Sidemarker DIY

[ErichPryde]

SIDEMARKER DIY:
This Sidemarker install was performed on a 2006 Honda Civic Si (coupe) that has the HFP aero kit.

Things you will need:

• Sidemarkers (EP3 (clear), DC5 (amber), FD2 (clear), S2000 (Amber or clear) will all work, If you use something other than DC5/EP3 markers, you'll have to make your own template. Really, any sidemarker will work, but I've seen these on various cars, and they look good. )
  *note: ordering the sidemarkers with the wiring harness is optional. If you want to make your OWN wiring harness, here's a DIY on making one. D.I.Y Sidemarker Harness. Otherwise, you WILL need to order the wiring harness with your sidemarkers.
  
• Sidemarker template from a Honda/Acura DC5 (downloadable here)
  
• Another person to act as another set of eyes and make sure you don’t screw up (make sure they have good depth perception and are good at judging how level things are. Another person is not a necessity, but it helps a LOT)
  
• Masking/painter’s tape
  
• Measuring tape (if you can find it, a cloth measuring tape will get you the most accurate measurements. I couldn’t find mine so I made do with the regular metal.)
  
• A dremel tool with circular cutting heads
  
• Protective eyewear
  
• Pen/pencil
  
• Wire strippers
  
• Pliers
  
• Electrical tape
  
• Automotive primer
  
• Touch-up paint
  
• Silicone sealant (optional)
  
• 12’ of Wire (I used 16 gauge speaker wire- 12’ is more than you need, which is why I recommend that much)
  
• 8 wiretaps/tap splices (buy more unless you know what you are doing, I destroyed several while wiring the first marker
• A couple zip-ties or some duct tape (optional)

Start by cutting the center area of the template out. To my knowledge there isn’t a template made for the FG chassis, so we’ll have to make do with this one.

Mask off the fender area where you are going to cut. If you have a 2006 Si coupe, there isn’t anything behind the area I used. I would assume that the 2007/2008 coupes also will have nothing back there, but you never know. If you’re unsure, peel back the fender lining enough to check.


Run a long piece of tape straight back from the turn signal until it touches the door. Then, from the side mirror “accent” line, run a piece of tape straight down. Where those two pieces of tape intersect is essentially where you want your marker. Although there is no one “right” place on the FG because there is no incarnation of it with sidemarkers, this approximate location is the one used by pretty much everyone who has sidemarkers (on this site).
Tape your sidemarker template to your fender, checking it seventeen or more times to make sure that it is level and where you want it. Once you have determined this, use your pen/pencil to shade in the area inside the template and remove it.



(sorry for the quality of the pictures, I was doing this at night in my garage. But you get the idea)
The measurements that I used WERE:
From the edge of the door to the back of the hole I was going to cut: 1 9/16”

From the bottom of my cut to the top area of my HFP aero side: 10 15/16”

please keep in mind that your aero sideskirts may not be even to one another, so double-check everything a couple times. if you don't have the aerokit you obviously can't use this measurement... find another stationary point on your car to measure from.

From the front of the cut to the back of the turn signal: APPROXIMATELY 24 3/4”

You can use these measurements, but as long as your sidemarkers are measured out to be the same as one another, it won’t be a huge deal if you don’t use them.

Now that you’ve masked both sides, you’re ready to start cutting….




TIPS AND REMINDERS FOR DREMEL TOOL USE:
Please take a moment to read through these, especially if you are inexperienced with the use of dremel tools.
Wear protective eyewear. I can’t stress how important this is-When you are cutting into your fender, the dremel will eject plenty of sparks and pieces of metal. From time to time, a dremel head may self-destruct, and that could hit you in the face as well. You do NOT want that stuff in your eyes!
When cutting, move the dremel in slow and precise motions. Remember that it is spinning at speeds upwards of 35,000 RPM and a quick motion could cause damage where you don’t want it. Also, if you aren’t precise, the dremel can “catch” and drag itself across your paint. NOT something you want.
Finally, please remember to check your cutting head periodically, as they wear down. Trying to cut with a tiny and worn down head doesn’t work very well for a myriad of reasons and can cause you to accidentally damage your car because of clearance problems. Remember that you are about to make permanent cuts into your fender, and you want to do the best job that you can.

