Gary Lewis Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 That does look good, nice installation! You’re still going to drill holes under it for the speaker, correct? Thanks, Dane! And yes, I'm still going to drill holes for the speaker. I think I'll use Scott's suggestion and drill the same pattern Coverlay used on the dash cover, although a much smaller pattern. And, speaking of the dash cover, I thought of another reason to leave it black - the radio and instrument bezels will be black. So there's an overall theme going on with the bezels, headliner, and dash cover being black. If I had it to do over again I might have left the door panels black and painted all the other trim to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 Thanks, Dane! And yes, I'm still going to drill holes for the speaker. I think I'll use Scott's suggestion and drill the same pattern Coverlay used on the dash cover, although a much smaller pattern. And, speaking of the dash cover, I thought of another reason to leave it black - the radio and instrument bezels will be black. So there's an overall theme going on with the bezels, headliner, and dash cover being black. If I had it to do over again I might have left the door panels black and painted all the other trim to match. Just doing some musing, thinking, dreaming. The behind-the-seat storage unit comes in tomorrow, and I'm thinking about how I'm going to use it. One thing I hope to do with it is to have a place to store things like the GMRS handhelds, flashlights, etc. But that also means I need to be able to charge them. The two flashlights I have charge via USB, so I'll need USB ports back there. But the handhelds will probably be charged via 12v as I don't see a need to carry the desktop charger. And if I get a Garmin inReach it will be charged via USB. So I'm thinking that I'll want to put several 12v "cigarette lighter" ports back there. Powerwerx has some mounting plates that might be useful as well as the ports themselves that fit the plates. And there are all kinds of plug-in USB chargers available, although I could put a dedicated USB charger in one of the holes in the mounting plate. That then raises the question of how to power them. The 3kw inverter is to sit behind the seat as well and it'll have LOTS of power to it, so I could come off that power through a suitable fuse to a power panel. However, I'd planned to run the power to the inverter off the original aux battery relay, which is only powered in Accy or Run. But it might be good to have the power to the charging ports hot all the time. So I'm rethinking when the power to the inverter will be hot. On the other hand, if I want to leave the flashlights, radios, etc plugged in 24x7 then I don't want them charging all the time - just when the truck is running. And, I'll have always-on power in the ash tray, so maybe I make the power behind the seat hot in Accy or Run and just use the ash tray port(s) for 24x7 charging as whatever is there will be much more visible - meaning I won't forget it is being charged. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac79 Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Just doing some musing, thinking, dreaming. The behind-the-seat storage unit comes in tomorrow, and I'm thinking about how I'm going to use it. One thing I hope to do with it is to have a place to store things like the GMRS handhelds, flashlights, etc. But that also means I need to be able to charge them. The two flashlights I have charge via USB, so I'll need USB ports back there. But the handhelds will probably be charged via 12v as I don't see a need to carry the desktop charger. And if I get a Garmin inReach it will be charged via USB. So I'm thinking that I'll want to put several 12v "cigarette lighter" ports back there. Powerwerx has some mounting plates that might be useful as well as the ports themselves that fit the plates. And there are all kinds of plug-in USB chargers available, although I could put a dedicated USB charger in one of the holes in the mounting plate. That then raises the question of how to power them. The 3kw inverter is to sit behind the seat as well and it'll have LOTS of power to it, so I could come off that power through a suitable fuse to a power panel. However, I'd planned to run the power to the inverter off the original aux battery relay, which is only powered in Accy or Run. But it might be good to have the power to the charging ports hot all the time. So I'm rethinking when the power to the inverter will be hot. On the other hand, if I want to leave the flashlights, radios, etc plugged in 24x7 then I don't want them charging all the time - just when the truck is running. And, I'll have always-on power in the ash tray, so maybe I make the power behind the seat hot in Accy or Run and just use the ash tray port(s) for 24x7 charging as whatever is there will be much more visible - meaning I won't forget it is being charged. Thoughts? It's coming together nicely and looking great Gary. Your charging plan sounds like a good one. I wouldn't want stuff charging out of sight without the truck running either. Would be too easy to forget about it. Then again, you'll have lots of power with the two batteries... And it's a manual, so you can always get going with a slight gradient. You can't go wrong really, whatever makes you sleep easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 It's coming together nicely and looking great Gary. Your charging plan sounds like a good one. I wouldn't want stuff charging out of sight without the truck running either. Would be too easy to forget about it. Then again, you'll have lots of power with the two batteries... And it's a manual, so you can always get going with a slight gradient. You can't go wrong really, whatever makes you sleep easier! You could add a switch. Then if your going in a store or restaurant you could keep charging, but if overnight, switch it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Just doing some musing, thinking, dreaming. Thoughts? I just marvel at how you mind works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 You could add a switch. Then if your going in a store or restaurant you could keep charging, but if overnight, switch it off. Rob - Thanks! It does seem to be coming together. In fact, Janey and I were talking about that last night. I'm hoping that I'll have the majority of the interior done next week and be able to take a day trip. Dane - That is a good idea! I'd been planning on having a switch in the radio bezel to turn the inverter on. But, if I just used the switch to bring the factory aux battery relay in it would accomplish the same thing. Maybe have switch on the dash bring in power to behind the seat even if the engine isn't running, but normally have it brought on in Accy or Run. And if I don't want the inverter on for some reason I could reach behind the seat and turn it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Just doing some musing, thinking, dreaming. Thoughts? I just marvel at how you mind works! And your father would say, "If that was meant as a compliment, then I thank you.!" Edited for spelling. DNB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 I just marvel at how you mind works! This morning's overnight traffic on the forum was minimal, so while I drank the second cup, French, I had time to cogitate. Ponder. And the first thing I did was to track the storage unit - tomorrow! So that set me to thinking about how I'll use it beyond holding the inverter. Sitting in the window sill of the porch is the desktop charger for the handheld radios, which is plugged in via a wall wart, and almost under my coffee cup was the 12v charger cord. So I connected the two - in my mind - the storage unit and charging the handhelds. I can't see taking the desktop charger as it requires the radios to sit upright, making the whole thing big. But the 12v charging cord just plugs into the side of the radio, so I could lay the radio on a shelf in the storage unit, plug it in, and let it charge. But, plug it into what? Where does the power come from? When is it hot? And what else will I want to charge when on the road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 And you father would say, "If that was meant as a compliment, then I thank you.!" Missed that. And him! But you are right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 .... Dane - That is a good idea! I'd been planning on having a switch in the radio bezel to turn the inverter on. But, if I just used the switch to bring the factory aux battery relay in it would accomplish the same thing. Maybe have switch on the dash bring in power to behind the seat even if the engine isn't running, but normally have it brought on in Accy or Run.... This might be a use for an on-off-on switch set up like NW Power Products(?) has on their battery isolators that I'm pretty sure we've talked about before. In the center position it would shut off all power to behind the seat, while in one "on" position it would be on all the time and in the other it would only be on when the engine was running. I haven't thought that through completely, but it seems like it could be a nice function to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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