Disclaimer - Please note I only recommend professionals undertake any work on vehicles. Spdkilz.com is not liable for any damage or harm that may come from the use of instructions given in the following how-to section(s).

 

. : List of Materials Needed : .
(1).  Rhino Ramps	(2).  Jack and Stands
(3).  Some 2 x 4 Wood	(4).  Your choice of Neon
(5).  (30) Feet of 18 Gauge Wire	(6).  Electrical Tape
(7).  Ring Terminal for Wire	(8).  (1) 5 Amp+ Switch
(9).  (1) Inline Fuse Holder	(10).  (1) 5 Amp Fuse
(11).  Torque Wrench (19mm Socket)	(12).  7 and 10mm Sockets
(13).  Drill	(14).  1" Drill Bit
(15).  1/8" Drill Bit	(16).  Zip Ties

 

(click on pictures for larger versions)

 

(1).  First, you start out by carefully lining up the Rhino Ramps with your car's tires.  If you only use the Rhino Ramps, part of the front air dam will rub against them.  In order to overcome this you can place a section of 2 x 4 in front of the Rhino Ramps (Though I have heard it does not hurt the front air dams if driven up using only the Rhino Ramps.
(2).  Next, you jack up the right side of the vehicle accordingly (if you need more help, please look in your owners manual).  With this done, get your Torque Wrench (not necessary, however it is helpful) and use a 19mm socket (or a 3/4") and remove the wheel.  Place the wheel where it is out of the way.
(3).  Next we need to take off the dark piece of plastic from the drivers side wheel well.  There are five 7mm screws holding it in place shown in the picture.  Not shown, are three other 7mm screws holding it in (located under the car...you can't miss them).
(4).  With this done, there is one more panel we need off.  This is held on by two 7mm screws.  Once the two screws are taken out you have the piece you need.
(5).  This shows the neon and transformer mounted.  I used a 8" Plasma Glow neon.  It is not the brightest, and I will be upgrading shortly (I have since upgraded to Street Glow 9" Mini's).  However, you can see I drilled seven holes: two by each end of the neon, two in the center, and one to the right of the transformer.  This allows zip ties to hold the neon and transformer in place (and the wires can pass through the plastic).  Do this same exact procedure for the passenger side vent.  [update] I redid the mounting of the neon.  You could see it too much from the outside.  I have since remounted it to the right side of the car by the opening of the vent (if looking at the right side of the car in the front).  I will try to get a picture next time I am home from college (I just remembered to update this today, 9-23-03).  As ghetto as it sounds, I only used duct tape to affix the neon to the side of the car, but it went all summer like that and has held fast and I never had a problem.
(6).  Now we will start wiring everything up.  In order to get the wires through the firewall we have two options: go through the firewall by the battery (where a rubber grommet is) or drill our own hole.  Seeing as I will be adding a stereo system soon, I opted for the second choice.  In order to do this, we must first take off the dead pedal.  There are two bolts holding it on, that require a 10mm socket.
(7).  With the plastic piece off, we now have access to the firewall.  You can see where exactly to drill the hole.  I used the 1" drill bit again, because I will be having numerous wires coming through there (strobes, system, neon's, etc).
(8).  Here you can see the wires coming through the firewall.  Now all you need to do is route the wires from the neon's to the interior of the car.
(9).  I grounded the negative neon wires to the chassis of the car where some wires were already being grounded.  Thus, I only had the power wire to worry about.  I ran the power wire up under the drivers side dash, and drilled a hole for my switch (it shows two switches, because the other is for my police strobes).
(10).  After installing the switch, I ran the wire through the middle between the driver and passenger seats (see picture 13).  In this picture it shows the floor mat removed and you can see the fake panel.  Pull down slightly from the top and lift it out.  It is held on by two Velcro squares (up top) and has small hinges on the bottom (don't break them!)
(11).  This is a shot of under the passenger side dash.  Sorry the picture is blurry.  Anyway, there are two plastic fasteners holding the above piece in place.  Pop them out and be sure not to yank to hard; the light is still connected.
(12).  To gain access to the rubber grommet (which allows us to go through the firewall to the battery) it is easiest to take off the kick panel on the bottom of the door also.
(13).  This picture shows the 12 gauge power wire coming through from the drivers side.
(14).  Wow, so many wires!  Be EXTREMELY careful not to accidentally cut any of these wires!  Now, in order to get the wire through the firewall, we will need to poke a hole in the black grommet.  I did so using a pen (I didn't want to use something sharp for fear of cutting wires).  Then I fed the wire through into the engine compartment.
(15).  Here is a picture showing the battery.  You will need to remove the bolt holding it on (will get size of it tomorrow).  Unscrew the positive and negative terminals using a 10mm socket.  Lift the battery out and the other side of the rubber grommet will be in plain view (sorry I did not take a picture of this).  After the battery is removed, take the 12 gauge wire and attach the inline fuse to it, then put on a ring terminal to the other end of the inline fuse.  Connect to the positive terminal and you are done!  (be sure not to have the fuse in when you are attaching it.  Only after it is attached and you have checked your wiring thoroughly should you then test the neon's out).  Now put everything back together, enjoy your new neon and wait for everyone to flock to your car!
Final Word -      Hopefully everything worked out for you.  I know I did not provide perfect instructions and that a few steps were overlooked.  I apologize for the inconvenience, however, there is one last thing I want to go over.  When routing the wires from your neon's to the interior I used numerous zip ties.  I attached the wires to the frame of the car and away from anything remotely hot or moving.  This took a while to do, but the wiring is very secure and nothing will every sever any of the connections.  Remember, an electrical install is only as good as the wiring!  So please, take care in your wiring!  I don't want anyone's Corvette burning to the ground because of bad connections!                                                                                                                      Carleton Wesley Yoder

 

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