Pathfinder-jay Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Where can I find the 4-5 lights some of you have on the top of your truck?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z_Pilot Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 quadratec.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 www.ebay.com How much are you looking to spend? Maybe you can get some brand suggestions here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) You can get lighting about anywhere, all depends on your $$ range and brand prefrences. Lets see, walmart or your local parts house would have some cheaply made ones. Or some expensive well made ones... E-bays good for about anything. Etc etc.... Edited January 13, 2006 by Harbinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder-jay Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 Well im not looking to spend a fortune, But im looking for decent lights. So lets give me something I can work with.... Some brand names thats are cheap yet still good And some that are medium and good... and some that are all your favs and will make me broke lol Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Hella 500's are good ones -- I picked a pair up on e-bay for about $60 a few years back. PIAA is awesome but expensive unless you can find some deals like luker did. KC seems to be a good one too but I'm not sure where it fits in the price range.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder-jay Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 And how do you mount/wire these lights? anyone got some close up pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
statikuz Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) pro comps are super cheap and work well, hellas are pretty good, piaas are really nice and expensive, and lightforce is the most expensive but also the slickest. =) http://www.4wheelparts.com/4wp/products/index.asp?cat=LIG you mount them with a bolt =) onto whatever sort of rack or bar you might have up top, and you wire them up with a switch and a relay http://www.4x4wire.com/tech/electrical/zj_lighting/ Edited January 13, 2006 by statikuz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM_guy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) walmart here...muahhahahah! but seriously, you can spend $5 or $500 for a light, its all in what your price range. i personally could never spend the money on high end lights. what with hazards and theives..id cry if a rack of $400 worth of lights disaapreard. $40 is what my top rack cost me. i can get the bulbs just about anywhere, and they make my pathway look like its daylight out. what more do ya need? as far as the rest of teh stuff...search around for some of your questions. most have been answered before. and dont bother with the "basic" search...its worthless. go to the "more options" advanced search. there is tons of good reading about pretty much every question you have asked thus far. not to harp..just lettin you know there is a few years worth of stuff cataloged in this site and i invite you to use this site to its full potential. if your just posting asking questions, your using about 1/8th of this forums (or any worthwile forums) full potential. p.s. i would not wire up any lights the way as shown in the schematic above. thats asking for a run down battery. my preference is to use a hot key trigger (a wire thats only showing power when the key is to the ON or ACC position) for your trigger wire (running to the #86 post on the realay). that way there is no way you could walk away from your car and have your lights still on. i did the origional with the foglights to my DSM..and 3 jump starts later i learned my lesson. p.p.s and since im feeling SO damn nice today..here is a schematic on what i was speaking of just now Edited January 13, 2006 by DSM_guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 hot key trigger or not make sure you wire them via a relay (the first schematic) or have a meltdown in BFE... don't forget an extinguisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder-jay Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 So DSM you got yours at wal-mart?? Im gonna take a look. And how did you mount yours? I have a 91 aswell but with no roof rack so... Anyhow thanks for the info! I think i might be a cheap ass too Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
statikuz Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 i wired up all my lights so i CAN turn them on if i don't have the engine running, that way if I just need a bit of light real quick I don't have to start up the truck. considering the headlights are wired up so you can leave THEM on, i imagine you would either be trained to turn your lights off when you get out, or you would probably notice that you left on some big bright lights when you turn your truck off =) my piaas were wired up in the beginning so that you could only turn them on if you had your brights on (as per the piaa instructions) but i got kinda sick of that so i fixed them =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 So DSM you got yours at wal-mart?? Im gonna take a look. And how did you mount yours? I have a 91 aswell but with no roof rack so...Anyhow thanks for the info! I think i might be a cheap ass too Jason yeah, i got walmart cheapies.. had to make brackets for them though as the ones that came with the lamps were/are worthless... mine are mounted on the front bumper, in front of the grill but as far to the sides as possible without obstructing the head lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) and i am with statikuz on the wireing.. it's a pain having to turn the engine on just to get some lights.. get an optima if you think this maybe an issue for you. i have a stock nissan switch that is back lit (junk yard).. helps in not forgetting to trun them off.. not that one could not notice 100watts x2 coming from the front. Edited January 13, 2006 by mzxtreme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM_guy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 my schematic shows a relay...its just not labled as such because i figured ppl would see it and know what it was lol. as far as the convenience..you dont have to have the engine running to use my setup. just pop in the key and click it to ACC or ON. just like you would if you were merley wanting to listen to the radio. OP: yes, i got mine at wal mart. they sold them in packs of 2. some brand called "desert fox" or something like that. me..i DID have the roof rack, and actually took one of the larger racks and driled holes through them. whala...pretty much an OEM light rack. since you dont have a factory roof rack, i (and others probably will as well) suggest you get an aftermarket one like a yakima or thule rack. search around for more details. and just mount your lights to that. dont go drilling holes in the roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Am I the only one that likes running lights relayed from the stock? Roof lights may be be bright as god but I'd still forget to turn them off unless I installed a secondary beeper just for them. I like being able to flip them on and off with the high beams too, seems better to flip one lever than 2-3 buttons when someone gets in your beam