By Mike Boyd
One of the last things you will
find on an early off-road vehicle is interior lighting. Dome lights and
under hood lights did not come as standard equipment on early 4WD's.
Whether your 4X4 is used on the street or trail, interior lighting can be
essential for safety and handling equipment and maps in your
vehicle.
The newer F-150 dome lights
offer an interior light and two individual map lights that can make your driving
far easier. The rollbar or headliner makes an excellent mounts for these
lights. In the Bronco I used 1 foot long, eight inches wide, by 1/8"
thick T-6 billet. I used the rollbar as the mounting bracket for this
unit. The billet was attached by four 5/16" coarse thread allen
bolts. This would provide the strength needed for heavy off-road
operations.
I used two F-150 dome lights to
supply illumination to the front and rear of
the vehicle. I ran the wiring under the rollbar padding to avoid snags and
give the installation a cleaner appearance. The lights are powered through
a rocker switch on the dash for the driver's convience.
I also found that this billet
plate made an ideal platform for additional switches that need to be accessible to the driver. By mounting the
panel in the middle of the rollbar, headroom was not a problem for this
unit.
Under the hood, I used a F-150,
late model Bronco extendible recoil
light. This unit is turned on by a mercury switch that is activated when
the hood is opened more than half-way up. The mercury switch must be
removed from the unit so that it can be mounted independently to the first cross
hood support so the angle or the switch could be adjusted to prevent the light
from turning on too soon. Some features of this light are an extension
chord that is more than 20 feet long. The light housing is also magnetized
and can be used when making repairs anywhere on your vehicle.
This is a simple modification
that will greatly enhance your off-road pleasure and assist you in any mishaps
on the street or trail.
Glossary
Body, Bed, and Appearance
Bronco Lighting
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7-29-2004