Custom Brackets for Curved 50" LED Light Bar

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MikeJunior

Original poster
Member
Feb 7, 2015
10
After installing 50" LED light bars on a couple of my friend's trucks using aftermarket brackets and seeing how well they perform, I knew I had to have one for my Trailblazer. Only issue was that there are no aftermarket brackets designed to mount a light bar to the roof of a Trailblazer...So I decided to design and build my own. The brackets turned out very well and are very solid. Compared to some aftermarket brackets I have seen that are not very solid and allow the light bar to bounce quite a bit, these brackets don't budge.

***My friend and I are considering starting a small business, and depending on the response to these brackets, we would like to produce and sell them. So please respond and tell us what you think so we can see if this is a viable option and how many people may be interested in a set. They would be sold as a complete package including hardware and instructions. These brackets are designed for use with a curved light bar, a straight light bar will contact the roof in the middle.

Bracket Details:
  1. Made of 1/8 inch thick 5052 aluminum sheet
  2. Painted in spray on bedliner
  3. designed to mount a 50 inch CURVED LED light bar across top of windshield
  4. Mount using one existing screw as a locating point, and 3 new self-tapping screws
  5. tuck behind the weather strip at top of windshield
  6. width between brackets is 50"
Possible concerns:
  1. I bought the typical cheap light bar from ebay. At medium to high speeds the bar made this really loud high pitched resonance. I tested the bar in several locations and distances from the windshield and could not get it to stop. I did some research online and realized that it is Not necessarily result of placement but that the cooling fins on the back of the bar were vibrating due to air flow, and would happen no matter where I placed it. Apparently there are rubber islolators that you can buy which insert between the fins to stop this vibration. I cannot say for sure why only my bar made this noise, because two of my friends have light bars, both in almost identical positions, and neither of them have this issue. I simply placed small lengths of tubing between the fins about every 8 inches, and it solved the issue. From what I have read online and tested this is an issue with the light bar itself.
  2. Is there wind noise?... Simple answer is yes. But it is not at all bad, and is to be expected if you are mounting a light bar or any other item to your roof. It is something I have already gotten use to, and it can not be heard with the radio on. The benefits of the light bar make it worth some wind noise.
  3. The seam that the door seal slips over must be bent outward because the width of the bracket prevents the seal from slipping back on the seam.
  4. Some people complain about hood and windshield glare with roof mounted light bars. The placement of the light bar with these brackets and the fact that our hoods slope down quite a bit, with proper aiming I have not had an issue with glare.
Now for some pictures!
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1098]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1099]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1091]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1092]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1097]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1096]
Low Beams Only
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1093]
Low Beams and High Beams (quad headlight mod)
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1094]

Low & High Beams PLUS LIGHT BAR
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1095]
 

dmanns67

Member
Apr 3, 2013
32,979
Ohio
That light bar is bright. Brackets seem like another good option instead of mounting to a roof rack or front bumper.

Have you post on offroadtb.com? Lots of hardcore offroaders over there.

Welcome to the Nation by the way :tiphat:
 
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MikeJunior

Original poster
Member
Feb 7, 2015
10
dmanns67
- thank you, I have had an account on offroadtb for quite a while, but it is nice to be part of gmtnation! And yes I have the same post over on offroadtb.
 
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dmanns67

Member
Apr 3, 2013
32,979
Ohio
Just making sure as they have more offroaders than here, but glad you joined the Nation. I am sure you will get more feedback here soon.
 

Mounce

Member
Mar 29, 2014
13,667
Tuscaloosa, AL
Looks good! IF I was in the market of getting a giant light bar, I'd definitely buy that bracket from you if you were supplying them because...well, who else would I get one from? :wink:

Have you checked to see if that will work for the 370's? (EXT's and XL's)
 
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Capote

Supporting Donor
Member
Jul 14, 2014
24,227
Atlanta, GA
Wow that looks great, good idea on placement of the brackets [emoji106]
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Pricepoint will be the key.
 
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MikeJunior

Original poster
Member
Feb 7, 2015
10
Thankyou everyone for the compliments!

