The Frankenstein Build! LT/Expo/Trail rig..and BS

Awesome stuff man!

 

Thanks man!

 

Wow this is great! Subd for future reference.

 

Everytime i see this threads been updated I click expecting some bad ass long travel pics... Then I remember "hell he won't even be with his truck till may" kinda depressing...

 

Sub'd. Great info for a mere beginner (plus I have a green '03 DC, so I look forward to you diverting your attention from Frank) - Also, love the pics from the Epic threads. I've enjoyed reading through Frank's transformation. Awesome build!

Also, what school are you going to? My dad teaches recording classes and Protools for vo-tech (high school students though) and evening classes for University of Tulsa and a community college and has a recording studio. I'm working my way through your build thread and it looks like are going to school for Audio. That's awesome. My dad loves what he does.

 

Thanks man! Frank will never not get attention...kind of an attention whore but the double cab will be fun. Simple, reliable, clean and capable.

I got my associates from northwest college in Wyoming. Currently at webster university in St. Louis getting my bachelors. I love it too. Can't wait to go out I to the big dog world. Going to try and go for the very top of the top.

It's fun for sure. I love it it. Just did a 9 hour session today in the studio with some big dog engineers for our school AES summit. Have another 12 hour session tomorrow too. Should be fun!

 

Saw this on insta and had to

 

hahaha!

 

lmao

 

I just spit my drink out. +1 to you! Hahaha.

 

yup. repped.

 

Mother of god.... 531 pages to read though. This is going to take some time. Sub

 

I know - I'm at 350 at the moment - it's a good read, great for me - tons of ideas and information!

 

Awesome. That is great.

Damn. Props to you guys for reading all of it. Haha it's a long thread. Kinda a fun read though.

 

I have a question about LED lighbars. I have about 20-25" of space to put one on the front bumper. I know there are spots and floods and combos. And single row and double row too.

Without getting into a discussion about brands and cost, what is the best way to compare the various bars based on light performance?

All the manufacturers seem to want to talk about is lumens but I don't understand what that means. Plus I've heard you say more than once that lumens alone don't give a true picture.

 

Led bar time

Yea lumens is a total bullshit way of measuring a light. Because there is multiple ways of meassuring it for one, but also it has nothing to do with how well the light works. The LED chip has a lumen output the varies based on input voltage and then there's the use of optics which cuts down lumen output, if the bar uses them anyways, and the housing reflector and glass.

The best way to find a nice light is to find the Lux output. 1 lux is what is about the amount of light you need to read black print on white paper.

The real light companies, not just distributors of cheap Chinese bars, will have these specs. Although I've found you often have to dig for them because it really is the revealing characteristic.

Take ridge industry's for example, the last time I looked, which was a long time a go a year or so, the biggest baddest ass bar they made was a 50" bar with the new hyper shot optics. It cost somewhere around 1500-1600 and has a 1 lux reading at 1200m. That's a loooonnng ass ways.

But two lightforces that are 6" and HIDed hit 1400m at 1 lux...cost half as much. E 8" are something stupid like 1700m ish?

Now for you, you have two Lightforces. What Id recomend is make they your spot lights. Then get an LED bar for a flood type light. Because hands down, LEDS make awesome fill lights. They cast a nice even wide pattern. Just won't have the reach of a big lamp light. Granted. 1000m is more then enough light.

So Id get either something as a flood light or a combo if you still want a bit of push from the LED.

LEDS are very useful, I'm still just not a fan of them as a main light. Exept the new LED canons by visionX. My god. Id replace every forward facing light I have with those if I could afford it. Fantastic light. But I digress..

In short. Lumens are like watts in the stereo world. 16373828474 LUMEN LIGHT!! 253647 watt stereo!!!! When they are just advertising peak wattage for the speakers vs the rms. Make sense?

I'm looking at getting this guy for Igor. I like the built in ambers that can be switched separately. Going to incorporate it into a stealth bumper in the front. I also like the bigger optics/reflectors vs smaller reflectors in dual row LED bars.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351176325512

It's not about cramming the most LEDS into a space. It's more important how the light is used and efficiently.

That said. I'm not saying go buy the big bad expensive bars. I think most bars are fine. Something from okledbars is fine. Like I said. Not your main light. The lf170s will be.

And not like LEDS suck. Cause they don't. My dads are pretty awesome. And mine work great and they are just Blitzpro stuff.

 

What if I told you I was thinking of ditching the LFs? A lightbar might be to replace those. So a spot might be more useful.

Hopefully, the new projector headlights will have a very nice, even spread and wont need the fill like the standard halogens do now.

 

........






Fine...haha

Then a combo/spot would be the way to go. 22" bar should fit about perfect. Actually, maybe a 30?

Either way. Since you have 510s..or you going to replace those too? Then a spot/combo would be good.

 

What is "........"? Is the that like a timmy ninja edit? lol

I'm not sure what I want to do with the PIAAs yet. Right now they serve a real purpose but I can see them becoming a useless appendage. Unfortunately, the openings in the bumper look stupid without something in there.

Some of this idea of an LED bar is driven by the fact that I cannot seem to get effective use out of the LFs. Sure, they are bright, but the light is never where I seem to need it.

What do you make of this lightbar? http://www.ebay.com/itm/120W-Camber...76325512&tpos=top&ttype=price&talgo=undefined

This is a perfect example of what I was talking about. Near as I can tell, the only detail on light performance is 12000lm.

 

It me taking a breath..lol

I've been looking at getting some visionx led pods that are 3" to replace mine possibly.

Where are you wanting the light?? An LED bar isn't gonna be much different..not overall anyways.

No idea. Probably be okay. But it's just a China bar...so idk.