Guys,

I'm considering mounting driving lights directly onto my stock bumper. Don't know which kind but i'll decide later.

For those of you who have done it, how are they holding up? Any rust and or fatigue on the bumper metal itself? And in regards to the installation, did you have to completely remove the bumper?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks,
Bob

 

Personally I would not. Do you really need more light? I don't when I 4Wheel at night and you can't use them because you'll blind the guy in front of you. Assumeing you go wheeling in groups.


Get some of those Silverstar bulbs, I did and I'm done.

 

hmmmmmmmmmmm....

Bob

 

They're good for road trips, if you're out in Nevada at 1am. Not going to blind anyone then. I drilled my bumper to hold two of the bolts for my tube bumper, and I only have a little surface rust on the bumper. Nothing serious, and could probably be buffed out. I installed the bumper last August.

 

Plays with Toys,

Yeah, iits the rust part thats bothering me. I'm sure theres some chemical sealant you can spray on once you cut the holes but I'm not sure of this. And also, how long would it last? I live in So Cal so its not a major issue but I dont want anything rusting on my baby.

Bob

 

Ooooooh, SoCal, no fun. My dad's 72 Chevelle had some serious chrome goodies on it when we rebuilt his engine. Within 3 months everything was oxidized and rusting.

WD-40 is supposed to protect against rust. Maybe there are some rubber plugs you could put on to seal against water?

Is there a reason you don't want brush guard? The safari bars look real sharp on SUVs, and they have mounts for lights.

 

Plays,

I did have a Manik but sold it to Mertztr. Didn't like how it looked or the extra weight.

I think an occassional spray of WD40 and a rubber grommet would do the trick. Thanks for the advice!

Bob

 

Here you go, Bob-
Check these out:
Close encounter
I'll be updating that page in the next week or so. I relocated the 520s and the duals with the installation of my TJM.

 

WD40 isn't really good for rust in the long term, it just evaporates. The WD stands for water displacing and that's really it's specialty, getting rid of water.

I'd say, try clear nail polish to seal any exposed metal. The absolute best thing is POR15, but that is a paint so I don't know how good it would look.

 

What about a silicone of some sort... that would last longer than WD40 by a long shot.

 

Bob,
I was in the same boat as you before I bought the "toyota-hella" lights. I was thinking of installing the Hella 500's (i think that's the model number) and drilling into my bumper. But I just don't like the thought of drilling.

If you decide to install your "toyota-hella" driving lights, you cut the plastic trim by your license plate, and it uses the existing holes.

 

Yea, you could say I've drilled into the bumper...



I did the two outer holes over a year ago, and the two inner holes a few weeks ago. No rust, no fatigue, nothing. I did use dome generic silicone sealant from Lowes around the exposed edges. I gooped it on nice and thick, let it dry, the used a utility knife to cut away the excess. I just had to be careful putting the mounting bolt for the light in the hole... not to scrape off any of the silicone. No problems to this point.

The hardest part for me (by far) was trying to find the actual spot to drill the hole. Making sure the holes were the same distance from the sides of the bumper (equally spaced, centered) and the same distance from the grille was difficult. I got it, not exact, but close enough for me.

I used a 1/2" DeWalt drill bit with a pilot tip. Basically it's a drill bit with a point on the tip... the point keeps the bit from fading before the hole has a chance to develop. The outter 2 holes I used a corded drill for, the inner 2 I used my 18V Dewalt drill, no problems either way.

I did it all with the bumper on. Because my Hella 4000s are so deep, I had to remove the grille to install the lights though.

One tip... once you get to installing the lights... use about 16" worth of extensions on your socket wrench... that way you don't have to feed the ratchet up behind your bumper, and you're not hitting the handle on the radiator, bumper, etc. Makes life much easier.

 

Sounds like silicone is the way to go.

Jackson, that runner looks awesome! How much did the 4000's set you back?

 

About $260 for the set.

 

Jackson,

That's exactly the advice I was looking for. THANKS!

Bob

 

see this thread...

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...threadid=13039

not hard at all. I installed them in about 1.5 hours yesterday afternoon including all drilling, mounting, wiring, and locating the switch. i got the hella 500's off ebay for about $57 including shipping. i got the clear covers locally for another $21 including tax. that way, i'll never have to worry about a cracked lens from a rock chip...

best of luck... make sure to use silicone when you mount them. i spaced mine 8" on each side of the center of the grill emblem, 2" back towards the grill from front edge of the top plastic bumper cover. that position had the best asthetic appeal for me since i was only going to install 2 lights.

 

Bama,

Thanks for digging up the thread. Much appreciated.

Bob

 

That's the idea.

 

You still get good airflow through the grill to the radiator? just wondering.

 

Keiser,
I was wondering the same thing about Jackson' truck. How in god's name does is that radiator still functional?

Matt