💡Installing Hidden Driving Lights for Maximum Visibility with a Stealthy Look! Behind Grille LED

Рет қаралды 15,504

Күн бұрын

There's nothing better than having some aftermarket driving lights guiding your way at night time, but more often than not they completely ruin how the front of your car looks. So today, we're going down the stealth route and installing a set of LED driving lights behind the grille of my AU Fairmont! The wiring harness and lights can be bought off the shelf ready to go, making installation a breeze! #MOTORINGBOX #AUFALCON
🧰 Parts Used
Wiring harness kit:
ebay.us/zA2ZBI
LED Driving light options:
ebay.us/mb4rjT (I used these)
ebay.us/GGDYCj
As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.
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🚘 About MotoringBox
MotoringBox is an Australian based KZfaq channel run independently by Sean McKellar since 2019. It focuses on quality content about Australian car culture and some of the incredibly unique vehicles we manufactured here. I work a day job and publish videos in my spare time, so thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy my videos.
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MotoringBox
PO Box 121
Goodna QLD 4300
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Website: www.motoringbox.com
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Please note: I enjoy working on cars but I can't promise that what I do will work for your particular car, or that you won't harm yourself, someone else, your car, or your warranty doing it. Please be safe, be responsible and if you're not sure what you're doing, get a qualified mechanic to help you out.

Пікірлер: 92

@MotoringBoxTV Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Like, comment or sub to support the channel. 👕Or grab a shirt from www.motoringbox.com/shop

@jaydem2086 2 жыл бұрын

Gee, thats a lot easier than the lights I recently put on mine a few weeks back... I have a BA Fairmont Ghia, spent months searching for a set of those official Ford fog/cornering lamps that go on the lower bumper (mine just had holes in the black platic trim), finally found a set on eBay and just had to have them, lol. Ended up having to pull the whole lower bumper and everything off just to get in from behind to mount them, and I wired them directly to the headlight relay because I'm no electrician and they didn't come with adapters like those aftermarket lights Sean has, but they work and look awesome even when they're off - makes it look like a real Ghia now, even if the lights don't really make too much improvement visibility-wise.

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

Check out the video descriptions for links to the wiring loom kit and lights. The neat thing about this mod is you can fit lots of different lights behind the grille - there's tons of space - so the sky's the limit!

@vincentdarby1080 2 жыл бұрын

you did not worry about heat from spot light on the back of grill? just asking. if they would get that warm ( spotlight ) under normal use and being close to grill.

@Sandman-xe3qr 2 жыл бұрын

Got inspired by this video and had ago on my XR6 FG. Came up really nice, the bumper has a large flat area of plastic honeycombe structure that is perfect to mount to. Also if someone wanted even more light it wouldn't be a stretch to replace the grill deleting the badge and fitting a 14 inch light bar. Keep up the good vids mate.

@JohnWood302 2 жыл бұрын

I also installed driving lights behind the grill on my 1969 Fairmont and I am quite happy with the setup and being LED they are exceptionally good! I don't do as much night driving now as when younger so don't need the spotlights that I had so much and the LED are actually more than adequate!!

@tio123ist 2 жыл бұрын

That's a cool mod bro, same headlights as my AU. There's something about them that just make them stand out when they are clean buffed and crystal clear. With lightly smoked tail lights. Awesome video👌🔥

@nathanmengell4993 2 жыл бұрын

Mate ur honestly such a top bloke. I’m so glad I found ur channel, I’ve got an au as a daily and I’m planning on getting a ba/bf xr6t as my weekender once I’m on my fulls. Ur content is extremely educational and clear as well as cracking me up everytime 😂. U deserve a way bigger following than what u got. Keep doing what ur doing mate ur doing fucking awesome.

@Johnopro69 2 жыл бұрын

i have a lightbar hooked up behind the bottom grill on my bf xt. Its hidden away and works fantastic. Great video as always

@brettmorton7365 2 жыл бұрын

I have a pair of 4 inch spotties in the exact same place on my BA XT but mounted top of a bar that I fabbed which bolts on behind the bumper. I also love that stealthy look 😍😍

@andrewc14 2 жыл бұрын

Hell yes. Keep it close to stock. 👍🏽. That’s what I would do too

@vincekara9446 2 жыл бұрын

Ironically, I drive home through the dark back roads with no street lights. This will definitely assist in visual coupled with the high beams. Good work and looks stealth. Agree with your stealthiness maintaining OE look. Cheers

@jordanscarreviews6164 2 жыл бұрын

Great video mate

@philbarnes5731 Ай бұрын

Well done. Very neat!

