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light bars

blazin_blazer

blazin_blazer

1/2 ton status
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guys i just bought a 1989 ford f150 4x4..its 300 i6/5 speed..i kinda like the old truck but i want to put some lights on a light bar but havent found what i want yet,,,i want 1 that bolts to gutters on cab..i was hoping that someone could point me in the right direction
 
You can get lots of gutter mounts for Jeeps, though you'd need to make a wider bar for your truck. Ideally you can just do it yourself... a welder is as necessary for old trucks as, say, a 9/16" wrench. (At least on Chebbies. I donno Fords.)

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=301093

EDIT: Beaten to my own petard, or hoisted by my own punch, or something :haha: Thank you meanboyjr :D

Anyway, for actual light put out for visibility, those LED bars are the shiznit. Plus they're so small you can stick 'em on a bumper or brushguard and be done. But for sheer "The 1980's called; they want their styling back", however, the old-school roof-mount bar can't be beat.

If you're not into DIY, Carr makes gutter-mount bars; their web catalog seems to think that #210341 will fit your truck.

http://www.carr.com/light-bars.html

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Light_Bars-sf-Fixed_Light_Bar-pt-Gutter_Mount.aspx

Random Googling for "gutter mount light bar" will find you other options, including

http://www.rockratz.com/olb.html#

I suspect their 80-96 Bronco unit might fit your truck.

Disclaimer: this is just stuff I found whilst Googling. I've never seen them in person, your mileage may vary, blah blah.

-- A
 
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Damn i cant remember th brand of tge light bar that came on my blazer when i bought it. I wanna say steel horse but not sure.... Pics of it on the first page of my build thread. It bolted to my gutters and could be adjusted wider or shorter so im sure it was a universal type fit. Not my cup o tea really.
 
:D

2010-11-28165337.jpg
 
I have the 20 in rigid industries light bar and all I can say is it throws a lot of light. It's the combo so it has a decent spot and I cannot complain about the flood light. Easily shows you 200+ yards down the road and wide enough to cover 3-4 traffic lanes . I could not out drive the light but then again it was on my tired samurai so 60MPH was max:haha: now I'm building a K5 and am looking fwd to using it on that:woot:
 
n4xplay said:
I have the 20 in rigid industries light bar and all I can say is it throws a lot of light. It's the combo so it has a decent spot and I cannot complain about the flood light. Easily shows you 200+ yards down the road and wide enough to cover 3-4 traffic lanes . I could not out drive the light but then again it was on my tired samurai so 60MPH was max:haha: now I'm building a K5 and am looking fwd to using it on that:woot:
Click to expand...

Rigids are awesome... a pic of that setup is required
 
What ever you decide to do, mount it as far back as you can. The light on the hood is distracting. Next time I am doing led's in the grill.

I made mine adjustable with the flick of a switch. I can point them at the roof so I don't get ticketed, run them just in front of the truck in dust or way out in front for high speeds at night.
 
ktmoutfront said:
What ever you decide to do, mount it as far back as you can. The light on the hood is distracting. Next time I am doing led's in the grill.

I made mine adjustable with the flick of a switch. I can point them at the roof so I don't get ticketed, run them just in front of the truck in dust or way out in front for high speeds at night.
Click to expand...


How did you make them adjustable???
 
I thought I had pictures, cant find them.

This is as close as I can get. Mine was made semi permanent. I used to run it really hard in the dessert. But i have never had a branch break it in the forest either.

Link to the actuator. http://www.jegs.com/i/Electric-Life/366/98008/10002/-1?parentProductId=755591

This shows the mount. 1.5" DOM with a plate welded on the inside end. Nut welded into light bar lower cross bar. 1/2" allen head bolt.
IMG_0164.jpg


Basic actuator set up. Use a momentary on double rocker switch to control it. Can adjust it on the fly.
DSC_0012.jpg
 
I've not messed with linear actuators myself, but you can get decent deals on them from the creatively named Surplus Center. Kert @ DIY4X turned us onto them, they have all kinds of electromechanical stuff as closeouts, generally cheaper than McMaster or the like.

-- A
 
Want the light bar back as far as I could get it. Don't like mounting stuff to different assemblies on a vehicle. So I stayed on the cab.

The actuator I show is made by the company in the US. Water tight with auto stops.
 
When you let the switch up, it stops. But it auto stops at its limits. Has been flawless for 7 years. I even took it appart to clean it a while back. Nothing wrong and clean. I just put it back together.

They were originally designed for hoods and deck lids on hot rods. First one I saw was polished.
 
ktmoutfront said:
When you let the switch up, it stops. But it auto stops at its limits. Has been flawless for 7 years. I even took it appart to clean it a while back. Nothing wrong and clean. I just put it back together.

They were originally designed for hoods and deck lids on hot rods. First one I saw was polished.
Click to expand...

That is slick. :bow:

-- A
 
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