- 53
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- Location
- Woodbridge, Virginia
I got tired of groping around in the dark in Bessie's cab and had been contemplating various solutions for interior lighting. I also felt it was important to have a blackout lighting option and also have any solution be EMP-proof. The answer? M113 dome lights, which are widely available as new old stock (NOS).
Once I got the units (I wanted two), the first thing I noticed was that they do not flush mount but instead require a recessed opening. The second thing I noticed was that the cab ceiling has no convenient mounting locations. Plus, since I got two of them, I wanted them pretty much directly over head for the driver and codriver seats.
A custom bracket is called for, which I fabricated from 1/8" aluminum. It attaches from the hatch opening support to the gusset over the door opening. Oh, and they are at different heights so a 3/8" offset is needed.
Pix follow. If you want to know where I got my lights then send me a PM.
![20170222_224502.jpg 20170222_224502.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456287-53346372f3a6842e5b6235c1ac0d29f5.jpg)
![20170223_223916.jpg 20170223_223916.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456288-81a3a1fdd8c7851f56b1bd513d28239b.jpg)
![20170225_174759.jpg 20170225_174759.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456289-f167d525bca35a5a265a887c72a138ca.jpg)
![20170225_175716.jpg 20170225_175716.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456290-2192b809e6207b4d7c21e855c382e023.jpg)
![20170225_182559.jpg 20170225_182559.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456291-92bbaeffef591f060765030253b1f01f.jpg)
Once I got the units (I wanted two), the first thing I noticed was that they do not flush mount but instead require a recessed opening. The second thing I noticed was that the cab ceiling has no convenient mounting locations. Plus, since I got two of them, I wanted them pretty much directly over head for the driver and codriver seats.
A custom bracket is called for, which I fabricated from 1/8" aluminum. It attaches from the hatch opening support to the gusset over the door opening. Oh, and they are at different heights so a 3/8" offset is needed.
Pix follow. If you want to know where I got my lights then send me a PM.
![20170222_224502.jpg 20170222_224502.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456287-53346372f3a6842e5b6235c1ac0d29f5.jpg)
![20170223_223916.jpg 20170223_223916.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456288-81a3a1fdd8c7851f56b1bd513d28239b.jpg)
![20170225_174759.jpg 20170225_174759.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456289-f167d525bca35a5a265a887c72a138ca.jpg)
![20170225_175716.jpg 20170225_175716.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456290-2192b809e6207b4d7c21e855c382e023.jpg)
![20170225_182559.jpg 20170225_182559.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/456/456291-92bbaeffef591f060765030253b1f01f.jpg)