Roof Cross Bar Lighting add on DIY

[Derf]

For many reasons, I found myself needing more light. I often have to park the vehicle along the road, 4 way hazards were not enough, having blinking lights up high was a priority. Not wanting to spend a fortune on an assembly, used the stock roof bar and added lights. The most challenging part was drilling the hole on the roof for wiring. With a moon roof, the area to drill holes is hard to inspect for wiring, metal tabs, support structures, rails, etc. The other big challenge was drilling the holes straight into the leading edge of the roof bar, if you are off just a bit, your lights will cast high or low, worse than an out of adjustment headlight. Routing the wires to the dash and tapping power from an open 12v accessory fuse block was straightforward. This project lends itself to many possibilities rally lights, 4th brake light, roof mounted turn signals (think Pontiac Trans Sport, at the time had those way high rear light assemblies)

Blinking lights:
4 Watt Vehicle Mini Strobe Lighthead Part Number: P-STRB-x4W I left off the decorative trim and rubber backing to keep the installation looking clean.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... head/1348/

Combo Spot/Flood center light:
TUFF STUFF PERFORMANCE 6" SINGLE ROW LED LIGHT BAR- FLOOD BEAM- 18W- 1,080 LUMEN
Got mine on eBay, appears to be a generic model sold under several names. I chose this one because the mount had a larger range of motion, so I could lay it down flat against the car when not in use and it is short so it does not stick up above the roof bar. This model is plenty bright for what I needed, but they make one with twice the light.

RAM mount:
Used the RAM RAM-B-108U-BIT1 V Strap Rail & Yoke Mount base. Basically a V mount base with hose clamp. Its not the most exact fit, but it wraps around the roof bar, allows you to add or remove the center light. Other option would be to use a plain mount and screw the base to the top of the roof bar.
http://www.rammount.com/CatalogResults/ ... fault.aspx

Trailer plug:
Hopkins 47895 5 Wire Flat Set (48" Vehicle End, 18" Trailer End)
http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.com/p ... t_set.html
You can use custom color code. I used, White=Ground, Brown=12v emergency light, Yellow=Flasher Sync, Green= Spare, Blue=Flood light

Video of the assembly:
http://youtu.be/0xKkamasw1g

vibe_roof_bar_light.jpg (14.12 KiB) Viewed 1745 times

[KITT222]

Another great video and write-up! Very professional. I like it! I have a little set up to mount lights to my plate mount. It isn't THAT sturdy, but as long as I don't mount an elephant I should be fine. The plate is grounded, and I have a power lead hiding in my lower grille for if/when I put the lights on. But that LED light looks like what I'm interested in.... Since I upgraded to projector HID headlamps, the highbeams have suffered a little, and a good pencil-beam and/or driving light would be nice. How far does that LED light throw its beam?

[Derf]

Played with the light. The mounting location seemed to make a huge difference. Being on the roof, with a tilt arm, it will illuminate further than the headlights. The light has a flood effect so it fills the area with light, but does not have the hot spots like headlights focusing on the road. Testing on a wooded lane, it definitely fills the sides of the road where all the deer and antelope play. Again, not as bright as the headlights, but a nice fill to see what is going on.

[thebarber]

nice vid

lol'd at ruff rack