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jkxranger

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Off-Road Ranger I

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Wow, looked like a lot of work. End result looks good.
 
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Byron Eby

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Influencer II

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Sacramento, CA
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@stringtwelve That was the complicated part.... Originally I was going to tap one of the fuse boxes for power for the switch, instead of directly to the battery, but later found that I have no extra empty fuse slots with power. The wiring kit has a 40 amp relay as well. My main goal was to run the switch on the ignition so the light will only work with key in position one or two and not have the switch glowing over night, killing my battery slowly. So as you can see in the first picture, with the center console removed, I wired directly to one of my two 12v charger ports, which only power when the key is on. DONE! Connected everything else and let the be light...12,600 lumens later.

I hope that answered your question.
 
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WUzombies

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Advocate II

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Central Texas
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F8Industries-AdventureWebSized-01.jpg F8Industries-AdventureWebSized-02.jpg F8Industries-AdventureWebSized-03.jpg I did something similar, using the low cost CREE LED bars from Amazon. Except I ran a fused bus directly from the battery, wired relays and had a switch panel made from Front Panel Express. I can have the light on with the engine off, which is nice for momentary use. The rear lights are for backing up (helps the rearview camera a lot) and for setting camp. Last weekend we set camp in the dark and the lights were awesome. Over Christmas we abandoned camp in the dark and the light was awesome.

The only problem I've found is that the lightbar isn't sealed as well as the $1000 versions and it had some condensation in it. I can buy a LOT of replacements before I get to the cost of one of the big name bars. With the freightliner/ARB style switches you can power them without illuminating the faces, which is what I did so I wouldn't kill my battery with them always on.
 
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Byron Eby

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Influencer II

2,652
Sacramento, CA
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0907

View attachment 1642 View attachment 1643 View attachment 1644 I did something similar, using the low cost CREE LED bars from Amazon. Except I ran a fused bus directly from the battery, wired relays and had a switch panel made from Front Panel Express. I can have the light on with the engine off, which is nice for momentary use. The rear lights are for backing up (helps the rearview camera a lot) and for setting camp. Last weekend we set camp in the dark and the lights were awesome. Over Christmas we abandoned camp in the dark and the light was awesome.

The only problem I've found is that the lightbar isn't sealed as well as the $1000 versions and it had some condensation in it. I can buy a LOT of replacements before I get to the cost of one of the big name bars. With the freightliner/ARB style switches you can power them without illuminating the faces, which is what I did so I wouldn't kill my battery with them always on.
That is a sweet set up. I like the roof rack idea so I think I will do that next with a 42" or something close to that.
 

WUzombies

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That is a sweet set up. I like the roof rack idea so I think I will do that next with a 42" or something close to that.
I have 2 more cubes waiting for when I finish fabricating the front bumper, another short lightbar will go on it too...well that's the plan, I might go with plan B with putting the cubes on the sides of the rack.
 
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roamingtimber

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Advocate II

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North Cascades, Washington
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0525

View attachment 1642 View attachment 1643 View attachment 1644 I did something similar, using the low cost CREE LED bars from Amazon. Except I ran a fused bus directly from the battery, wired relays and had a switch panel made from Front Panel Express. I can have the light on with the engine off, which is nice for momentary use. The rear lights are for backing up (helps the rearview camera a lot) and for setting camp. Last weekend we set camp in the dark and the lights were awesome. Over Christmas we abandoned camp in the dark and the light was awesome.

The only problem I've found is that the lightbar isn't sealed as well as the $1000 versions and it had some condensation in it. I can buy a LOT of replacements before I get to the cost of one of the big name bars. With the freightliner/ARB style switches you can power them without illuminating the faces, which is what I did so I wouldn't kill my battery with them always on.
I have the same low cost Amazon Cree led bars, I read a review about the condensation problem so when mine arrived I disasembled the light and discovered that the seal under the lens is poor and the screws around the outer trim piece were too tight causing the lens to warp and make the crappy seal even worse, but everything else is water tight. So I put a bead of rtv silicone between the trim ring and the lens and loosened the screws a bit. I cleaned up the excess rtv so you can't even tell its there. I've had mine mounted for a couple of months here in soggy western Washington and I haven't had any condensation yet.
 

WUzombies

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Central Texas
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I have the same low cost Amazon Cree led bars, I read a review about the condensation problem so when mine arrived I disasembled the light and discovered that the seal under the lens is poor and the screws around the outer trim piece were too tight causing the lens to warp and make the crappy seal even worse, but everything else is water tight. So I put a bead of rtv silicone between the trim ring and the lens and loosened the screws a bit. I cleaned up the excess rtv so you can't even tell its there. I've had mine mounted for a couple of months here in soggy western Washington and I haven't had any condensation yet.
I might have to do that. Thanks for the heads up!
 

Lars

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Advocate II

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Wyldwood, TX
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I fit a 32" light bar in a similar spot on my 2nd gen Tacoma

It's now wired to the NSA from Trail Toys. Previously I had a relay under the hood, and had pulled the switch cable through the firewall.

Tomorrow I should be receiving the brackets to mount a 42" LED bar across the roof. I'm hoping to line the top of the light up parallel with the roof to keep the truck from getting much taller, and to avoid interacting with a yet to be purchased roof rack. I'll post up photos when that project starts.
 
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Lars

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Wyldwood, TX
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No changes at all. The lower vent in the 2nd gen doesn't really line up with anything. The upper vent has the transmission fluid cooler (Towing package addition) and the lions share of the radiator behind it.
 
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