Infinite0216 took the time to videotape the cutting part of this installation. He is very cautious and demonstrates how to use a dremel tool properly. If you have never used a dremel tool, his video might give you some insight you can use. His video is very long, but if you think watching even part of it will help you out, feel free! Props to him for taking the time to video tape this.

YouTube - DIY Sidemarkers (Cutting) 06+ Civic - Part 1
YouTube - DIY Sidemarkers (Cutting) 06+ Civic - Part 2


With all of that being said, we’re ready to go!


Begin cutting the shaded area of your template out using your dremel w/circular cutting attachment. Move in precise movements and cut in a clockwise fashion (left moving right) whenever possible. Make the initial cut a square, and then make the necessary small cuts to complete the diagram.

(thanks to Tracy, my lovely wife, for holding the flashlight and being my second set of eyes. there were several instances when she saw something that I didn't, and it saved me a lot of grief!)
see all of those sparks flying? Eyewear is a must.
Once you have all of the cutting done, test fit the sidemarker. if it doesn't go in, examine it from several angles to determine what part of your cut you will need to widen. you don't want to cut too much. To push the sidemarker back out again, you'll need to get a hand inside the fenderwell and squeeze the clip while pushing.

here's a test-fit on my dirty car...

PAINT:
After you've got all of your cutting done, you'll want to do your primer and touch-up paint on the exposed metal of the cut area so that it doesn't rust. wait ten minutes or so between coats of primer and paint- I recommend two layers of each. be careful not to get paint on your finish!

IF you decide to use a silicone sealant like I did, you will have to wait for the paint to dry completely, because otherwise the sealant will take it right back off.



jack up your car, remove the wheel, and start popping all of the plugs out of the fender lining so you can get in there! Honda conveniently mounted my HFP sides over some of the clips, so I had to make do with pulling the fender lining down and fighting with it. I could have removed the HFP sides, but I would have had to get 3M tape, which I didn't have on hand...

Now it's time for the wiring. the first thing you might want to do is move the rubber grommet/plug about half an inch to an inch further away from the light bulb. this will leave enough slack in the line so that when you put the grommet into the chassis there will be enough play that you can put the bulb into the sidemarker (and take it out again) without it being too tight.



cut the wiring harness plug-in at the tip of the sidemarker wires off. take off the electrical tape holding the two wires together, and then use a wire splice to connect one sidemarker wire to one end of the wire you intend to run to the front headlights. I was using speaker wire which had one "copper" wire and one "silver" wire, and to keep it simple for myself I decided to wire the copper wire to the black wire on my sidemarker.

use your pliers and apply some pressure to your wire splice to make sure it made a complete connection. I did the passenger sidemarker first, and had to hunt through every splice to find out why it wasn't working. In fact, you might want to use your wire strippers to take a cm or so of insulation off of the speaker wire...
use some electrical tape for added protection.

amazingly enough, honda provided us with a hole in the frame for our grommet. I'm sure it's simply because honda just happens to cut holes in their frames for various reasons, but our grommet will fit.

if you look straight up inside the wheel well, you'll see it.
using the speaker wire, make an approximate measure from that hole to the front turn signal, then cut your wire to length.

plug your bulb into the sidemarker, and then route the wires through the large
hole and down out through the smaller hole. it's actually pretty easy, but if you can't get it immediately pliers will come in handy. push your grommet in and wiggle it around a bit to make sure it's nicely plugged.


take your turn signal out of its socket.

