Somewhere in the Darkness...
There are plenty of things I love about my 1994 Mitsubishi Delica L300, affectionately known as the Five Billion Star Hotel. (IG)
The location of the power window switches isn't one of them.
For reasons known only to Mitsubishi, the switches that operate the driver's and passenger's door windows are located in the center console. Not on the doors. Not somewhere conveniently within view.
Nope.
They're tucked away in what might very well be the darkest place known to man.
To make matters worse, the switches are black plastic, surrounded by more black plastic. During daylight hours, they're easy enough to locate. But at night? Good luck!
Sure, after owning the Delica for a while, I've gotten pretty good at finding them by feel. But wouldn't it be nice to actually see them?
As it turns out, another Delica owner had already come up with a solution.
But First, Another Little Modification...
Before getting into the lighting, there's another modification I made to these switches some time ago that's worth mentioning.
From the factory, Mitsubishi designed the power windows to operate only when the ignition key is turned on.
You don't have to start the engine, but you do have to turn the key.
The problem? Turning the key on also initiates the glow plugs' normal preheat cycle.
Think about that for a moment.
All I want to do is lower a window to let in a little fresh air, and the Delica decides it's time to warm up four diesel glow plugs!
That's a lot of electrical energy being used for something that has absolutely nothing to do with opening a window.
So, I changed it.
I removed the power window relay and bridged two of the relay socket terminals, allowing the window switches to receive power without requiring the ignition key.
Now I can raise or lower either window whenever I want.
No key. No unnecessary glow plug preheat cycle.
Just a little fresh air!
It's worth mentioning that this was a modification to my particular Delica's electrical system, not a recommendation to start randomly bridging relay terminals. The circuit needs to be properly identified, and any bypass must preserve appropriate protection for the window motors and wiring.
Of course, being able to operate the windows whenever I want is even more useful now that I've also installed sliding windows in the Five Billion Star Hotel.
But I digress...
Back to the darkness.
A Little Kit From a Fellow Delica Owner
While looking for a solution, I came across a product from Sharpshooter Industries, a business run by a fellow Delica owner.
It's called the L300 Window Switch Backlighting.
Exactly what I needed!
Rather than replacing the original switches or fabricating something from scratch, the kit adds illumination to the existing switch assembly.
I ordered one and got to work.
A Surprisingly Easy Installation
This turned out to be one of those rare Delica projects that was almost as simple as I'd hoped.
No major disassembly. No complicated fabrication. No spending half the afternoon wondering why I started the project in the first place.
Just a few basic supplies and a little patience.
A look behind the scenes! Two small green LEDs, a little wiring, and some careful positioning are all it takes to illuminate the Delica's otherwise invisible window switches. The Sharpshooter Industries kit makes this a surprisingly simple modification.
Here's a look at the underside of the switch panel after installing the lighting kit. As you can see, there's really not much to it. Two small green LEDs positioned above and below the switches provide the illumination, while the wiring is tucked around the back of the panel.
It's a pretty simple arrangement, but the finished result is a dramatic improvement over the original setup.
The installation involved drilling a couple of small holes, positioning the lighting components, and securing everything with a bit of super glue and silicone.
The final step was connecting the lights to the Delica's dashboard lighting circuit.
That last part was important to me. I wanted the new switch lighting to behave like the rest of the dashboard illumination rather than having another independently powered accessory.
A well-placed electrical tap took care of that.
And that was pretty much it.
Sometimes a modification really can be simple!
Let There Be Light!
The result is exactly what I was hoping for.
The formerly invisible black switches now have a bright green glow outlining them, making their location immediately obvious in the dark.
No more blindly reaching around the center console trying to find the correct switch.
No more wondering whether my finger is on the driver's window switch or the passenger's.
They're right there, glowing away!
What a difference a little light makes! The Sharpshooter Industries backlighting kit adds a green glow around the Delica's original power window switches, making them much easier to find at night.
And when you pull back and look at the entire center console, you can really appreciate why I wanted this modification.
The switches are buried well below the other controls, in an area that receives very little ambient light.
Now you can see why these switches needed a little help! They're tucked deep into the center console, surrounded by black plastic. The new backlighting makes their location obvious, even in the dark.
The green lighting also adds a nice little touch of character to the interior. It looks like something that belongs there rather than an obvious aftermarket addition.
Another Little Improvement to the Five Billion Star Hotel
This certainly isn't one of the biggest modifications I've made to the Delica.
It won't help me climb a rocky trail, cross a river, or find a campsite miles from civilization.
But it does make the vehicle a little more pleasant to use.
And sometimes those small improvements are the ones you appreciate most often.
Between modifying the window relay so I no longer need the ignition key and adding backlighting so I can actually find the switches at night, I've managed to eliminate two minor annoyances from everyday Delica life.
The best part? Neither modification required replacing the original window switches.
As for the Sharpshooter Industries kit, my initial impression is very positive. The installation was straightforward, and the finished result does exactly what I wanted it to do.
If anything noteworthy develops after living with it for a while, I'll come back and update this blog.
Until then, I can finally see what I'm doing when I want a little fresh air at night.
It's the little things!
This is just one of the many little improvements I've made to the Delica. You can explore more modifications and adventures on the Five Billion Star Hotel project page.
See you down the trail!
~ Faz 👋
