Looking for clearance lights

Bob86ZZ4 · 11-22-2009, 06:55 PM

I stopped by United Specialties and had their guy look at my truck. I've noticed some small marks in the aluminum skin on the bottom side of the cab overhang. He said water has gotten in and it's pushed some of the paint out there. He said there may have been some water sitting there that caused it. I had noticed some crappy gook that had come out of the trim area there when I first picked up the coach and drove it 300 miles home. That must have been the water that had been sitting there. My truck had been on the dealer's lot for almost a year and a half before I bought it. I always store it indoors so it doesn't get exposed to a lot of water now, only if it happens to rain when I've got it out. He said the water may have gotten in around the clearance lights. They had built my coach using 2" round clearance lights that sit in a rubber grommet. He said they no longer do it that way because they found the water can leak in that way. They now just cut a small hole in the skin to fish the wires out and use surface mount lights that they seal behind with silicone caulk so no water gets in. The problem I have is I've got large circular holes where all my lights are. I haven't pulled out out yet to measure but if the light is 2" diameter I found a spec that says the hole has to be 2.312" for the grommet. I did find a rubber grommet that doesn't have a huge hole in the back of it, it's got a small hole on the bottom edge to run the wire up through and out into the light housing. I suppose I could silicone in those grommets and that would most likely seal up okay. I'm also thinking it might be better to find a larger surface mount light and seal that over my holes. I'm not finding anything large enough high to cover a 2.312" hole tho. I did find these flange mount 2" lights that might work to seal into the holes:

I haven't been able to find one locally to look at and see if they're water tight between the light and that flange tho. Anybody ever seen one of these? I may have to just order one for $10.00 and check it out. Their description doesn't even say the hole size but I'm guessing since it's a 2" light it should be a drop in fit for a grommet size hole. If anybody has seen this type of flange light and thinks it would/wouldn't work please reply. And, if you can find any other type of surface mount light with at least 2.4" height that would be great. I'm liking the looks of those l.e.d. lights with the clear lense that light amber or red. I think those would look cooler on my white siding than the amber or red lenses do too. I can't find a 2" flange mount clear lense/amber light or clear lense/red light. Bummer. Thanks for any help.

blizzardND · 11-23-2009, 08:17 AM

Bob, have you thought of just poping your grommets out and runing a bead of silicone in the groove to help seal them, if not that flanged you have there might be a good bet, as you may be able to get or make gaskets to go between the flange and the outer wall of your truck. (Or silicone)

Any surface mount would leave you with the question : what to do with the 2" hole behind the surface mount?

good luck,
-blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 11-23-2009, 08:39 PM

Todd, the flange mount lights I think would be best. The problem is they need a 2.8" hole to fit into. I'd have to enlarge all my holes. Sealing the grommets might work. But, I'd want to get those other grommets with a small hole on the edge for the wires, not the regular grommets that have a huge hole. I think a flange would seal up better than a soft rubber grommet tho. I don't mind the large round hole behind a surface mount light if I can find a surface mount light large enough to cover it and have some room for the silicone to seal it too. What tool would a guy use to enlarge a 2.3" hole to 2.8"? A knockout tool wouldn't work because I don't have access to the back side to install it. A whole saw wouldn't work because it would float around. They need a small center hole for the drill bit to keep it centered. I wonder if I can find a flange mount light that is only 2.3" diameter on the back side of the fixture so it will fit into my holes?

blizzardND · 11-23-2009, 09:31 PM

die grinder... or drum sander in a drill? just make a circle a bit bigger than you need in a piece of aluminum, then use a fine sharpie to draw the circle on your wall and grind out to the line, it doesn't have to be perfect, the flange will cover it.
-blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 11-23-2009, 09:42 PM

Aaahhhh, good idea. I'll keep that in mind if I can't find some nice surface mount ones to cover the holes.

Bob86ZZ4 · 12-09-2009, 12:39 PM

I got one of those lights and it is the correct diameter to fit the holes. So, I'm all set I guess. Just have to buy about 20 of them to replace all mine. And several tubes of silicone sealant.

Bob86ZZ4 · 12-10-2009, 02:16 PM

Anybody have a connection for these? My local dealer wants $9.98 per light. I need 23 of them (24 on the truck but I bought the one for the test fit).

blizzardND · 12-10-2009, 07:25 PM

welcome to my world, I think "I'll do tis or I'll just do that" 200 here, 200 there// add up all the receipts and go YIKES!

under 10 dollars each, if they have all 24 I'd just buy them and get on with the project. even if you find them a dollar each cheaper its only 25 dollars.
-blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 12-10-2009, 08:44 PM

Ya I guess so. But I'm darn cheap. Remember? You had to buy me lunch I'm soo cheap. And I almost didn't get my truck washed I'm soo cheap. I'm figuring I'll order them up tomorrow. They don't stock this particular light but he can order them in for me. Whadaya think, just regular clear silicone sound okay? I want them to seal in good but don't want them impossible to get out. I should probably use something mildew resistant? Like marine grade or something?

