Maybe we’re getting older, or maybe automakers are just building better looking front bumpers, but after all the radical truck builds we’ve done, we decided to leave the factory bumper on our ’11 Super Duty. It has proven effective, and once we removed the lower valance we improved the approach angle (and gained ourselves a slight loss in fuel economy—those valances are on trucks for a reason and we might end up putting it back on). But we did want a little better bump protection—if nothing else just for parking poles—and also some place to mount an LED bar to help when it gets dark. Randy Ellis Design—a pioneer in high-quality, bolt-on light bars—had a Sleekster model that was perfect for what we had in mind, and was barely noticeable in front of our stock bumper wrapped in 3M black brushed steel film. Continuing with our low-profile theme, we mounted a Pro Comp 24-LED Straight Edge LED light bar on top of the Sleekster bar to illuminate the night. The single row of LEDs makes the LED light bar very thin and, when mounted on the Sleekster light bar, barely noticeable in passing, but very effective in use. 01. The Sleekster light bar is built by Randy Ellis Design (RED Inc.) and features 1.75-inch tubing with a three-stage satin black powdercoated finish. It has four light mounts, 9 inches apart to fit a variety of auxiliary lights. The bar is also offered in a candy chrome that matches the chrome factory bumper. Both chrome or black Sleekster bars are $200 and almost effortless to put on. 02. The light bar mounts directly to the frame using the same four bolts that holds the stock bumper to the frame. The total install time of the RED Inc. light bar (with two guys) was maybe five minutes at most, and that was including the time it took to line the bumper back up under the grille and lights. It can be a little trickier if installing by yourself.02. The light bar mounts directly to the frame using the same four bolts that holds the s 03. You can’t have a low-profile look without a low-profile light. Pro Comp’s Straight Edge LED light bars come in a number of lengths, but we chose a 31.1-inch-long bar encasing 24 light-emitting diodes. The Straight Edge bars use CREE 3-watt LEDs, combined in two beam patterns—a 60-degree spread (for flood) and a 10-degree spread (for long range)—on the same bar so the end user needs only one light bar to accomplish both lighting needs.03. You can’t have a low-profile look without a low-profile light. Pro Comp’s Straight Ed 04. The finished package gives a sturdier front bumping point than what we had from the factory, but sticks out only a few inches past the stock bumper. The Pro Comp LED bar sits back about an inch from the front of the Sleekster bar, making it well protected. Since our new Super Duty has auxiliary “Upfitter” switches built into the dash, we wired the low-amperage-draw LED light directly into the 25A fused auxiliary lead on the factory Upfitter wiring harness.04. The finished package gives a sturdier front bumping point than what we had from the f Sources Randy Ellis Design 2855 W. Fairmount Avenue Phoenix AZ 85017 602-803-1122 www.randyellisdesign.com Pro Comp USA 400 W. Artesia Blvd Compton CA 90220 800-776-0767 www.procompusa.com By Jerrod Jones Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