- As for these brackets fitting extended wheelbase models, from what I can tell, and I think someone could confirm this, the front doors and roofline of extended models are identical to SWB models, and therefore the brackets SHOULD fit. But I cannot guarantee that yet.

- Now I know everyone wants to know what they would cost. I have not determined the price yet, but I am open to suggestions as to what you are willing to pay. Comparable brackets by other aftermarket brands range from $50 to upwards of $200. I am definitely looking at the lower end of that price range, $200 is just ridiculous for a set of light bar brackets (and frankly is more than I paid for the light bar itself!). Each of these brackets have to be hand made, and there is a fair amount of time and effort put into making them right.
***To start the business it does have to be worth it to us because there are several other business expenses we have to consider, but I would really like to set them at a fair and reasonable price. ***We will most likely be doing this through an ebay account. ***Like I said we are open to suggestions for a price!
 
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Capote

Supporting Donor
Member
Jul 14, 2014
24,227
Atlanta, GA
You'd for sure get a lot of business, even more so from the guys at OffRoadTB
 

Grimor

Member
Mar 28, 2013
954
i wouldn't quit your day job. i don't see a huge market for the brackets. yes, you will sell some, and they are cool. but the number of people looking to specifically mount 50" light bars to the top of their tb/voy is small
 
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MikeJunior

Original poster
Member
Feb 7, 2015
10
You are right the market is probably not massive, but there is one. Our idea here is we enjoy designing and building things, and believe we can supply a good product to the trailblazer world. In the offroad world and customization world, 50 inch light bars are extremely popular and aftermarket companies make brackets to mount them to the roof for all kinds of trucks and jeeps...but nothing for trailblazers and envoys. I think more trailvoy owners would be in the market for LED light bars if they had a mounting solution. We were interested in starting a small business, and not necessarily to quit our jobs. There is no room for us in the market of offroad accessories for other vehicles because there is such great aftermarket support already existing, so we thought a good place to start would be here. And if it is successful we would like to offer more varying offroad accessories. For now we are just trying to spread the word and see what kind of interest we can gather.
 

Mounce

Member
Mar 29, 2014
13,667
Tuscaloosa, AL
Thought about expanding the horizon? You aren't to make them for multiple vehicles, not just the 360's, that way your market is larger and will make more money from them.

If you can sell them for a lower price than other companies, you'll get most business that they would've gotten otherwise.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
$50 and still a small...small market honestly. Lifts are dirt cheap for the platform and people still look for cheaper used all the time.
 

Grimor

Member
Mar 28, 2013
954
get a good price on 20 or 30 decent light bars to go with em, do a group buy.. At least this way you'll know if you don't get enough people to pony up the cash you won't really be out anything.
 
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djthumper

Administrator
Nov 20, 2011
14,950
North Las Vegas
So a straight light bracket would have to stick further out? I would say $50-60 would be a good price point. As Hardtrailz pointed out, people will want cheaper yet. I would buy one to save me from fabricating my own but I was going to go with a straight one for the Trailblazer and the Silverado.
 

MikeJunior

Original poster
Member
Feb 7, 2015
10
-We would like to expand to other vehicles too, this is just hopefully a good starting point.

-The $50-60 range shipped sounds about right. What I'd like to do is start another topic soon for people who are wanting and willing to buy a set can say so, kind of a group buy situation, but more just to ensure our safety before we invest in starting an actual business.

-Yeah brackets for a straight bar would have to be a bit longer. The reason I went with a curved bar is because it fits really nicely to the curve of the roofline. I would consider designing a set for a straight light bar as well so that there is an option. They not only would have to be longer but redesigned a bit to be beefier because of being longer, but it wouldn't be a big deal. I just have not been able to get my hands on a straight bar yet. I could design a universal bracket for both straight and curved bars, but then the curved bar would stick pretty far out and wouldn't look as good in my opinion (although that's just my opinion).
 

Semborski

Member
Apr 1, 2014
81
I'm sorry if it was covered. I can't tell but on my phone it looks like you used self tapping screws to secure to the door frame. Like I said I can't tell but if that's the case it would probably help your weatherstripping issue to use Pop rivets.
 

