Home built power distribution panel and Air horn
By: fernjack
Pictures are large for detail... If you want to see the whole pic without scrolling simply click on it.
Hi guys this is what I did to power up my aux. lighting and other items . First off I would like to say thanks to the forum for a lot of the ideas I got , changed and implemented . I decided to put my switches above the left speaker ....out of the way but easy to access . The route throught the fire wall is behind the left OR right dash side panle which just pops out with the help of a small knife or s/driver . I have 6 - 14ga. wires in a continously taped over 3/8" split wire loom ...... 4 for my aux. lighting switches , 1 for the illumination of my blue LED duck bill switches & 1 for my future CB hook-up . These all go through the one hole you will see behind the panel . Open your hood and look up towards your dash outside your engine compartment but inside the hood and that is where your wires will come out ( you will see in the pics what I mean ) . I uesd a metal coat hanger to open that hole from inside the cab then push a fish tape through from the engine side ...hooked up the tape to my wireloom bundle and slowly pulled it through untill I had about 3' into the engine compartment . I then used a level & tape measure to mark out my switches leaving enough room to add 2 more for my E/diff. locker bypass switches (future) . Mounted and wired the switches .
I then built my panel using two heavy kitchen cutting boards ( one for working on and one to paint and mount for final install ) . I layed out the relays , wire junctions and fuse box until it was compact but workable and started marking , drilling and mounting the various components . I used stainless hardware throughout w/nylock nuts & stainless fl.washers . All bolts and machine screws were trimed to be flush with the nuts . The nylon wire clips were screwed to the board with #10 X 1/2" SS pan head sheet metal screws (I used #2 robertson screw heads but my US Jeeper pals could use Philips ) . All wires were soldered or tinned and heat shrink was used throughout even over the female spade ends to be isolated and more water resistant . Everything was pumped full of dielectric grease ( not inside the relays ) untill the grease came out even the female ends were filled ( Permatex dielectric tune-up grease ) making it pretty much water impervious . I used 40 amp relays throughout fused down to whatever the max working load/circuit required . All my wiring is either 14ga or 12ga . except the power and ground to the panel thats #4 welding cable . I over killed with wire gauge and loom/tape cuz I never want to have to do over anything . The relay on the back of my panel is a 30amp for my air horns which I trigger with the factory horn hot lead .
The panel is mounted in the Valley between the brakes & the computer haet sink on the drivers side engine compartment with stainless steel brakets and hardware .
This has been in for just about a year now through a whole range of conditions (+38C to -50C , rain,water , snow & ice and many pressure washes ) and if I pull a fuse or relay to have a look the terminal ends come out clean and still covered with dielectric grease .
Hope someone finds this helpful lots of typing for a pipefitter LOL !! P.S. this is a stand alone system completely independant of your JK factory wiring .....
By: fernjack
Pictures are large for detail... If you want to see the whole pic without scrolling simply click on it.
Hi guys this is what I did to power up my aux. lighting and other items . First off I would like to say thanks to the forum for a lot of the ideas I got , changed and implemented . I decided to put my switches above the left speaker ....out of the way but easy to access . The route throught the fire wall is behind the left OR right dash side panle which just pops out with the help of a small knife or s/driver . I have 6 - 14ga. wires in a continously taped over 3/8" split wire loom ...... 4 for my aux. lighting switches , 1 for the illumination of my blue LED duck bill switches & 1 for my future CB hook-up . These all go through the one hole you will see behind the panel . Open your hood and look up towards your dash outside your engine compartment but inside the hood and that is where your wires will come out ( you will see in the pics what I mean ) . I uesd a metal coat hanger to open that hole from inside the cab then push a fish tape through from the engine side ...hooked up the tape to my wireloom bundle and slowly pulled it through untill I had about 3' into the engine compartment . I then used a level & tape measure to mark out my switches leaving enough room to add 2 more for my E/diff. locker bypass switches (future) . Mounted and wired the switches .
I then built my panel using two heavy kitchen cutting boards ( one for working on and one to paint and mount for final install ) . I layed out the relays , wire junctions and fuse box until it was compact but workable and started marking , drilling and mounting the various components . I used stainless hardware throughout w/nylock nuts & stainless fl.washers . All bolts and machine screws were trimed to be flush with the nuts . The nylon wire clips were screwed to the board with #10 X 1/2" SS pan head sheet metal screws (I used #2 robertson screw heads but my US Jeeper pals could use Philips ) . All wires were soldered or tinned and heat shrink was used throughout even over the female spade ends to be isolated and more water resistant . Everything was pumped full of dielectric grease ( not inside the relays ) untill the grease came out even the female ends were filled ( Permatex dielectric tune-up grease ) making it pretty much water impervious . I used 40 amp relays throughout fused down to whatever the max working load/circuit required . All my wiring is either 14ga or 12ga . except the power and ground to the panel thats #4 welding cable . I over killed with wire gauge and loom/tape cuz I never want to have to do over anything . The relay on the back of my panel is a 30amp for my air horns which I trigger with the factory horn hot lead .
The panel is mounted in the Valley between the brakes & the computer haet sink on the drivers side engine compartment with stainless steel brakets and hardware .
This has been in for just about a year now through a whole range of conditions (+38C to -50C , rain,water , snow & ice and many pressure washes ) and if I pull a fuse or relay to have a look the terminal ends come out clean and still covered with dielectric grease .
Hope someone finds this helpful lots of typing for a pipefitter LOL !! P.S. this is a stand alone system completely independant of your JK factory wiring .....