Big Blue's Transformation

[Gary Lewis]

I'd keep them separated from the dome light. I don't like having to turn on lights I don't want on when I want to turn other lights on. In fact, on my '85 F-250 I put the factory cargo light on a separate switch so I didn't need to have the dome light on with it.

As far as where to put the separate switch, in the bed seems like a good location (if you can find a good location in the bed). You typically won't be in the cab when you want to turn those lights on or off, so having the switch closer to where you'll be when you want to use it seems good.

Bob - Thanks. That's the conclusion I'm coming to as well. I think I'll power the bed lights off the always-hot circuit for the bed cover, which is going to be Fuse 10 - which means I have to go back into the fuse box.

And I'm adding two power outlets in the bed on the same circuit so I can have 12v in the tent if I want.

As for the switch, my 2015 has that switch on the left side just inside the bed from the tailgate. So I think that's where I'll put it.

Thanks again.

[kramttocs]

Bob - Thanks. That's the conclusion I'm coming to as well. I think I'll power the bed lights off the always-hot circuit for the bed cover, which is going to be Fuse 10 - which means I have to go back into the fuse box.

And I'm adding two power outlets in the bed on the same circuit so I can have 12v in the tent if I want.

As for the switch, my 2015 has that switch on the left side just inside the bed from the tailgate. So I think that's where I'll put it.

Thanks again.

I agree both with having it separate and not liking the dome and cargo tied together.

Back to the fuse box to add heavier wire or?

[Gary Lewis]

I agree both with having it separate and not liking the dome and cargo tied together.

Back to the fuse box to add heavier wire or?

Like a dummy, I didn't think about power for the bed cover, so didn't populate #10 while I was in there. So I'm going back and it'll be power for everything in the bed.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Question for y'all. As I'm pulling the wires to the bed I'm debating on how I want the lights in the bed to be powered/switched. I'd initially thought I want them to be on the cargo light circuit so I can turn them on with the headlight switch. But that means I need to put a switch in the Highliner headliner to turn the dome light off. So now I'm thinking I'll just put a switch in the bed so they can be turned off/on from there.

Thoughts?

Jim - What LED strip lights did you use under the hood? Do you like them?

I bought these:. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YXBEHQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Price has gone up since last year.

Im not under my hood in the dark much. But they do work great for illuminating everything, and 6,000k seems easy on my eyes.

I would say I like them as far as brightness, throw, color, ease of installation.

They seem waterproof.

[grumpin]

I'd keep them separated from the dome light. I don't like having to turn on lights I don't want on when I want to turn other lights on. In fact, on my '85 F-250 I put the factory cargo light on a separate switch so I didn't need to have the dome light on with it.

As far as where to put the separate switch, in the bed seems like a good location (if you can find a good location in the bed). You typically won't be in the cab when you want to turn those lights on or off, so having the switch closer to where you'll be when you want to use it seems good.

I like the idea of adding a switch for the cargo light. Although my tool box blocks a lot of the light to the back of the bed.

Interested to see how this turns out Gary, not something I see myself doing, but I like how you are putting this together.

[kramttocs]

Like a dummy, I didn't think about power for the bed cover, so didn't populate #10 while I was in there. So I'm going back and it'll be power for everything in the bed.

Gotcha - at least you won't be working in a tight cramped corner trying to solder without touching anything else:nabble_smiley_wink:

[Gary Lewis]

Gotcha - at least you won't be working in a tight cramped corner trying to solder without touching anything else:nabble_smiley_wink:

Nothing to show for today as I worked at the church building. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have something done.

Scott - No, I'd never solder in a tight, cramped corner fearing I'd drop solder on the carpet or melt something.

Dane - I'm not proposing to rewire the cargo light. I might if it were that functional, but the gullwing doors on the tool box mean the cargo light doesn't shine IN the box, just ON it. And if/when I put a tent on it'll light up the tent's front. I'm just planning to add LED strip lights up under the bedsides.

Jim - Thanks for the link. I like those lights, but I've discovered that there's a 64" run between the canister for the bed cover and the rear stake pocket, so these LED strips look to be just right at 60".

The only place I may have a minor problem is right at the middle stake pocket since there's only a 3/4" space between it and the lip and the spec's on these say they are 1" wide. But I'll bet I can figure something out to get them by at that point, like turn them on their sides for a ways.

[Gary Lewis]

Nothing to show for today as I worked at the church building. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have something done.

