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Switch Panel and Fused Power |
4-29-08 |
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Something that I learned
from my old Toyota pickup, was that I didn't want the electrical upgrades
and add-ons to become a unorganized rat nest of wires over time. You end
up with power being connected to multiple places on the vehicle and just
way too much unneeded wiring. I ordered a 12 channel fused power box from 12voltguy.com along with a dash winch control. He makes great stuff and was a pleasure to deal with. The fused box was going to make a great way to organize all the wiring, and make sure it was all done correctly and safely. I found a perfect location for it up in the top of my glove box above the stock fuse box. |
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Even
thought the winch control panel I bought from 12voltguy was fantastic, I
still wanted to make my own switch panel for my lighting, and other
electrical mods. I couldn't find one that had enough switches to suit me.
I wanted to have plenty of switches to accommodate anything I may do in
the future. So, I proceeded to cramp 10 mini toggle switches onto a small
panel. |
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| Then it was a matter of using a bench top grinder and belt sander to round the corners and smooth the edges. I then marked off the locations for all of the holes. | |
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| I was worried about using the drill press on such thin material, so I drilled them by hand. Didnt turn out too bad, only had a couple holes slightly off. | |
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| Next was mounting all the switches, and getting them ready to wire up. Its amazing what alittle spray paint can do, and it was actually starting to look nice. | |
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| Once that was done, it was time to rip apart the dash, and cut a hole for the panel. The Jeep happened to have a perfect spot for this. A nice flat area with just enough room behind it for the wiring. | |
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| Everything went back together rather well, and I was pleased with the way it all turned out. This would make adding additional lighting and electrical items much easier in the future, and provide a nice way of controlling them all. | |
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