Installing 4 Hella 500s

So I plan on installing 4 Hella 500s this weekend on the roll bar I recently put on my Taco. Should I use a relay inside the engine bay to wire these up to protect from power surge and get the most power out of them? Also, how do I run the wires from the bed to the front of the truck??

HELP!!

 

BUMP! Anyone?

 

Relay, definitely. Run the wires under the truck.
And the relay isn't protection, its to supply adequate current and allow a low current switch to be used in the cab.

 

I would do one relay per pair. Run the wires throught the grommet under the drivers seat and then through the cab and throught the firewall.

 

I took a quick peek at my 2012. My advice without drilling any holes in your cab:
Your wiring harness & relay will be mounted in your engine compartment near your battery. You are going to have 2 wires that run from the harness to the "roll bar" in your bed (1 positive, 1 negative). This will be no different than wiring fog lights in the front, but your pos/neg wires to your lights will be much longer.
- Your best bet is to run it down your drain hole (right below the roll bar) You may need to drill it bigger (Very carefully)..and zip tie the wires under your Tacoma..and there are plenty of gaps to get it into the engine compartment.
- I would run 1 harness/relay/switch per pair of lights .
- The issue I see is, the wiring will be exposed and loose from the roll bar down to the drain hole..there is no place to secure it with a zip tie it. You may want to run some flexible black conduit or glue/silicone it along the seam of the bed so it doesn't get snagged or cut/broken.

Good Luck

 

He could do a 1/4" hole in the inside of the bed just below the cargo rail, and run the wires inside the bedside to the frame. (like this, but up front by the rack obviously)

 

I like the roll bar in the bed. The sheet metal design with that one isn't working for me but I like that it's there.

I love the old school 80's pickups with bed roll bars and hella Hella lights mounted on top

cheers, OP

 

Sadly rain washed out the actual wiring process. I'm tempted to turn the middle lights around so I got four facing forward and mount two more lights facing the rear. Going to do the drain hole idea, looks the easiest. I got tons of wire and zipties so I should be good. Bring on next weekend!

 

Looks really good so far. I would aim all for Hellas forward....and then maybe get 1 or 2 small single row/low profile LED lights mounted underneath the bar to point backward. Like some of these:

http://stores.ebay.com/eg-motor/10W...=1159834909&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1513&_pgn=1

I got my LED light bar from this same store..it is reliable and came in less than a week from China.

 

^^^^This, have all 4 facing forward then 2 rectangular or cubed lights facing rear, hanging down low-profile.

Like the look! Nice to see something different!

 

You definitely got me to change my mind on the set up. Spinning the lights around and mounting two more.

 

Don't be afraid to drill your own holes to mount everything in the right spot..that is what I did on my grill guard. (don't forget to primer & paint your new holes to prevent rust). That will give it the professional finished look.
After you get done, you will probably end up doing phase II..and convert everything to HID. It makes a HUGE difference and will draw a lot less power.

 

x2 on running each pair through a relay, running all 4 on one will melt wires, ask me how I know....

 

I am running 12 gauge wire.... but I do plan to run seperate sets for each. Just got to find a good enough ground.

 

And here is the final product. Very happy with everything. Cannot wait to use off-road. Lights up the highway pretty well at 5am.

 

Primo..... do I dare ask how I do that? *starts itching like an addict*

 

Your set up looks good.
So what all lights do you have mounted? Take a daylight pic from the front.
What did you mount facing backward?

HID Conversion is pretty simple. They will produce a tremendous amount of light and use less power than you standard bulbs. It will cost about $35 bucks per pair. You will have to figure out where to mount your ballast on your roll bar lights.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/lighting/60590-hella-700ff-hid-conversion.html

 

Well, on the bull bar I have Quantum LED 6.5inch squares from the GroupBuy KDMGarage did. The middle lights are Hella500s and the outside lights are Baja Champions that were a give-away here on the site (didn't win the give-away, but bought them anyway.) Sadly, have not done the reverse lights just yet, but those are on the list (need to order another switch or 2 and find out where to wire them up at.)

Now I am tempted to do HID.......... evil evil evil.

This website is like crack, you can never get enough.

 

Final Product