Adding Driving Lamps to your FIA/USRRC – “How To”.
 

I live in the middle of “rural no-place”. The only thing here is farm tractors pulling manure spreaders, vermin making poor road crossing choices, and white-tail deer – lots and lots of white-tail deer. We must have piss-poor hunters in these parts, too….and too much food. Damn deer…

Background:
 

One of my biggest fears with this car is plowing into one of these Bambies after dusk while trying to make up time from being an hour late returning home from some self-indulgent, car-related activity. Of course, that’s the logical reasoning. The more emotional reasoning comes from the inspiration I’ve gained from the CSX cars running the Masters Series in Europe. Someone over on Pistonheads posted photos from the Spa 6hrs race from last year where the cars were fitted with driving lights for the night racing segment:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ts/Spa6_32.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ts/Spa6_18.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ts/Spa6_35.jpg

And another picture of CSX2049 borrowed from CSXInfo.net

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ts/csx2049.jpg

To each his own, and all that, but I just couldn’t deny the coolness of this. I had to fit a set to my car. The following steps show how I did it.

Step 1 – Sourcing the Lamps.
 

I wanted a set of Cibies so that I could replicate the look that the Masters guys were running. After a little internets searching, I came upon an ebay seller that had a set in the fog light specification. Wanting the “driving light” specification, I contacted the seller directly and was greeted by a very helpful enthusiast named Jackson who took an interest in my project and helped in the selection of a set of Cibie Oscar lamps that met my application requirements. Jackson runs an auto restoration shop in Georgia named “Not On Main Street Garage”. Home Page Jackson took Paypal, so payment was easy and the shipping was quick.

Step 2 – Materials, Fabrication, and Installation.
 

The next step was to find a way to securely attach the lamps to the car. After close inspection of the photos above, it appeared to me that they were running brackets attached to the “quick jack” mounts. So after taking receipt of the lights, I used the photos as a reference, took some measurements, made a cardboard pattern, and sourced some 11ga mild steel (approx 1/8”) with which to make the brackets.

Here’s a photo of the pattern with the lights in the background:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1495.jpg

Here’s another shot of the pattern once unfolded and laying on the material:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1496.jpg

The pattern was then traced, a center punch was used to locate hole centers, holes were drilled, and then the pieces were cut out and bent over a vise. Then a few strategic welds were placed to add stiffness.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1543.jpg

Here are the brackets installed after a couple shots of Krylon Satin Black:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1632.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1633.jpg

Result.
 

Below are a few shots from a show I attended this past weekend. I’m very pleased with how the mounting turned out and the brackets are plenty stiff enough that I don’t think I will need to add the turnbuckle stabilizers that can be seen in some of the photos from a few posts back:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1698.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1699.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSCN1697.jpg

Next Steps.
 

…now about those deer. These will obviously have to be made functional. Getting the brackets fabricated and installed was all I could manage last week, so running the wiring will need to be saved for a future endeavor. Luckily, I have an un-used Lucas rocker switch on my dash that will be utilized for the driving lights. I will follow the below diagram that I swiped from the KC website. I’ll update this thread with some night-time photos and impressions once that bit of the project is tidied up.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ingDiagram.jpg

- Allen.

very nice!!!

Very slick. Another great addition.

why do you waste your time putting all that stuff on your car, hardtop, side windows, lights, etc, plus you're getting all kinds of road rash all over your paintjob. you could have just bought a big old crewcab dually pickup, and a big enclosed trailer, saved yourself a lot of work , and could have saved that car for the next guy

LOL....don't you have work to do or something???? :3DSMILE:

- Allen.

Yeah...you better clean that driver up too before the next Show & Shine Event. You might piss people off with all that dirt.

Excellant job.........

Most impressive job! You should sell sets of those light mounts. I know I would be first in line to buy a set from you, if you did.

On my Superformance the hi-beam lights are activated by a switch on the turn signal lever. Couldn't you run the "Supply" line directly from the turn signal high beam switch if you wanted to turn on the driving lights with the the hi beam switch?

I thought those lights were a new addition. Thought they looked great at the show on Sunday. And the mud actually made it look like you had been racing and was sort of cool.

Allen,

Another great how to project, look forward to your nighttime comparison photos.

A question and a suggestion ...

- In your previous post with the photos of different Cobras with driving lamps, what's up with the roof on the red Cobra #3 ... a 'Gurney Bubble'?

- Try a set of white turn signal lens covers in place of the amber, you just might like the look.

Keep up the good work! :)

- Tim

I've been thinking of tucking a set of driving lights into the snout (radiator opening) similar to the GT350's. Anyone seen anything like that on a Cobra in any vintage photos?

I'm not concerned about cooling issues, as I get plenty of airflow as it is.

DD

:D

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6...allinriver.jpg

Thanks, Tim. Some things to consider that might make this tricky car-to-car would be the distance between the quick jack attaching bolts, the diameter of lamps being used, and the lamp mounting post hole location position such that the body of the lamps clears the "snout" or form of the body at the radiator opening. I constructed these brackets so the lights were "tucked in" close to the body and still cleared the light projection of the main headlamps....I can make a copy of my pattern and send it to you if you like...let me know. Then you could modify it as needed based on your specifics and give the pattern to a local sheet metal shop to make the brackets if making them yourself is not an option.. As far as the wiring goes, your assumptions sound correct..you could wire them to work any number of ways when using a basic automotive relay..

Yeah...I'm really glad I didn't clean the car up for that event..especially after they ran me through the soggy grass to park behind Bill's car. I'm kind of partial to the "freshly rallied" look myself...;) Rode hard and put away wet..isn't that what they say?

Thanks, Tim. I'll be sure to post back when I finally get them wired up. I need to focus now on getting the split trunklid latching/hinging completed and return the pieces back to Bruce so he can add the finishing touches to them before painting those pieces as well as the Lemans top. I did consider the clear lenses and likely will look for a set. As far as the bubble on HEM 6, I think that is to clear his roll bar..so yes..sort of a 'Gurney Bubble'

More from CSXInfo.net:

http://www.csxinfo.net/web/modules/x...2007%20134.jpg

http://www.csxinfo.net/web/modules/x...29/HEM%206.JPG

- Allen.

Thanks for the inspiration. We made up a set of brackets by cutting some extra quickjacks and welding them to the mounted jacks. The hardest part was finding a supplier for the Cibie lights, but went the same direction you did.

http://www.vintage-motorsports.com/a.../afh.sized.jpg

http://www.vintage-motorsports.com/a.../afi.sized.jpg