Anyone have suggestions for mounting auxiliary lights on my series car? I am willing to remove the factory lights in the lower grille opening to mount a set of quality driving lamps. I am also willing to mount a set of larger quality lamps above the bumper. Wondering if anyone has done this, fabricated a mount for this model, or knows of someone selling mounts for my model?

Just thought I'd check if anyone's been down this road with a B3 before I start figuring out a strategy. I may actually mount two sets as these headlights are anemic and it needs a set of distance driving lamps as well as a set of fogs for our local driving.

So, looking for mounting ideas specifically and not so much for recommendations on specific lights (I am a Hella fan, so this is preordained....heh) Thanks!

DougM

 

Do a search for username DTomsett. He had "HELLA" rally lights mounted on his bumper.

 

Thank you! Wow - he's got a serious light setup as he clearly rallies his B3. Turns out it's actually DTompsett, and you would not believe how many user names starting with D there are on this site.

DougM

 

I'm never here, and when I come back for the first time in a year to check something, I'm mentioned on the first page!

I assume you've seen through my pic album... those brackets I made that went through the bumper worked quite well, and had zero shake. I find that is key to any light mount, it has to be FIRM to prevent light shake. Because the front bumper is so easy to remove, I highly recommend making the brackets like I did so they can be attached using the front crossmember bolts.

On another 90q I had, I built a slightly smaller bar that came up the backside of that front crossmember, and out through the front grill. Mounted two lights on it. Worked well with the lighter Hella 500's.

 

Thanks for checking in. So, I was trying to mount a set of Hella 3000 Rally lamps. These are the full size precursor to the newer 4000s, and I'm close to giving up after realizing that as a daily driver it would not be long before someone backed into them while parking.

So. I'm changing directions and I should fess up that I am a vehicle lighting fanatic but have no experience with the smaller lights that would fit in my new area of focus - the current location of the factory fogs and anywhere in that lower grille area. I'm looking for serious lights that will fit down there. I'm looking for a driving beam and a fog beam and am willing to remove the factory fogs and also willing to have two pairs of lamps down there to make that happen.

Thoughts?

DougM

 

My recommendation... don't go low. Driving lights will be horrible if mounted low, and you won't get a good "fill" with fogs down low. Yes, they'll be great "fog" lights... but who actually uses fog lights for fog!

Not sure what you've got for headlights, but I'd recommend picking up atleast a set of Depo H4 headlights. I had them, they were quite nice.

Mount a set of lights up high... come through the front grill. I had a set of Hella 2000's mounted on the front of my daily driver 90q for a while... similar in size to the 3000/4000's. It wasn't hard to fab something up. I recall it was a couple of pieces of 1/4 or 3/8" flatbar.... went through the grill and bolted to a bracket that I welded to the car. One of my current cars is a '95 Ford Escort... same type of setup, a square tube welded across the front support (in behind the grill/bumper), two square tube "tabs" welded to that main bar w/ holes. Light bar sits ontop, bolts through the holes in those "tabs".

There are a hundred ways to skin a cat.

I've been running aux. lights for over 10 years on various vehicles... I have never had someone back into them. I have suffered stone chips, busted lenses in snowbanks, had rough gravel stage roads vibrate lights loose (fell forward and crushed)... never a parking lot accident.

I've always been a fan of the original Hella 500 fog light... had the same set of several vehicles now for almost 10 years. 100w bulbs + a snowbank made for cracked lenses, the inner reflector got wet and isn't perfect anymore... but those lights still rock. Had the 500 driving lights, wasn't a fan. Heard good things about the MicroDE projector fogs.

I used to use Bosch 225 rally lights... I love them in a driving pattern! LOVE! FANTASTIC. Hella 2000's... meh.

I once ran an overnight winter rally in a 4kq... headlights were a set of dual-round lights (ala old school BMW) w/ H4+H1 euro beam conversions. Using stock wattage bulbs, it was an awesome setup. I passed a subbie w/ some Hella 4000's on a highway transit... my "headlights" were far better than his Hella 4000's. Spent some time in a proper rally car w/ hella 4000's in hood pods... HID conversions...

.... I still prefer my Bosch 225's.

 

Wow, we were separated at birth. I have also loved the 500 fogs and have likely installed at least 4 sets on various cars over the years. Then I started driving LandCruisers 20 years ago and discovered the joys of full size lamps. Still have two Cruisers with HIR bulbs in factory quad lamps, plus the aforementioned full size Hellas. For me the gold standard of any vehicle I have ever set up. Just phenomenal beam patterns and output with 470,000 miles I have put on them combined.

And funny you mention the 500 driving beams specifically because my first ever pair of them went on our new Subaru when we got it a few months ago and I was indeed disappointed. Barely dent the dark as you mention.

Also agree on low lights not being a good call. The sweet spot for aim is too small, and other comments spot on.

My grill is slightly loose from cracked mounts, so I may take your advice and find a way to fire a pair of lights through it, cutting the grille into bits in the process for a clean optical view. The pods sound killer and HID is serious lighting.

I was unable to find B3 headlamps from Depo other than a very long wait from Estonia or something, so still stock lamps. And yes they are poor beams even when this model was new. I have a spare set of factory lamps I attempted to "clean" and found the reflector silvering in a pile - any thoughts on cutting them up and installing something in these housing that would be a worthy experiment? For low beams and high beams?

 

At one point I contemplated mounting a set of dual-rounds ('80s BMW housings) w/ H4+H1 in the front of a 90q, but decided against it... didn't have a welder at the time, and the 90q side markers mount to the plastic housings... blah blah wasn't worth the hassle. Another option would be Hella 90mm modules, in a custom housing...

Keep on the lookout for Depo's... they pop up from time to time.

I only had to cut a small notch in the front of my 90q grill on both sides... when the bar was removed it wasn't noticable. Lights sat out front of the grill.