Hey guys,

I'm looking to install a light bar on my truck. I'm probably going to do a 30" in the grill and I've seen exactly how I want to do it unless someone can steer me away from it. I want to remove the top grill bar on my 2011 xlt and use the steel bars behind the grill as a mount.

My questions:

What is the best way to cut that bar out without messing up my chrome and keeping a semi stock look?

Would anyone push me to do a 20" in place of the license plate and getting the license plate mount that is used on the ecoboost?

I'm doing this project on a semi budget so I don't want to spend a fortune on a mount but I wouldn't be against fabricating something if anyone as pictures of what they've done.

 

To keep from destroying my grill, I'd prefer it be in the lower bumper opening. Not sure how to visualize having it offset on the side like the EB license plate, but I think that would look really weird unless you had two.

 

I'm thinking about doing something like this.

http://www.f150forum.com/attachments...3878850490.jpg

But I'm leaning towards this so I don't have to cut my grill apart. Body work scares me.

http://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/at...-light-bar.jpg

I have the 5.0 not an ecoboost so I'm thinking I would remove my license plate frame and replace it with the ecoboost type.

 

Okay, I just misunderstood you. Grill is exactly what I thought and the bottom option is what I was suggesting. I'd do the second one, just because you only get one shot at cutting that grill up.

 

So after debating with my roommates and checking out my options a little further I'm getting a 20" light, now to the next challenge. Where can I find Just the drivers side license plate bracket? I can find the combination pairs but I would much rather buy just one side rather than both. Ford, Amazon, and ebay (at my last check) Only have the sets for between $50 and $65.

Does anyone have ideas for relocation besides this? I'm going to be driving 200 to 300 miles on logging roads a week so I don't want anything hanging low where I could be ripped off.

 

Personally, I would just get 4 screws and drill the plate into the existing little build in the bumper on one side. Then maybe switch to a real holder if you find one. You won't be able to tell that it's held on by screws once it's on there.

I think the 20" is a good choice.

 

OP - yer doing it wrong.

The lower mounting is for looks, as it sacrifices performance.

If yer truly using the unit to light up logging roads and not just looking fer 'bling', the physics of lighting dictates as high a mounting point as possible to (1) reduce backscatter, (2) increase range (3) increase acuity by reducing high-contrast shadowing and (4) increasing depth-of-field by increasing the angle between incidence and reflection. There are more, but they tend to be arcane

Ideally on top of a bed-mounted lightbar would be, well .... ideal. But top-grill height is certainly better than down low.

My secondary vote is for a 30"er in the grill, IF yer just dyin' to sport a lightbar to impress yer buds. And simply cuttng a grill is not 'bodywork', lol. And get the best bar you can afford - most a cheap plastic chinglish overrated crap.

Seriously Good units: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/off-road-lighting.html

Note there is No plastic, and they ain't cheap.

The bonus here is the in-grill solution looks far more elegant than the 'tacked-on'redneck / ghey mounting idea in the lower opening. Everyone does that, lol. So - beauty AND functionality, rather than suboptimal fudgepackery.

Note as well, that there isn't a lightbar in existence with the reach, width and uniformity of four to six or so quality (not that KC garbage) large circular 100w+ halogen offload lights mounted up high. It all depends on yer speed - rockcrawling, versus 80+ mph pre-running .... two entirely different situations with entirely different solutions.

Lastly - IF yer going to keep it at reasonable speeds, you'll find that a quality HID projector retrofit into your existing heads will produce an absolutely astonishing amount of light - distance, vast width, uniformity and intensity - so much so that a lightbar would be a superfluous waste of money. This would be my Primary recommendation.

www.theretrofitsource.com


MGD

 

You will get a lot better performance out of a LED bar mounted higher than lower and like MGD stated, looks better.

 

Those TRS lightbars are still unproven . . . And I think they look like ugly legos.

I didn't even consider lighting ability. I think all these bars are is for bling haha.

 

Yep. I would wait on the TRS ones.. They are made by or at least the same as Heretic. So that is going to be there quality. Sadly they only use a xml leds not xml-2 so not as many lumens..
I don't mind the looks they are just different. Let me get a linky for everyone to read if they have the time

 

Have fun reading
http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...rimoto-X-POD-s

 

Those lights are nice, way out of my price range thought. I'm a welder and half assed mechanic by trade. Any thing outside of the pure mechanics of a vehicle is body work to me and far from my comfort zone. I like the look of the halogens, but again worried about things getting ripped off. I'm going to take this job when I graduate and all of the people up there (Northern Maine), have said bumpers and running boards don't tend to last.

I'll agree based on experience and the fact that you've probable got a few more miles than I do that the mounting location down low won't provide that much spread but that install is within my comfort level. Also A roof mount or backrack type mounting location isn't practical for my application in my opinion. Is there anyway that I could increase the amount of light thrown from this location?

And Yes I will truly be using the light for driving on logging roads at night. I am a forester and not trying to make my buddies jealous. I hang out with a bunch of Chevy boys. They're jealous every time they park next to me.....

I also fully admit I'm young, think I know everything, and will tell you I can do everything better than you but we both know that this is of course

 

Good luck in Maine. My grandparents live in NH and I've been to Maine. It is cold as *****.

MGD will love that last line

 

You haven't seen cold till you seen -20°f with -40°f wind chill and had to work 8 hours on a roof

 

Nope, I don't want none uh that neither! I'ma stay right here where it never gets below +20*