Stealth LED light bar install

[BannerBuilt]

Stealth 40" LED light bar install

As requested, here are some more pictures of the light bar I installed on the stock roof rack of my 2006 Limited. The hardest part of the install wasn't actually the mounting of the bar, but routing the wires in a way that they remained hidden. I got my 40" bar from Exploration Outfitters, although there are a multitude of other Totron dealers online as well.

Next to a buddy at work:

Sunroof and ski rack are still fully fuctional:

Needed for the install:

40” Totron Single Row spot/flood combo light bar with wiring harness

2 – 6” angle brackets from Home Depot

4 – 1/4”–20 x 1/2” bolts (I used a security-style head, similar to the hardware you see on bathroom stalls)

2 - 1/4"-20 x 3/4" bolts

2 – 1/4"–20 Nylocks

4 – 1/4"–20 ‘draw bolt’ kits (you will only need the threaded plates from these assemblies)

Installation -

This picture pretty much says it all.

I loosely pre-assembled the brackets onto the bar on the ground, and then lifted everything into place. The threaded plates from the draw bolts are pretty trick – they will fit through the slot on your roof rack rail, and when you start to tighten them down, they will spin about 45 degrees and then lock in place against the upper and lower sides of the slot.

Depending on the bracket, you may have to change the hole locations to raise or lower the height of your bar. I have mine set at about 1/8” above the surface of the roof.

Wiring –

The first thing I did was to strip the plastic sleeve off of the wires leading to the bar from the relay. I hid the large wiring connector under the roof rack rail cap, then pulled back the windshield trim slightly and stuffed the two wires underneath. I then routed the wires though the hood hinge hole and mounted my relay to an existing bolt next to the fuse box.

Here was the tedious part –

You have to disassemble the connector between the supplied switch and relay in order to route the wires through the firewall the way I did. Using an optics screwdriver, I was able to pop the contacts out of the connector housing. I then cut off the little rubber nipple on the large firewall grommet and stuffed the wires through from the inside.

Reassemble the plug, mount your switch, and you should be ready to rock and roll!

Total install was less than an hour. For comparison, here are some pics of the side of a building from about 50 feet away.

Low beams and fogs:

High beams and fogs:

High beams, fogs, and LED bar:

LED only:

The iPhone is not very good for pictures like this...and I didn't pick the best setting either. This bar is much brighter than it appears, and 'throws' light much farther than the stock headlights. Next time around though, I'd probably go with the flood pattern only, because I don't really need the ability to see a mile down the road.

I would have preferred the 40" Rigid SR series for this install due to its reduced height and higher output...but alas, Grover Clevelands don't grow on trees.

OP WILL DELIVER:

Here are some output pics from my drive home the other night:

Low Beams




Low Beams + 40" LED Light Bar



​

Good luck with your installs gang!

 

[momo.75]

Nice write up! Thanks

 

[LTDSC]

Well, this is going to make me spend some money.

 

[wadle5]

"LED only:

"


Looks like the damn Sun on the side of the building!!

 

[Red]

wow, that is much more simple than I thought it would be.

This is going on my to-do list.

how is it going over bumps and stuff? pretty secure? no rattling?

 

[BannerBuilt]

how is it going over bumps and stuff? pretty secure? no rattling?

I haven't had a good chance to rally it down a logging road to find out, but it's about as rigid as the supplied Totron mounting hardware allows it to be. I wouldn't go so far as to stand on it, but it definitely won't flop around like one of those flailing tube men at a used car lot.

With 1/8" clearance between the light bar and the roof surface, I have seen no rub or rattle marks on the roof paint.

 

[Red]

I haven't had a good chance to rally it down a logging road to find out, but it's about as rigid as the supplied mounting hardware allows it to be. I wouldn't go so far as to stand on it, but it definitely won't flop around like one of those flailing tube men at a used car lot.

With 1/8" clearance between the light bar and the roof surface, I have seen no rub or rattle marks on the roof paint.

Awesome.

One other question, what was the overall length of the bar you bought? the Hanma bar is listed as being 41.5" on Gaterose's group buy and you said the space between the rails is approximately 42" not sure if the Hanma one would work, sounds pretty tight.

In the picture it looked like you had more than a couple inches of space on either side.

 

[BannerBuilt]

Awesome.

