1USMC
09-10-2012, 11:00 PM
I wanted to install some light switches to control driving, forward ¼, side scene, and rear lights. I will have the rear lights activated with the backup lights and also by manual selection as many others have done.
The lights will be also controlled by a flasher and mounted on the roof rack I ordered late February (it is now September). The relays, flasher and diodes and now the switches are installed.
I wanted the switches to blend and be somewhat low profile as the rest of my dash is not .. Lol..
I picked up the switches at Radio Shack that matched the size and color I wanted. I used regular , step bits, trailer wiring connecters, flag connecters, and my wife’s hand me down hot glue gun ( Ok don’t laugh, it really does come in handy sometimes !).
We have all had a fun time finding places to mount our switches. I have used others ideas that have posted them, and I would like to pass along this idea, if it can help someone else with one of their projects.
I needed six switches to control the rack lights the way I wanted. Above the MyGig looked like a possible location.. So… off comes the center dash again.
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0432-1.jpg
I cleaned up what I call the fins and enlarged the hole on the right side for my wiring run and trailer and power connecters ( so I could unplug the wiring when removing the dash in the future).
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0721-1.jpg
I used the fins location on the top of dash to help divide up the area into equal parts for switch location.
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0718-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0695-1.jpg
When I enlarged the holes to their final size, I should have drilled from the front vice the rear. The reason I say this is because I just barely scraped the “top over hang” of the front of the dash above two of my switches with my step bit without realizing it. It rubbed off a little of the finish and is very hard to notice, but it could have been much worse.
By making the final drilling from the front I could have watched how close I was to all the “finished” surfaces.
The lights will be also controlled by a flasher and mounted on the roof rack I ordered late February (it is now September). The relays, flasher and diodes and now the switches are installed.
I wanted the switches to blend and be somewhat low profile as the rest of my dash is not .. Lol..
I picked up the switches at Radio Shack that matched the size and color I wanted. I used regular , step bits, trailer wiring connecters, flag connecters, and my wife’s hand me down hot glue gun ( Ok don’t laugh, it really does come in handy sometimes !).
We have all had a fun time finding places to mount our switches. I have used others ideas that have posted them, and I would like to pass along this idea, if it can help someone else with one of their projects.
I needed six switches to control the rack lights the way I wanted. Above the MyGig looked like a possible location.. So… off comes the center dash again.
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0432-1.jpg
I cleaned up what I call the fins and enlarged the hole on the right side for my wiring run and trailer and power connecters ( so I could unplug the wiring when removing the dash in the future).
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0721-1.jpg
I used the fins location on the top of dash to help divide up the area into equal parts for switch location.
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0718-1.jpg
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2012/09/DSCN0695-1.jpg
When I enlarged the holes to their final size, I should have drilled from the front vice the rear. The reason I say this is because I just barely scraped the “top over hang” of the front of the dash above two of my switches with my step bit without realizing it. It rubbed off a little of the finish and is very hard to notice, but it could have been much worse.
By making the final drilling from the front I could have watched how close I was to all the “finished” surfaces.