[ColoradoTom]

I got this idea from the other site. some guys found a site that sells light/antenna mounts for the full size trucks that use the third brake light holes, so you dont have to drill any new holes in your truck. essentially it was just a piece of plate stock that was formed into a little shelf that is sandwiched between the cab and third brake light. well i guess it woud have done the trick but there where a couple of things i did not like about it. it dident look too strong, the wires would be exposed, they dont make them for our trucks, and they sell for over $150.00 each. so i set out to make my own. mine is made from 1.5"x3" rectangular tube stock, with 1"square tube stock outriggers for the forward facing lights. it will hold 3 lights, two facing forward, and one in the middle that faces the rear of the truck. it is also set up to mount a CB antenna. all wires will be routed directly into the cab above the headliner, keeping a neat and clean appearance. i am finished with the fabrication and i am now working on smoothing out some of the welds with Bondo/ Sanding/Priming. here are a few pics of the project so far:

Front View( if it where on the truck its actually the rear)

Rear View(Note the circular holes to reduce weight)

Close up on one of the outriggers

Gasket material:1/2" Closed-Cell foam

Hella Lights

CB antenna

I will post more updated material as soon as i make some more progress.

 

[ColoradoTom]

here are some pics of the lightbar after primer:


front:

rear:

 

[355T]

can't wait to see it finished and installed!

 

[ColoradoTom]

yeah, i just gave it 5 coats of duplicolor paint, its gonna be 7 days before i can start installing grommets, lights, wiring... it should look prety mean.

 

[ZNA03]

Thats gonna look cool.

 

[PRC]

Nice, cant wait to see it installed, Good work man!!! :355:

 

[ColoradoTom]

thanks!

 

[superbeast]

if it turns out good, you might be able to make some cash selling em on here n' other sites

 

[TucsonZ71]

I'm interested in what it will look like when you set it up. Definitely keep us updated!

 

[2wenty2]

question... maybe im just being dumb..

but wouldn't placing something between the break light and the cab cause an increase of likelihood of water leaking in? this is already a problem on the rado's..

 

[PRC]

Well if he seals it with the "foam" GM uses he should be fine, my biggest concern is that much weight off the posts our thrid brake light bolts to. I can imagine that being flexed, specially doing 80mph on the highway with this on, but im gonna sit arounnd and wait to see how this plays out. I hope it all goes good though.

 

[rangerbob]

Have you considered making a plate that mounts inside of the 3rd brake light hole as a back plate? This should limit the stress on the existing screw holes by spreading the load.

 

[ColoradoTom]

well i cheated and started to put the grommets and lights on this evening so you guys could see how its going to work.(and yes i chipped the paint, should have waited) it does not mount using the stock screws as they are going to me much too weak. i am using 6; 1"x1/4-20 bolts and 1 1/4" fender washers to "clamp" onto the cab opening from behind. see the photos for an idea how it wil be held on. the whole thing weighs in at about 10.6 pounds, including the lights and the heavy duty CB mount.

Heres a picture of the lightbar looking at it from the rear of the truck :

from the front of the truck:

a close up of the 1/4 inch bolts and fender washer mounting system:

Pretend that the cardboard is the cab of the truck, heres how it will mount:

close up:

and now a side profile to show the foam thickness:

 

[rrcn]

Looks great man.

Nice work.

 

[BagDColy]

looks good man

 

[WwRGSwW]

If you decide to make another, let me know, ive been looking for away to mount a rear work light, that seems perfect

 

[ColoradoTom]

well i installed the lightbar last night. it feels very strong. there where no problems other than i dident realize how tricky it was going to be to get all of the washers/nuts back in there with my fat fingers. i ended up using masking tape to attach parts to my finger untill the threads where started, then i could get the box end wrench in there and gently tighten the whole thing up to slightly compress the foam. im going to wash the truck so i can put on my Z71 fender flares, then i will get some nice photos of the complete project.

 

[PRC]

well i installed the lightbar last night. it feels very strong. there where no problems other than i dident realize how tricky it was going to be to get all of the washers/nuts back in there with my fat fingers. i ended up using masking tape to attach parts to my finger untill the threads where started, then i could get the box end wrench in there and gently tighten the whole thing up to slightly compress the foam. im going to wash the truck so i can put on my Z71 fender flares, then i will get some nice photos of the complete project.

looking forward to these, that thing is gonna look sexxxy. :naughty:

 

[2wenty2]

yeah.. get em mounted...

:worthless:

 

[TucsonZ71]

yeah.. get em mounted...

:worthless:

X2 :dawg: