I want to put the 5 lights on top of my cab on my f-100, how can I get them all lined up and even?

 

I used a string from the rain gutter moulding stretched it marked with permanent marker in the very middle of the roof ;
then from the middle I measured equal amounts toward the outsides Then drilled the front hole where the marker was made.

 

Good luck. I like cab marker lights. I put some on my old International. Just remember, five lights equals fifteen holes in the roof to leak -- two screws and a wire hole at each light.

You do realize, I hope, that five evenly spaced lights is meaningless and shows ignorance of the original purpose of the lights. The three in the center (amber in front, red in rear) have a particular DOT purpose on trucks and trailers. The two outboard lights are markers with a different purpose. There is no legitimate purpose for five evenly spaced cab lights, but some people do it.

My reason for putting cab markers on my fairly tall old International and on a Suburban we used to have, is that I hoped the sight of the cab lights up there, along with the side markers visible on the wide car trailer behind me, would encourage oncoming traffic to give me a bit more room.

By the way, a handy catalog for markers, emergency lights, tiedowns of every kind, and just about anything you can imagine needing on a wrecker or service truck, is AW Direct. http://www.awdirect.com/ They are really fast; it sees like you just hung up the phone, and UPS is dropping off your items.

Have fun installing those marker lights, and I wish you no leaks. Our '93 Suburban with factory installed markers did leak, but it was a Chevy..

 

both my trucks have cab lights on them from the factory. they are evenly spaced apart. ive noticed most 73-79 fseries,and 80-96 f series trucksthat have 5 cab(clearance) lights,are evenly spaced on the cab.ford seems to be the only one that did this.ive seen people install them on trucks themselves,and put them 3 in the center,and one on each side of the cab outer edge. nomatter which way they are,they finish off a truck really nice.

 

They do give a truck a nice finish, ive seen them both ways evenly and not, both look great. But, is it worth the potential of roof leakadge in the long run?

 

I guess it depends on the installer and his reasoning. Just today, I saw a semi that had evenly spaced red lights across the top of the trailer (and vertically down the rear edges) and the wrong number to boot. That guy had lights all over!

In general, I'd call evenly spaced lights a nice decorative touch. I'd call the group of three in the center, with markers on the outside, traditional because it hearkens to the original legal reason.

A few years back, I specified a rescue ambulance for our VFD. I had so many scene lights and emergency strobes, that the only way the builder could put rear markers on the module was to use six evenly spaced red lights.

I have occasionally seen just the three center markers on a cab. Picture a 40's International farm truck with a flatbed, and just the three DOT markers in the middle of the cab.

Of course you could go really crazy and get some Christmas "chase" lights, so you'd have a wave of amber light streaming across the cab...

 

My 76 F250 Custom 4x4 came from the factory (I got the spec sheet from Ford) with the 3 in the middle, and the 2 on the outside.

I do not like the newer Chevy 1ton Cab lights. There is a solid bar in the middle for the middle 3, and 2 on the outside. I think it looks korny.

 

I have to agree with you there, Trey. That solid bar stuff for the center three really is cheesy.

 

i also agree, the solid bar of lights in the center of the newer chevy is not my personal favorite. i like five across the top.even spaces or not . they look good,especially at dusk with just park lights lite up. seems like a photo opp moment.

 

So, Lane or anybody else in the know, tell us what the legal requirements are and how they should be spaced on the roof.