A couple cab light questions

[Iron Hauler]

I have a 1970 4x4, I want to add the lights on top of the cab, what would be the correct light? Are they easy to install in a truck not factory equipped?
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[slomotion]

First off, Welcome Aboard!
As for the lights, "easy" is a relative term. Seems there was a thread on this a while back, but in a nutshell, there are after market lights that fit the curvature of our cabs. Check out the board's vendors for them. Marking out the locations for the lights is probably the most critical part of the whole process. You should have the lights on hand so you know where they should be located in relation to this curve. The second hard part is drilling 15 holes in your roof.....three for each light. Two for the mounting screws, and a slightly larger one for the wire. There is a thread here where someone described a clever way to run the wire up the "A" pillar using string and air pressure....I'd love to give them credit, just don't remember who off hand.
Not trying to avoid the question, but run a search (it's on the tool bar right under your sign-in) on cab lights, and I'm sure you'll get everything you need without a lot of duplication here. In the search box type in "mounting cab roof lights." Part way down the list the air trick, and a mounting sequence will show up.
Welcome

Tim

[71blksuper4x4]

Correct cab lights from factory used a special roof as compared to normal roofs. They had raised pods for clearance lamps, though like stated above. You can make some aftermarket lamps work. Trevor

[1972RedNeck]

Do '69 style lights need the pods?

[71blksuper4x4]

yes, 69's need the pods for the hockey puck lenses. Trevor

[special-K]

The factory 69-up clearance lamps will fit right on the roof without pods. It just won't be factory correct. Only people who really know these trucks will notice and that's only if they look for them. I've always wondered why GM made that special roof panel. The '73-ups didn't use anything special for the same lights.

[Iron Hauler]

Thanks for the help guys, I think I'll try and find a set of factory lights and harness and then take it from there.
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[C10 - C90 Bill]

In my opinion, the best ones to go with on a roof that doesn't have the "Raised Pods" are the Yankee 77's. Yankee 77's are also the ones used on 2-Ton and 3-Ton Trucks from at least 1960 to the mid 70's.

And I agree that placement is just as important as the Lights themselves.

Bill

[special-K]

Originally Posted by C10 - C90 Bill

In my opinion, the best ones to go with on a roof that doesn't have the "Raised Pods" are the Yankee 77's. Yankee 77's are also the ones used on 2-Ton and 3-Ton Trucks from at least 1960 to the mid 70's.

And I agree that placement is just as important as the Lights themselves.

Bill

My '71 Custom/30 tow truck had a no clearance lamp cab swapped on and those are what I got for it. The truck is more about being equipped than being original (and a little more chrome doesn't hurt)

[BLAZERMAN]

I agree the #77 Yankee would be a good way to go and is the correct light for a truck that was not equipped from the factory..these were the lights that were in the GM Truck Accessory catalog all the way up into the eighties. You can still buy them today under different names...the one in my 1st pic is a Truck-Lite 1312a. No matter what brand you buy, even the old NOS Yankees come with a very cheap stamped out foan rubber pad..your best bet is to ditch these and find a set of pads from a factory installed 67/68 set of cab lights..these are a much better molded rubber base and is a GM part.

If you want to run the 69 to 72 style I wouldnt even try using the factory lights or harness..the factory harness uses a 2 wire setup that runs across from one light to the next and all the way down the a pillar. The factory light also requires you drill a 1-3/16" center hole in your roof for each light..plus the lamp base that plugs into the rubber base hangs down way to far..thats the reason for the pod I believe. there just isnt much room between the inner and outer skin on these roofs. You can use a Truck-Lite 1313a and drill as small as a center hole as you can work with..they sit flat on the roof and the lamp base is on the top side of the pad. You can run your ground wire to one of the mounting screws and all you have to run across the cab roof is one wire to tie each power wire in to..much easier than the factory setup on a standard roof.

[BLAZERMAN]

1st pic showing the bottom of the factory base with lamp base and part of the wiring harnesss.
2nd pic shows the bottom of the 1313a .
3rd pics shows the 2 different style lamps used from 69 to 72..the one on the left is the 69/70 hockey puck style..the one on the left shows the 71/72 firemans hat style.

[BLAZERMAN]

Just a few more
1st pic shows the top of the 1313a base and its lamp holder.
2nd pic shows the 2 different rubber pads
3rd pic is a 1312a with clear lens and amber bulb for something a little different.
4th pic is a factory rubber base with a stepside backup light lens that you can use an amber bulb with.
Hope this clears some things up for ya and maybe gives you a few different options.

[BLAZERMAN]

Gotta ad this! this is a vid by Tx Firefighter on how to run the wire down the A pillar....this has always been the part I hated most....now I cant wait to try this trick myself!

Feb 20 2011 VID00001 - YouTube

[BLAZERMAN]

And a link to the Truck-Lite [Signal-Stat] website.
http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs...0314&langId=-1

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by BLAZERMAN

Gotta ad this! this is a vid by Tx Firefighter on how to run the wire down the A pillar....this has always been the part I hated most....now I cant wait to try this trick myself!
Feb 20 2011 VID00001 - YouTube

Thank you Blazerman! That was the trick I was talking about in post #2. I was bummed that I had already gone the fish-wire route to wire mine. I'm looking forward to trying that myself!

[feller]

heres a pic of the raised roof pods. i had the same questions and am still looking for either a roof section or a compleet cab if anyone knows where i can find one. if you look at the outter two lights youll see the raised pods, and the firemans hats were put on trucks untill 88 or 89 depending on the truck, i think thats right

[woodwright]

Blazerman, do you have any more pics of the clear backup lights? Like maybe on the cab? I've got a 70 with the pods and have been looking for a clear version. What year stepside are these from?

[BLAZERMAN]

Originally Posted by woodwright

Blazerman, do you have any more pics of the clear backup lights? Like maybe on the cab? I've got a 70 with the pods and have been looking for a clear version. What year stepside are these from?

Clint, next time I'm out in the shop I can snap you a few more pics of them. If you do a search you might find them on a truck on this site...I was thinking it was Longhorn Man that first did this on his truck. They are from 67 to 72 stepsides...they list in the LMC catalog for about 4 bucks each..as for amber lamps check out Ebay, you should be able to find them in LED....thats what I plan on doing with the Yankee 77s

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

80340 is the number for the backup lights. Available through NAPA or anyone who handles truck lite. 67-87 Chevy stepsides used this style backup light.

Hope this helps!!

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

They also have an aluminum housing version available, part # 92WD

[BLAZERMAN]

Originally Posted by BLACK AND BLUE 67-72

80340 is the number for the backup lights. Available through NAPA or anyone who handles truck lite. 67-87 Chevy stepsides used this style backup light.

Hope this helps!!

80340 is for the complete assembly and that wont work as a cab light, I couldnt find just the lens on there website but should be available thru any of our board vendors.

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

99095C is the number for the clear lens.

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

I wouldn't use it though, it has a notch cut out for water to drain.

[drewbert41]

What size mounting screws are needed for Yankee 77s?