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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 548  
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Many of the looms you buy will have wires for 2 lights. But even those with only one. It would still be easy to adapt to wire 4 units in.
But it depends if you want to make a whole loom or not. Do remember lights up on a roof rack will be terrible to drive with as you’ll get excessive reflection off the bonnet, making it harder to see out of the windscreen. Really they work better as static lights when you are parked up. Options to make them semi useful when moving would be to mat black the bonnet. If you look at Camel throphy Disco 1’s you can see they did this to the flat of the bonnet for this very reason. |
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1st Feb 2024 9:56am |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
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When it comes to a simple A-bar mounted pair of spot lights it is easy enough to buy a ready-made loom. However, when you move away from the usual it is absolutely best to make your own loom so that it properly fits the application, 4 roof lights or multiple scene lights etc.
Making up your own loom is not a difficult task, in fact it is incredibly satisfying work, or at least I find it to be. I will shortly be making a 4 spot light loom for the top of Miffy and three scene light (3 lights fitted to the roll cage) loom as well. These days with LED lights the wiring has become much easier as they draw so little amps, making the wires smaller and easier to hide away. After that all you need are connectors, relays and switches. A fun project  |
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1st Feb 2024 11:59am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 16894 
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I think that that is something of an exaggeration, I have an absurd cheapo Chinesium lightbar and although it does scatter light on the bonnet that doesn't actually distract from the massive pool of light ahead of the vehicle at all, certainly nothing like as badly as the doom-mongers led me to expect (it's also really cool if you squirt the headlights as the spray jets sparkle like diamonds in the light  )
The situations when roof lights are utterly useless and extremely counter-useful are fog and any form of precipitation (rain, snow, drizzle, anything like that). Under these conditions you cannot see even as far as the front of the bonnet with the roof lights on. I would certainly agree that there are considerations that should be considered when considering roof lights, but they do have uses and may be just what you need. Incidentally I have always been led to understand that the reason for the black bonnets on Camel Discos (and indeed many other overland vehicles) is nothing to do with roof lights (you still see the bonnet even if it is matt black) but is all about the glare when driving into a low sun. Anyone who has driven a Disco with a shiny bonnet under these conditions, as I have on many occasions, will know that it is virtually impossible to see anything at all with the sun both stright in your eyes and reflecting off the bonnet. Truly horrible driving conditions. I have on several occasions come very close to having my Disco bonnet wrapped matt black for this reason. It doesn't tend to be a problem on Defenders since (on the Puma at least) the bulge lessens the reflection and the relative position of the bonnet and driver's eyes are better. The Disco, with its huge flat mirror-like surface is as bad as any vehicle I have ever driven. |
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1st Feb 2024 12:04pm |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
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 I had forgotten about the Disco bonnet blinding reflected glare issue
Going up hill into the sun in winter was always a cross your fingers and squint operation. Still, I utterly regret selling our 300tdi Disco, such a great vehicle and we should have kept it. Hey-ho... The Camel trophy black out bonnet is how I understood it as well Everything you say about fog and drizzle is 100% true as well. The glare off the bonnet is a non-issue when using off-road as you are going so slowly and you shouldn't be using the lights on the road... 
When planning for roof lights I highly advise two pencil beams in the centre with fog/driving beams on the outside. This way you gain depth and width of your light field. Most chineseium LED light bars come with this setup as standard and the light you get out of them is... BLAH... everywhere. Anyway... Sod the Doom-mongers... If you want them do it, you can always take them off again |
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1st Feb 2024 12:14pm |
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| pistonfields Member Since: 29 Mar 2022 Location: Zurich Posts: 65 
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setting sun should be beer'o'clock anyway, no sense in driving around.
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1st Feb 2024 12:14pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 16894
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This rates as amongst the sagest advice posted on this forum!  |
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1st Feb 2024 2:08pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 16894
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Ah, but what if you are driving east early in the day? Or is that beer-o'clock too? |
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1st Feb 2024 2:09pm |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
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What a day 
I have just been raised to Forum Sage status  |
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1st Feb 2024 3:38pm |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
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Is always 5 o'clock somewhere... https://youtu.be/BPCjC543llU?si=n0GI4tNkSY-noweJ |
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1st Feb 2024 3:40pm |
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| FireTom Member Since: 26 Nov 2023 Location: Poole Posts: 7 
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Thanks for all your advice everyone. I’ll make my own loom up then I think.
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9th Feb 2024 5:20pm |
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