Q.DIY - Installing LED Light Bars on a Mahindra Scorpio S10 4WD

[QUOTE_NODE]"[B]Originally posted by Parikshit_Srivastava"[/B] Thanks Roshun. That is in Bangalore. Right? [/QUOTE_NODE] No, in Delhi. It's owned by [URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/profile/78"]RodeoSport[/URL] (Akshay Luke Titus). He does travel to Bangalore too to do tune ups for people there. You can contact him through his Facebook page and he can get you the light bars. [url]https://www.facebook.com/gttunerz/[/url]

[URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/profile/5590"]Parikshit_Srivastava[/URL] These were installed by GT Tuners. Rodeosport (Akshay Luke Titus) is the person to contact for them.

As I had mentioned in another post in the forum, I have this fetish for good lights on my cars. I had installed [B][URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/posts/2544-why-led-light-bars-are-better-than-hids-and-halogens"]LED light bars on my Mahindra Scorpio CRDe 4WD[/URL][/B] (Red Fox) and now I wanted to upgrade the lights on my newer Mahindra Scorpio S10 4WD (Black Fox). Now, this Scorpio is equipped with airbags and I didn't want to compromise safety in any way by installing a bull bar to mount auxiliary lights. Plus, I loved the output from the LED bars on my older Scorpio and wanted something even better for the newer one. So, I consulted with [USER="78"]RodeoSport[/USER] who has a whole range of LED bars that he deals in. He suggested going for a single bar, but I have this OCD that makes me want symmetry with everything. Hence, I wanted a pair of light bars. We toyed with a few at his place, taking a look at the 10-inch Aurora 75 watt bar (15 x 5 watt CREE LEDs in a single row) and the 10-inch 50 watt Aurora bar (10 x 5 watt CREE LEDs in a single row). The optics on both are different and the light output and beam pattern from the 50 watt bar was better than even the 75 watt bar. These bars retail for about Rs. 9,500 a piece. I did not want any sort of external mounting and figured the best place to mount these bars was the lower air dam in the new Scorpio, as it has plenty of free space behind it for the heat sink and also looks quite discreet. Plus I wanted the bars mounted quite low down to see the road better rather than to dazzle others. First, here's a photo of the final install, before I get into the DIY step by step that we did over a weekend. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13712[/ATTACH] And now for the step-by-step of how we went about installing the lights, fabricating a bracket and discovering the process of removing and refitting the Scorpio's bumper. It's no longer a simple process like it used to be for the old Scorpio. Removing the grille of the Scorpio involves removing six screws on top, followed by pulling on the snap fit plastic tabs on the sides. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13713[/ATTACH] With the grille removed. Also took this opportunity to clean dead bugs off the AC condensor. The bumper is held in place with these six screws on a metal beam. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13714[/ATTACH] Two of the four main bolts holding the bumper in place. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13715[/ATTACH] Two more bolts are on this metal bracket accessible only if you remove the grille. It was on these brackets that we planned to mount the bracket that would hold the LED lights. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13716[/ATTACH] The Scorpio looks mean without its bumper and grille. Doesn't it? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13717[/ATTACH] The bumper carefully laid to rest on a futon, to not scratch the paintwork. We now had to take measurements for the lights. and the bracket. Note how the Scorpio's bumper is just one plain big plastic piece - with no metal frame inside, unlike the previous Scorpio which had a solid metal frame in it. Is this one of the reasons for the failed crash test on this model? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13718[/ATTACH] The bracket was to be a 36 inch long piece, suspended by 3.5 inch pieces of metal from those two bolts you see above. The lights would be about 15 inches apart on this beam. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13719[/ATTACH] Welded the brackets into place on the beam. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13720[/ATTACH] Then got the holes marked out and drilled for the main mounting brackets. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13721[/ATTACH] Got the edges ground to make it smooth and cleaned up the bracket. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13722[/ATTACH] Then [USER="78"]RodeoSport[/USER] measured and drilled the holes in the bracket to mount the LED bars. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13723[/ATTACH] We then cleaned and painted the bracket black, drying it quickly with a heat gun. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13724[/ATTACH] Since it had become dark, we thought we should do a test install to mount and focus the lights properly. We wired it up directly to the battery for now to focus the lights. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13725[/ATTACH] The next day morning saw me arrive nice and early to chop up the grille. We measured the exact dimensions of the lights and then cut through the plastic grille with my Swiss knife. (This same knife has also cut through the dashboard of my older Scorpio when I mounted the Hellas on it myself - another DIY nearly 10 years ago). [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13726[/ATTACH] The lights were bolted on tight to the mounting bracket. It weighs about 8 odd Kg. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13727[/ATTACH]Time to reassemble the lights, but wait... [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13728[/ATTACH] Houston! We have a problem. That plastic piece was fouling with the heat sinks on the lights. Uh oh! It had to be cut to size. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13729[/ATTACH] Of course, [USER="78"]RodeoSport[/USER] has every possible tool for the job, including a Dremel power saw for plastic. Note the safety eye gear we wore during the cutting and drilling operation.[ATTACH=CONFIG]n13730[/ATTACH] Ah, it finally fits. But we did notice that the Scorpio's bumper is curved, so the lights are going to stick out a bit. That's a project for another day to set them inside a bit. Plus, I'm going to get those mounting brackets painted black. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13731[/ATTACH] Time for some wiring. The connections were made and nicely heat shrunk to hold them in place. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13732[/ATTACH] And [USER="78"]RodeoSport[/USER] holds up the entire harness that he has created, with switch, fuses and relays. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13733[/ATTACH] The switch was installed under the steering wheel, on the fuse panel cover. Easily accessible and with minimal damage to the panel.[ATTACH=CONFIG]n13734[/ATTACH] And with that done. It was time to switch on the lights! *Drum roll*... Blitz! [ATTACH=CONFIG]n13735[/ATTACH] Next post - how the lights perform.