New to the forum with a couple questions..

pepsijgf24 · 10-26-2009, 12:43 AM

Hello guys I am new to the forum and I have a couple of quick questions. I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 8ft bed 4wheel drive LS. I am wondering can i add the lights to the roof that most trucks have? Is the wire run on it already just no lights? Also how would I be able to raise the truck up just a little bit from where it is? Nothing crazy but more where a 3500 is at? Also I have a grinding noise coming from the left front. Very bad under loud with breaking.. And on acceleration its faint but goes away after I hit 40. But terrible going slow and worse that it vibrates floor on breaks.. I'm thinking this could be a wheel bearing?
Thank you

BernieB · 10-26-2009, 01:37 AM

The roof lights you're referring to are called clearance and identification lights, and I doubt your truck would be pre-wired for them. You'd have to do the wiring yourself, but it's not too difficult since you'll be dropping the headliner anyway to drill the holes.

Be aware though that those lights have a very specific purpose, and are governed under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards section 108 (FMVSS 108). I doubt anyone will really give you any grief over adding them to a truck that doesn't require them, but if an inspector or police officer really decides to break your gonads they could make an issue of it.

The lights are used on trucks and other vehicles that are over 80 inches wide. The three center lights (amber in the front, red in the rear) are the ID lights, indicating the vehicle is more than 80" wide. The two outer lights (again, amber in the front, red at the rear) are corner clearance lights, and are there to mark the highest outside corners of the vehicle.

Where this all comes into play is when there are lane width restrictions being enforced, as well as height restrictions. A standard highway lane is 12 feet wide, but secondary roads can be a lot less. Most are 11 feet (two-way) and some four lane roads have 10 foot lanes. In more rural areas lanes as narrow as 8 or 9 feet can still be found. While it's rare, a police officer or other traffic enforcement person might wave you off and divert you down a different road if they think you're too wide for the one you're on. I've had that happen to me a couple of times now, mostly on rural roads during storms and flooding, but I drive a utility truck.

1500cheyenne96 · 10-26-2009, 07:15 AM

Well to raise the truck a little in the front and get rid of that forward lean it has you could raise the torsion bars a little there is a bolt that adjusts the torsion key if you follow the bars from front to back the key's at the back. also i'm not sure how far you can raise the front end before you'll need to go get it re aligned because when you raise the front it throws the chamber off and WILL cause premature tire wear. as for the grinding noise could be a wheel bearing or the brakes the vibrating kinda sounds like a warped rotor i'd say check the front brakes out first and go from there. oh and when and if you do it make sure the truck is on level ground or it'll throw the adjustment off

1500cheyenne96 · 10-26-2009, 11:37 AM

Just a thought to they do make leveling kits for those trucks i think they are around 2-300 bucks

pepsijgf24 · 10-26-2009, 09:31 PM

Thank you very much guys... I just dropped the head liner real quick. There are wires up there that go to nothing that are all taped up. Going from a wiring diagram it appears the truck is wired for the roof lights. I just need to find a kit now... As for raising the truck ill look into deeper.. I know I don't want it crazy high. Just about as tall as a 3500.. In my 1500 it feels like a car compared to other trucks I'm around...

BernieB · 10-26-2009, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepsijgf24

Thank you very much guys... I just dropped the head liner real quick. There are wires up there that go to nothing that are all taped up. Going from a wiring diagram it appears the truck is wired for the roof lights. I just need to find a kit now... As for raising the truck ill look into deeper.. I know I don't want it crazy high. Just about as tall as a 3500.. In my 1500 it feels like a car compared to other trucks I'm around...

Interesting! You learn something new every day. I never would have thought a 1500 would have the wiring.

You can get the OEM lights at LMC Truck. (LMC Truck Parts: Chevy Chevrolet Blazer S10 GMC Jimmy S15 Ford Bronco Ranger Pickup Pick Up Accessories/Catalogs)

10-26-2009, 12:43 AM	#1
pepsijgf24 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 6	New to the forum with a couple questions.. Hello guys I am new to the forum and I have a couple of quick questions. I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 8ft bed 4wheel drive LS. I am wondering can i add the lights to the roof that most trucks have? Is the wire run on it already just no lights? Also how would I be able to raise the truck up just a little bit from where it is? Nothing crazy but more where a 3500 is at? Also I have a grinding noise coming from the left front. Very bad under loud with breaking.. And on acceleration its faint but goes away after I hit 40. But terrible going slow and worse that it vibrates floor on breaks.. I'm thinking this could be a wheel bearing? Thank you

10-26-2009, 01:37 AM	#2
BernieB Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 1,910	The roof lights you're referring to are called clearance and identification lights, and I doubt your truck would be pre-wired for them. You'd have to do the wiring yourself, but it's not too difficult since you'll be dropping the headliner anyway to drill the holes. Be aware though that those lights have a very specific purpose, and are governed under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards section 108 (FMVSS 108). I doubt anyone will really give you any grief over adding them to a truck that doesn't require them, but if an inspector or police officer really decides to break your gonads they could make an issue of it. The lights are used on trucks and other vehicles that are over 80 inches wide. The three center lights (amber in the front, red in the rear) are the ID lights, indicating the vehicle is more than 80" wide. The two outer lights (again, amber in the front, red at the rear) are corner clearance lights, and are there to mark the highest outside corners of the vehicle. Where this all comes into play is when there are lane width restrictions being enforced, as well as height restrictions. A standard highway lane is 12 feet wide, but secondary roads can be a lot less. Most are 11 feet (two-way) and some four lane roads have 10 foot lanes. In more rural areas lanes as narrow as 8 or 9 feet can still be found. While it's rare, a police officer or other traffic enforcement person might wave you off and divert you down a different road if they think you're too wide for the one you're on. I've had that happen to me a couple of times now, mostly on rural roads during storms and flooding, but I drive a utility truck. __________________ If the guys who design 'em had to take one home, use it every day for 2 years, and do all the maint and repairs themselves, cars would have a button on the dash to change the oil, filters & plugs.

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10-26-2009, 07:15 AM	#3
1500cheyenne96 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: MIchigan Posts: 206	Well to raise the truck a little in the front and get rid of that forward lean it has you could raise the torsion bars a little there is a bolt that adjusts the torsion key if you follow the bars from front to back the key's at the back. also i'm not sure how far you can raise the front end before you'll need to go get it re aligned because when you raise the front it throws the chamber off and WILL cause premature tire wear. as for the grinding noise could be a wheel bearing or the brakes the vibrating kinda sounds like a warped rotor i'd say check the front brakes out first and go from there. oh and when and if you do it make sure the truck is on level ground or it'll throw the adjustment off

10-26-2009, 11:37 AM	#4
1500cheyenne96 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: MIchigan Posts: 206	Just a thought to they do make leveling kits for those trucks i think they are around 2-300 bucks

10-26-2009, 09:31 PM	#5
pepsijgf24 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 6	Thank you very much guys... I just dropped the head liner real quick. There are wires up there that go to nothing that are all taped up. Going from a wiring diagram it appears the truck is wired for the roof lights. I just need to find a kit now... As for raising the truck ill look into deeper.. I know I don't want it crazy high. Just about as tall as a 3500.. In my 1500 it feels like a car compared to other trucks I'm around...