path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM_guy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Am I the only one that likes running lights relayed from the stock? Roof lights may be be bright as god but I'd still forget to turn them off unless I installed a secondary beeper just for them. I like being able to flip them on and off with the high beams too, seems better to flip one lever than 2-3 buttons when someone gets in your beam path. i prefer to turn off (and on) all my lights independently. so my fogs and roof can be used any time the key is turned..and of course the headlights. and to be honest, i havent used my hi beams since i moved my fogs up to my push bar. where now they really arent fogs...but rather aux lights. but that is so much brighter than even the headlights on HI. so the only switchin i do is on my fogs for brighter lights. and the only time i use my roof lights is when im way out back on some road and feelin fun. i dont use those on the highway...although with 6 lights..if someone bright-lights you...you could sure make em pay couldent you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder-jay Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 Well im looking for roof lights hehe just to clear that up and as for wiring its not an issue.. i just need a diagram. Im in school for refrigertion... and Ive done enough electricity to know what to do hehe Thanks for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLLlegal Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 question. this trigger you speak of. were is it, is it like in your steeringwheel colom or is there someway I can access it. I know you have a diagram of it but how do you wire that all up. I dont think i would do it for my soon to be roof lights. but my fogs, man I leave those on alot usually in the morning then it gets light out and i dont even notice. so yeah how do i get to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Most every set of lights you buy will have a schematic on how to wire them up. If you'd like to know more about relays and such, go to www.the12volt.com. they have a lot of good info. You mentioned that you want roof lights, but didn't say if you had something to mount them to other than the roof itself. Mine's a 2-door so I sourced a factory light bar from a junkyard ($70). Others have mounted them on safari racks (~$200) or fabbed something that uses the stock luggage rack ($$?). Be sure to think the whole project through before you drop coin on lights. It might be more expensive than you think once you factor everything in (bar or rack, relays or wiring kits, etc.). I just don't want you to be surprised if it ends up costing 2 of 3 times what you estimated (trust me, we've all been there). Good luck to ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder-jay Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 The lighting rack mount you got from the junkyard... did you ask for an 88 pathfinder mount or how does that work... Or are they universal??? Thanks Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM_guy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 question. this trigger you speak of. were is it, is it like in your steeringwheel colom or is there someway I can access it. I know you have a diagram of it but how do you wire that all up. I dont think i would do it for my soon to be roof lights. but my fogs, man I leave those on alot usually in the morning then it gets light out and i dont even notice. so yeah how do i get to it. well, in a relay..you have to have some sort of trigger wire. all that means is you need a wire with a 12V source to trip the insides of the relay to make it work. its like an "on" switch to make the relay work. when 12V from your trigger wire goes to the relay, it activates teh electromagnet in there and opens teh circuit for the power to flow from the battery to the accssory (in this case, your lights). the trigger wire is any wire that you use to activiate this relay. it can either be a constant hot in a switch (as showin in the first), it can be a wire that shows 12v when they key is on, when lights are on, when...well..anything really. when i was mentioning the trigger wire..for my setup it was anything that showed voltage when they key was in the ON or ACC position. in which case yes...you can find it right beneath the steering colum. i think its a fat white wire..but double check on your own to be sure. then you just splice into that (or whatever trigger you decide), install a toggle or rocker switch before you get the wire all the way to the relay and run it to the #86 post on the relay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Geologist Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 (edited) Like JJ said, think it through. I didn't. make sure that you know exactly how the mounting brackets work on the lights you buy. I bought 4 hellas online a month ago, and still have yet to install them because they mounted differently than I expected them to. Has anyone tried to cut holes in the plastic faring that comes with yakima or thule style racks? I want to mount mine underneath the bar, but I must first modify the faring, or make a new one with cut-aways. Edited January 23, 2006 by Crazy Geologist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 The lighting rack mount you got from the junkyard... did you ask for an 88 pathfinder mount or how does that work... Or are they universal???Nope. The light bar is a factory option for 87-89 two door pathys. It wouldn't mount to a four door. Click on the NPORA banner at the top of this page and go to the NPORA Members link, then sort member rigs by year. You can see how other four door Pathy owners have mounted lights and racks and such and get a better idea of what you'd like to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 (edited) I'll 2nd Statikuz. ProComps are pretty great. I've got a set of PIAA 40's on my roof I bought like 1 1/2 years ago for like $50, normally like 3X's that. Then a few months ago I bought 4 ProComp 100 watt driving lights from a guy on eBay for like $65 for all of them. Even new, they're only like $25 each. I've got 1 set on my grill guard for now, with the other waiting for install. You could signal aliens with them if you wanted too. I have them aimed at the street about 30 ft in front of the Pathy cause they are far too bright for the road. They cut through even pea soup fog like a knife cause they're just so ridiculously bright. They actually brighter than the PIAA's, although that could be expected since those are only 55 watt which is a pretty standard fog and driving light wattage. Still, if they're wired properly, 2 of them would be more than enough up on the roof. Of course, I'm gonna move the PIAA's down and put all 4 up top, just 'cause. As for mounting, I built a basic basket rack to mount to my Yakima system when I'm not using it for skis. There are many companies out there selling cargo/safari/basket racks if you're not into building yourself, you you could go the direction of a light bar (old Nissan, home made or generic aftermarket kit) or installing a stock rack or aftermarket version available from companies like JC Whitney. Many many options are to be had. Edited January 14, 2006 by Mr. Pickles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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