Fix_Until_Broke
Top Post Dawg
The chinese E-Codes were a great improvement over my milk jug looking OEM headlights, but still lacking in the rural driving conditions where there isn't another light for miles around.
I saw this thread recently on driving lights and did a little research on the bar style LED lights.
I settled on a Rigid Industries 20" E-Series model with combination spot/flood pattern from Amazon.com - Expensive, but it appears to be a very welll built unit.
The next question was where to put it...? I liked the roof location, but without a roof rack it's really difficult to mount and run wires to, etc.
The light fits very well inside the valance opening just below the license plate, but is pretty low and ends up being the most forward thing on the car so very likely to get damaged by road debris and snow drifts, etc
Inside on the dash over top of the defrost vents is a very nice place, but covers the defrost vents and I would need to build a cowl so the reflection from the inside of the windshield does not blind me. Blocking the defrost was a deal breaker for that location.
Just outside the windshield on the back edge of the hood was another option, however it's a bit obnoxious there and would require drilling holes in the hood or some kind of clamp system to mount it.
I decided on the grille right between the two headlights. The spacing of the brackets was perfect (see pictures below), there was a good mounting location, it's a little less obnoxious and a bit protected, should project light right in line with the OEM headlights, etc.
I have not wired it up yet, but intend to wire it so that it comes on with the high beams and an enable switch - so both the enable switch and the high beams have to be on before the light turns on so I don't accidently turn it on while on the road and blind oncoming traffic.
It's VERY close to the hood, but still pivots more than enough for aiming. I'd like it to be about 1" lower so it's centered vertically in the opening, but I'd have to make new mounting brackets that the lights pivot on and this was just too easy.
The width is perfect for the location with the supplied mounting feet turned so they point to the inside
I cut a ~2" long piece of 1" x 3/16" flat steel and gave it a little bend to follow the contour of the bumper cover. Then I drilled/tapped a hole (1/4-20) for the bolt to hold the foot of the light so I wouldn't need a nut under it. Since the bolt is under the light, it needs to be bolted to the steel "adapter" tab first, then the mounting foot can be assembled to the light itself, then the whole assembly can be screwed to the car.
I drilled a hole in the back of the adapter tab and used the outer two T30 shoulder bolts that hold the bumper cover to the radiator support to hold the tabs down. I had to drill the hole to 7/16" so the shoulder would sit down through the steel tab. There's still full thread engagement into the radiator support piece.
This picture shows the mounting tab a little better
The wiring ran perfectly through the passage in the air inlet duct into the engine compartment right in front of the battery. No cutting required
I made a ghetto hood release for the time being - it's just welding wire - I'll do something nicer later when I finish the wiring.
More pictures later when I finish the wiring an can actually fire it up.
I saw this thread recently on driving lights and did a little research on the bar style LED lights.
I settled on a Rigid Industries 20" E-Series model with combination spot/flood pattern from Amazon.com - Expensive, but it appears to be a very welll built unit.
The next question was where to put it...? I liked the roof location, but without a roof rack it's really difficult to mount and run wires to, etc.
The light fits very well inside the valance opening just below the license plate, but is pretty low and ends up being the most forward thing on the car so very likely to get damaged by road debris and snow drifts, etc
Inside on the dash over top of the defrost vents is a very nice place, but covers the defrost vents and I would need to build a cowl so the reflection from the inside of the windshield does not blind me. Blocking the defrost was a deal breaker for that location.
Just outside the windshield on the back edge of the hood was another option, however it's a bit obnoxious there and would require drilling holes in the hood or some kind of clamp system to mount it.
I decided on the grille right between the two headlights. The spacing of the brackets was perfect (see pictures below), there was a good mounting location, it's a little less obnoxious and a bit protected, should project light right in line with the OEM headlights, etc.
I have not wired it up yet, but intend to wire it so that it comes on with the high beams and an enable switch - so both the enable switch and the high beams have to be on before the light turns on so I don't accidently turn it on while on the road and blind oncoming traffic.
It's VERY close to the hood, but still pivots more than enough for aiming. I'd like it to be about 1" lower so it's centered vertically in the opening, but I'd have to make new mounting brackets that the lights pivot on and this was just too easy.
The width is perfect for the location with the supplied mounting feet turned so they point to the inside
I cut a ~2" long piece of 1" x 3/16" flat steel and gave it a little bend to follow the contour of the bumper cover. Then I drilled/tapped a hole (1/4-20) for the bolt to hold the foot of the light so I wouldn't need a nut under it. Since the bolt is under the light, it needs to be bolted to the steel "adapter" tab first, then the mounting foot can be assembled to the light itself, then the whole assembly can be screwed to the car.
I drilled a hole in the back of the adapter tab and used the outer two T30 shoulder bolts that hold the bumper cover to the radiator support to hold the tabs down. I had to drill the hole to 7/16" so the shoulder would sit down through the steel tab. There's still full thread engagement into the radiator support piece.
This picture shows the mounting tab a little better
The wiring ran perfectly through the passage in the air inlet duct into the engine compartment right in front of the battery. No cutting required
I made a ghetto hood release for the time being - it's just welding wire - I'll do something nicer later when I finish the wiring.
More pictures later when I finish the wiring an can actually fire it up.