jimbo486

I've got a pair of Dually D2 lights from Rigid Industries and I'm trying to find a good place to mount them. So far, I've come up with an idea to mount them behind the upper grill inserts, just inward of the headlights, for a subtle, "looks like they belong there but didn't notice them" install. The inserts would need some very minor modifications if I go that route. Although it's hard to tell where exactly they would need the modifications but I suppose it would only be a matter of mounting the lights, putting the grill in place and marking the inserts. Luckily, I have spare inserts that I could practice on. However, the vertical positioning is the only obstacle I've run into so far. If I'm able to do so, I can place the light with one of the horizontal bars of the grill insert directly between the 2 rows of lights. Although, since the bars are angled slightly, I don't know if it would affect the lights output at all. You'll see what I'm trying to describe in the attached pictures.

The only other way I can think to make them work there would be to cut out one or two of the horizontal bars and let them protrude through the insert a bit.

The other location that had cross my mind was to maybe build a small, subtle light bar that would have mounts that are bolted to the bumper brackets and come up from behind the bumper and put the lights just above and on top of the bumper. I don't know that I'd particularly want the lights to be exposed that much though but it's just another option.

Any thoughts or pictures of light mounting options?

enafzige

Those are great lights!!! I like the idea of upper grill area beside the main headlights. It looks like there's room beside the intercooler?

--Eric

jimbo486

There's definitely just enough room. I'm pretty limited on movement fore and aft though but that's why the notching of the inserts would be needed. Very little though. I may end up just cutting out a section of the top horizontal bar in each insert enough so that the lights can protrude just a bit. I doubt it would weaken the rest of it as it's close to the ends and a vertical support.

93flatbed

I say big over engineered heavy front bumper with those inlayed in it. I don't think I like the idea of them being in the grill, but throw them up there and take a picture, what I have in my mind to what it will look like makes it look ugly.

Are those legal there in cali to run on the street?

jimbo486

Don't really care to tell you the truth . But they'll certainly do the trick for those tools who don't know what the blue dummy light is in their gauge cluster .

I'll see if I can get a picture holding one of them up in that location. Maybe even a quick Photoshop rendering. I'd like having them up at the level so the light can potentially project further and not just light up the surface of the highway or road I'm on.

sooty

if they dont work for you behind the grill, disc cut the bumper, i think they would look good either way, have you done the headlight mod, coupling the high and low beams? and no, the only thing legal in this state is pot

jimbo486

I haven't done the headlight relay mod. I am, however, thinking of using the high beam circuit as a trigger for these lights. IIRC, the paperwork says that both lights together only draw 15amps. Does anybody know if that would be too high of an additional load for the headlight switch? I've contemplated just removing the terminal from the headlight plug and dedicating the high beam circuit to these lights and having them as high beams.

bigjohn92

mount the lights in the bumper.. trim out the bumper just enough to fit the light threw. you can mount them inside or outside the frame. flush mount them. just my thoughts.

i would just tap into the high beam circuit. when you hit the highbeams the fogs r on too.

John

jimbo486

All I'd need to do is figure out how they've got the harness wired in order to know which wires to hook to the high beam circuit. They're using a SPST lighted rocker switch with 3 - 3/16" male spade terminals wired to the relay. Trying to understand the way it works using the wiring diagram below; The light is lit whether the switch is "on" or "off." Two wires for power (+) and a ground (-). Being that I plan to use the high beam circuit as a trigger, I would only need to use one of the two power wires and isolate/tape off the other, correct?

Not much of a wiring diagram provided with Rigid's kit other than how to plug everything together. Being a plug and play kit, they figure you'll use what they send you. I'm just not a fan of the lighted rocker switch. The picture below is the identical switch which can be found at Super Bright LEDs as well as the wiring diagram supplied also by Super Bright LEDs.