@finn3872 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for the vid!! I fitted an aux light in my Camry inside the grille as well (Its the XV70)

@thecarwreckhunter 2 жыл бұрын

that's gotta be one of the best ways to install lights I've seen

@phillipmcfarland7098 2 жыл бұрын

Nice. Hopefully see you out at All Ford Day tomorrow, Should be a good day

@MrFordpower 2 жыл бұрын

Nice install and vid mate. Looks neat👍👍👍

@KM-gh3ob 24 күн бұрын

Nice chief clean👍

@agent_soshi 2 жыл бұрын

“Bogan spec” was one of those licence plate “nudge bars” with an eBay special light bar on my Magna, this is actually consider on my car now

@tommyweese5697 10 ай бұрын

Came across your video trying to find a way to mount hidden 5.75” lights to my ford f150, guess you’d call it my Ute. Gave me some ideas. May have to weld a bracket up front between the headlights

@damienwilloughby 2 жыл бұрын

The mighty AU. Good video Sean.

@joseantoniodominguezroco1818 2 жыл бұрын

Great mood Sean!!

@RexH 2 жыл бұрын

That's a incredible Idea! good stuff man :)

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers mate! AU loves it.

@HazeyAuto 2 жыл бұрын

I think you’ve overlooked one of the great design features of the AU Falcon- they have one of, if not the biggest reflector cross sections of any vehicle on the road today. It’s amazing the impact of changing your standard H4/H7 bulbs to something like the Philips X-Tremevision Plus or some JW Speaker LED units. The difference in colour temp between the spots and headlights made my OCD a little upset. The mounting is a nice idea, unless you’re one of us S1 hacks and can only make do with a light bar in the mouth of the bumper.

@moneybag7559 2 жыл бұрын

I bought a gold Au fairmont off of a "Ben Hayes" a few years back, and I can confirm after cleaning the inch of oxidation off the headlights (had 430,000km) and replacing the bulbs with some decent ones, the light output was much brighter then my childhood

@qbmac2306 2 жыл бұрын

Bro I was literally doing some work on my Falcon yesterday so when you mentioned about those plastic rivets on the grille not cooperating, the pain hit me all over again.

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

I actually replaced them a week ago and they were already screwed. Unbelievable.

@MrWilliam.Stewart 2 жыл бұрын

You need propper lighting to make a good Shorno. You deserve some good lights Shorno for your garage/carport man, cause you're videos will become future classics.

@jamesaustralian9829 2 жыл бұрын

Do it with a newer Commodore, whack a few light boxes on the rear shelf inside the window, throw a few antennas on the boot, and everyone will think your an unmarked cop car.

@nasa_fanboy4434 2 жыл бұрын

That's a beautiful AU 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

@johnebuckland 2 жыл бұрын

Tidy. I have always installed lights behind the grill and/or in the airdam to avoid ruining the profile and character of 6 car. Only way to do it👌

@brockmacckie9905 2 жыл бұрын

Nice work gives me idea's on my xr6 ghia build if i can find round ones same size as factory bar ligths i might do it that way

@Glenjimen 2 жыл бұрын

Sweet intro track 👍

@GTFORDMAN 2 жыл бұрын

i dont actually mind the look of "spotties" and light bars on the front vehicles, i had a big set of 75w HID's on the front of my EL which i really miss (wow they were good!) and now on my AU i have a 30" Narva light bar and a license plate mount and i am considering adding a 2nd light bar on top of that because i live out in the bush and out here you cant have too much light!

@peterriggall8409 2 жыл бұрын

They look great Sean because you can’t see them.😆 Very discreet. Seen unmarked police cars with red and blue LEDs behind the grille. They are certainly visible when on!

