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Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 11:18 pm
by donkeychomp
What Scottie said...leave them mounted on the roof, but don't turn them on unless you are offroad....or down a very very dark road....

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:31 am
by kiwizook
hook them up to your high beams with a relay, that way they can only turn on when your high beam is on, gives plenty of light off road, and switched itself off when you dip your light's, so if you meet someone on the road, you don't blind them, and you can't accidently leave them on with dipped lights

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:39 am
by ScottieJ
kiwizook wrote:hook them up to your high beams with a relay, that way they can only turn on when your high beam is on, gives plenty of light off road, and switched itself off when you dip your light's, so if you meet someone on the road, you don't blind them, and you can't accidently leave them on with dipped lights
You can't do that in the UK, it's not legal and will fail it's MOT, pretty sure you can't legally have any extra spots wired up to the main beam at all now here, let alone roof lights that aren't legal for road use.

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 1:22 am
by Edweird
The Range Rover my Mum had a few years ago had spot lights in front of the grill that came on for main beam. I know roof lights are illegal, but if they're in the right place and set up properly I think you're allowed separate/additional front lights for main beam.

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:21 am
by AshR1
I meant to have them switched on whilst on road, mine have a switch of their own not done by me i think the lad who owned it before was an electrician and he done it with a couple of lights inside it, i think when on road I'll just keep them off i was just curious to know, thanks for the answers though :D

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 9:55 am
by RickUK
The lights do look good on the roof but if its against the law to have them switched on whilst driving on the road then its pointless,of course if you go out greenlaning in the dark then they could be handy.But Mr Plod who could be non the wiser that they are not wired up may decide to pull you over just too check them with the possibilty of closer inspection of all the other modifications.

Its a tough one to answer and only you can make than decision i guess,this is only my personal opinion of course.

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 10:03 am
by kiwizook
why would my suggestion be illegal. all you're essentially doing is setting up a way to prevent yourself from running your roof light illegally, and you're utilizing your system wiring to do so. it just builds in a safety feature to prevent the light from coming on when normally running on the road. it's a parallel system, so if it breaks, it won't even effect the normal lights on the vehicle, so it's fool proof?

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:30 pm
by ROBBIE
kiwizook wrote:why would my suggestion be illegal. all you're essentially doing is setting up a way to prevent yourself from running your roof light illegally, and you're utilizing your system wiring to do so. it just builds in a safety feature to prevent the light from coming on when normally running on the road. it's a parallel system, so if it breaks, it won't even effect the normal lights on the vehicle, so it's fool proof?
I have this system on the disco, separate switch which only works with high beam on

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 7:02 pm
by ScottieJ
Kiwi the way you originally wrote your reply sounded like you meant to just wire them up to your full beam via a relay so that they always come on with your full beam, not that they would be on a second switch as well. Sorry if I misunderstood but if set up to always come on with full beam it would be illegal in the UK.

Personally I think it's best just to have them wired on their own circuit so you only use them while offroad, think it would be pretty hard to forget that you had them on when back on the road :lol: I quite like having all my auxiliary lights (when I have them) wired separately so I can just run the lights I want, used to always turn my headlights off while wading at night to reduce the amount of blown bulbs and lenses from the rapid cooling of the cold water.

Re: My new Samurai build/project

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 3:02 pm
by AshR1
havent commented on this in a while but thought my as well do an update, since buying got to be honest its been a pain in the arse and i nearly sold it... BUT i couldnt bring myself to do so because the lure of the sj is a thing no man can resist.. lol

list of things i've had done since buying
LOTS of welding, chassis rail, footwells, behind lights and just generally here there and everywhere
new headlights and sidelights
3 new wheelbearings
new propshaft
1.6 8v conversion
power steering conversion completed
sealed my leaky roof
cherry bomb back box (which i love)
probably gone through 1million door handles
new speakers

got some new shock absorbers on order and thats it for this year now as just wanted to get it up and running nicely and luckily i now know a MOT inspector who's done some work for me and will get it through for me.

Next year i have some plans spoa kit, new diffs, polyeurothane body mounts, and thats it done mechanically i think, then just to get it looking a bit better because she's a bit tatty at the moment and some shitbag snapped my rear bumper corner piece off the other night, but new wheel arches, i want a HD rear bumper with built in lights and a lick of paint and thats me done.

some pics so far also