talkingcars
14-03-12, 09:12 PM
I've always felt the interior lighting in the ZS is poor, especially in the back. On the www.rover400-45.info forum some one fitted a Rover 800 interior light in their 45 so I thought I'd give it a go.
The first time I looked for the parts there was only one Rover 800 in the scrappy and someone had already kindly removed the light and left it on the passanger seat along with the badly bent metal surround but had removed the plug.
The second visit provided the light, surround and near vital surround. I also found a MGF mirror with the built in lights.
With the slow progress of the cruise control (I need several hours to wire up the ECUs) I needed a quick modifying fix so I fitted the MGF mirror and wired it up in Mrs TC's ZR on Sunday. Spurred on with how quickly I got this done and pleased with how effective it was I decided to make a start on the ZS.
I opened the boot of the MGF (where my sockets are hiding) I found I had another spare MGF mirror that I'd forgotten, no idea where it came from either!
On Sunday evening I solder the wires for the R800 light and MGF mirror togeather and on Monday lunch time soldered them into the loom in the car.
I was too late home on Monday night to do anything and yesterday lunchtime I had an appointment so in the growing gloom last night I bolted the main light back in.
I had a heart stopping moment when I was doing up the bolt that connects the main light to earth when I touched the bulb and they stopped working, fuse was ok and locking still worked (the main light goes through the alarm ECU). After a few minutes it started working so no idea what happened, however the scangauge and therfore the OBD2 memory had cleared.
It was too dark to cut out the hole in the roof lining so I did that this lunch time, fitted the surround and fitted the R800 light.
I've just been out in the dark to try it all, the effect is great, the dash is lit from the mirror lights and the rear is lit nicely, and the reading lights on the R800 light are in just the right place to throw light on the driver or passangers lap, perfect for map reading.
One of the nice things with the R800 light is that it is the same colour as the standard fitting so it doesn't look out of place.
The first time I looked for the parts there was only one Rover 800 in the scrappy and someone had already kindly removed the light and left it on the passanger seat along with the badly bent metal surround but had removed the plug.
The second visit provided the light, surround and near vital surround. I also found a MGF mirror with the built in lights.
With the slow progress of the cruise control (I need several hours to wire up the ECUs) I needed a quick modifying fix so I fitted the MGF mirror and wired it up in Mrs TC's ZR on Sunday. Spurred on with how quickly I got this done and pleased with how effective it was I decided to make a start on the ZS.
I opened the boot of the MGF (where my sockets are hiding) I found I had another spare MGF mirror that I'd forgotten, no idea where it came from either!
On Sunday evening I solder the wires for the R800 light and MGF mirror togeather and on Monday lunch time soldered them into the loom in the car.
I was too late home on Monday night to do anything and yesterday lunchtime I had an appointment so in the growing gloom last night I bolted the main light back in.
I had a heart stopping moment when I was doing up the bolt that connects the main light to earth when I touched the bulb and they stopped working, fuse was ok and locking still worked (the main light goes through the alarm ECU). After a few minutes it started working so no idea what happened, however the scangauge and therfore the OBD2 memory had cleared.
It was too dark to cut out the hole in the roof lining so I did that this lunch time, fitted the surround and fitted the R800 light.
I've just been out in the dark to try it all, the effect is great, the dash is lit from the mirror lights and the rear is lit nicely, and the reading lights on the R800 light are in just the right place to throw light on the driver or passangers lap, perfect for map reading.
One of the nice things with the R800 light is that it is the same colour as the standard fitting so it doesn't look out of place.