MikeJunior

Original poster
Member
Feb 7, 2015
10
I am using self-tapping screws. The weather-strip actually clears the screw heads just fine. It is the bracket itself that prevents the weather-strip from going back on its track. It's really not a big issue, the track the strip pushes onto simply has to be bent outwards slightly. There really is no other way to mount the brackets securely without interfering with this track. Once it is all in place and the weather-strip is placed back on, there are no issues, and the door shuts just fine with plenty of clearance. The brackets tuck in behind the weather-strip really nicely.
 

fishcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2014
44
Question. Are these light bars street legal? Any reports of getting pulled over and get fines?
 

Matt

Member
Dec 2, 2011
4,019
Question. Are these light bars street legal? Any reports of getting pulled over and get fines?

You can have them installed on your vehicle, no worries. The only time you'd be pulled over for them is if you drive around with it on all the time blinding other drivers. But just having one on your truck is no reason for the police to pull you over.
 
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latin

Member
Feb 5, 2015
4
After installing 50" LED light bars on a couple of my friend's trucks using aftermarket brackets and seeing how well they perform, I knew I had to have one for my Trailblazer. Only issue was that there are no aftermarket brackets designed to mount a light bar to the roof of a Trailblazer...So I decided to design and build my own. The brackets turned out very well and are very solid. Compared to some aftermarket brackets I have seen that are not very solid and allow the light bar to bounce quite a bit, these brackets don't budge.

***My friend and I are considering starting a small business, and depending on the response to these brackets, we would like to produce and sell them. So please respond and tell us what you think so we can see if this is a viable option and how many people may be interested in a set. They would be sold as a complete package including hardware and instructions. These brackets are designed for use with a curved light bar, a straight light bar will contact the roof in the middle.

Bracket Details:
  1. Made of 1/8 inch thick 5052 aluminum sheet
  2. Painted in spray on bedliner
  3. designed to mount a 50 inch CURVED LED light bar across top of windshield
  4. Mount using one existing screw as a locating point, and 3 new self-tapping screws
  5. tuck behind the weather strip at top of windshield
  6. width between brackets is 50"
Possible concerns:
  1. I bought the typical cheap light bar from ebay. At medium to high speeds the bar made this really loud high pitched resonance. I tested the bar in several locations and distances from the windshield and could not get it to stop. I did some research online and realized that it is Not necessarily result of placement but that the cooling fins on the back of the bar were vibrating due to air flow, and would happen no matter where I placed it. Apparently there are rubber islolators that you can buy which insert between the fins to stop this vibration. I cannot say for sure why only my bar made this noise, because two of my friends have light bars, both in almost identical positions, and neither of them have this issue. I simply placed small lengths of tubing between the fins about every 8 inches, and it solved the issue. From what I have read online and tested this is an issue with the light bar itself.
  2. Is there wind noise?... Simple answer is yes. But it is not at all bad, and is to be expected if you are mounting a light bar or any other item to your roof. It is something I have already gotten use to, and it can not be heard with the radio on. The benefits of the light bar make it worth some wind noise.
  3. The seam that the door seal slips over must be bent outward because the width of the bracket prevents the seal from slipping back on the seam.
  4. Some people complain about hood and windshield glare with roof mounted light bars. The placement of the light bar with these brackets and the fact that our hoods slope down quite a bit, with proper aiming I have not had an issue with glare.
Now for some pictures!
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1098]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1099]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1091]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1092]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1097]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1096]
Low Beams Only
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1093]
Low Beams and High Beams (quad headlight mod)
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1094]

Low & High Beams PLUS LIGHT BAR
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:1095]

You have any of those brackets left? I'm interested too and would like to install my 50" curved LED light bar on my 2003 Isuzu Ascender, same thing as envoy. Trailblazer.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,665
Tampa Bay Area, FL
You have any of those brackets left? I'm interested too and would like to install my 50" curved LED light bar on my 2003 Isuzu Ascender, same thing as envoy. Trailblazer.

That member hasn't been back to the forum in over 3 years, so it's this may be a dead end.
 

latin

Member
Feb 5, 2015
4
Thank you...... I guess I will have customize my brackets then or have them made by iron smith.

Once again thank you...
 
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