’ve got a winner.

When I get home from work tomorrow I’ll see how it turned out. So far, I’m pretty excited for my project.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

once you remove the funk tub

on a related note, "The Funk Tub" was the name of my jazz club. we bathed you with cool sounds.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Wondering if it would be better to replace the emblem with clear plexiglass cut in the shape of the pony with with nicely polished edges... drop an LED in the middle behind the plexi and then cover up the shape of the pony so it only shines out sideways.

Either laser-cut plexiglass or 3D printing could be a good option.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

After much effort… this project is on hold. Spent yesterday getting the wire tight to the emblem. Today the wire does NOT light up. I must have nicked one of the conductors as I was trimming. More on order. Please stay tuned.

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