One other question, what was the overall length of the bar you bought? the Hanma bar is listed as being 41.5" on Gaterose's group buy and you said the space between the rails is approximately 42" not sure if the Hanma one would work, sounds pretty tight.

In the picture it looked like you had more than a couple inches of space on either side.

I'll get a tape on it after work. I think I had just under an inch of room on either side of the bar.

Do the Hanmas mount from the back (like this one), or from the ends?

 

[Red]

I'll get a tape on it after work. I think I had just under an inch of room on either side of the bar.

Do the Hanmas mount from the back (like this one), or from the ends?

the ends, and the overall dimension including the brackets is 44" so it would take some modification. Maybe the brackets can be flipped so that the tabs point inwards instead of out. I'm going to check out the brand you used though. Hanma 40" seems like it might be a bit too long. also the mounting solution on your light bar seems like it might be more sturdy for this application.

actually it seems the double row bars have the brackets on the ends and the single rows have them on the back. Hanma looks slight different from yours, not sure if it would work.

 

[BannerBuilt]

actually it seems the double row bars have the brackets on the ends and the single rows have them on the back. Hanma looks slight different from yours, not sure if it would work.

Just looked the Hanma bar up on their website. It's totally the same bar (Link to Totron)...I can tell based off of the end caps, lenses, and mounting hardware.

I don't even know who to believe anymore, with all of these companies claiming to be the manufacturer. Make sure to get the optional wiring kit though, that makes the install wayyy easier.

 

[Red]

Hanma single row and the totron look very similar in the pictures as far as mounting. It looks like you could use a hanma bar as well.

You'd have to get creative to fit a double row led bar though.

 

[momo.75]

yeah, the 30" double row is too narrow. It could be mounted up there but it would look odd because of the length. The 40" double row is too long to fit between the side rails.

 

[BannerBuilt]

yeah, the 30" double row is too narrow. It could be mounted up there but it would look odd because of the length. The 40" double row is too long to fit between the side rails.

Depending on exactly how wide the double row bar was...I wonder if you could just screw the mounting feet down to the plastic end caps on the rails. I seem to remember them having a nice flat surface to mount to, although the end caps might crack or otherwise fail with a 15 lb light bar mounted to it.


[EDIT]...In hindsight, terrible idea. Most people seem to break off the tabs holding those end caps on, so they will most likely not work in this case.

 

[momo.75]

You could do that but eventually the plastic will crack, either with vibration or something catching the light itself. Plus i think it would look much better down between the side rails like yours.

 

[BannerBuilt]

You could do that but eventually the plastic will crack, either with vibration or something catching the light itself. Plus i think it would look much better down between the side rails like yours.

I agree. If you check out the specs on the Hanma/Totron bars, you'll see that the single row bars use 24 5W CREE bulbs (120W total), while the double row bars use 48 3W CREE bulbs (144W total).

In reality, you are only giving up 24 total watts, or 1W per bulb, by going with the single row bar.

[EDIT] The above statement in italics is false...it appears that the double row bars are now pulling twice the amount of power as the equal length single row bars. See here (40" single row) and here (40" double row) for comparison.

 

[AleksV]

Wow that looks great. Such a clean install.

 

[Red]

Question for those with the Hanma double row. Maybe momo can answer this.

Can the two mounting brackets on the double row be removed and flipped over so that the mounting tabs point inwards instead of out? that would shave a couple inches off the overall length.

Would it be possible to create your own brackets maybe? I cant tell how the bracket is attached to the light bar.

 

[momo.75]

yes, the mount brackets can be flipped around with the feet turned in. Even then the 40" DR would be too long. If somebody had access to a plasma cutter they could easily cut some brackets that could mount in the side rails then have a little zig zag bend to them to hold the light itself. They could also be made to bring the light a little more forward

 

[AleksV]

If you do flip the brackets to save space, you lose the ability to lock in teeth between the light and the bracket. Not sure how good the hold will be then.

 

[wvuviv30]

I like that. What does it look like from inside the vehicle at night? any glare on the hood?


But there is something that doesn’t right look right in the last pic of the “sun”; it looks like it is aim up to high and could be angled down a couple more degrees. The low beams top out at 3’; highs are around 6’; the middle of the “sun” look like it is 12’ in the air.