Hi,
Do a lot of country driving and need better lights.Has anyone mounted driving lights on a 380?
I have seen those bars that bolt in number plate mounts,not sure if they shake.
Just wondering,anyone have a tip on mounting spots.
PS don't want a roo bar,Thanks.

Get happy with some metal working skills and make up some solid brackets that mount onto the body somewhere solid.
Would that be possible through the the area where fog lights normally mount?

Most people would use a roo bar or nudge bar because the olden day method of just drilling holes in your HQ Holden bumper bar to mount spot lights just doesn't work on modern cars.

http://www.rcacc.com.au/index.php?cPath=124_178_179

If you look the most common method of mounting a nudge bar is to go under the bumper bar back to the chassis.
Whatever you knock up needs to put the spotlights in a legal position and not interfere with collision detection in a crash.

EDIT: I haven't seen number plate type mounts, but they better have something solid behind it back to the metal chassis to stop the shakes!

Probably easier if you just look into upgrading your headlight globes?

I think I saw few months ago a 380 with lights mounted between the radiator and the front mesh/grill (where the logo is) but for sure you have to built DIY a mounting bracket for them..

Thanks for advice guys.
Your right MadMax,shaky spots are annoying.Couldn't be bothered or have equipment to make brackets, maybe a nudge bar or just upgrade the headlights.
Do you mean those plus 100 globes that Narva/Phillips make?I tried Narva ones in my mirage and they only lasted 6 months :(
I spose can't go up in wattage with out things getting toasty.Anyone used Phillips? are they worthwhile and last a reasonable time?
Don't want those lights that blind drivers on low with a bluey white aura Lol

One thing I would suggest is looking at some high-powered fog light replacements. They're in a good mounting point, and you can get some that are designed to put out a horrendous amount of light. When I worked at AutoZone, we had a set for $75 that were on average six times brighter than headlights.

So if your car has fog lights, you can change out to the higher-powered ones, and already have an integrated switch for them...just don't do what I did, and drive with them on during a really foggy day. Five people called the police saying there was a UFO on the road.

Edit: You might have to upgrade the wiring though depending on the draw of the new lights. I would also look at some of the magnified LED lights. Low power draw, but still eye-searingly bright.

How much doe the number plate bars vibrate? Is there a way to make it more secure? If so then just get an LED light bar. Otherwise, try getting Philips x-treme 100 bulbs for the highbeams.

Thanks everyone for the ideas.
Replacing fog lights appeals to me but they don't dip with the high beams.Might go the number plate bar and make sure its secure,with led spots.
Want to go led because of the lower draw,like the idea of a light bar,but are they more of a flood?
Definitely will change the high beam globes to Phillips though.
BTW saw a u tube video by Narva and really liked their HID spotlights.They sure throw out some light but not sure of how much juice they suck.

There are light bars that have combo of spot in the middle with flood on the outer and there are ones with just spot.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/11inch-50W-CREE-LED-Work-Light-Bar-Spot-OFFROADS-Lamp-Truck-Boat-10-30V-/391091781506?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item5b0ee2ff82

I believe that light bars are illegal (in Victoria) for on-road use. STRICTLY off-road I'm told.

Peter H.

I believe that light bars are illegal (in Victoria) for on-road use. STRICTLY off-road I'm told.

Peter H.

Light bars are supplementary lighting and must be turned on with high beams and are governed by high beam usage. In previous ADR rules, supplementary lights must be mounted in pairs but since the introduction of LED light bars, various state organisations have requested ADR to change the rules to allow a single LED light bar fitment fitted symmetrically about the centre. This new rule supposedly came into affect in January this year.

https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/vehicle-safety/fog-and-driving-lights

I saw a Commodore with a light bar below the front number plate.
It was daytime.
It was on. Didn't look too bright, but then it was daytime.
It was blue.
It looked stupid. (As always, your opinion may vary.)

A lot of the cheap Chinese led bars appear blue ....

If you are feeling ambitious I would thoroughly recommend a projector retrofit and HIDs within the standard headlights. I've done this to my 380 and it's bloody brilliant to drive with at night. I'm still debating complimenting it with a light bar or small spotties now that I've moved to the sticks, but on its own it would certainly rival a lot of setups with aftermarket light bars or spotties.

I took a video of it with my dash cam here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0lWe2VLOk. I would encourage you to watch to the end. Unfortunately the dash cam doesn't pick up just how bright they can get.


Want to go led because of the lower draw,like the idea of a light bar,but are they more of a flood?
BTW saw a u tube video by Narva and really liked their HID spotlights.They sure throw out some light but not sure of how much juice they suck.