@jamo8896 2 жыл бұрын

Can you record a better quality version of that AU startup chime, reminds me of my childhood lol

@Nigel_noongar78 2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't mind doing this to my el the stock lights are terrible, have to do it to the lower grill though

@zoomosis 2 жыл бұрын

The stock headlights on my BA Ute are extremely bright on high-beam but only after I adjusted them properly. The previous owner was a painter so I suspect carried around a lot of paint and other tradie stuff, weighing down the rear and raising the front, so the lights weren't aimed right for driving empty. I was surprised how easy it was to adjust them though. It's a BA XL (non-XR6) so doesn't have fog lights. Theoretically I could add an extra set of lights where an XR6 fog lights are located, since my BA XL has small black grills on either side of the bumper. Oddly this is unlike a lot of non-XR6 BA Falcons that just have one big black rectangle below the number plate. It might be a fun project but the number of times I actually need fogs lights is basically zero. :)

@morantaylor 2 жыл бұрын

I added a light bar in the lower drill on XLS ute and have recently replaced H7 high beam globes with LED bulbs, replacing the dual H/L H4 globes can be tricky as the headlight can reflect LED light around the housing causing them to dazzle oncoming drivers.

@zoomosis 2 жыл бұрын

@@morantaylor Yeah I did consider replacing mine with LEDs after one of my low beam bulbs died, but I wasn't convinced they'd be a big improvement over the existing halogens. Plus there are potentially roadworthy issues using aftermarket LEDs, as well as unanswered questions about heat management, light beam spread, etc etc. A light bar would probably be handy if I did a lot of country driving at night, but as it stands I don't do much of either. :)

@matthewleening2413 Жыл бұрын

@@zoomosisthe led headlights that I got on my ba xl Ute come with many fans to cool them down so they don’t get hot

@jimbrien1112 2 жыл бұрын

Do you recon they will fit on a FG G-6 grandpa spec ??

@llxmar6532 2 жыл бұрын

Finally something taste full instead of bogan spec spotties 😂🙌🏽

@Beer_Dad1975 2 жыл бұрын

Extra Roo-blinding power! :-)

@mangomcpoo475 2 жыл бұрын

might have gone with philips +200/150 hi and lo beam before going this route

@ngodongbach473 2 жыл бұрын

and here i am mounting two massive spotties on the bumper

@zoomosis 2 жыл бұрын

Roof rack! :)

@ngodongbach473 2 жыл бұрын

@@zoomosis excellent place for 4 more plus a whippy!

@stevencrilley4339 Жыл бұрын

Who makes the spot lights and how much

@blunt3777 2 жыл бұрын

Hey mate that front Support where the bonnet hinges into is a bit tatty looking if you want it to come up nice take some WD-40 and a Terry cloth spray the cloth and wipe that the Un-clearcoated paint in the engine bay will come up like new. Oh Also same method will Clean the red rubber terminal protector the oil will come straight off and it will be protected now. Love this Installtion stealth and works a treat might have to mention dad has a Fairmont Ghia 1998 V8.

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

Will give it a shot, everything else I've tried hasn't done anything.

@jamesking566 2 жыл бұрын

I hope the next car you get mate is a VE Commodore

@mickski66 2 жыл бұрын

We’re do I buy lights from

@MartinJones123 2 жыл бұрын

A great instructional video but my concern is that with time, will those lights melt since they're located in the cooling section and will it slightly affect performance? Don't be offended by this, your content is excellent 👍

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

They should be able to handle it - the light housings are alloy and the wiring harness should be far enough away to survive.

@MartinJones123 2 жыл бұрын

@@MotoringBoxTV Oh okay...

@chamendravilloshan 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, I am having an AU Fairmont series 3 in Sri Lanka (Same as motorbox). The car wont start when cranked the car wont start the smartshield flashes. Replaced BEM,ECU but couldnt start. Also i've got only one key with me. Great if somebody help me with ideas since I too like to enjoy my car! Also cheers for the channel for the awesome content on AU,BA Falcons👍

@TheRealMrCods 2 жыл бұрын

Looks good but i will stick to my right in ya face 10 million lumen ebay spotlights and lightbar that turn every street I am on at night into daylight pissing everyone off in the process. 🤣🤣🤣

@SGTschultz1986 2 жыл бұрын

Looks good. Has something hit your bumper below your headlight?

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

Pre-existing damage - it's pretty small, the light was just hitting it on a bad angle which made it stand out 😁

@Disco7575 2 жыл бұрын

My only concern would be how much movement you'd get because the grille isn't as solid as using metal on the car. Great descriptive video though 👍

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

I wondered that, but turns out the grille pretty much doesn't move at all.