If and/or when I change things up in the future, I'd probably end up doing something with some switches from these guys... OTRATTW

bannerd

I like this option the best, maybe put a nice grill on them to protect the lights from debris.

enafzige

Our headlight switches are marginal at best, and prone to premature failure. You don't want to put another 15 amp load on them.

Use the headlight switch as a trigger for a relay, and all will be fine.

--Eric

jimbo486

In other words, dedicate the high beam circuit for the Rigid lights alone rather than both the high beams and Rigid lights together, right?

Actually, the 15 amp number came from the paperwork stating which size fuse to use for either a single or pair of lights. 10amp for single, 15amp for a pair. The lights actually only draw 1.9amps each. And I believe the wiring through the switch is the trigger, if I'm not mistaken. I'll probably just call Rigid and ask them how to go about eliminating the switch and find out which of the 2 power wires to use.

EDIT: Got it! So the switch wiring consists of 3 colored wires, red, black and blue. Because it's a lighted switch, constant 12v (+) power for the light is being robbed from the 12v (+) input to the relay. So... Black being the ground (-), ties into the ground through the relay. Red, (+) ties into the 12v positive (+) to the relay for powering the light. Blue, relay trigger! I can isolate the red and black wires.

Jim Lane

Jimbo,
For your information and others, a single H6054SS SilverStar headlamp draws:

Low Beam *4.96-amps each 10.0-amps pair
High Beam *6.0-amps each 12.0-amps pair

* these figures will vary with age of lamp and temperature of lamp
These figures are for the total load on your headlight switch.


In you factory front end wiring the:
Low Beam is 16-gauge wire
High Beam is 14-gauge wire
Ground is ONLY 20-gauge wire

And this feeding both headlamps
They are both protected by an internal thermal circuit breaker inside the headlight switch and fed by a fuse link.

Not sure how many amps the circuit breaker is rated for but by their design current generates constant heat upon a bimetallic strip until they draw enough (hot enough) they open and break the circuit.

This is constantly breaking down the switch and wiring until they fail.

This is why headlights perform so poorly and always benefit from using relays with proper sized wiring.

I would use the headlamp circuit to trigger a separate relay for your LED's and control them using a center off SPDT switch to have automatic or manual control over them

What are the new lights listed as Fog Lights, Driving Lights, Passing Lights, Axillary Lights?

The California Motor Vehicle Code has a specific way they must be connected and operated.

I know with all of the dummies with the 10,000.000 cp blue HID's in you eyes these days nobody seems to care anymore but I like to keep mine within the law.

I used to get stopped and harassed all the time by CHP for my bright lights but knowing the correct terminology and what to say I never got a ticket.

All that being said, just control then with a relay, keep the beam at the proper distance so they do not cause unnecessary oncoming glare and you will be fine.

I had Par-46 500-watt tungsten aircraft landing lamps lamps on my Mustang that would draw about 40-amps each.



On the switch in the above diagram:
#1= (+) 12-volts.
#2= switched (+) 12-volts to lights or Term. #86 on relay, Term #85 to chassis ground.
#3= chassis ground.

Hope this helps.

Jim

jimbo486

These lights are designated as driving lights. My headlight switch is fairly new if that means anything. I replaced it with a new switch from Napa not too long after taking possession of the truck in early 2008.

So in your opinion, Mr. Lane, am I better off dedicating the high beam circuit to the driving lights alone or would the headlight switch handle the additional load of both high beams and driving lights? I figure the latter of the 2 options would work out better if I were to relay the headlights and lighten the load on the switch. Being that I haven't had the chance to relay the lights, the better choice, for now, would be to dedicate the high beam circuit to the driving lights. And as part of the information you supplied, I do have SilverStars lighting my path.

jimbo486

Here's where I ended up today. Wiring will be taken care of tomorrow morning. Not bad at all if I might say so myself! Also, Jim, I forgot to mention that these lights are wired through a relay. I just caught the section of your post with your suggestion on wiring.