ahardb0dy Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 (edited) So finally got the xterra rack on my 94 PF and am considering adding my light bar I had on my hardbody, this is the bar, it is a combination of a chrome Hickey light bar that sits under a House of Steel pre runner type light bar ( showing my age with these names now !! LOL), I ordered the house of steel bar special way back to combing the 2 the way it is in this picture, my idea back than and still now is all the wiring is hidden in the chrome bar that mounts under the black bar, the black bar is nice because it is wider than a standard light bar and as can be seen in this picture it has room to mount lights facing forward and rearward. I will only have the lights facing forward as I only have 2 complete Rally 2000's left (out of the 6 I used to have), also has room to mount a CB antenna if I choose, I even have the harness I used in the harbody, it's nice heavy duty rubber coated 4 conductor about 3/4" diameter. so this bar: oh the sticker on the rear of the light bar says "Go ahead make my day" for people that like to drive with their brights on !! on this: what do you think? Edited June 24, 2012 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I say go for it. The good news is that if you decide that your not fond of it, you can always take it off.... I like the idea myself, Just not really sure how the big lights would look on top. I would definetly like to see it done, it will more than likely motivate me to finish mine!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) Well if it ever stops raining down here I may be able to go out and try some things out. Even if I just get it up there, I'll take a few pics. Right now I have 2 of the same Hella lights on the bar on the outside and 2 Dick Cepek C-1000's in the middle, the cepeks are rectangle, would like to find at least 2 more Rally 2000's so they are all round. These are the other pair of lights I have on the bar right now with the round Hella's. the one's on top of the bumper in this pic: Edited June 25, 2012 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) Well started to round up my parts today, test my old relays and pulled some of the interior apart to see where I can run my wire, and decided where I would mount 4 switches.. The wire I used on my hardbody and will use again is a rubber insulated 12-4 conductor about 17' long. Relay (s) are old Dick Cepek double relays, these are nice as they take one power wire in but have dual outputs and triggers. I was going to make a plate to install the relay (s)but I think I will only need one and I found a spot near the battery to mount it. Figured out where I will connect my wires, how to get the switch to relay wires into the cab ( thru the non used clutch plate), and I think I'll drill a hole near the front of the xterra rack, feed my wire in than drill another hole near the center mount to pull my wire out, from here I will drill a hole thru the top of the center mount and roof. I pulled the trim from where the pass. seat belt bolts to and think I may be able to feed the wire down the body between the front and rear door. If I can get the wire down that part I'll drill a hole in the bottom of the body and feed the wire up under the hood. Now I have to pick up a piece of steel to use to connect one side of the xterra rack to the other, using the forward 2 bolts on each side to secure it. And I have to decide which light I want to use, not really fond of mixing round and square lights, but I have my eye on a pair of Hella Rally 2000's and if I can get them I'll mount 4 of them facing forward, possibly 2 pencil beam clear lenses in the center and 2 euro beam lenses to the outsides. Than a good idea would probably be to upgrade the alternator. I had a 160 amp dual output external regulator alt in the hardbody, should have kept it !! Whew that was a mouthful !! LOL Edited June 26, 2012 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 How dude, sounds like you have got this going... I am looking forward to seeing the design.... 4 inch round lights on top? I need to get re educated on Hellas I mainly had kc brand stuff. Equally as spendy... Sigh.... I'm rambling on tapatalk sorry for hijacking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 4" ? no 9", I've always liked Hella lights the Rally 2000 especially they have a magnesium case so no rust, the lenses all interchange and are held into the chrome retaining ring with metal spring wires, easy to swap, and a few different choices on lens pattern, all of which I have. Pencil beam (clear lens), euro beam (some fluting far and wide), cornering lens (heavy fluting very wide beam), also available in yellow lenses but never had any of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 No I realize the lights in your picture are massive. They look huge on the hardcopy, and give it that Nissan poster truck look. The reason I was saying 4 inch is because I was not sure how the massive kits would look on the pathfinder as compared to the hardcopy. I had some 6 inch Hellas I scored from a yardsale, and they had that kind of purplish yellow blue tint to them. Didnt throw that kind of light though, I assume it was just the lens. Either way they were some crazy bright flood light style beams that melted several relays.... They were nice I suppose but I Ended up trading them because I was afraid of them causing a fire. Haha. I have been messing around with the idea of led lighting similar to the Ridgid stuff, but don't want to sell my house for a set. As I ramble on, I get to my point... Preference is everything bro, and if yours is "go big or go home" so be it... Love the idea, can't wait to see what your going to do with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Got ya, I was checking my lights today and one of the bulbs is out all of a sudden in one of the Hella's now to find someone who has a H2 100 watt bulb local. The Cepek lights take a special 210 watt bulb, they claimed to be the brightest lights in the world at the time, generating so much heat they built a vent onto the top of the housing to