Warning Lights- Lightforce owners, Firemen, EMS

[wfd175]

Fellow Firemen EMS workers, LIghtforce owners

I'm looking for photo's of warning light installations as well as switch installations. I never really liked the dash light option. I've always gone in the grill or headlights. Roof top is not an option either. Prior to 95, the grill was easily cut with a dremel for a flush mount strobe on each side of the TOTOTA. I've used a velcro'd stobe on the dash for the past 5 years in the 96. But I really don't like it. It draws too much attention on the trail.

I was thinking about getting some Lightforce 170's. Drilling the 1"strobe hole in the back and using them for the primary warning lights, and keeping the functionality of the off-road lights.

LIghtforce owners,

Do the rear of the lightforce lights appear to have an exterior as well as an interior layer for the reflector? The strobe inserts need about 1/4 inch of single layered material to seal. If there are 2 layers that are too close together they won't seal correctly without a glob of sealer.

Thanks for any information or input that you may provide.

 

[619TOY]

One of the biggest things you will want to figure out first is the material the reflector is made of. Are the lenses removable or is it a sealed unit? IMO any reflector that is not a relatively soft plastic will yield a compromised end result. Fiber based or metal based reflectors are the biggest problems. Fiber based reflectors will leave a film of dust on the inside of the lens when you drill the hole.

There are lots of options in addition to drilling into your off road lights.

 

[wfd175]

The dust is no biggie. Every headlight I've ever bored into leaves dust. I just flush it out with the hose. (after removing the bulb and "breather" hose of course)

When I discovered step bits for headlight and tailight boring the shaving larger and easier to flush.

I do have an old set of piaa combo lights in the garage I thought about using. But I wanted something updated. Like some Lightforces. Non HID

 

[wfd175]

I going for the "stealth" look. I don't really want to bolt on my Bumper mount strobes onto the arb. I have so much emergency light crap laying around, I should sell it put that money towards something really nifty. I also started using motorcycle strobe packs a few years ago, because there are water resistant and can be mounted under the hood. I hate wresteling those gray stobe wires through the firewall.

 

[haffi]

Do you know Federal MicroLED sputnik. They are small, easy to hide, come in blue, red, green and yellow. They are both available with clear lens and colored.
I have installed them in few cars, both for search and rescue teams, the road administration and ambulances.

Here is a link to show you, I have no idea if you can get them in USA.

http://www.spatz.co.uk/product.asp?...cat&strKeywords=&strSearchCriteria=&PT_ID=108

 

[RescueU]

I going for the "stealth" look. I don't really want to bolt on my Bumper mount strobes onto the arb. I have so much emergency light crap laying around, I should sell it put that money towards something really nifty. I also started using motorcycle strobe packs a few years ago, because there are water resistant and can be mounted under the hood. I hate wresteling those gray stobe wires through the firewall.

WFD, how'd your project end up? I just came across this thread.

I'm going to be installing amber hide-aways in the front corner markers and the rear taillights.
I have noticed that the 911ep 12" bars tuck up very nicely between the windshield and rearview mirror. And since they're clear while unlit, they are easy to miss.

I'm also looking at some grill solutions. I'd really like to just replace the center grill with a billet insert that would allow a set of "Crown Vic"-type grille lights to be set flush into it.

If you got any of it completed, please post pics... I'd love to see them.

Thanks, Brother.

 

[WanderingFZJ]

Any further updates? I am trying to figure out to put some stealth strobes on my 80 (For EMS). I'm going to be responding to a lot of calls directly. So I want to be kind of lit up, any suggestions??

 

[RescueU]

Arjun,

I installed white Hide-A-Way strobes in my corner Amber housings, which also contain the dual-filament mod for use as my turn signals. So the corner marker light housings serve 3-role purpose: parking light, turn signal, & strobe flash warning.

I did the same in the rears, mounting the strobes inside the top/amber section of the rear light assemblies. Those 4 locations are good coverage all the way around. Only thing better I can think of is if I added either the flush-mount marker lights on the front/rear quarter panels, or to the outside/underside of the side mirrors. There are mods here in the forum for both of those examples, principally for just increasing visibility of the standard turn signals...but would work just as well for hidden strobe platforms.

When moved the front turn signal lamps from the bumper to the corner markers, I swapped out the bumper housings for the clear lens model, and then installed Red strobe lights in there. Super stealth, and they're wired to a switch on the dash that isn't easily bumped. Not the greatest visibility location when going down the road, but more than effective for recognition when on scene at the least.

I also mounted a 911EP Traffic Director Warning Bar along the rear interior roof line behind the rear glass. They're surprisingly bright enough to be seen even in the day light through the rear glass' heavy tint... but sometimes I'll just leave the rear hatch open for maximum visibility. I've found that having a TD/WL in the back there absolutely invaluable.

Another idea to consider is an thin exterior/waterproof light (like a 24" 911EP) that tucks up nicely within the plastic air deflector of the sun roof. No one will see that up there when not lit, but it's height will be seen by all when coming down the road, and not be obscured by cars immediately in front of you.

Good luck with your project!

