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Location:
Sydney NSW Australia
Registered:
July 2005
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How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Fri, 08 July 2005 04:58
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I recently bought a 1991 SX Seca.
I am not very happy with the lights on the open road, and want to fit some fog and driving lights.
Having examined the front of the car, there is no obvious or easy way of fitting a light bar, or any other mountings on which you could put fogs or spots.
I went to a Toyota dealer and asked them, and got a blank look from the guys on the other side of the parts counter, so I assume there is / was no optional accessory fog / driving light fit for the model.
I bought a manual and looked at the wiring diagrams in the back, and have decided that there does not appear to be any provision for fitting or switching extra light relays either.
So, I am in a fix.
I was wondering if any members of the forum could steer me toward a solution please.
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Location:
Bottom of the hill, Sydney
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Fri, 08 July 2005 09:33
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Firstly, welcome to the forum.
Have you checked the headlights out. What globes are fitted and are they adjusted correctly.
You can buy a bracket from places like autobarn that mounts behind the number plate. They are like a small nudge bar. The police used them on unmarked cars with driving lights in NSW.
As for wiring up a set of driving lights, it's pretty easy to do. Trigger a relay from the high beam circuit and power the driving lights through it.
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Location:
Somewhere on a dirt bowl ...
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Sat, 09 July 2005 11:55
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How about a nudge-bar ?
With the head lights, i wouldn't go over the standard rating of 60/55watts with the bulbs. You will run the chance of it being ok or melting the reflective surface in the light housing or burning out the wiring or if lucky just blowing a fuse or both fuses.
For the driving lights, they must be wired into the high beam switch with their own relay and switch. Mount them above the bumber bar.
Fog lights, wire them into the parkers, like the driving lights they need their own relay and switch. But have them below the bumber bar. Technically and legally, if your using a yellow tinted fog light you can only have them on dueing fog.
Fuse rating is easy enough to find out - divide the light rating by the voltage rating. Eg: 100watts divided by 12volts = 8.3 amps
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Location:
Sydney NSW Australia
Registered:
July 2005
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Sat, 09 July 2005 13:31
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Hi Brad and Towe.
Thankyou both for your replies.
First thing was to check the globes as Brad suggested, and they are fine.
Second thing was to check the aim, up/down & left/right on both headlights. The left/right is ok. and the up/down are both a bit down, but even. Looking at the car standing on dead flat pavement from side on, and having checked all the tyre pressures, I think the front may be down a bit. Is there a measurement for front and rear standing heights so I can check ? The suspension seems OK otherwise. The front shocks seem to be OK, but the car has done 120k so I suppose it is possible the front springs may have sagged a bit. Anyway, I haven't touched anything yet, but I suppose I could wind the vertical adjuster up a turn or two.
Regarding the light bar in the photo, question are, what does it bolt to underneath, what is it called exactly, where can I get one, and what does one cost ?
Regarding relays and switching, I know that the driving light relays have to be switched by the high beam circuit, but the question is, where best to break into the wireing to do it, and where to feed the switch wire(s) through the firewall to the switch inside. The same question applies to the fog lights, although I would not be using couloured ones. I have some genuine old Cibie Fogs that I had on my old car, and I will use them. They have to be switched though the high beam switch as well, but not at the same time as the spotties obviously.
The next problem, is alternator capacity. I can't see the model number on the thing being behind the engine, and I can't find the specs for it, so a little worried that putting on a couple of 100 watt driving lights might cause problems with the battery, since I plan on doing some long country runs at night where the lights would be heavily used about 4 hours at a stretch (dipped for the odd oncoming car/truckie obviously). Do either of you guys know how many amps at what revs etc, or alternator make and model number so I can look the specs up ? Following from that, I was wondering if there is a bigger alternator available anyway ?
Thanks.
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Location:
Somewhere on a dirt bowl ...