Chris Taylor · 12-15-2009, 10:07 AM

If you're still shopping, look online for trailer lights. $10 sounds a little pricey to me, I've found the round lights with the grommet for $5-7 in local parts stores. Granted that doesn't have your flange, but they're LED which generally seems to be at least 2-3x the price for the same size lamp.

I found backing plates for my 7,000 Dexter axles online, got 6 of them for the price of TWO in a box store 90 miles away. And that included shipping!

vintageray · 01-08-2010, 11:59 AM

I hope you haven't spent all that money yet. Any of the truck chrome shops should have what you're looking for a lot cheaper. Check www.iowa80.com they have over 5,000 lights in their online catalog. I have those type of markers on my trailer and paid only a couple of dollars apiece for the light and I think around a dollar for the connector at about any truckstop or chrome shop.

Bob86ZZ4 · 01-09-2010, 10:38 PM

Nope, I checked I80's web site. Nothing. I even had my son stop there (he drives over the road and runs that area often) and he found nothing. He even checked several other truck stops, nothing. I've got all the lights now, bought them from my local Kenworth dealer. They ordered them from trucklite, where just about everybody gets their lights. I'm quite sure you couldn't get one of these lights for $2.00. You might be able to find a incandesent one for less than $10 but not likely a l.e.d. one. If you can get these same lights for $2.00 I'd buy a bunch and re-sell them. I just started putting them in. The original hole in my siding is ever so slightly too small. I used some sand paper to open it up enough. That's too much work tho to do 24 of them. I'm going to get a abrasive bit for my die grinder and open the holes up that way.

Here's the original one:

And the finished one:

vintageray · 01-11-2010, 12:45 PM

I didn't realize that you needed LED's. I may have not read closely enough. The lights I use on my trailer are incandescent and widely available. The connectors, however appear to be the same.

blizzardND · 01-11-2010, 12:50 PM

EEEEEKKKK!!!! Scotchlocks!!!

The scourge of the 12volt world!! Why anyone would use those other than the fact that they are lazy is beyond me.

Please take the time to solder and heat shrink those connections properly, you should have enough wire stuffed in there to do it right.

-blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 01-11-2010, 03:00 PM

I don't have to have l.e.d.'s, but I have to have a fixture with that flange around it so I can seal it with silicone. And these are the only ones I can find with that flange.

Blizz, you are a sharp eye. I didn't even pay any attention to those connectors. Ya, I could certainly pull them out and solder them. Good idea. The two I've put in so far are sealed in now tho. I'm not going to pull them out to do that. If they quit working I'll know just where to look first tho. The rest of them I'll bring my soldering pencil to. What about crimp on connectors? Are those no good either? Certainly easier than soldering. I have the crimping tool too.

GENECARP · 01-11-2010, 04:48 PM

Looks nice and neat Bob, G

blizzardND · 01-11-2010, 06:19 PM

I'll let ya get by with crimp connectors, AND heats-hrink. The problem with scotch-locks is it is very easy to chop the individual wires off! then you only have a few strands to conduct the current. Then the weight and shape of the scotch-lock starts to bounce however minutely as you go down the road breaking the surviving strands. Also the shell of a scotch-lock is a perfect trap for water or moisture, the alum blade vs the copper wire and electrolysis starts. The advantage to the crimp connector is twofold; the bounce is spread out away from the conductor wires and it is possible to slide heat-shrink to seal the connection from moister.
-blizz
I once stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, and also survived 4 years in the engineering dept at a wire harness plant.

geofkaye · 01-11-2010, 07:37 PM

.....solder...BUT don't let the wires touch anytiwhenme the juice is on...LED's can't stand any minuet shorts or mis-wiring at all......they die and can't be revived.....so wire all them in and solder the wires.... I use liquid marine wire insulator goop instead of shrink tube cuz I'm lazy...it works the same way and will seal no mater what...about $2.00 a 4 oz can....then any left overs will harden in a week or so....throw the opened can out and get a new one for a spare....test each circuit and install after checking of any openings in the insulation....with 12 volts use a plastic lume that covers the wires as vibration will cause the conductor to rub a whole in the covering and then there is a short-leaving the circuit open...causing flashing and dead LED's....fire isn't that much a problem if correctly fused.....geofkaye and the Rivercity Group

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