I spend a lot of time reading this forum but post pretty rarely because so many of the projects I've tackled have been well documented and I don't have much more to offer. I did do a pretty cheap and functional mod this weekend that I couldn't find much info on beforehand so I'll share in hopes that some of you guys will find it useful.
My original plan for the 80 involved an aftermarket front bumper (ARB or Slee) with lights and a winch, but I've already got a built 4runner and really like the classic front end of the Land Cruiser so for the foreseeable future the front end will remain stock. The factory headlights leave a lot to be desired as far as light output, so I've been looking at some of the headlight overhauls that have been completed with projectors, etc. The end product is definitely cool and functional, but seems fairly tedious and expensive. I then started thinking about ways to incorporate auxiliary lights into the stock bumper and found a few threads talking about putting them in the bumper vents but really couldn't find any pictures of the completed product. I took some measurements and then hit Amazon to find some single row LED light bars, eventually settling on these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W6KD022?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01. They're a little over 6" long, 1 " high, and house 6 CREE LEDs each. The reviews were really good, so for $45 for a pair I figured it was worth a shot. Upon delivery I was really pleased with the lights, they seem to be well constructed and the finish is nice.
I trimmed the two vertical tabs in the stock vent inserts so the lights would fit, modified the mounting holes on the light bar brackets, and with some new hardware was able to mount the lights to the metal tabs on the bumper that hold the vent insert in place. It took a little trial and error but without too much trouble I got them to fit pretty well and sit flush with the front of the bumper. I'm still waiting on my switch from the guys at OTRATTW, but the plan is to use a 3 way switch so I can either control the lights manually or have them triggered by the high beams. Right now I've got them wired without a switch to turn on when the high beams turn on. Because the high beams are ground-side switched, I used an extra relay coming from the high beam wires that is grounded when the high beams are turned on (red and yellow wire grounds the relay on 85 and the red and blue wire triggers it on 86, 12 V goes to 30, and the light trigger coming from the other relay is attached to 87). Works perfectly and is a cheaper solution than the Slee harness, though I'm sure that is a very nice option that is more plug and play.
Here are a few pics of the almost finished product, still need to get some shots at night to show the difference in light output. Overall I'm really pleased, I think the lights are very functional, definitely improve night time visibility, and are a subtle esthetic enhancement to the stock front end.
My original plan for the 80 involved an aftermarket front bumper (ARB or Slee) with lights and a winch, but I've already got a built 4runner and really like the classic front end of the Land Cruiser so for the foreseeable future the front end will remain stock. The factory headlights leave a lot to be desired as far as light output, so I've been looking at some of the headlight overhauls that have been completed with projectors, etc. The end product is definitely cool and functional, but seems fairly tedious and expensive. I then started thinking about ways to incorporate auxiliary lights into the stock bumper and found a few threads talking about putting them in the bumper vents but really couldn't find any pictures of the completed product. I took some measurements and then hit Amazon to find some single row LED light bars, eventually settling on these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W6KD022?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01. They're a little over 6" long, 1 " high, and house 6 CREE LEDs each. The reviews were really good, so for $45 for a pair I figured it was worth a shot. Upon delivery I was really pleased with the lights, they seem to be well constructed and the finish is nice.
I trimmed the two vertical tabs in the stock vent inserts so the lights would fit, modified the mounting holes on the light bar brackets, and with some new hardware was able to mount the lights to the metal tabs on the bumper that hold the vent insert in place. It took a little trial and error but without too much trouble I got them to fit pretty well and sit flush with the front of the bumper. I'm still waiting on my switch from the guys at OTRATTW, but the plan is to use a 3 way switch so I can either control the lights manually or have them triggered by the high beams. Right now I've got them wired without a switch to turn on when the high beams turn on. Because the high beams are ground-side switched, I used an extra relay coming from the high beam wires that is grounded when the high beams are turned on (red and yellow wire grounds the relay on 85 and the red and blue wire triggers it on 86, 12 V goes to 30, and the light trigger coming from the other relay is attached to 87). Works perfectly and is a cheaper solution than the Slee harness, though I'm sure that is a very nice option that is more plug and play.
Here are a few pics of the almost finished product, still need to get some shots at night to show the difference in light output. Overall I'm really pleased, I think the lights are very functional, definitely improve night time visibility, and are a subtle esthetic enhancement to the stock front end.
