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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: jfrabat on April 27, 2009, 09:02:50 AM
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OK, guys, here's the deal... Up unti tis past weekend, I had a set of KC Slimlights foglights (with 55W Xenon bulbs) installed on the bumper (they are still there), and a set of 100W KC Daylighters installed on the windshield hinges, and I was really happy with how they all looked. LAst weekend, I decided that my Safari Snorkel has beensitting in the garage for WAAAAAYYY too long, so I started to get things prepared to install it.
This means moving some things around in the engine compartment (there will be another post about this, by the way!), as well as taking down the windshield hinge mounts, as in the case of a YJ, the snorkel kind of wraps around the windhield frame, so you cannot mount the snorkel withthe lightes mounted here. So, long story short, I ordered some hood hinge mounts from KC, but it makes the Jeep look REALLY odd (king of like an insect or a frog or something!). So, my question is, what other options are there?
Light bars and roof racks that connect to the windshield hinge are out because of the same reason the light mounts had to come down. Also, I am not so thrilled on light bars because the Jeep will be heading down to Central America to run trails in the tropics (which means LOTS of trees hitting the top of the Jeep), and I dont want to have the lights damaged as a result, but at this time, I am open to suggestions...
Let's start getting ideas on where to mount 2 driving lights other than the bumper then!
Thanks!
Felipe
PS: Pictures are even better!
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I used the A to Z bracket to mount my KC's, perfect location on mine as it puts them inside the "cow catcher"
http://www.atozfabrication.com/store/product.php?productid=16350&cat=269&page=1
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i33/jlafaive/DSC03071.jpg)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i33/jlafaive/DSC02857.jpg)
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Post a full frontal shot of your junk. Sounds kinda :ghey: but it would help get ideas.
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Here's what the Jeep looks like with the hood hinge mounts...
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/jfrabat/Jeep/DSC00495.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/jfrabat/Jeep/DSC00496.jpg)
Here's how it USED to look like...
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/jfrabat/Jeep/DSC02421-1.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/jfrabat/Jeep/DSC02420.jpg)
Felipe
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Here's what the Jeep looks like with the hood hinge mounts...
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/jfrabat/Jeep/DSC00495.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/jfrabat/Jeep/DSC00496.jpg)
Felipe
What's wrong with them here? Hard to open the hood?
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Not if you don't flip the hood all the way up. They're on the hood side so they should pivot up.
Wipers look to be in worse shape then before.
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Not if you don't flip the hood all the way up. They're on the hood side so they should pivot up.
Wipers look to be in worse shape then before.
My problem with the lights is how they look; I feel they look weird. They also block visibility when driving (it's not bad on the highway, but if you are approaching an obstacle, they would get in the way). I did like being able to open the hood all the way also to the top, which I cannot do anymore, but that I can live with... Now I am actually considering leaving them here...
Wipers are actually fine now; it's just that when I took the picture the motor had mechanically disconnected from the wipers, so I just pushed them down to get them out of the way while I took the time to fix them (they are already fixed).
Felipe
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My problem with the lights is how they look; I feel they look weird. They also block visibility when driving (it's not bad on the highway, but if you are approaching an obstacle, they would get in the way). I did like being able to open the hood all the way also to the top, which I cannot do anymore, but that I can live with... Now I am actually considering leaving them here...
Wipers are actually fine now; it's just that when I took the picture the motor had mechanically disconnected from the wipers, so I just pushed them down to get them out of the way while I took the time to fix them (they are already fixed).
Felipe
I'm not a fan of hood or windshield lights. They just look weird and aren't that practical over bumper mounted light. If you need more light then that then basket mounted roof lights would be my choice. I've seen some people mount their lights on the front fenders like how the old MB's did with the blackouts.
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I'm not a fan of hood or windshield lights. They just look weird and aren't that practical over bumper mounted light.
I actually liked the windshield mounted lights, and they actually worked perfectly, with no reflection on the hood (keep in mond that these lights are driving lights used only with high beams, so the are aimed pretty far off, meaning that the beam does not fall on the hood). But because of the snorkel, the mounts had to come off...
If you need more light then that then basket mounted roof lights would be my choice.
This was also my choice, but the problem is that basket mounted roof racks are ussually attached to the windshield frame, which the snorkel will not permit me to do (for me, snorkel is priority over the lights and the basket). I am also worried about height of the Jeep for tropical (as in full of large and small trees) trails...
I've seen some people mount their lights on the front fenders like how the old MB's did with the blackouts.
This I would like to see done; I have not seen it before, so I cannot imagine how they would look, but it sounds interesting...
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Do you go out shining deer or something? What's the purpose of all those lights?
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I've been toying with the idea of mounting a set of K.C.'s where the marker/turn signal lights are on the front of my T.J. fenders. A little cutting would be needed. And someone needs to create an emoticon with a chainsaw or sawzall just for us jeepers.
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Do you go out shining deer or something? What's the purpose of all those lights?
The fog lights are only 50W bulbs, and I used them for everyday drivin (the Jeep's lights arejust too weak). The Daylighters I use for back roads so that I can see further out than with the brights (both here in Miami and will also do so in Panama).
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Mount them on a hoop on the bumper problem solved, not in the way of trees and all the light you want
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Mount them on a hoop on the bumper problem solved, not in the way of trees and all the light you want
I will most probably buy this (http://www.shrockworks.com/Jeep-Winch-Bumper-TJ-YJ-Front-Rock-Hammer-Std-pr-16138.html) bumper:
(http://www.shrockworks.com/files/products/t_16138.jpg)
I plan to keep the fog lights here, so there is not much more space there for the winch and the other 2 lights; technically, I could mount them on top of the hoop, but that woul drestrict airflow to the radiator, and Panama weather is 90~110 year round (I want to avoid blocking the radiator as a result). So I just may end up keeping the hood hinge mounts. I am not thrilled with them, but they should work...
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id get a friend with a welder and fab up the windshield hinge brackets to work with the snorkel...
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id get a friend with a welder and fab up the windshield hinge brackets to work with the snorkel...
I am currently considering this option, but my worry is that it may be too far into the windhield, so it may vibrate and hit the windshield... Anyway, this is looks like the only real alternative to the current mounts, so I am looking into it...
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Drill two holes on bumper inside existing bumper lights./ Get a light bar hoop thing that mounts on the bumper. (Get the one that mounts outside of the bumper mounts.) Depends if your going to get a front hitch or new bumper or winch. I try to plan ahead. I have a Front hitch w/winch and a grand total of ten lights. Yea I need a new alternator to run them all. I have an Olympic light bar with four on top and had a shop weld two brackets where yours used to mount and they are actually pretty close to the center of the vehicle( maybe you could do the same and still be able to mount snorkel)