DIY HOW TO: LED Strip Bed Lights

you still have all the stuff for these? I'm gonna wanna order in a little bit.

 

subbed for future use.

If I wanted to put the switch inside the cab instead of in the bed, could I just extend the 12v wires into the cab and run another wire from the switch to an aftermarket fuse box? Also what size bolts did you use for the aftermarket fuse box mount to the fender? Thanks.

 

Sorry I guess I missed your post when I was going over my subscriptions. Yep I still have everything

Yes the switch can be put inside the cab in that way. I am not sure what bolts I used but I know that it is exactly the same as the ones that bolt the horns on in front of the radiator. So you can go to a local hardware store, unbolt the horn bolt there and just take it in to match it

 

Thanks! I'll be in touch soon.

 

Anytime man!

 

definitely interested. don't have my truck anymore, but plan on getting another within the next 10 months or so. interested in the rigid version, cool white. probably 2-10" for under the hood and 2 sets of 2-10" for each side of the bed. i'll be in touch most likely after the new year.

 

just for everyone's information, you can also use a piece of bailing wire to lead a through the rubber wiring boot that goes through the fire wall under the dash. just electrical tape the wire to the bailing wire and poke it through, the rubber boot seals around the wire so it's water-tight, and you don't have to take anything apart, literally takes less than 30 seconds.

nice work by the way. i was just thinking about doing this yesterday. i put some in the engine bay instead. next week.

 

sub'ed

 

Sounds good!

Cool, hit me up if you need any more

 

Nice! Great looking mod!

 

Thanks man! Welcome to the forum!

 

So this may be a stupid question, but electrical work is hit and miss for me sometimes. As long as all the lights were connected using the bar to bar connectors, wouldn't you only need to use one 12v/ground connector, ideally next to the switch? It would essentially be wiring them in series would it not? Versus 4 and 2 in parallel, sort of? (or in my case using only 4 lights, 2 and 2) Here is how I see it in my head, so that might help clear things up

4 light setup, 2 on each side of bed: 12v---light--1'--light--5'--light--1'--light.

6 Light OP setup: 12v---light--1'--light--5'--light--1'--light--5'--light--1'--light.

Either way wire the 12v to the power on the switch and the ground to the chasis.

The center 5' bar to bar connector in the 4 light may need to be longer but you get the idea...

 

Anyone...?

 

Why not just remove the factory electrical tape and run the wire through the boot like all the other wires, I did this when running the wires for my backup sensors and plan to do the same here, no chaffing, no issues, just replace the electrical tape with new tape and put it back together, much easier. It can be a little bit of a pain getting the wire through the boot, but it is clean.

 

What fuse in the dash fuse box did you connect to? I want to wire mine up with the switch in the bed, so that I can turn the lights on when the truck is off or on.

Plan was to use add a fuse and run a wire back to the tails where the switch will be. Ground everything back there with the LEDs.

 

I didn't want to bother with the seal of the tape. Re-taping it usually makes it not stick as well.

I actually used an aftermarket fuse box, but I'm sure you can find one that is always hot, maybe the dome light fuse

 

Sorry, I've been super busy with three jobs and school. But yes that would work, I don't quite remember why I didn't do that but I was missing a piece or something

 

What about the open end on the last light? Did you just fill it with silicon? Or are there plugs available...