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Why not just run hide-away strobes in the headlight / taillight? That will be my next project once I get the new body on. Currently I am running a dash mount & stobe heads front and rear.

 

[WanderingFZJ]

See my problem is that I am a college student and therefor on a college budget.... 911 EP has great stuff unfortunately they tend to be ridiculously expensive. The same is true of decent Hide-aways.
The other problem with my hide-aways... I'm sure you have noticed... I kind of swapped out the stock headlights....

I am thinking of trying these chinese cheapo's... The guy says they have them in green: LIGHTS

The other option I was looking at, again LED: Half Pint

 

[yoopercharged]

Buying lightforce lights and college budget don't really go together.

 

[cody c]

Uh, why do all of you need emergency strobe lights? And why are you using your cruiser for EMS?

I dont have anything against doing this mod, but it kinda screams mall cop or zombie apocalypse paranoia.

I have hazard lights in mine, seems to work.

Please fill me in.

 

[ktmracer01]

Buying lightforce lights and college budget don't really go together.

agreed... not in my college budget. i'm selling toys to pay for school.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Uh, why do all of you need emergency strobe lights? And why are you using your cruiser for EMS?

I dont have anything against doing this mod, but it kinda screams mall cop or zombie apocalypse paranoia.

I have hazard lights in mine, seems to work.

Please fill me in.

I volunteer for Oregon Dept of Forestry in their Trail Patrol program. Part of my job is a first responder to accidents on the trail and doing lead-ins for emergency vehicles. We have found it's a lot easier to block of a trial / road or lead in EMS with the strobes.

As for a dollar figure, I have around $300 into my lights. They probably wouldn't move traffic very well but they work great for my needs!

 

[cody c]

I volunteer for Oregon Dept of Forestry in their Trail Patrol program. Part of my job is a first responder to accidents on the trail and doing lead-ins for emergency vehicles. We have found it's a lot easier to block of a trial / road or lead in EMS with the strobes.

As for a dollar figure, I have around $300 into my lights. They probably wouldn't move traffic very well but they work great for my needs!

Ok, that makes sense. I get the moddifying your vehicle thing, but the idea of people dressing up the cruiser to look like an emergency vehicle when they dont have any need for it I find confusing.

Some guys do need four different radios, 10 different cameras, 3 alarm systems, 5 gps's onboard air and fridges, 300 interior LED lights, 20 exterior lights and 6 leather cupholders to drop off the kids at soccer and pickup groceries at the mall. Im not here to slow them down, just trying to understand why.

 

[yoopercharged]

you should PM 98 SNAKE EATER here on Mud. He has some nice strobes on his. YouTube - ‪WHELEN CSP 690 Strobes Installed‬‏

 

[WanderingFZJ]

Uh, why do all of you need emergency strobe lights? And why are you using your cruiser for EMS?

I dont have anything against doing this mod, but it kinda screams mall cop or zombie apocalypse paranoia.

I have hazard lights in mine, seems to work.

Please fill me in.

Well, I need them because I'll be on a voluntary Rescue service in rural Indiana, while I am at college, The "city" has VERY few Emergency personnel and even fewer EMT's/Paramedics. The way it works is that I am on call, and if the scene is closer to me than the station, I am going right to the scene in my personal vehicle using the jump bag provided to us. Also, in the winter, after heavy snows, going to the station would just take way too long.

Buying lightforce lights and college budget don't really go together.

Agreed!

you should PM 98 SNAKE EATER here on Mud. He has some nice strobes on his. YouTube - ‪WHELEN CSP 690 Strobes Installed‬‏

I did contact him. the problem is that the green strobe bulbs cost like 40-50 dollars a piece!

 

[RescueU]

I understand your budget constraints while in college...I sourced all my components via ebay, and that helped me keep my costs down significantly.

What are the authorized Fire/Rescue color lights that Volunteer POV units can use? Orange is a standard to have and always crucial for the rear of your vehicle, especially when stopped. If you check the Indiana State Police, they should have the info (if not from your local county ordnances) that define how many sets of lights you can have running at any one time, as well as what colors and when you can run them (for eg, in some states, sirens MUST be run whenever responder lights are lit...other states don't allow sirens on any vehicles other than front-line fire and police vehicles, as in VA).

Let's figure out what you can run, how many, in what capacity, and then we can sort out some components.

 

[firetruck41]

Here in WA, green is for POV, they are basically for info only, as no one is required to yield, and you are not permitted to break any driving/road rules. That was from 12 year old memory...

 

[JohnnyBee]

I put Whelen Hide A Way strobes in my rig 2 years ago. I found them online for 200 bucks with a 90W power supply and 6 strobe heads. I put them in the corner marker lights and tail lights. They have worked great for my application and they turn a lot of heads.

You never know when you need to be seen. I use my rig as a support rig to my snow removal business and doing roadside tree work so good visibility is a must! Also i was coming home from a friends house a few months ago at 4 am and was surprised to find a tree blocking my only way home, i had an additional peace of mind knowing i had quality strobe lights alerting drivers, something that 4 way flashers cant compare to.