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Sat, 09 July 2005 15:06
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To check the aim on the lights, line up to a wall head on about 5 metres or so you'll see like a bright white light (would there be an easier way to describe it ?) re-aim the lights till their both level with each other. For the measurement side of things, its about the centre line of the head lights to the ground and transfer that measurement to the wall. I like to have mine pointed a little higher then normal, but go too high and you can blind on coming traffic with your low beam. Not good and not legal either. Which is another reason i shy away from the 90/100 bulbs.
The nudge bar (Roo-bar) was custom made at an exhaust shop. Cost me about $150. I believe ARB 4wd, or whatever their called, sells one. It mounts to the tow points behind the bumber bar.
The power wire for the relays, take it from the light switch thats on the steering column. And have the accessory (driving lights/fog lights) light switch between them. With the fog lights have them wired into the parkers or low beam. Why ? Ever tried driving with the high beam on in thick fog, its like looking into a fogged up mirror.
I cant see why the alternator wouldn't able to keep up with the extra draw. So long as i don't go to far overboard with extra lighting.
If your cars the fuel injected one the alternator should be putting out around the 60amp mark (I'm taking a pot-shot at that, the later ae92 used a 70amp alternator). The carby version is around 50amps. As for the bigger alternator look to a later model car especially like a landcruiser etc. Or ask an auto elecy to rewind the alternator for more amps.
Since that pic i've added 2 more lights and the standard alternator (60amps) is chugging along fine with the whole lighting she-bang turned on, the heater fan running and the wipers running.
One good tip with the lights - get yourself a pair of smallesh spotlights (small nightvisions, etc) and have them angled out a little. Works a treat for corners and spotting wildlife on the side of the road. I cant stand driving a car now a days without them.
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Location:
Sydney NSW Australia
Registered:
July 2005
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Tue, 12 July 2005 10:11
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I went to Town & Country on King Georges Rd at Berverly Hills in Sydney today, to see what they had. They searched all their catalogues and said no go on the nudge bar, but one of the young blokes (23-24yo) put me on to a guy over at Auburn that makes custom stuff. He rang him for me, and it turns out this guy has made one for someone's 93 Seca a while back. We waited on the phone while this guy went through his paperwork and eventually he came back with yes, he can make one, estimated price $300, depending on what I wanted exactly. It's a bit more than yours cost, but it is supposedly 2 and a half inch aluminium tube, with mounting brackets welded on for the light bases, and even a CB aerial mount on the side, thrown in free, if I want it !!
So, I will take a drive to Auburn and see this guy, so will report back later on the outcome.
HOWEVER, I have developed a PLAN B, and a PLAN C that I would like to run by you guys.
PLAN B.
How about putting a Levin grille (if one can be found) insert into my grill, and fitting two rectangular lights to fit, ie, one driving, one fog, or two driving, or two fogs. Thoughts ?
PLAN C.
This will rock you. Whilst at T&C, I was looking at a 4x4 with a bar in the tray behind the cab, with a whole stack of lights on it. Now, consider a roof-rack arrangement with the lights mounted on top of the car. Thoughts ?
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Location:
Bottom of the hill, Sydney
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Tue, 12 July 2005 12:37
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| ventus45 wrote on Tue, 12 July 2005 20:11 |
PLAN C.
This will rock you. Whilst at T&C, I was looking at a 4x4 with a bar in the tray behind the cab, with a whole stack of lights on it. Now, consider a roof-rack arrangement with the lights mounted on top of the car. Thoughts ?
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Check with the RTA on this one as you will probably find it is illegal for use on the roads.
Plan B would probably be OK for 2 driving lights, but fog lights are more effective mounted low down as Towe said earlier.
I'd also check the legalities of having one of each as I'm pretty sure they need to be in pairs.
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Location:
Somewhere on a dirt bowl ...
