FOG LIGHTS

Where do we put them? According to the brochures from light manufacturers (Hella, Bosch, etc) they recommend foglights to be positioned as low as possible. Preferrably under the bumper, where they can illuminate the road "under the fog". This is a plausible explanation, punctured only by one thing: The best and most usable foglights I've tried, were the original units on a Mercedes W123, but they're above the bumper. And beleive me, I've endured a few snow blizzards!

I decided that I wanted foglights, but I didn't want to hang them under the bumper, where they will be exposed to damage when I plough through a snowdrift. On top of the bumper? Out of the question! There goes the aux. driving lights. So it was either installing micro-DE fog lights inside the bumper (expensive, and a lot of work), or… replacing the 5 ¾" full beam units with 5 ¾" fog light units. "-Keep it simple", I thought, and went for the latter solution.

The 5 ¾" fog light units from HELLA (part nr. 1N3 124 199-001) are from a Hella-grille for VW Golf MkI. They need a little modifying before they'll enter a SAE-fit bracket.

MODIFYING
- Drill out the spotwelds on the three "non SAE-fit bracket lugs" and remove them. You must be careful not to drill through the thin material in the fog light. Alternatively, you can break/wiggle the lugs off with a pair of pliers. (That's what I did)
- Grind off any leftover material after the lugs.
- Find a donor light unit for the bracket lugs used by uni-size units. It can be a full beam 5, ¾" unit, or a H4 5, ¾" unit. Not a dip beam 5, ¾" unit. The pattern of the lugs are different.

- Find a "twin headlight bracket" with SAE-fit from a scrapped car. I used one from a BMW 3-series (E21) 83-87. Lay it on the workbench, face up.
- Position the donor light unit in the place reserved for the full beam unit, in the twin headlight bracket.
- Make top and bottom alignment points on the bracket. I used a pencil.
- Make top and bottom alignment points on the foglight.
- The foglight glass is 1mm larger in diametre than the full beam 5, ¾" unit. Make the hole in the chrome sorrounding bezel larger, until it will fit over the foglight.

- On the donor light, drill out the spotwelds on the three "SAE-fit bracket lugs" and carefully pry them off, using a flathead screwdriver. Now you can throw away the donor light.
- File the contact surface of the three lugs straight.
- Put the three lugs in the cut-out slots, in the twin headlight bracket.
- Apply two drops of two-component epoxy glue, on each of the three lugs.
- Carefully lower the foglight onto the three lugs.
- Make sure the alignment is straight.
- Carefully lower the chrome sorrounding bezel onto the foglight, insert the three screws, check alignment again, and tighten the screws.
- Leave it to dry overnight.
- Take out the foglight, and apply more epoxy glue around the three lugs.
- Leave it to dry overnight.

- The chrome sorrounding bezel from the BMW bracket will not fit the Saab bracket.
Make the hole in the Saab's chrome sorrounding bezel larger, until it will fit over the foglight.
- Install the modified foglights on the Saab. (Phew!)

5 ¾" dip and fog	Wiggle off the lugs	Rob the donor unit	...with a drill.	BMW bracket.
More to come...