So I looked at getting this 33,000 lumen light bar to fit into the slot that is cut in the front bumper of my RAM 3500.
This opening is just over 44" in total length, but if the factory tow hooks are left in place, the opening between the hooks is 31.5" in length. Which is almost perfect for the Black Oak bar that comes in at exactly 31.5" wide, but 3 1/3" tall. The hole in the bumper is only 3" tall however... which complicates the install significantly. Here's the light bar:
With the fancy brackets that come with it, the complete assembly comes in at 34"
On a side note, I'm very happy with the quality of the Black Oak light, its finish, harness and light output. I really want to make it work... but it's going to take a lot of effort to do so. Any way, here's a few more pics of the light bar and its harness:
So TCG... if I'm going to make this light work, I either need to remove the bumper from the truck, or enlarge (CUT) the bumper to allow the light to fit through the bumper opening. Cutting into a chrome bumper doesn't sound like a good idea for corrosion reasons, therefore...
I need to look into what it'll take to remove the bumper and all the harnesses and air flow plastics... which certainly isn't a huge hurdle in comparison to the work I did on say, the 3600mi GT500 a couple years back... but it's still sort of intimidating work. In looking at removing the bumper, the main brackets look fairly simple. The tow hooks are attached with 4 bolts which pass through the front of the frame supports and are accessible on the back side from under he truck:
From there, I'm not sure what else needs to come out... but there are a number of harnesses pinned to the back of the bumper itself, so that will all need to be addressed as well.
Finally, for the brackets which will hold the light bar in place, my current thought is to cut, bend, and powder coat some mild steel and attach them using the bottom inside bolt that holds the tow hooks in place. The tow hooks line up with the centerline of the opening, so this method will leave the light bar dropped about 3/8" low in the opening, basically hiding the lower part of the frame around the light.
Let me know your thoughts and if you agree with the mounting idea I mentioned.
This opening is just over 44" in total length, but if the factory tow hooks are left in place, the opening between the hooks is 31.5" in length. Which is almost perfect for the Black Oak bar that comes in at exactly 31.5" wide, but 3 1/3" tall. The hole in the bumper is only 3" tall however... which complicates the install significantly. Here's the light bar:
With the fancy brackets that come with it, the complete assembly comes in at 34"
On a side note, I'm very happy with the quality of the Black Oak light, its finish, harness and light output. I really want to make it work... but it's going to take a lot of effort to do so. Any way, here's a few more pics of the light bar and its harness:
So TCG... if I'm going to make this light work, I either need to remove the bumper from the truck, or enlarge (CUT) the bumper to allow the light to fit through the bumper opening. Cutting into a chrome bumper doesn't sound like a good idea for corrosion reasons, therefore...
I need to look into what it'll take to remove the bumper and all the harnesses and air flow plastics... which certainly isn't a huge hurdle in comparison to the work I did on say, the 3600mi GT500 a couple years back... but it's still sort of intimidating work. In looking at removing the bumper, the main brackets look fairly simple. The tow hooks are attached with 4 bolts which pass through the front of the frame supports and are accessible on the back side from under he truck:
From there, I'm not sure what else needs to come out... but there are a number of harnesses pinned to the back of the bumper itself, so that will all need to be addressed as well.
Finally, for the brackets which will hold the light bar in place, my current thought is to cut, bend, and powder coat some mild steel and attach them using the bottom inside bolt that holds the tow hooks in place. The tow hooks line up with the centerline of the opening, so this method will leave the light bar dropped about 3/8" low in the opening, basically hiding the lower part of the frame around the light.
Let me know your thoughts and if you agree with the mounting idea I mentioned.