Lights and lighing?

[zuren]

I wanted to revisit this topic. I now have a pair of PIAA 510 fog lights sitting on my work bench and need to figure out how I'm going to mount them. I think my 3 options are a DIY "offroad" bumper from the existing unit, a light bar similar to SheepShagger or mount straight into the top.

What are everyone's opinions?:

Option 1 - Use a hole saw to create openings in my factory bumper? I've heard mixed reviews from friends. The pics above show my options, either next to the license plate or near the ends. The areas "X"-ed out have mounting or reinforcements that I have to avoid. The areas behind the 4 blank areas are wide open.
The holes would be 5" diameter. I would need to use some creativity to get the lights anchored but it looks doable to have them line up and adjust appropriately. This option would turn the bumper into swiss cheese but a painted Chevy work van bumper ranges from $100 to $400 (new) at the salvage yard so it wouldn't be terribly expensive to revert back to original.

Option 2 - Light bar similar to SheepShagger. Less damaging holes to the bumper but I'm not sure if something for a Chevy Silverado would fit an Express van.

Option 3 - Surface mount to the top of the bumper. They would be out in the open (potential damage, theft) but this would be the easiest option.

Ultimately I would want 2 driving lights in addition to these 2 fogs.

The ultimate goal would be something similar to this, or have the fogs outboard with driving lights mounted higher on the bumper surface near the middle:

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Sheep Shagger]

Just my personal preference,

#3, mounting to bumper would be last option, I've never had good luck with that in the passed. Only one car that worked for, Ford RS Mexico, but that had them stock in that position for rallying, I just upgraded them.
#2, is very hard, looking at your bumper it's curved, so cutting a hole and making a light fit nicely is simply not going to happen without fiberglass / plastic bonding, unless you want the light to light up the shrubs on the side of the road. I looked into this, and found some curved lens foglights from a Expedition were my best option, but decided not to go through the hassle in the end.

But, your mesh grill under the bow-tie logo looks to be a prime spot. How about just mounting them behind that, or cutting holes in that for an exact fit of the light? It looks to be nice and flat, not curved.

 

[ujoint]

That PIAA lower valance is a nice unit, too bad they don't make them any more.

I vote to cut holes in the stock bumper. You'll still need to make a mount for the light, but it will be a slick look.

 

[ujoint]

And.... I recently installed an LED light bar from Rigid Industries. Really nice, available in many sizes, and really bright!

 

[shovelbill]

lighting tech has come a long way in the past 18 years, but this is what i ran and it work for me. Hella 220's and KC Daylighters. i also had Cibie E codes too. the KC's weren't used as much as i thought they would be. i am going to use another Unity, that i used a lot.

 

[zuren]

Just my personal preference,

#3, mounting to bumper would be last option, I've never had good luck with that in the passed. Only one car that worked for, Ford RS Mexico, but that had them stock in that position for rallying, I just upgraded them.
#2, is very hard, looking at your bumper it's curved, so cutting a hole and making a light fit nicely is simply not going to happen without fiberglass / plastic bonding, unless you want the light to light up the shrubs on the side of the road. I looked into this, and found some curved lens foglights from a Expedition were my best option, but decided not to go through the hassle in the end.

But, your mesh grill under the bow-tie logo looks to be a prime spot. How about just mounting them behind that, or cutting holes in that for an exact fit of the light? It looks to be nice and flat, not curved.

Did you mean that #1 would be very hard? I agree that knocking 5" holes in the face of the bumper would definitely involve the most work. I laid on my back for an hour the other night looking at how it could work. The potential spots next to the license plate are pretty flat and there are already holes on the bottom lip that could be used with a mount. The spots at the ends of the bumper would definitely be a challenge with all the angles.

I emailed Offroad Warehouse a while ago but never got a response. I'll probably need to call them if I want to pursue the baja/light bar route. But I still like the idea of being enclosed behind something.

Behind the grill could be an option. I haven't thought of it until you mentioned it. Is the lighbar Ujoint posted behind the grill on his Ford?

 

[Sheep Shagger]

Did you mean that #1 would be very hard? I agree that knocking 5" holes in the face of the bumper would definitely involve the most work. I laid on my back for an hour the other night looking at how it could work. The potential spots next to the license plate are pretty flat and there are already holes on the bottom lip that could be used with a mount. The spots at the ends of the bumper would definitely be a challenge with all the angles.

I emailed Offroad Warehouse a while ago but never got a response. I'll probably need to call them if I want to pursue the baja/light bar route. But I still like the idea of being enclosed behind something.