@cypresspeter2008 Жыл бұрын

Do the lights affect the car's cooling ability since it is in front and near the radiator?

@MotoringBoxTV Жыл бұрын

Doubt it would make much difference. Some AU models had relatively closed off front grilles, so in that regard my car would still be well ahead of those. Ford relied more on the lower bumper intake for cooling - and even the EF/EL's had their front grilles completely blocked off.

@jimmynoodlepickle740 Жыл бұрын

Yep as Sean said, alot of the cooling is towards the bottom lip

@MattBlack6 2 жыл бұрын

Do they effect your radio when on?

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

Haven't noticed any difference with it.

@MattBlack6 2 жыл бұрын

@@MotoringBoxTV fair enough. I've noticed some cheap LED do. Good to know.

@andrewhafu6454 Жыл бұрын

How many pigy back connections mine only got one

@MotoringBoxTV Жыл бұрын

One per light

@andrewhafu6454 Жыл бұрын

Was talking about the part that connect s to the high beam socket then to led so I figured you only need one side from high beam and it lights both leds

@MotoringBoxTV Жыл бұрын

@@andrewhafu6454 sorry I get you now - yes one wiring harness powers two lights.

@andrewhafu6454 Жыл бұрын

@@MotoringBoxTV how do you wire up lights hasn't got any connectors female ones I think

@morantaylor 2 жыл бұрын

Another option is to replace the H7 high beam bulbs to LED bulbs.

@jsd9871 2 жыл бұрын

Put a set of Narva platinum halogen globes in it but you will get high beam by morons that think you'll have your high beam on they get a bit of a surprise when they get hit with the high beam and spotlights I run mostly halogen or hid spotties my KH laser had LEDs spotlights on it and with my AU I've got a factory bullbar going on it and I'm putting a set of 9 or 7 inch light force spotties

@rsc68er 3 ай бұрын

Have those spotties melted the inside of your grill from using for longer periods?

@MotoringBoxTV 3 ай бұрын

No not really possible, they don't put out enough heat.

@rsc68er 3 ай бұрын

@MotoringBoxTV I am going to copy your idea. I'm like you and prefer to keep my great Australian cars factory looking. I saw you not too long ago out at Go__na or close to there. Didn't know you were a local. Cheers for the great vids mate, I love your them.

@readydreadygovideos2565 2 жыл бұрын

Just curious as to why you didn't mount them in the bumper where driving lights go. That way it wouldn't block half the air flow of the grill which is the purpose of a grill? and also I'm sure the lights get hot after being on for long periods of time adding heat towards your radiator..... I do love your videos but this one just stumped me a tad.

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

As far as cooling goes I believe Ford relied on the lower bumper intake more as some models had highly restrictive upper grilles - eg the AU Futura. Hell, all EF/EL models had their upper grilles blocked off entirely. As far as heat from the lights go, I would be surprised if they got hot enough to make any meaningful difference. They wouldn't be much higher than ambient.

@gerardcrabb4556 2 ай бұрын

Forte has much smaller grille intake...

@stephendunn935 2 жыл бұрын

Make them flash individually and it will look like a cop car

@anakinskywalker4113 2 жыл бұрын

@motoring box these driving lights may fall foul in Victoria of our roadworthy laws if they are too bright. They are not allowed to dazzle oncoming vehicles at a minimum of 200 metres away. They must only be switched on with the high beam & automatically turn off when the high beam is turned off. So just check your state or territory road rules before installing just to be safe.

@MotoringBoxTV 2 жыл бұрын

That's exactly how they've been wired up yes.

@anakinskywalker4113 2 жыл бұрын

@@MotoringBoxTV ok cool 😎

@survivorofnarcissist 2 жыл бұрын

So 80's

@commodore665 2 жыл бұрын

Looks good Sean , and the first to comment , woohoo

@smartbox123tv 2 жыл бұрын

High beam lights on the AU are already pretty impressive in Stock form and decreasing your cooling performance by 20% by blocking airflow to the radiator is stupid . The better solution would be upgrading the high beam bulbs to something brighter.

@zoomosis 2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure it's a 20% reduction since probably half the radiator airflow is through the grille under the number plate. But I'd still be concerned about radiator airflow. Also cooling of the lights themselves might be an issue, being so close to the grille.