Hi all,

I am looking at installing some decent driving lights in behind the grill of my TH Wagon. I have a few questions:
1) Has anyone done this?
2) What brand would be recommended? I think I will get two pencil beam lights as I am simply after the distance.
3) Would heat be an issue behind the grill?

In regards to the heat issue, I dont think it would be too much of a problem as the car will be moving and the air should keep this under control. I could only see it being an issue if they were on for an extended period of time whilst stationary - which wont happen.

Thanks in advance!

I think you'll find it's also illegal ;).
They will be fine there, same as if they were in your bumper.

1) Have seen it done

2) Hella 150's - they are fairly shallow, but mount well to the radiator support panel. Hella for the simple reason that they are built well, and the distance charts are not a work of fantasy. Their FF's are too deep by the way.

3) With the bigger lights, you are obstructing the radiator. I would assume that the fan would cycle more regularly, however, when you sit in traffic, you have no airflow through the radiator anyway.

You need lamps with a reasonably well sized reflector as going through the grille you will encounter some reduction in light output - figure about 20% at least. They will also be a major PITA to clean the lenses. Pretty bad idea all round IMHO.

Cheers
Heath Young


Hi all,

I am looking at installing some decent driving lights in behind the grill of my TH Wagon. I have a few questions:
1) Has anyone done this?
2) What brand would be recommended? I think I will get two pencil beam lights as I am simply after the distance.
3) Would heat be an issue behind the grill?

In regards to the heat issue, I dont think it would be too much of a problem as the car will be moving and the air should keep this under control. I could only see it being an issue if they were on for an extended period of time whilst stationary - which wont happen.

Thanks in advance!

Well I got some driving lights:
http://www.bmackay.com.au/bamuniversal/images/airport35.gifhttp://www.bmackay.com.au/bamuniversal/images/airport35dim.gifhttp://www.bmackay.com.au/bamuniversal/images/airport35dis.gif

I also bought some 100W bulbs to replace the standard 55W's. They are nice and slim, I might try them behind the grill first, I will design the bracket so I can simply extend it our under the grill if I decide to mount them outside.

Will post pics when completed (hopefully) on the weekend.

Well I got some driving lights:
http://www.bmackay.com.au/bamuniversal/images/airport35.gifhttp://www.bmackay.com.au/bamuniversal/images/airport35dim.gifhttp://www.bmackay.com.au/bamuniversal/images/airport35dis.gif

I also bought some 100W bulbs to replace the standard 55W's. They are nice and slim, I might try them behind the grill first, I will design the bracket so I can simply extend it our under the grill if I decide to mount them outside.

Will post pics when completed (hopefully) on the weekend.
I seriously hope i never have to drive in front of you at night....

Done it before but not on a magna.

Had no real problems at all. You do lose a little light but not as much as you'd think.

The cibie's you went for are a good choice as is the hellas. I always pays with lights to buy the quality brands. My personal fav is the 150's as heathyoung said (smart fella that heathy :D ), ive got em on the falcon.:D

Oh yeah...........picsorban..:badgrin: :D

dont see any issue of it being behind the grill but if your going to be using a pencil beam light hope you will only be using them on the freewyas or country sides.


I think you'll find it's also illegal ;).
They will be fine there, same as if they were in your bumper.


why would they be illegal?

why would they be illegal?
Well for starters you can't have 100w globes in your low-beams, that would make them brighter than high beams,
and secondly you can't dazzle other road users, so unless they're connected to the high beams, you can't have them turned on.
If thats what he's planning to do then i apoligise, but i got the idea that he was going to have them on with the low beams.

I seriously hope i never have to drive in front of you at night....
I wouldn't have my high beams on whilst infront of you! :nuts:

They will be hooked up to be used on high beams only, why in the world would i want to light up the inners of my grill regularly?:rant:

...If thats what he's planning to do then i apoligise...
No wukkas! :)

These puppies are to be used so I see roo's before they see my front bumper! I'm heading down south to my pops soon, I will need them then. Wish I had them on my QLD trip last week.

Pics will come, got permission to utilise the workshop at my little bro's work (motorbike shop). Hopefully I can find a nice length of alloy to cut up for a bracket! :)

Nice little light. Personally I prefer Cibie over Hella, I only use Narva as a last resort and won't touch the other brands. I found a couple of things with Cibie though, my Oscar SCs had heat damage to the reflector and bulb holder while running 100w. They were clearly marked 55w only, I ignored it in the mistaken belife more watts=more light. Cibies peform very well with a good, or even cheap, 55w globe. Mine certainly outperformed IPFs with 130w globes. The great thing about the airport 35s is their compact size, if you don't like them behind the grill, they will fit in the foglight blanks in your bumper, although they won't work very well down there. I'm intending to replace my OE foglights with the airports if I break them. I actually looked at fitting some rectangle Hella Comets I pulled off the wife's Calais under the bumper of my Verada since I'm not allowed to fit the Oscars, the amount of messing around wasn't worth it for the pretty average light output.

Finished the install, quite easy tao do, I need to re-enforce the brackets though as they do wobble a little, I'll simply run another strip of metal from the lights down and mount it underneath. They work brilliantly! Turn the High Beams on and it lights up the freeway/road like a landing strip! The reflectors can be seen 600 meters away easily, the standard high beams spread nicely and these driving lights give awesome distance. I will take a photo one night with them on :)
I only have a pic of them from the front at the moment, I will take more when I re-enforce the brackets.
http://rvrolla.mine.nu/350d/22-10-06%20Lights,%20speakers/slides/IMG_4793.JPG

Dude........theres a critter lookin out from behind ya grille..:shock: lol :D

Looks good :cool:

Looking forward to night pics.

How much did it cost you all up? Is there an option of using round lights instead of rectangular and was it possible to move them further apart from each other?

Thanks