Behind the grill could be an option. I haven't thought of it until you mentioned it. Is the lighbar Ujoint posted behind the grill on his Ford?

No, cutting holes in the bumper is easy, also getting a nice finish to the cut is also easy. The points marked with tape in your picture look like they are angled towards to side of the road and not directly infront. So you will have a light that doesn't fit in the face without a nasty looking gap, because the mounting face is angled away and the light needs to face forward. One way around that would be to recess the light back by 1" or so, and mount it in a tube or something. But mating the tube to the bumper will be an issue.
Many aftermarket bumpers do this, due to the same issue. Here is a pic from Aluminess web site, you can see the light face is at a different angle to the bumper face, so it's recessed.

I don't think UJoint light is mounted behind the grill, but I have seen this done a number of times and it looks very neat.

BTW, here is a pic of the LED driving lights I have mounted. Small and very powerful, make a huge difference for road driving and have a cutoff / eclipse beam so not to blind oncoming traffic.

 

[zuren]

Okay, now I see what you're saying. I agree that the angled portions at each end of the bumper would make the project difficult. The center section would be far easier; angles are more square and there is a flatter surface on the backside of the bumper for mounting.

My buddy thinks I should do both while adding driving lights, knock holes in the bumper for the fogs AND see if I can get a light bar. The fogs would be low and recessed and the driving lights on the light bar like yours.

 

[Sheep Shagger]

I think that's a good idea. Also since fog and driving lights don't throw the light as far out in-front of you as spot lights do. The angle they are mounted at becomes less of an issue.

 

[zuren]

It's been a while but I have an update. In the end I went with the Baja Eliminator light bar from Offroad Warehouse, model 1025HD for a 2003 Silverado 1500/2500.

The attachment points of the bar interfered will the mounting plates on the back side of the bumper so the whole thing had to be removed. The plates had to be removed to be notched for the top attachments and the bottom bolts for the light bar had to be installed while they were off. The top plastic bumper cap had to be drilled to allow the arms of the bar to drop in. I gave all the exposed metal I created a couple coats of Rustoleum to prevent rust (all of which is hidden on the back side).

Bumper removed and 1 mounting plate removed

Semi-final product -

- PIAA 510 fog lights currently mounted (will be moved farther out or into the bumper at some point)
- PIAA 520 driving lights ordered

My only question now is what is the best way to get through the firewall? I could drill a new hole, install a rubber grommet, then seal with silicone. Or there is a large rubber grommet that all of the main wires pass through that I could slit then seal. The biggest issue is that I'm using the pre-fabbed PIAA wiring harness that has a connector on it already. Any hole has to be big enough to let it pass through.

Thanks!

 

[Jalapeno]

HI Sheepshagger, I like the light bar. It appears to only cover through 2002's. What year is your van? Mine is an 06, I just called over there and they weren't much help.
Thanks,

Jalapeno

 

[loren85022]

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Wow, $8.43 and free shipping if you belong to their Prime program.:ylsmoke: smoking deal!

 

[xped]

I used tractor lights from tractor supply for back up lights and they work great. I mounted them to the roof of my van and put them on a relay which is controled by the reverse lights and a switch at the rear door.

In front I have a set of 100w offroad lights and a set of Hella driving lights on a relay controled by the high beams. I find this alot better than having a separate switch as they kick of with the high beams preventing blinding oncoming drivers.

The key to any lighting is use a 30amp relay and a dedicated circuit. Switch the relay instead of running the load thru the switch.

 

[Sheep Shagger]

HI Sheepshagger, I like the light bar. It appears to only cover through 2002's. What year is your van? Mine is an 06, I just called over there and they weren't much help.
Thanks,

Jalapeno

Mine is 06. The Ford bumpers didn't change for X years, I can't remember now, but something like 1995 to 2008

 

[Pooch72]

so.... I pretty much don't do anything small. So, when I designed a lighting system for my truck, I went big.

The setup: (8) individual 150w, 6" off road lights, wired in pairs to toggle switches in the glove box.

Problem is... they are a SERIOUS strain on the electrical system. Turning on one pair, no problem. Second pair will drop my voltage from almost 14, to less than 12. Third pair will drop it to around 10. It's nuts. I've never even tried all 4 with the engine running. (I'm a big chicken)

the reason for this design was so it could all be removable. My truck lives in a garage, and with the light bar, it's too tall to fit under the garage door. The lights simply unplug from the bed floor and the bar comes off with 2 bolts.

However, I know this doesn't work for you and your van, but hopefully it gives you some ideas!?

Good luck!