Sam Memmolo
|
|
LIGHTS and MIRRORS, You Can't Have Enough! Bobit Publishing Co. Truck & SUV Performance Unfortunately, some of the factory supplied lighting and mirrors are less than adequate, especially when the sun goes down, or weather conditions deteriorate. Low light visibility can be a real problem.
It was a great truck, and we hauled open and closed trailers with our Hot Rods all over the country. Diana and I do a lot of traveling at night, going to and from shows and conventions. As most of you well know, hauling trailers at night or in bad weather can be tedious and dangerous with inadequate mirrors and lighting. Our Dodge had the large trailer mirrors, (very unattractive) and they worked well, but the lighting was another issue. With large fenders covering the Dodge Ram’s dual rear wheels and a factory suspension that looked like it had a lift kit, this vehicle also offered up some real challenges. The backup lamps were mere candles that offered no assistance when backing up at night. The stock lamps were very small with minimum wattage, and with the bed being so high, it was as if there were no lights at all. I would cheat the stop lights on while backing up to aid visibility. This problem begged to be fixed immediately. To make the Dodge more nighttime friendly, we retrofitted a pair of driving lights from F.E.T. Catz. These lights included a small bracket that allowed me to clip them under the rear bumper. I just wired them into the back up light circuit with a small relay, and they worked fine. When I selected reverse, I could now see to back up to a trailer or park in a tight spot. This simple operation really improved the truck, and my attitude.
We replaced the trusty Dodge with a new Chevy in 2002. Some of the same improvements were needed on our 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Dually with the DuraMax diesel, and the Allison transmission. The factory tint on the rear and side glass, combined with the small reversing lamps and mirrors, made it difficult to back up at night, especially when you factored in some rain or fog. We remedied the Chevy’s back up lamp problem with a neat set up called “White Knight” by Cruiser Stainless Accessories. Although these are ABS plastic, not stainless, these lamps are easy to install, and dramatically improve nighttime illumination. They also have a switch hidden on the backside that allows me to turn the lights on at the hitch area for night trailer operations. I Love these. When it comes to mirrors, our Silverado came with heated power mirrors that were nice, but way too small for any effective vision when hauling a trailer. The mirrors were essentially the same units found on any Suburban or Tahoe. We looked at the optional trailer mirrors offered in 2002, but they were just not attractive, and were manual operation only. The dually fenders also create blind spots, especially on the right side. I needed some help!
Power Vision in Oregon filled the bill with a great set of mirrors that had heat, power adjustment, and the extension feature. At the push of a button, these mirrors extend way out to see great when hooked to a trailer. Power Vision mirrors are OE quality and bolt right on. They also have a larger viewing area than the stock mirrors. They hook right up to factory wires, and I only had to run one wire to each side for the power extension. The kit is very complete, and includes great installation instructions. Lights and mirrors contribute to nighttime safety, so when Power Vision offered the same mirrors with the turn signals in them, I just had to upgrade. Same great quality, same ease of installation, but now those folks who lurk in the blind spot will be able to spot any lane change intentions from the respective mirror. Power Vision has a complete line of power extending mirrors to choose from. They retain all the original features including heat. I also like to be seen, so lights are near and
dear to my heart. My Silverado came with the 3 L.E.D. light bar tucked neatly
under the tailgate, but I wanted more. I ordered 2 more of these OEM light
strips from GM, and installed them right beside the factory lights. Now we have
the appearance of a continuous light bar under the tailgate that looks great at
night, and adds enough light so we can be sure that those behind us will see the
truck, even in heavy rain & fog. Maybe it’s my age, but I like lots of headlights at night. The GM headlight set up was similar to the Dodge. The low beams go out as the high beams come on. With the high beams only, the road out in front was illuminated, but the side of the road was dark. I wanted the best of both worlds. First I installed a set of Silverstar bulbs from Sylvania. They are hotter and whiter than stock. The next move was to get all the headlights on at once when selecting high beams. Painless Performance came to the rescue with a neat kit that installed quickly behind the drivers side headlamp assembly. With a relay and a fuse holder included, they bolted right up to a couple of existing bolts on the core support. The wiring is simple. Using the included wire taps, a few quick connections and the low beam bulbs remain on when the high beams are selected. This combination gives plenty of light for even the darkest road conditions. With these quick and easy modifications, our truck is much more visible in the dark, as well as affording better driving illumination. Driver fatigue is reduced, safety is improved, and the overall driving experience is much more enjoyable. The Painless Performance kit allows you to better navigate those winding country roads and long dark stretches at night. All of these small changes add up to help make your customer a safer nighttime driver. Suggest these additions to light truck and S.U.V. drivers, and generate some additional revenue for your shop, while making your customers happy. Happy Motoring! Sam Sources:
|
|
|
My wife
Diana and I have owned two vehicles that needed some improvement when it came to
trailer towing. In 1997, we purchased a Dodge Ram 3500 extended cab 4x4. It was
powered by the 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel B engine and transmitted the power
through a New Venture 4500 5 speed gearbox with a rugged Dana 80, 3:54 Posi rear
axle as the final drive.
We
also modified the headlight circuit to allow the low beam headlights to remain
on when the high beams were in use. This feature came in very handy on long
overnight trips, especially in the mountains and on dark stretches of interstate
highways. I will tell you more about high beams when we discuss our next truck.
