I was looking for another way to mount Hella 500 lights on my stock bumper today as I was soldering my side marker directional flashing retrofit. I had made the wiring change months ago but didn't make a good permanent connection. There are 2 phillips fastners on the slotted plastic filler piece just below the grill and behind the bumper in line with the factory tow hooks. The holes are about 3/8 or 1/2 inch. If there is clearance for driving lamps or for a small bracket, I can tap the holes and thread in a bolt to mount the lamps or a bracket. Any comments on this idea? Anyone used these existing holes for lamps?

 

I bought Hella's today. 500 driving lights. I also bought 2 brackets at NAPA and a 1/2 in tap to thread the existing holes. When I get things bolted up I'll try a few photos. It may be awhile with the rain and colder weather and no garage

 

There are also these commercial brackets:

Auxiliary Light Mount Brackets at Quadratec

They're $70, but if you look at the installation instructions, maybe you can figure out how to fab up something similar yourself.

 

I just drilled holes right into the bumper.

 

Is there any other manufacturer that has come out with brackets other than the $70 q-tec version? I can't bring myself to spend $70 on those...

 

Yup, what I did too.

Locate where you want to put the lights, verify there is metal under the plastic. Drill the plastic such that it's bigger than the hole for the light mount, that was you can "imbed" a spacer. Then mount the light on a spacer thru the metal part of the bumper under the plastic skin.

 

I would suggest not using the quadratec mounts, I just put them on my 09 to mount a set of KC 8" lights and they vibrate a lot. I find it distracting.

 

Can't you just tighten it up or add a washer or something to fix it? I was looking at getting the exact same brackets, but now I'm not sure.

What other mounting brackets are available out there that mount to the same location?

 

Check the local NAPA store. They have brackets on their accessory lights and can order them separately. I had the part # but can't find it. It is pretty beefy and does vibrate a bit but not enough to be distracting. If I remember correctly they (2) were under $10 and seem to be holding up well after a winters worth of wet, salt and snow.

 

Here's a few photos of my driving light setup. I used the exisitng hole in the plastic cover and metal bumper beneath which I tapped so I could thread the rod into the hole and use a nut and lockwasher to lock it in place. I used SS nuts/washers to lock everything else in place. I was unable to get SS rod so everything is painted with POR 15. I can still (with a bit of coaxing) get the grill assembly off. The clearance is quite close. The Hella location is fairly close to the front directional lamps. My main objective in selecting this location position was so I didn't have to drill any holes. The photos show how everything is assembled. A few too many nuts and washers but it is secure and steady.