DIY Budget Bumper Pocket Light Setup

[wetdog]

Awesome job doing it yourself means so much more, aluminum would have been better but its what you had.
The best part about it is when you eventually meet up with another bronco owner, you can say you did it yourself ! looks great.

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[SigSauer226]

Awesome job doing it yourself means so much more, aluminum would have been better but its what you had.
The best part about it is when you eventually meet up with another bronco owner, you can say you did it yourself ! looks great.

Thanks. I was gonna do aluminum but yeah I had this already. The aluminum sheets I saw were thinner and not as rigid so I would have had to look around for a thicker sheet. I might improve this in the summer.

You're right, half of my motivation was to see if the idea in my head would work lol. When I was in high school (1992) I owned a 1966 Mustang. I knew never to nothing about mechanics. I got a decent Craftsman tool set for Christmas and that summer I pretty much dismantled my car just to see how it went together lol. Using a shop manual I learned a ton and fixed a lot. It was so much fun.

My next car was a 65 Mustang Fastback. I completely restored it over several years. I worked on it every week. It's finished and sitting in my garage now. I drive it occasionally but no where near what I used to put into working on it. For me, the build is the fun part. I bought an old M416 military trailer that I'm turning into a camping trailer. My neighbor looked at me cross-eyed when I brought it home lol. They don't understand.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Yeah I've thought of that. But as far as I can tell the brackets already out there are only using the same three bolts. The steel is really solid. And I left the sheet solid for extra strength. I don't think it will be a problem but if it is, there is a side bolt on that pocket and I have a roll of galvanized pipe hanging metal strap 3/4" thick with holes that I can secure there and then up to the lights so there is support from a different angle. But I tried to wiggle them when they were up there and it's better than I thought it would be. I don't think they're gonna move.

Step away from the workbench, that galvanized roll has no place on a Bronco.

Awesome job doing it yourself means so much more, aluminum would have been better but its what you had.
The best part about it is when you eventually meet up with another bronco owner, you can say you did it yourself ! looks great.

Aluminum would probably crack and tear when trying to make the bends for the bracket.

 

[Sooner]

Great job OP, this is what I plan on doing. I had a break that I loaned out and never got back , wish i had it back.

 

[wetdog]

Step away from the workbench, that galvanized roll has no place on a Bronco.



Aluminum would probably crack and tear when trying to make the bends for the bracket.

Aluminum in the proper # bends wonderfully try 3003

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Good job, nice write up!

...and thanks for the OCD trigger, now go grab your grinder or file and radius those corners where the lights mount. LOL

Seriously though, you paid yourself $100 an hour to build those brackets.
Seeing how well you did it, I don't think I could possibly pay $100 for their bracket now. I'm handy enough. Oh, and I also know some tin knockers who like free beers, LOL. They'll have a brake.

 

[Mustang_75_99]

The SAE fog and driving lights from DD are useful on the road and won’t earn you a ticket, so I use them every time I drive at night instead of just offroad. Their amber fog lights are amazing in inclement conditions. I agree with not spending big money on a light bar or ditch/roof lights as they are seldom used.

I have always wondered what the reason was for the amber colored lights, I don’t like the look of them, but are they really that good in fog? I HATE driving in fog…the worst thing to drive in!

 

[BroncoAZ]

I have always wondered what the reason was for the amber colored lights, I don’t like the look of them, but are they really that good in fog? I HATE driving in fog…the worst thing to drive in!

Game changer in fog and rain for me. When running with white headlights I can see the fog/mist getting illuminated right in front of the truck and there is glare. The DD Amber fogs cut through the fog without excessively illuminating what is a couple feet in front of the lights.

I’m thinking I will run all SAE legal DD lights in the mod bumper, one set SS3 SAE fog amber Pro, one set SS2 SAE fog white pro, one set SS2 SAE driving white pro. I’ll probably run a set of SS3 ditch lights in a traditional combo.

 

[nomnom]

DIY>spending extra

this would bring me more satisfaction any day, keep it u

 

[Mustang_75_99]

So before anyone jumps all over me, I know there are some really good kits and setups out there and I am all for quality and you get what you pay for. But... Paying $1000 for what amounts to some accessory lighting for me just wasn't in my budget.

I'm not finished yet, but I am happy with the results so far and thought I would share my project in case anyone else was in the same boat. I wish there was a middle ground between the $1000 setup and the China cheap but right now there isn't.

I thought about the $130 brackets and using my own lights but to be honest I wasn't sure if they would support any light. And I like to do things myself. I don't have any special skills or tools. Anyone here could do what I did.

Parts:
9x18 inch sheet metal 18 gauge (I had it laying around in my garage but it's like $15 at Lowe's... I looked for aluminum or zinc but couldn't find one so I will just painted it)

Two 3 inch Amber LED pods 50w ($32 pair)
Four 2 inch LED pods ($25 pair - I wanted 2x3 rectangles but couldn't find them. My only complaint... I wish they spread out a bit more.)

Total cost $97 (really $82 because I already had the metal sheet plus primer and paint I already had.)

I cut the sheet in half to make two 9x9 sheets. I drilled holes to attach the brackets at the 3 Torx bolts at the top of the pocket, then traced and trimmed the excess in front to match the bumper with my Sawzall.

