drock2

I've wanted to put a few more lights on my truck. I like the look of having them up near the windshield but I couldn't really find a decent way to mount them. Drilling into the a-pillar or cutting up the hood cowl was out of the question. I figured it was important to be able to easily remove them to avoid damage on the trails. So here’s what I got…

Hella 500 Driving Light Kit
2 Firestik SSF4 antenna mounts from Walcott CB


The brackets will be attached to the bottom of the mirror using new hardware


This is what I'm going for


I'll be posting some pics of the finished product soon

corax

Good idea that'd work good for the 1st gens with "remote mount" rear view mirrors too

are you mounting them onto metal or plastic?

drock2

That part of the mirror is metal. I'll have to use some washers or rubber grommets between the mirror and bracket so the lights sit level.

91Toyota

Why would you choose Hella 500's? No offense, but they don't seem that bright. (yes, I have them!)

drock2

Well there cheap...I guess you get what you pay for. I think I've read about people moding them (bulb setup), maybe something to do if I really think they suck.

abecedarian

I get what you're going at... but if you're gonna drill into the mirror housing, why not drill in from the bottom and mount the lights below the mirror... and then angle them towards the sides a bit for that 'cornering light' effect? I say that 'cause where you're looking at putting them, you're gonna get a shadow cast by the hood no matter what so why have glare off the hood? My headlight conversion kit lights up what's in front of me fairly well: what I have problems with seeing is what's off to the sides.
Just a thought.

drock2

I plan on drilling new holes in the antenna bracket that line up with the screws holding the mirror in place. Then I'll buy some longer screws or bolts with the same thread. I'll be able to swivel the lights around when mounted so I could have them pointed out a little.

frodin1

Their going to vibrate with those brackets. You need to look at the Jeep windshiled mounts and the baja bugs how they have them mounted up there. Way more beefy and no vibrations. If you don't care about it then do it, but i'm a little anal about that kind of stuff. I made brackets out of 1.5" metal strapping with small gussets. They work great, but then again you'll have to drill into your body with that kind of setup. The Hella 500's are good driving lights but with that being said, I'd keep em' up front. If you mount anything that far from the front of your vehicle, it should be a KC, or any 100-130watt long range offroad light. One main reason is not your not just lighting up your fenders and hood. If all else fails remember. Do it. Then if you don't like it, change it till it's right for you!

drock2

UPDATE

After some drilling and filing I was able to get one light mounted. I used aluminum collars to level the bracket. It’s really sturdy, I'll be surprised if it wobbles.

aviator

Looks good rock. You may want to pry off the plastic cover inside and add an oversize washer to each of the three mirror mount screws since the screws right now sit in a plastic ring to provide vibration isolation and will not be strong enough to provide long term reliability due to the extra weight/wind resistance/vibration.
You might also want to consider switching the 500s out for those smaller Micro series lights you'll get the benefit of the up high lights with a much smaller profile and lower weight.

JuJew

Great idea and good beginning to an evolution of a popular mod!

Elton

you have the stock 55w bulbs in them ? and what size wire did you use ?

scuba

YESS !!!
I wanna see both sides done, I've always loved that look

drock2

Here they are mounted up...not wired yet though.

scuba

Thats a clean install !! Ill have to do this when I get a new rig..

If you have a few more detailed pics of it then you should make a writeup..
Other then that rock on ...And keep on truckin man !!

aviator

Looks pretty good drock... I'd shorten the mounting bolt and use a cap nut or a nylok nut but that's just a fit and finish thing... are you going to drill a hole in the mirror mount and take the wires in with the door harness? Don't forget the mirror mount may be electrically isolated from the body so you may have to run two wires to the light if it is using the case as a ground...

FJHammerHead

iTrader: (1)

I think that looks great.

b.miller123

Looks good, but you need to turn that cover on the bumper mounted hella right side up

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

man... that looks wicked... do a writeup please!!

firemaniac

I think that is a great idea, I might be tempted to do that. One question, how is the clearance for opening the door? From a couple of the pic's they look like they will hit the fender at full swing of the door.

Again looks good!