# New "detailing" light system for an old box?



## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

I'm planning to tidy my box up. And i really need a new lighting system to detail my car, but i'm complitely newbye on this topic.

This is my Garage. 

























Any suggestion?


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Id love to answer your question and help you out but its a little confusing and i dont really understand what your asking for.

a detailing light box ? what ?


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## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

Sorry, i try to clarify.

I'm speaking about lighting. 
What i need to buy, how many lamps to install, where.


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Some good quality strip lights and some halogens will be a good a start


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

If it were me, I'd put up a few sheets of drywall under the joists, with a couple of 2x4's between them, to give extra securing points for the sheets, and then hang 6 fluorescent tubes (5ft T8 versions) with Osram 965 Lumilux tubes (closer to natural daylight than normal fl tubes) width ways, to cover the length of the car.
Paint the wall white as well, to reflect scattered and stray light onto the side.

Best have a chat with a local electrician/builder.


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## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

PJS said:


> If it were me, I'd put up a few sheets of drywall under the joists, with a couple of 2x4's between them, to give extra securing points for the sheets, and then hang 6 fluorescent tubes (5ft T8 versions) with Osram 965 Limulix tubes (closer to natural daylight than normal fl tubes) width ways, to cover the length of the car.
> Paint the wall white as well, to reflect scattered and stray light onto the side.
> 
> Best have a chat with a local electrician/builder.


Tanks for the advices. I'll do the job by myself. My dad is a pretty good electician. What we really need is some good advice about what lights chose and where to put them.
I was wondering to put also a cuple of fluorescent tubes on the lateral wall. What do you think?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Can do, but you would need to be sure the car door won't be opened onto them.
Alternatively placed higher up, but would need a reflector to concentrate and direct the light down more toward the side of the car .

Also, should be Osram Lumilux De Luxe - http://www.osram.com/osram_com/Prof...uorescent_lamps/LUMILUX_DE_LUXE_T8/index.html


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## MellowYellow (Oct 20, 2009)

I would use a mixture of lighting, definately a good few flourescent tubes in the ceiling and on the wall, but you will also need something that shows up swirls more, like a decent set of LED lights unless you have a decent LED torch.


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## Toolman (Nov 17, 2007)

^ Agreed...flourescent light will be necessary and some halogen as well. Not sure about LED lighting as they are pretty expensive but if you can afford it, metal-halides are worth every dollar of your investment, especially for detailing purposes!


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## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

Toolman said:


> ^ Agreed...flourescent light will be necessary and some halogen as well. Not sure about LED lighting as they are pretty expensive but if you can afford it, metal-halides are worth every dollar of your investment, especially for detailing purposes!


Something like this?


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## pringle_addict (Jan 2, 2008)

Thinking about Car Factory inspection bays, they run the lights in line with the car - ie front to back. This helps show up ripples in the panels as the line of the reflected light bends... 

would this work with detailing as well? 

Anyone tried this?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

ercapoccia said:


> Something like this?


Christ no! 1500w draw from the mains?!
If you opt for MH, then 3-4 150w MH floodlights would be more than ample.
That said, whilst not as wasteful of energy (heat given off) as the halogens in the background, the fluorescent tubes I mentioned are going to give as much light for similar power, produce less heat, and last longer.
If you go MH, you'll want the 6500ºK bulbs (€10 should buy the Osram one), even if bulbs are supplied with the unit, which all don't.

An example of unit I'm talking about - http://www.ced-elec.co.uk/marketing/pdf/floodlights.pdf


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## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

Would be enough three pair on the ceiling and two couple for the walls (one each) of Osram 965 Lumilux tubes? Could be a good a hybrid MH/fluorescent solution? 

I've read many posts these days, and many people says that MH are really good to show swrills. 
I don't mind to spend some extra money, all i want is a good place where i can detail my car.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

To be absolutely frank, light shows swirls, not the bulb type used - after all, the Sun isn't a Metal Halide, Sodium, Mercury Vapour, or Fluorescent lamp.
Colour temperature is important for seeing the colour shade correctly, so you don't even need the 965, when a 940 or 954 would do just the same, but at least you see things closer to how you would under the midday sun.

Anyway, if you're going a MH/Fluorescent combo, then I'd go with tubes overhead, and one MH light either side of the car, which you can angle to suit when doing the front or rear.
For me, there's no real benefit to using a combination, and I'd just go with the fluorescents, with a couple of switched circuits so they don't all have to be on at the same time - saving a bit of electricity.

Bit like this.....


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## five£wash (Oct 12, 2008)

Hi everyone, i'm about to re-do the lighting in my garage its 19ft wide at the front and narrows to about 15ft at the back, 21ft long and 8ft high. 

I'd like to have some lighting on the walls however, due to storage issues thats not going to be possible - so need to get a good lighting system in the ceiling. 

So what would everyone suggest?


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## five£wash (Oct 12, 2008)

bump^


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## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

This is what i did http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=149242


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## five£wash (Oct 12, 2008)

how are you finding the lights do they provide enough illumination? due to space issues i cant mount any lights on the wall so was either thinking of some sort of angled spot lights mounted specifically to provide light to sides of a car or just go with a load of strip lights and light the garage up like a runway!


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## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

Anyone though much about energy efficient lighting? with all thees fluorescent tubes and what not its easy to have 1KW+ of lighting. I just use two tripod floodlights in my shed, its not ideal but is OK. Once we get the garage built i will need proper lighting


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## ercapoccia (Nov 14, 2008)

Franzpan said:


> Anyone though much about energy efficient lighting? with all thees fluorescent tubes and what not its easy to have 1KW+ of lighting. I just use two tripod floodlights in my shed, its not ideal but is OK. Once we get the garage built i will need proper lighting


Take a look, my lighting system is 288W (8x36W T8 tubes). I have 1kW and sometimes more just for few time, for example my vacuum is 1.4kW and i have some alogen lamps. But 90% is much less than 300W also because i have a switch each lamp.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Franzpan said:


> Anyone though much about energy efficient lighting? with all thees fluorescent tubes and what not its easy to have 1KW+ of lighting. I just use two tripod floodlights in my shed, its not ideal but is OK. Once we get the garage built i will need proper lighting


Unless you're using the compact fluorescent work lights, then you've a lot of power being drawn for not a lot of light output.
12 (which is quite a bit) 70w (6') fluorescents will draw 840 watts, and provide a mass of light by comparison, bathing the whole car rather than just a section of it.
Tubes last longer, run cooler, and at £3 each (Lumilux 865's) are cheaper to replace than halogen worklight bulbs, which seem to last no more than a few hours.


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## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

Yeah i agree my lighting is pants. Both the tripods are twin 300w halogens which arent very efficent for all the light they give of, although only one light on each tripod has a bulb in it. I have to keep moving them around the car to get light. Im hunting for good lights to rig out our garage in when it is built, just have foundations atm.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

I'm not a spark by trade, but did my time as a lighting engineer, so if you need any help designing a lighting rig for your stadium tour........sorry, a lighting system for your barn conversion, you know where to find me!

:lol:


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