Southern California Club Xterra
Southern California Club Xterra => SCCX General Discussion => Topic started by: zzxrox on February 21, 2014, 03:24:11 PM
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Ok, so I'm just going to throw this out and see what happens.I have four 55w lights I got for the low low price of free. Brand new in the box. Why free? I did some work back a while ago for a friend and he gave them to me. (But the real reason is I think they are from HB lol ) no matter. So heres the deal. I want to install them for now and when they break I can upgrade.
So here is what I think Im looking at. I want to get a light bar fab'd up kind of like the B&M ones but on the cheap. I also would like a list of what all I'd need to get and some help installing them. I know I need a fuse block and relay but not sure what type or model. Also what gauge wire I need to run. Oh and switches. I saw an install where they were located to the center console and it looked cool. I do know I want to run the wires through the roof and roof rack for a clean looking install. Anyone out there who can help?
I've seen people here like burritos and beer. lol hint hint.
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Can't help with the light bar fab but.....
You are looking at about 4-5A per light. Depending on your wire length you can run different AWG wire. I would suggest 8 or 10 AWG wire. Your relay will need to be 20A at least if you put all the lights on one circuit. I try to double the rating. I personally would run two lights per 10AWG wire and 20A relay. And have one switch control both lights(relays).
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Is there any recomended fuse box, switch and relay brands?
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Depends on if you want a lot of accessories... If your just adding some lights, just go for an inline fuse, preferably with mini fuses that match the fuses already in your truck so you don't need a bunch of different size spares. Switch, go for what you like. Relay, Bosch.
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I've seen people here like burritos and beer. lol hint hint.
.....dude...just ask...
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Here is what I would recomend
Fuse holder at battery.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KIV236/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Tewctb0QE5S1Y
8 awg wire to fuseblock.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MM2WIO/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_gkwctb0EV4J0P
Fuse block in driver kick panel
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N9PJ7W/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Fwwctb061EKE0
Relays for lights
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C0SATK6/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Jxwctb0HCKJE6
Relays are rated by amperes and most 100w halogen lights draw around 20amps. These are rated up to 40a.
14 awg wire for lights
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PARSNC/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_JNSctb0ZFD9GS
or 12 awg wire
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HA9OBY/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_PQSctb14VCEHV
I would recommend two colors to make things easier....but it's not the end of the world.
A bunch of these
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001766LZO/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_pFwctb0JQ4W6B
Some of these too
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001768724/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_HNwctb00RH07A
Some of this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NN0HOS/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_OKwctb1WZ8CEA
Switches are preference
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAUPZDE/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_.Qwctb12M7QZE
You can do as many or as little as you want. I would recomend 2 but it will work fine with 1.
Fuses are cool
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042XORMI/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_nVwctb1MPWBER
I might be forgetting something...
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Hey, I have a left over gen 1 BM Light bar in my garage.. Where are you located?
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IMO the only thing I would change from Toro's list is to run bigger wire up to the roof, 16 ga is fine for a 55w light but in case you want to upgrade to 100 or 130 w bulbs I would run 12 ga so you only have to wire/seal the roof once.
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I ment to put up 14awg...but 12awg is even better.
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Thats actually a pretty good project list. I would suggest a main fuse block from Autozone ($10, 150w max, 6-30w circuits) and a Pep Boys fuse block ($5, 30w max, 4 circuits available). You can tie in several of these to the main fuse block as needed. Also, I had 4-100W bulbs in my Hella 500s when I still had my 1st gen X. (actually, they're still somewhere in my garage...) I have an old Thread with tons of pictures from other guys also there on how to ruo the wires up to the roof.. These 100w bukbs are much brighter than the 55w bulbs BUT they pulled @ 7w each so I had to run a hot and ground (8 or 10awg) wire to a relay. The relay MUST BE oversized for what you need.
You need to break up the project into 3 sections which can be done on differet days. First thing to do is determine where you want the lights. If on the roof, you need to drill the hole for the wires to come up, add a grommet and silicone to seal it up. If lights are on the front bumper, skip that step. First, you can mount the lights at this point. Thats a project of its own. Second, you need to mount the relay somewhere accessible, high & dry. Run a small 16 or 18awg wire from the battery to your switch inside the cab, then back out to the relay coil. Use lots of black zip ties and black split wire loom to keep things clean and hidden. Ground the switch to something bare metal nearby, then ground the other side of the relay coil. This finishes the control circuit.
Third, run your main power wire from the battery to the relay, then from the relay to all four light (use weathertight connectors here). Ground each light and hide the wires. This finisher the power circuit. Test and align lights.
Remember that in California you can get a ticket for NOT having light covers on any light mounted above your headlights. Hope this helps...
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Toro- thanks for the list. I'll check into all of that tonight and more then likely order some of it so when I get back in a few days I can start installing it.
DannyX- Im in San Diego. What do you want for the light bar? I might make a trip to pick it up if you want to part with it..
superslidestyle- thanks for the advice. I think if I can get all the stuff together I can do it over a weekend.
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12v electrical is the thing Im realy good at. If you need help, let me know.