Mounting aux lights to stock bumper

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
I bought some genuine LR round aux lights and want to mount them to the front of my D1. Ordinarily I wouldn't hesitate to drill through my stock bumper, but I have the less common LSE with bling chrome bumpers. Before I get the drill out I thought I would check if anyone knows of an approach to mounting lights that doesn't molest the bumper. Like a subframe that attaches behind the bumper. There is the a-bar option but I can't find one locally. If anyone has one for sale I'd consider buying it. Or maybe a factory brush bar - I know those are useless for anything other than, well, brush, but that's ok for my needs. Ideas welcome.
 

KngTgr

Well-known member
May 20, 2005
1,321
14
Fairfax, VA
How did you solve this? I put a new TF bumper on my 98, and am looking into lighting solutions, so far all I have found a light bar that looks like these:

4793-stc50243_lamp_bar_discovery_2_black_o_e__part.jpg


TF008.jpg


2tMDrfw.jpg
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
I mounted Hella 500's to my stock D1 front bumper. There is a gap beneath the central plastic cover and the actual steel bumper beneath. I used washers to bridge the gap.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
I ended up getting a factory brush guard to mount my aux lamps on. It was a trade for some beer, so a good deal for an effective solution. Interesting idea about the washers, I may do that for my RRC. The stock lighting on that truck is feeble, so I'd like to have some extra visibility for night driving off highway.
 

KngTgr

Well-known member
May 20, 2005
1,321
14
Fairfax, VA
Since I have your attention here, opinions please

Hella LR Safari 5000 (currently own, like the the size)
Hella 500 fog (has fog beam, great price)
Hella 700FF (I like the size, good price, but no fog beam pattern)
Hella 1000ff (great size, a little more expensive, no fog beam pattern)
 

jim-00-4.6

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2005
2,037
6
61
Genesee, CO USA
Since I have your attention here, opinions please

Hella LR Safari 5000 (currently own, like the the size)
Hella 500 fog (has fog beam, great price)
Hella 700FF (I like the size, good price, but no fog beam pattern)
Hella 1000ff (great size, a little more expensive, no fog beam pattern)
I had a pair of 500 fog lens between a pair of 500 driving lens.
wide and long.
that's what she said, anyways.
 

KngTgr

Well-known member
May 20, 2005
1,321
14
Fairfax, VA
In Virginia, you can have a max of two aux lights, and they must be at the same or lower height as the headlights, roof rack lights must be covered at all times
 

KngTgr

Well-known member
May 20, 2005
1,321
14
Fairfax, VA
The TF bumper "extends" about 3/4" from the grill, there is no way to attach any lights directly to it, nor the bars pictured above, suggestions please?
 

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,163
62
Raleigh, NC
The TF bumper "extends" about 3/4" from the grill, there is no way to attach any lights directly to it, nor the bars pictured above, suggestions please?


Wouldnt be that hard to make a bracekt that extends out past the bumper just enough to clear, but I dont think that would be the best looking solution.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
There was a rare edition of the RRC grill that had insets for aux lamps. This is the only picture of it I could find in a quick search:

attachment.php


If you wanted to riff on that idea you might modify your grill to allow the aux lamps to sit partially recessed and at least flush with the front of the bumper, if not set back slightly. I agree that having the lights sit forward of the bumper would look odd, plus it exposes them to damage the bumper is designed to protect against.
 

KngTgr

Well-known member
May 20, 2005
1,321
14
Fairfax, VA
Wouldnt be that hard to make a bracekt that extends out past the bumper just enough to clear, but I dont think that would be the best looking solution.

That was my first thought, and the reason I didn't do it immediately, I just checked, and the 500, 700, and 5000 have a semi flat back, so they would fit, all other lights would need the bracket and protrude too much