It’s time to determine how you want to wire your sidemarkers. You have three options-
1) The sidemarkers will flash in time with the turn signals only
2) The sidemarkers will be on with the parking lamps only
3) The sidemarkers will be on with the parking lamps, and when you turn on the signals they will alternate (wig-wag) with the signals (IF THE PARKING LAMPS ARE ON. if the parking lamps are off they signal like option 1).

I originally chose option 1, but Nguyen, who posts on the Wichita Kansas chat and BS thread suggested the last path. I tried it today, and it works!

Your turn signal bulb has three wires- a red wire for the parking lamp, a black wire that is the ground, and finally a BLUE (left/driver’s side) or BROWN (right/passenger’s side) wire that is for the turn signal.

If you want option 1, wire your power wire from the sidemarker to the blue or brown wire and your sidemarker ground wire to the ground on the turn signal.

If you want option 2, wire your power wire from the sidemarker to the red wire and your sidemarker ground wire to the ground on the turn signal.

If you want option 3, wire your power wire from the sidemarker to the turn signal to the blue or brown wire and your sidemarker ground wire to the red wire.

I’m guessing this works because the circuit is still “grounded” via the ground at the turn signal, but I’m not a genius when it comes to electrical.

Make your decision and wire it up!

Here’s a shot of the passenger side:


I wanted turn signals, so I spliced into the turn signal wire.

after I took this picture, I wrapped those connections in electrical tape for good measure, and then replugged the bulb.

before you put your fender well back together, put your key in the ignition and give your turn signal a try (or hit the emergency flasher button). If it doesn't work, start hunting through your connections. hopefully you got everything right. If you did, feel free to find somewhere to zip-tie the excess wire to, or tape it somewhere clean on your frame. Put everything back together, repeat on the other side, and you're done!

hopefully you enjoyed yourself- I did, even though there were freaky moments and frustrating moments.
now it's time to enjoy the fruits of all that labor:

[bizzybearfigiblue]

very nice good info...

[Rayray84]

great job im doing this in the spring

[06NaviEX]

Nice job. I really like the FA and FGs with the side markers.

Thanks for posting up a DIY!

+rep

[jocasti]

Great contribution to the site! I plan on doing this as soon as the holidays are over and will definetly use this DIY for reference. Thanks!

[ErichPryde]

I hope it helps! for some reason now I can't edit my original post, and I had something to add, so I'll add it here. remember the measurments listed on the template INSIDE of the area that you cut out. those numbers (2.25" left-right) and .925" (up-down) are pretty much what the hole should match up to. if you're having any problems with the sidemarker fitting, double check with those numbers.

[jdmcoupe]

Originally Posted by Rayray84

great job im doing this in the spring

[brdhouse]

great stuff here. +1

[CrackThatTec45]

damn nice job. Rep WELL deserved. Kudos to you

i looooooooooooove mine and Im so glad i took the plunge & did them

[06sichik]

great write up! ill be using this when i do mine soon

[CrackThatTec45]

Originally Posted by ErichPryde

for some reason now I can't edit my original post, and I had something to add,

cant edit posts in DIY, a MOD must do it for you

[Zeuceone]

Always cut less from the fender then cut to exact fit by making the hole a little bigger each time. Cuz if you cut to much you will have a loose sidemarker and a trashed fender.

[chugiboi]

nice.

[07mugencivic]

Originally Posted by bizzybearfigiblue

very nice good info...

[Ruthless909]

Good Stuff!

[ErichPryde]

Originally Posted by Zeuceone

Always cut less from the fender then cut to exact fit by making the hole a little bigger each time. Cuz if you cut to much you will have a loose sidemarker and a trashed fender.

this is 100% a fact! always undercut!

[ErichPryde]

actually, I'm shocked I didn't say essentially that word for word in my DIY, because I was certainly thinking it.

[Duce2k]

Great DIY...

[7002iSciviC]

+1 for you erick looks really good and seeing it in person makes it 10x better my next mod will be a fog light i might ask your hand for it

[Phalanx]

Originally Posted by Forum Gods

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to ErichPryde again.