HIDs have a lower power draw than standard halogen bulbs.

I've got HIDs all round in my 380 and power draw hasn't been a concern. In his old Territory my dad had 55w HIDs in the high beams and 70w HIDs in his driving lights and again, no issues with power draw.

Every report of LED light bars is that they generally don't have the distance that driving lights will have.


Do you mean those plus 100 globes that Narva/Phillips make?I tried Narva ones in my mirage and they only lasted 6 months :(
I spose can't go up in wattage with out things getting toasty.Anyone used Phillips? are they worthwhile and last a reasonable time?
All the +80, +100 etc bulbs have a shorter lifespan than a regular bulb. 6 months is an awfully short time though. I had a set of Narva +100s for around twelve months before I installed my HIDs and they were still going strong even with frequent night driving.


One thing I would suggest is looking at some high-powered fog light replacements. They're in a good mounting point, and you can get some that are designed to put out a horrendous amount of light. When I worked at AutoZone, we had a set for $75 that were on average six times brighter than headlights.
My concern with replacing the fog lights with driving lights is that they would be sitting too low to cover any substantial distance. How do they fare? The other thing is that 380 foglights aren't a terribly big size which would limit what could be installed.

Thanks for the replies guys.
Well my plan is :Fog lights into led DRL's,upgrade all globes and spotties on a plate bar (halogen or hid)
Your lights look good Red Valdez,nice even spread with good throw.A project probably beyond me ��
Anyhoo thanks
BTW was working on car last night, ripping out boot lining after bleach leaked out of shopping ��
Hosed carpet,didn't seem to get to metal.Still I sprayed wd40 in there,OCD probably Lol.
Now to look at lights today and forget about bleach,yeah right.

Cibie Super Oscars with 35watt HID globes mounted on a bar behind the number plate

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x112/micpea/IMAG0661_zpseibaaghw.jpg (http://s184.photobucket.com/user/micpea/media/IMAG0661_zpseibaaghw.jpg.html)


Quad HID Projectors with Cree Led DRL

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x112/micpea/380%20GT%20projectors/IMAG0950_zpsy6j3x5l3.jpg (http://s184.photobucket.com/user/micpea/media/380%20GT%20projectors/IMAG0950_zpsy6j3x5l3.jpg.html)

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x112/micpea/IMAG0965.jpg (http://s184.photobucket.com/user/micpea/media/IMAG0965.jpg.html)

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x112/micpea/IMAG0967.jpg (http://s184.photobucket.com/user/micpea/media/IMAG0967.jpg.html)

these are a bit pricey ,but ,are exactly the same as the factory fog light and screw in using the same mounting points.

Going to be my next mod when i replace the headlights with a new Quad hid set up....lol

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/390801517967?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Well my plan is :Fog lights into led DRL's,upgrade all globes and spotties on a plate bar (halogen or hid)
Your lights look good Red Valdez,nice even spread with good throw.A project probably beyond me ��
Thanks mate. I reckon chuck some HIDs in the spotties. Once upon a time my dad had some Hella 4000 Compacts, which he had some upgraded Philips bulbs in (the +80s? Whatever was the best at the time). He swapped them out for some 55w HIDs and the difference was night and day (no pun intended). My only suggestion is to ensure that you get 4300k bulbs (colour temperature).

My concern with replacing the fog lights with driving lights is that they would be sitting too low to cover any substantial distance. How do they fare? The other thing is that 380 foglights aren't a terribly big size which would limit what could be installed.

The ones I sold at Autozone came in several different sizes, to mate up with different car fog light mounts. They were an LED system with a THICK glass diffuser/magnifier on them. On average between half and 2/3rds the draw of factory fog lights, and they lit the road up like it was day time. The first generation had only one emitter, the later ones had two, with the glass shaped and focused so the lower array would illuminate closer to the vehicle, and the upper aimed farther away.

I bought a set for my 1992 Cadillac Sedan DeVille (land yacht, absolutely massive and wide), and while I did have to adjust the angle slightly inwards to account for the much wider stance on the car, they worked absolutely beautifully. They were white light with a very subtle yellow tint (yellow filtering helps the eye sharpen things, hence shooting glasses being yellow) that you didn't really notice. What I liked about the slight yellowing of the light was it reduced the harshness of the light so that oncoming drivers weren't blinded by my lights. We actually measured the light at both the bulbs themselves, and at 100m. The replacement lights were brighter by factors, but thanks to the low position and angle, they weren't offensive to other drivers.

Don't ask me what brand they were, or model though. That was back in 2008. They were also around $300 after my employee discount. Horribly expensive, but they came with an awesome warranty from the manufacturer, and worked exactly as advertised.