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Tue, 12 July 2005 15:54
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| ventus45 wrote on Tue, 12 July 2005 20:11 |
<snipe> estimated price $300, depending on what I wanted exactly. It's a bit more than yours cost, but it is supposedly 2 and a half inch aluminium tube, with mounting brackets welded on for the light bases, and even a CB aerial mount on the side, thrown in free, if I want it !!
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[whistles] 300 bucks, yeah your not wrong 
With it being aluminium it'd be lighter then what mine is, but not as inflexible so to speak. But when you see about it, make sure it's thick wall alloy, that the top of the bar doesn't go any higher than the top of the bumper bar otherwise you'll regret it later when you mount some decent lights to it. A bit like on mine, from the drivers seat i can see the top quarter of my Rally 4000's.
If your not too worried on the looks and more after function, hunt around the exhaust shops. At least one shop would make one up. It might look abit daggy being exhaust pipe but a couple of cans of paint and bobs your uncle 
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PLAN B.
How about putting a Levin grille (if one can be found) insert into my grill, and fitting two rectangular lights to fit, ie, one driving, one fog, or two driving, or two fogs. Thoughts ?
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Hehe, i've forgetton what the levin grill looks like ! Not to fussed on rectangular lights myself. But if your only wanting 2 lights see about a broad beam light and a narrow beam light. But like i said before, keep the fog lights down low, their no good up high.
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PLAN C.
This will rock you. Whilst at T&C, I was looking at a 4x4 with a bar in the tray behind the cab, with a whole stack of lights on it. Now, consider a roof-rack arrangement with the lights mounted on top of the car. Thoughts ?
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Illegal, period. A ute can get away with it, just. About the only way you could possible get a way with it is to prove that you don't use them on the road. Mind you, i have seen a cruiser wagon with 6 in a perspex covered roof-rack.
My opinion, plan A and fit a good set of lights. It'll cost more but you will be more then happy that you outlayed the money for it in the long run.
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Location:
Somewhere on a dirt bowl ...
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Tue, 12 July 2005 16:01
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| BradW wrote on Fri, 08 July 2005 19:33 |
Firstly, welcome to the forum.
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Hehe, sorry ventus45 for being a little rude earlier, but welcome and enjoy the stay
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Location:
Sydney NSW Australia
Registered:
July 2005
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Tue, 12 July 2005 16:07
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Hi guys.
I have been doing some research on the net tonight, and it seems that in NSW at least, the maximum height for driving lights is now 1.2 metres, (although it used to be 1.4 metres), but interestingly, ADR-13 does not specify a maximum height. So I wonder what the regs are in other states ?
The NSW regs also say that you can not have the lights in the field of view of the driver, so yours sticking up over the bonnet line are technically illegal here.
So, plan C is out, plan B seems to be an expensive option, which still leaves plan A, simple, cheap, but sub optimal on a number of counts.
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Location:
Somewhere on a dirt bowl ...
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Tue, 12 July 2005 16:37
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| ventus45 wrote on Wed, 13 July 2005 02:07 |
Hi guys.
I have been doing some research on the net tonight, and it seems that in NSW at least, the maximum height for driving lights is now 1.2 metres, (although it used to be 1.4 metres), but interestingly, ADR-13 does not specify a maximum height. So I wonder what the regs are in other states ?
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I think, at least last time i saw it, max height was 1.4m here in QLD.
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The NSW regs also say that you can not have the lights in the field of view of the driver, so yours sticking up over the bonnet line are technically illegal here.
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hehe, you know, i never knew that one.
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Location:
wollongong NSW
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Wed, 13 July 2005 01:36
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towe you said that if you have the yellow foglights they can only be used in fog, do you know what the rule is if you have clear covers? ive got some on my ae82 which are mounted on the underside of the bumper anout level with the number plate.
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Location:
Somewhere on a dirt bowl ...
Registered:
August 2004
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Re: How to fit Driving and Fog Light to a 1991 SX Seca 5 speed
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Wed, 13 July 2005 09:11
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As far as i'm aware, if the lights don't have the yellow tint their not classed as fog lights.
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