Then I used a vice, 1x3 block of wood and mini sledge hammer to bend the bracket into the "S" shape. The second bend was tricky. I had to use 4" C clamps to hold it to the wood then made the second bend. Then I drilled the holes for lights.

The first bracket took me a little over an hour going back and forth measuring. Second bracket took about 15 minutes. All told I'm pleased with how it turned out. I primed them and I'm either going to just paint black or use rubberized undercoating on them.

Before I mount the lights I'm going to silicone the caps. The reviews are great but the biggest complaint is water intrusion. I have high end lights that have water too so... I figured at under $100 for all 6 lights I could replace them ten times and still be ahead.

This won't be for everyone but if you're just looking for something that looks good for a budget price I think this fits the bill.

I welcome any feedback or suggestions on how I could do things better. Thanks.

Great job! Could you give measurements of your bends, angles, etc? My father in law has access to a lot of equipment at his work place. I am sure he could bend a couple for me, but wouldn’t be able to test fit/fab on the Bronco. Thanks!

 

[Ig_bronco]

So before anyone jumps all over me, I know there are some really good kits and setups out there and I am all for quality and you get what you pay for. But... Paying $1000 for what amounts to some accessory lighting for me just wasn't in my budget.

I'm not finished yet, but I am happy with the results so far and thought I would share my project in case anyone else was in the same boat. I wish there was a middle ground between the $1000 setup and the China cheap but right now there isn't.

I thought about the $130 brackets and using my own lights but to be honest I wasn't sure if they would support any light. And I like to do things myself. I don't have any special skills or tools. Anyone here could do what I did.

Parts:
9x18 inch sheet metal 18 gauge (I had it laying around in my garage but it's like $15 at Lowe's... I looked for aluminum or zinc but couldn't find one so I will just painted it)

Two 3 inch Amber LED pods 50w ($32 pair)
Four 2 inch LED pods ($25 pair - I wanted 2x3 rectangles but couldn't find them. My only complaint... I wish they spread out a bit more.)

Total cost $97 (really $82 because I already had the metal sheet plus primer and paint I already had.)

I cut the sheet in half to make two 9x9 sheets. I drilled holes to attach the brackets at the 3 Torx bolts at the top of the pocket, then traced and trimmed the excess in front to match the bumper with my Sawzall.

Then I used a vice, 1x3 block of wood and mini sledge hammer to bend the bracket into the "S" shape. The second bend was tricky. I had to use 4" C clamps to hold it to the wood then made the second bend. Then I drilled the holes for lights.

The first bracket took me a little over an hour going back and forth measuring. Second bracket took about 15 minutes. All told I'm pleased with how it turned out. I primed them and I'm either going to just paint black or use rubberized undercoating on them.

Before I mount the lights I'm going to silicone the caps. The reviews are great but the biggest complaint is water intrusion. I have high end lights that have water too so... I figured at under $100 for all 6 lights I could replace them ten times and still be ahead.

This won't be for everyone but if you're just looking for something that looks good for a budget price I think this fits the bill.

I welcome any feedback or suggestions on how I could do things better. Thanks.

Someone has probably told you already.. That's gonna rust and it looks like pitting already started.

Option one: Get ur self a bucket and cleaning vinegar (not distilled, from lowes or depot)soak for a day then wire wheel and dry. Splatter rustoliem on it to stop rust from forming. This is the cheapest method.

Option two: por 15 rust kit. Works okay I use on a old jku bumper

Option 3: evaporust. Expensive option but you can reuse it a bunch of times and it's non toxic.

 

[BigFootie]

Aluminum will not crack if you use the correct alloy and proper bend radius for the thickness of the material. 5052-H32 would be the proper alloy and the bend radius will depend on the thickness.

I would opt for 5052-H32 as it has better corrosion resistance than 3003 and is easier to weld if needed.

 

[SigSauer226]

Good job, nice write up!

...and thanks for the OCD trigger, now go grab your grinder or file and radius those corners where the lights mount. LOL

Seriously though, you paid yourself $100 an hour to build those brackets.
Seeing how well you did it, I don't think I could possibly pay $100 for their bracket now. I'm handy enough. Oh, and I also know some tin knockers who like free beers, LOL. They'll have a brake.

Lol yeah it was rough. I've cleaned it up. And totally I used a hammer and vice like a caveman. Somebody will do a real nice one.

 

[SigSauer226]

Great job! Could you give measurements of your bends, angles, etc? My father in law has access to a lot of equipment at his work place. I am sure he could bend a couple for me, but wouldn’t be able to test fit/fab on the Bronco. Thanks!

Yeah sure but please double check my measurements. Give me a few days. Using a brake would be much better than my Neanderthal banging with a hammer.

 

[SigSauer226]

Someone has probably told you already.. That's gonna rust and it looks like pitting already started.

Option one: Get ur self a bucket and cleaning vinegar (not distilled, from lowes or depot)soak for a day then wire wheel and dry. Splatter rustoliem on it to stop rust from forming. This is the cheapest method.

Option two: por 15 rust kit. Works okay I use on a old jku bumper

Option 3: evaporust. Expensive option but you can reuse it a bunch of times and it's non toxic.

Yeah I was just testing the fit. I've cleaned it off with angle grinder and wire wheel. Then primer and Rust-Oleum and then paint and a rubberized coating. I'm sure it will rust eventually but no time soon.

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