keep the bulb cool, I don't have the 210 watt bulbs any more but the bulb is a H4 base so I will probably get a apir of 90/130 headlight bulbs and just wire the 130 watt (high beam) to come on, right now I have a 90/100 blue coated bulb that I found in the dumpster here ( with about 12 other bulbs and honduh stuff some one threw out), I know they say to avoid the bulbs with coatings but this bulb is BRIGHT and WHITE !! As soon as I get the steel and get the holes drilled I'll get the bar up on top of the rack for some mock up pics, stay tuned. I wouldn't mind some LED lights or one of those new fancy LED light strips but I'm on a low budget and I prefer the old school way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Come to think of it, I have a set of stainless 4x6 lights that have louvers or some sort of vented covers that angle down. They came off of an 18 wheeler. I assume they are fog light because of the odd vents. If I remember correctly they have 100 watt bulbs in them. Every once in a while you will see the Dick cepek light on eBay, but they go for a pretty penny. With that said I know that AZ sells 100 w bulbs that fit the KC lights, as well as standard fog light assemblies. Wow, just realized that my autocorrect changes hardbody to hardcopy. Those led strips are nice looking, but the price is not very nice at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 was wondering about the hardcopy thing, thought you were being funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No wasn't trying to be anyway... Haha. Get your lights mounted yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 trying to find a piece of steel to go across the bars, called one surplus metal/plastic store and the guy was out of his mind with his prices. Was going up to home depot today to see what they have. Looking for 1/4" thick by 3" by 4' long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Have you got a metal place where you live? Most of the time you can score "drop" steel for cheap. I know tractor supply has steel but its not cheap... Don't have a home depot around here.... Close anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 (edited) if I can't find what I need from home depot or Lowes (across the street from each other ), I'll snoop around at work I also was thinking about mounting the black light bar with the angle facing forward instead of how it is in my first pic above, kind of like a little ramp or fairing in front of and below the lights ?? I'm not sure yet, once I can get it up on the rack I'll play around with it some and take pics of both ways. Edited July 4, 2012 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Maybe this guys stuff? http://www.xoskel.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 That site has some pretty cool looking stuff on it. Looks to be pretty simple though, and I couldnt justify spending that kind of money for something that I would just as easy make myself. I am actually thinking of doing something similiar to mine now that you have my curiosity up... I like the low profile look of this, and if the lights were halfway decent you could get some good coverage with them. I am thinking about doing something similiar but instead of the light housing being on top of the mount, putting them below it. So the mount would span across the roof rack bars, and the lights would mount underneath it, in between the top of the truck and the roof rack, providing a little more protection for them. Of course I have entirely too much time to think about these things, as I sit bored out of my mind in NC on "vacation." Not a vacation for me, I am going crazy. Dont tell my spousal unit... Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 I don't think that light bar would work on the modified x rack on our pathfinders being the front legs are cut down, I may be wrong but I don;t think so. Also those KC's are to small for my tastes ! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 He has this one too. http://www.nissanoffroad.net/messageboard/index.php?topic=9571.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I cannot confirm or deny this, as all I have to look at is some terrible angle pictures of my pathfinder with the X rack, and no measurements to go by. On mine I still have the hardware from the plastic deflector, so I may be able to fab something to span the two outside bars, with tabs welded in place to mount the lights... As for light size... I guess ultimately my goal is to protect them. The bigger the light the taller the truck, and for me and the places I generally go it wouldnt be wise... Will check measurements and such when I get back home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 (edited) So as I sit here bored out of my mind, I messed around a bit with a primitive image editing program and your picture.... I dont have access to my FTP, so I used photobucket. Hopefully it will work out... Anyways, the basic principle I was talking about is sort of shown in the edited image... Basically depending on what size the light is, will determine how many can be mounted... Edited July 6, 2012 by tmoore4512 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 When I do finally get my lights installed it will probably be used mostly for spotting black bears in here where we live,as I haven't been 4 wheeling with it since I bought it. It's weird back home in NY we went 4 wheeling just about every night after work and at least one day of the week end. Probably cause no one near by to go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmoore4512 Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 That was more of an idea for me, haha... Just have entirely too much time on my hands at the moment. When I lived in Washington it was sort of a requirement to have a 4WD just to get to some of the regular places.... How I miss that... TN is more red neck that is for sure, but people here would rather get drunk and then go riding, rather than ride and then drink. Not my cup of tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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