When I was looking for a slip yoke for my transfer case swap, I was at a junkyard that had just got an '88 or '89 Dakota Sport with the factory light bar, so I went back today to get it. It wasn't a you-pull-it junkyard, so I didn't get a great deal on it, but it was still reasonable.

It's just sitting in the bed in these pics, I still have to bolt it down. But before I do, I'm going to take it apart, strip it down to the bare metal, repaint it, wire it for lights, and then mount it for real.

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Cool! Looks good! I thought about getting one. My uncle has one laying around and I could make it fit. But for me I like the openess of the bed. But they are cool looking!

 

I hear ya! It would also make it hard to put on your camper shell! But I don't have a camper shell anymore, and I do more driving on back country highways than I do hauling stuff, and since those kinds of roads are terribly lit, and its starting to get dark early, I want the extra lights!

I had always had it in the back of my mind to get one, and then I saw the factory light bar from the old Dakota Sport that they quit making and had to have it :P

 

I'm sure I could look it up, but. What is the difference in between light bars and roll bars? To me the ones in the bed would be concedered a roll bar, as long as it is fully secure with plates to the bed. Well I guess as long as it is strong tube. I thought light bars were the ones on the bed rails.

LOL I love seeing those PVC ones. They make me laugh!

 

A true rollbar is welded to the frame, not bolted to a body panel. Where the frame could take a lot of abuse in a rollover, a body panel will be crushed. Athough I'm sure this particular light bar would probably help in case of a rollover, its not designed for it. It looks to be 1/8 inch thick steel tubing its made out of, so it would probably hold up well enough to keep the driver alive in case of a rollover. And, it bolts to the front corners of the bed floor and to the wheel tubs, so those are 4 fairly strong points in the bed, unlike the other type of light bar that bolts to the flimsy bedrails.

Lol, yeah, those make me laugh too. And the PVC brush gaurds too!

 

Thats kickass man, that will look sweet in your truck when bolted up and everything, though how much space does it take up? I dont know if you use your truck for carring large loads but im wondering how much space is sacrificed

 

Thanks! Like I said before, I do more driving on dark, back country highways than I do carry large loads, so I'd rather have the extra driving lights than the extra carrying space. But I doubt I'll miss that little bit of room.

What I was just thinking about doing is cutting off the light tabs that are on it and welding on my own. Right now there are only 2, and I want 4 lights facing forward and 2 facing back. The ones facing back I might mount downward. Wiring all those is going to be fun though, cause the fronts and backs will be on 2 seperate switches. Lol, the rearward facing lights will be a great way to get rid of tailgaters too :P

 

Cool man, and the ones pointed back can also help while in reverse if the regular reverse lights dont light it up enouph for you

 

LOL, my reverse lights haven't worked since I did the transmission swap. I don't have the connector for the manual tranmission's reverse light switch, and the switch is broken anyway! Thats the big reason I want rearward facing lights.

 

Couldnt you have made your own switch and mounted it on the dash or somewhere and just flip it when ever you need to see behind you for backing up?