Wiring and how I do it.

[jharrell3623]

Reading comprehension

Not to mention , you lose 2 switches and 10 amps , and I can control my switches via Bluetooth.

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[OtisFE]

Does that include the fuse box replacement and the harness that attaches to the upfitter and runs down the pillar to the fuse box? Probably not....

$195 is the cost of including upfitter switches in your build, certainly more exspensive to retrofit.

 

[Donkeygyrl]

Yeah true , I did think of doing that but considering where they were running , not visible. I said eh , good enough as long as it's sealed.

Not only do the look cleaner that way if the ever chafe its harder to short circut

 

[grayshadow]

$195 is the cost of including upfitter switches in your build, certainly more exspensive to retrofit.

Yep, but as he pointed out “he can control his switches via Bluetooth”. Guess it’s difficult to activate switches while sitting in the driver’s seat. Comes in handy I suppose at the mall.

 

[Rjacks258]

Thread ripped apart. Gotdamn.
not sure which side I wanna comment on….
Good on ya op, if it works for you, after all it is your build.

 

[jharrell3623]

Yep, but as he pointed out “he can control his switches via Bluetooth”. Guess it’s difficult to activate switches while sitting in the driver’s seat. Comes in handy I suppose at the mall.

Also ,do not forget 10 more amps. I have a 20 amp circuit to the rear with a 300 watt AC power that I can turn on and off for whatever I need it for. Also I have rear lighting I can access on demand. I Kayak about 50 times a year, at the beach.
Me and my wife spend time loading up the kayaks either going out or coming in at dusk, so having access to my rear lighting while spending 30 minutes getting all the gear in , remotely. Yeah that is a good thing......... and access to AC power at the rear on an actual 115 outlet. Two of them. Very useful for a lot of things.
Remotely. However , yeah , I'm sure I'll go to the mall with it , once they build a mall on the sand in front of the surf...................see you there.

 

[jharrell3623]

Besides paragraphs- there is a lot to improve here.

I would go watch some YouTube on wiring. Look at Chad Fab, or search race car wiring.

I watched a few videos , yeah that dude is good but he is also ripping apart the entire firewall , using printed circuit boards , very class A specific custom builds. While yeah I could afford to do that , not willing to go that far. Not on a new car. I could see that though on classic rebuilds. Good stuff. Thanks

 

[jharrell3623]

Yep, but as he pointed out “he can control his switches via Bluetooth”. Guess it’s difficult to activate switches while sitting in the driver’s seat. Comes in handy I suppose at the mall.

Its ok Grey , if you are happy with your inferior upfitter switches. I'm happy for you bro. Just remember though. Do not go over 50 amps or you will be tripping. Also make sure you do not have more than 6 items hooked to the bronco switch. If you do want to start combining lights to one switch , make sure you rerun those 16 and 18 gauge wires Ford put in to keep the risk of fire down =). Have a great day man , always fun.

 

[chtucker]

I watched a few videos , yeah that dude is good but he is also ripping apart the entire firewall , using printed circuit boards , very class A specific custom builds. While yeah I could afford to do that , not willing to go that far. Not on a new car. I could see that though on classic rebuilds. Good stuff. Thanks

Not saying what you did was "wrong" or you have to do it the race car way, but you left a lot of room for improvement and since you were writing about how you did things, I felt that you might use some feedback for the future.

It looks like your ring terminal diameter is not correct size for your fuse block terminal. There should be no visible space around the stud. It should be a tighter fit. (circled in blue)

No compromises on wire color, no soldering of connectors. This is a rats nest that should be cleaned up. Wires should not be wrapped around others, wire lengths should be appropriate to their terminal location, your ground on your battery connection is not proper (circled in red). When you have exposed terminals/wire it should be tinned. Your copper sticking out of your ground terminal invites corrosion.

I have been involved with vehicle wiring with fleets of up to 3000 vehicles.. we don't do it the race car way, nor are we always as neat as the boat below. But we do make things close to that.

Below is an example of "non" race car start wiring that is something to aspire to.. Its from a boat.

 

[jharrell3623]

Not saying what you did was "wrong" or you have to do it the race car way, but you left a lot of room for improvement and since you were writing about how you did things, I felt that you might use some feedback for the future.

It looks like your ring terminal diameter is not correct size for your fuse block terminal. There should be no visible space around the stud. It should be a tighter fit. (circled in blue)

No compromises on wire color, no soldering of connectors. This is a rats nest that should be cleaned up. Wires should not be wrapped around others, wire lengths should be appropriate to their terminal location, your ground on your battery connection is not proper (circled in red). When you have exposed terminals/wire it should be tinned. Your copper sticking out of your ground terminal invites corrosion.

I have been involved with vehicle wiring with fleets of up to 3000 vehicles.. we don't do it the race car way, nor are we always as neat as the boat below. But we do make things close to that.

Below is an example of "non" race car start wiring that is something to aspire to.. Its from a boat.

This is definitely neat for sure.

 

[Donkeygyrl]

Its funny too how I used to think soldered connections were the best, but they shy away from them in aircraft because the soldered connection is stiff and vibration can cause it to fail.
Sometimes the crappy looking crimp is king.

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Not to mention , you lose 2 switches and 10 amps , and I can control my switches via Bluetooth.

Upfitter switches are the tits.

I just ran my Baja Squadron Pods, then a Baja Designs Fog Array of Squadrons and S2s to my upfitter switches and it was so much easier.

Snaking wires sucks and I think my runs are fine; time will tell, but everything works and other than the pain of running the wires, crimping was the only headache, but it’s doable for a novice which I certainly am.

Tucking all of the extra wire was interesting, but zip ties and good folds should hold well. I’ll check everything in 30 days to ensure I’m not falling apart or melting.

If your wiring works for you and it’s safe, then great, but the wiring harness from 4x4TruckLEDs.com was a lifesaver as were the upfitter switches. The harness comes with heat shrinks attaches and the runs Are lettered for the fogs as A, B, C which also helped a ton.

Think most member of the forum who don’t do this often would want an easier task for a DIY on lights. The gauge of the wire is good and they also included sleeves for the entire run of the harness and the perfect fit connectors for Baja and Dioid Dynamics, so you can use either one.

 

[NatureBoy]

Thread ripped apart. Gotdamn.
not sure which side I wanna comment on….
Good on ya op, if it works for you, after all it is your build.

Seriously!!! My favorite part was the guy who posted the picture of the aux switches costing $195, but must have been clueless that’s definitely not gonna cost $195 to retrofit them. What a dick post.

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