Custom Making LED Light Bar for M939

[74M35A2]

I want a one piece double row LED light bar to go across the windshield top of my M925A2. Nobody I could easily find makes them in 74" or so. Their prices have fallen on eBay, so I bought two 54" ones, and disassembled them. Welding the housing together, then having a one piece lens made. The light assemblies are modular inside, so it is easy to just remove from one and add to another in blocks of 4. Pics to follow, but for $100 each, we'll see what happens.

I was surprised the end mounting brackets were metal. I think with that much span, I will probably place a brace in the center also. For tree protection, I'm considering to add a flip down cover like the 6 lamp halogen bar has, or simply make the bar quick detachable.

 

[Artisan]

...waiting for pics...

 

[74M35A2]

Just starting, so these are just the bar as received and disassembled.

 

[74M35A2]

*This page reserved for something cool in the future.

 

[74M35A2]

Made the housing cut to combine today. So when disassembled, each LED light module is exactly 10" long, and contains 20 lights (10 in each 2 row). Each reflector is 2"x2" (4 reflectors per cube), so there are 5 reflectors on each light module. The reflectors are available as spot or flood, with spot in the middle and flood on each end of the bar. I will continue this continuity with additional of each. This enables the light bar to be built in 10" increments basically.

Not wanting to exceed the windshield width, I will extend the 50" light bar to 70" by adding 2 LED light modules, 10 reflector cubes (40 additional LED's), and 20" of housing length. Throw in the mounting brackets, and it will be about 74" wide or so. It was originally rated as a 54" light bar, and the actual housing not including mounting brackets was 50-1/4". One housing has been cut at the 20" mark, and will be TIG welded to the existing other 50" housing. This also leaves me a 30" housing of which I can use at another location on the truck, likely bed or rear facing light on cab roof rear or rear bumper. A fair deal for $200 total investment I feel. They are 24V capable with no modifications. The beat up work bench in the photos is 6' long for reference.

TIG welder is busy and quoting 2 weeks, but he says TIG'ing extruded aluminum is a gravy job that always turns out well, he compared it to TIG'ing billet aluminum. I can MIG but not TIG, and I want it done right, so stay with me here. More in a few weeks.

 

[turnkey]

Should look and work nice for you.....Now that is a light bar...

 

[gimpyrobb]

Hellz man, JB-weld it!

 

[74M35A2]

Took the 50" and 20" extruded light bar housings into the TIG welder today to be combined. He quoted a week, just FYI. Gives me time to start considering mounting options using the windshield frame vs cab roof sides.

Can't wait to get it back, assemble, and mount it. Looks easy to do a flip up/down cover hinged at the top-front to protect it. Piece of painted aluminum and a nice long piano hinge maybe.

 

[gimpyrobb]

You could us a "Bimba" air cyl to raise it and lower it!

 

[grendel]

Ok, I want one now

 

[MidnightDuramax]

Could you post the link or info from ebay for them? Looks like a great project and should work really well.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Could you post the link or info from ebay for them? Looks like a great project and should work really well.

NO, thats against site rules.

He could post the auction number though.

 

[74M35A2]

Sorry, late for an update. Our local TIG welder is supposed to be one of the top in his trade (Chris Razor, Hi-Tech Welding in Plymouth, MI, featured on Miller's web site), so he was booked 3 weeks out.

Finally got the light bar back, TIG welded together as a single unit now, 70" long. He V notched the joint and really filled it with weld, then put a few tacks on the top and bottom outside additionally. I can now reassemble the light modules within it, at the same time custom order a single piece of polycarbonate for a one piece lens. The original lens was 1/8" thick x 50" long, and the new one will be 70" long. I am also going to need to upgrade the wiring within the unit to be sure to handle the additional light load. These modules are very bright, and do pull some power. The 50" light bar pulled 300W of energy. Now it will be 420W of energy at 70". The end reflectors are flood, and the center reflectors are spot. I reassembled the remaining 30" LED light bar today which was the cut-off leftover, and it works well. Fits perfectly across the rear under the rear bed edge, but I'm considering to make a flip cover for it because the reflectors are so bright. These pics are not exciting. I know everybody wants the one mounted on the truck and lit up. No worries, we're getting there.

 

[74M35A2]

Could you post the link or info from ebay for them? Looks like a great project and should work really well.

Just eBay search 52" or 54" LED light bar. That's it, they are all the same on there, and all coming from the same place, so grab one that ships from within the US and has free shipping. Price is down to about $115 or so each. And they are 24V ready. So for $230, I now have one front and rear (plus cost of custom 70" polycarbonate lens, approx. $30). Paid the welder in non-cash. Haven't even thought about mounting yet. Otherwise, just do what I am doing here. It really is gravy.

 

[74M35A2]

Ok, I want one now

You can have this one for $900 and a case of Corona's.

 

[tim292stro]

Could you just find an extrusion that fits the original design? No welding then, just cut to desired length...

 

[74M35A2]

Could you just find an extrusion that fits the original design? No welding then, just cut to desired length...

I could not find one this shape, plus I would need the light modules to extend it, the lens fastening bars, the reflectors, etc... It only made sense to buy two and jam them together. It is going well though, exactly as I thought. The welding was low cost and should hold just fine. These are extruded in China, so I doubt you could find anything longer yet same here in the states.

 

[74M35A2]

LED light modules added, not wired together yet. Bar is now 70" long, and 420 watts of LED flood and spot lamp power, 24V. Next up is to wire the modules together, test it, and then screw in the reflectors. Then, wait for the 70" x 2-3/8" x 1/8" polycarbonate lens to arrive and install it. Then, install onto truck and wire it up.

 

[74M35A2]

Just ordered the custom cut polycarbonate sheet for the lens. Nice user-friendly website, and the new 70" long piece was $10 cut to size. Oversize shipping charge from UPS ($17), so $27 total.

http://www.tapplastics.com

They had them in color tints, reflective mirror finishes, smoked, etc.... Pretty slick.

 

[74M35A2]

I have the light modules in and soldered up. I upgraded the power wires going to the unit to 12ga, but I may have to upgrade them further yet. The light bar is now 420W, so at 24V that is nearly 20 amps. When I power the light bar up, it works and is crazy bright, but it is flashing slightly and making a high pitched humming/buzzing noise. This usually occurs when the voltage regulators are not receiving enough power. I may have to feed 12ga power wires into each end of the bar. Will try that tomorrow, but for now, here is a terrible pic of the 70" unit lit up while leaning against my truck while plugged into the slave port. This is with no reflectors in it at all, just the LED's themselves (double rows of 70, so 140 total 3 watt LED's).