LED Bar In Bumper Air Scoop

[GZ123]

I picked up a cheap Harbor Freight LED bar that fits exactly in the opening in the bumper that scoops air onto the small radiators in front of the main radiator. I believe these are for tranny and oil?? I have a 1997 XLT 4X4 4.6L W.

In the photo below, you can see that the bar blocks pretty much the entire flow area. Has anyone else mounted an LED bar here and if so, have you had issues with overheating? I live in a cool coastal area, but in the summer trips inland to the river can be in the 90s. I'd also like to take this on a surf trip to Baja sometime down the line, and that climate is what concerns me most. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I don't think you'll have heat issues with the entire front grill open. However, a light bar mounted at that height is going to be less effective than if it were mounted higher. FWIW, on my '11, I mounted it behind the grill using thread steel rods attached from above.

 

[GZ123]

ManUp,

Behind the grille is my plan B. I agree with you that higher will result in a better beam spread. How did going through the grille affect the light output? The grille on my truck has about an inch of depth within that plastic grid and I'm worried it'll block the flood lights (the last right and left 4 LEDs on this bar are flood while the rest in the center are spot on this bar). I've even considered using a dremel to cut out a space in the plastic grill to recess it into. That idea is a bit more of a project than I'm motivated for right now though, and I think it could turn out looking pretty garbage if I don't get the cuts spot on.

 

[hammerg26]

I picked up a cheap Harbor Freight LED bar that fits exactly in the opening in the bumper that scoops air onto the small radiators in front of the main radiator. I believe these are for tranny and oil?? I have a 1997 XLT 4X4 4.6L W.

In the photo below, you can see that the bar blocks pretty much the entire flow area. Has anyone else mounted an LED bar here and if so, have you had issues with overheating? I live in a cool coastal area, but in the summer trips inland to the river can be in the 90s. I'd also like to take this on a surf trip to Baja sometime down the line, and that climate is what concerns me most. Thanks in advance for any advice!
View attachment 39573

Which headlights are those?
Hard to install?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[GZ123]

Hammer,

I can't find the exact pair I bought, but hop on Amazon and search "Ford Lightning Headlight" The aren't a Ford part, but they work just fine and were super easy to install. You simply pop out your existing housing in the same way you'd do to swap out your bulb, but rather than removing the bulb from the housing, disconnect the electrical clip and take both out. You then pop in the new housings in reverse order. Do the passenger side first, there is more clearance to see what is going on and figure out the process. When you take out your old housing, match up the thread lengths on the three posts on your new housing so you can start from a close-ish match to aim the new ones. The whole process took me about 40 minutes. I think the pair is about $50 and even came with bulbs (not good ones, but a free spare is a free spare).


EDIT: Found them:

https://www.amazon.com/Headlight-19...r+and+Driver+Side&qid=1609732034&sr=8-61&th=1

 

[Yupster Dog]

@josephime trying to scam people? You just a lowlife scum of the earth.

 

[GZ123]

Probably just a bot. I already reported the post as spam, so hopefully moderator/admin will delete the account.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

ManUp,

Behind the grille is my plan B. I agree with you that higher will result in a better beam spread. How did going through the grille affect the light output? The grille on my truck has about an inch of depth within that plastic grid and I'm worried it'll block the flood lights (the last right and left 4 LEDs on this bar are flood while the rest in the center are spot on this bar). I've even considered using a dremel to cut out a space in the plastic grill to recess it into. That idea is a bit more of a project than I'm motivated for right now though, and I think it could turn out looking pretty garbage if I don't get the cuts spot on.

The grill on the '11 is a lot more open, but my light bar is set in there pretty bar back with no noticeable impact on light output. I used a single row light bar, about 30" L. I just attached 2 steel threaded rods right through stock holes in the plastic cover at the front of the engine and secured them with bolts. Then I drilled 2 holes in a piece of straight steel and mounted it to the rods. Light bar is mounted to that straight piece of steel. The threaded rods have the added bonus of allowing you to easily raise/lower the light bar to find a preferred height.

Here's the bar installed: https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-the-expy-today.15732/page-472#post-387148

And here it is illuminated: https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-the-expy-today.15732/page-472#post-387215

 

[GZ123]

That looks gooood. Nice work. I can tell that the '11 has a ton more space back there. That opening in the grille is letting the beam from your bar do its thing.

 

[doodlebugs-93]

I have a 30 inch led light bar mounted to my luggage rack, it's firmly mounted on the front roof rack cross-over section with the factory brackets I'm pleased with how it looks and how well it performs ( when I need to use it from time to time )

 

[GZ123]

Doodle,

I think that's the best option in terms of getting the best use out of the bar. I frequently have surfboards/a kayak up there, so I can't use that space :/

Just out of curiosity, how did you wire up the power and control? Did you port through the roof, or follow along the windshield, under the hood then through the firewall? Your rig looks cleaaaaan! I dig the blacked out grille.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I think that's the best option in terms of getting the best use out of the bar. I frequently have surfboards/a kayak up there, so I can't use that space :/

That depends on what your primary need is for the light bar. A roof mount will give you a good view of objects down the road, but it will be less effective than a grill mount for objects directly in front of or off to the side of the vehicle.

 

[Stepcajun]

I inset mine in the grill, wasn't very hard and it shines great.

 

[GZ123]

Stepcajun, I think that's my favorite look so far. When you say you inset it, is it behind the grille or did you cut the grille and place it flush?

 

[Stepcajun]

Yep, I cut out the grill dividers where I needed to,
Check out my profile page, I think there are a few better pics, I also got the front lights and cut them into the bumper and wired them to the bar. A curved one would be bad ass but mine was a gift

 

[Logan97]

Can anyone tell me where they ran the cable through to get the switch into the cab? I have an 07 expedition and was messing with it for like 2 hours trying to find a place to run the wire through. Greatly appreciate any answers.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Can anyone tell me where they ran the cable through to get the switch into the cab? I have an 07 expedition and was messing with it for like 2 hours trying to find a place to run the wire through. Greatly appreciate any answers.

I ran it through the firewall on the driver's side in my '11. I removed all the factory tape around the wiring harness where it enters the rubber grommet. Then I wrapped a cable tie around the wires I wanted to pull through and another cable tie through that cable tie so I could poke it through the grommet and pull it through.

 

[Logan97]

Where's the rubber grommet? I see a few spots but when I try to get through them it stops

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Where's the rubber grommet? I see a few spots but when I try to get through them it stops

You can cut the inside of that rubber piece a bit to give you some room. Just be careful not to cut any wires. It's a very tight squeeze, but a cable tie has enough rigidity and flexibility to get through.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Where's the rubber grommet? I see a few spots but when I try to get through them it stops

Driver's side, all the way in the corner of the engine compartment.


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