Question on hooking up extra lighting

[TimHerald]

I am a complete novice at DIY mods. My son is pretty darn handy around vehicles.
So I am thinking about getting 2 sets of the below and either doing a 6 and 6 on bottom grill for a “light bar” look or 4x4 on bottom grill and 2x2 on top grill.

These come with wiring harness and say to run to front lamp, park light or fuse box. Ideally I want them to be on anytime the truck is on.

So how do I run that to a fuse box (will be 2 sets) so that they are on with ignition? Remember you are talking to a basic idiot here. This looks so much easier and cheaper than a $500-800 light bar where the whole bumper has to be removed, and I really just want them as accent lights.

 

[EOD Guy]

I am a complete novice at DIY mods. My son is pretty darn handy around vehicles.
So I am thinking about getting 2 sets of the below and either doing a 6 and 6 on bottom grill for a “light bar” look or 4x4 on bottom grill and 2x2 on top grill.

These come with wiring harness and say to run to front lamp, park light or fuse box. Ideally I want them to be on anytime the truck is on.

So how do I run that to a fuse box (will be 2 sets) so that they are on with ignition? Remember you are talking to a basic idiot here. This looks so much easier and cheaper than a $500-800 light bar where the whole bumper has to be removed, and I really just want them as accent lights.

The easiest way it to use a fuse tap from the Dvr's side fuse box. (Yellow outline in the pic below). This would provide 12v when the ignition switch is on. There are several empty slots that you can use.

Personally I would use a relay and a switch in the circuit.

 

[BigMF]

@TimHerald , since you are a "complete novice" and you may be wondering, this is probably what @EOD Guy is referring to in the diagram above for "Fuse Tap".

You basically pull one of the existing fuses out of the fuse box and put it in one of the slots of the Fuse Tap and then put a new fuse in the other slot. Then run the red wire to the relay. You may have to drill a hole in the fuse box cover for the wire to go through or poke it through (if you are able) one of the existing ports.

This is what mine looks like:

 

[DubDub]

Additive info from an electrician in a past life.

For Fuse Amperage selection use the standard rule of thumb:
1) (Lamp running load) x (# of lamps on circuit being connected) x 1.2
2) (Lamp running load) x (# of lamps kn circuit being connected) x 1.4
3) select fuse amperage that falls between 1) and 2) or immediately higher than 2).

If you plan to tap off of an existing ignition-powered circuit, try to choose one that meets that criteria. Do NOT select a fuse of a lower amperage.

 

[EOD Guy]

In my install, I just put the tap into an unused slot. The unused slot has only one contact for the pwr in buss, with no pwr out. I put 2 fuses into the tap because I wasn't actually sistering off another circuit.

In the upper L/H corner of the fuse box is a large pass-through, there is plenty of room to fish a wire from the outside, by poking a stiff wire (like a coat hanger) through the split in the loom, through the pass-through into the interior (without drilling a hole). Once you have the wire through, you can splice the tap on et...... Yellow wire in the picture. This is a 3 min job.

 

[TimHerald]

Thank you all. Is this what I need ? In

https://a.co/d/2o57aSB

 

[NoMe cruiser]

. Ideally I want them to be on anytime the truck is on.

If I remember correctly, you use your lc for hunting? If so, you may want to reconsider when your lights are on. I like being able to turn off lights whenever I want. Animals can spot lights from miles away. Just a thought.

 

[TimHerald]

If I remember correctly, you use your lc for hunting? If so, you may want to reconsider when your lights are on. I like being able to turn off lights whenever I want. Animals can spot lights from miles away. Just a thought.

true. The places I hunt right now, I walk far enough in to not spook things with my lights, but this is something to consider for sure.

 

[EOD Guy]

Thank you all. Is this what I need ? In

https://a.co/d/2o57aSB

Three of those are proper, three will kind of work and three won't fit.......LOL
Most of the under-hood fuses are "mini" (the middle three on the Amazon ad) the fuses behind the glove box are "Low profile" (the R/H three on the Amazon ad) the "mini" will work in a low profile but will stick up past the other fuses and a "low profile" will sometimes work in a "mini" slot. The three on the L/H are ATO/ATC (what I call regular or full size).

If you use an empty slot, you'll need two fuses of the same value for the tap.

I still recommend you use a relay and a switch, you can always leave the switch on, but if you ever needed to you could turn it off.

 

[TimHerald]

Three of those are proper, three will kind of work and three won't fit.......LOL
Most of the under-hood fuses are "mini" (the middle three on the Amazon ad) the fuses behind the glove box are "Low profile" (the R/H three on the Amazon ad) the "mini" will work in a low profile but will stick up past the other fuses and a "low profile" will sometimes work in a "mini" slot. The three on the L/H are ATO/ATC (what I call regular or full size).

If you use an empty slot, you'll need two fuses of the same value for the tap.

I still recommend you use a relay and a switch, you can always leave the switch on, but if you ever needed to you could turn it off.

So this ?

https://a.co/d/1H28tEE

 

[EOD Guy]

So this ?

https://a.co/d/1H28tEE

Yepper.

 

[MandRautomotive]

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