Scott - No, I'd never solder in a tight, cramped corner fearing I'd drop solder on the carpet or melt something.

Dane - I'm not proposing to rewire the cargo light. I might if it were that functional, but the gullwing doors on the tool box mean the cargo light doesn't shine IN the box, just ON it. And if/when I put a tent on it'll light up the tent's front. I'm just planning to add LED strip lights up under the bedsides.

Jim - Thanks for the link. I like those lights, but I've discovered that there's a 64" run between the canister for the bed cover and the rear stake pocket, so these LED strips look to be just right at 60".

The only place I may have a minor problem is right at the middle stake pocket since there's only a 3/4" space between it and the lip and the spec's on these say they are 1" wide. But I'll bet I can figure something out to get them by at that point, like turn them on their sides for a ways.

Ok, got a question for y'all. I bought the 12v power ports and am planning to put them in the rear stake pocket so we can easily have power in the tent or just in the bed. There's plenty of room to put them on either the inside edge or the forward edge of the stake pocket.

In the pics below I show them on the inside edge with rectangles and indicate where they'd be on the front edge with an arrow. Ditto for where they'd come through into the tail light area, except they'd come through round so I show a circle on the inside edge.

I think it would be easier to plug into them if they are on the inside edge, but they would be more protected on the front edge.

Thoughts? (By the way, I'm not ready to do this yet as I want to get the bed cover and security system done first, but as I'm running wires I want to run them all in one go.)

As for what I did today, as I was running wiring for the various things in the bed I realized that I didn't have a ground on the bed. Everything else is well grounded, but not the bed. So I added one using #4 wire and Magnalugs. This was the first crimping I've done of Magnalugs with the new 5-ton crimper, and since these terminals are larger than most I used the 4+ die. Turned out pretty well, although I apparently got too far forward and created wings on the bigger part. But they folded back in easily.

The hole in the frame was an existing one that was the perfect size to tap 5/16-18, and the connection to the bed is via a new hole and a 1/4-20 nutsert. The grounds for the toolbox & bed cover will come back to that point, but the lights and power ports will probably be grounded in the tail light cavity to the bed itself.

 

[kramttocs]

Ok, got a question for y'all. I bought the 12v power ports and am planning to put them in the rear stake pocket so we can easily have power in the tent or just in the bed. There's plenty of room to put them on either the inside edge or the forward edge of the stake pocket.

In the pics below I show them on the inside edge with rectangles and indicate where they'd be on the front edge with an arrow. Ditto for where they'd come through into the tail light area, except they'd come through round so I show a circle on the inside edge.

I think it would be easier to plug into them if they are on the inside edge, but they would be more protected on the front edge.

Thoughts? (By the way, I'm not ready to do this yet as I want to get the bed cover and security system done first, but as I'm running wires I want to run them all in one go.)

As for what I did today, as I was running wiring for the various things in the bed I realized that I didn't have a ground on the bed. Everything else is well grounded, but not the bed. So I added one using #4 wire and Magnalugs. This was the first crimping I've done of Magnalugs with the new 5-ton crimper, and since these terminals are larger than most I used the 4+ die. Turned out pretty well, although I apparently got too far forward and created wings on the bigger part. But they folded back in easily.

The hole in the frame was an existing one that was the perfect size to tap 5/16-18, and the connection to the bed is via a new hole and a 1/4-20 nutsert. The grounds for the toolbox & bed cover will come back to that point, but the lights and power ports will probably be grounded in the tail light cavity to the bed itself.

I guess I'd vote for the front edge. Real world I'd say the odds of them causing an issue in either location is slim but all of the, however unlikely, scenarios I can think of are cons for the inside edge.

I don't think I'd mind reaching around to plug them in on the front edge and I'd rather have something sticking out that goes along the side of the bed.

[Gary Lewis]

I guess I'd vote for the front edge. Real world I'd say the odds of them causing an issue in either location is slim but all of the, however unlikely, scenarios I can think of are cons for the inside edge.

I don't think I'd mind reaching around to plug them in on the front edge and I'd rather have something sticking out that goes along the side of the bed.

That's basically where I am on it, Scott. But I was curious what others thought.

If you had pins to line up, like a 110v AC plug, then I could see having them on the front edge being a pain. But I can't see plugging into a 12v power point being an issue.

And, by the way, I plan to put the on/off switch for the bed lights at the top of the leading edge of the stake pocket. So an always-hot wire will be run under the top of the bed sides to that switch, and then on through the hole in the top of the stake pocket to the power points.