weekend projects: CB+ant, Aux power outlet, massssssage seat...

[ih8seals]

ok, i bought my first Toyota couple weeks ago. this is the first time i'm posting about my rig. hopefully it turns out good. your comment is appriciated.

first off, this 4Runner is my DD, i want a CB, never had one before, so i did whole lot of reading before i went out shopping. i liked the Uniden Pro520xl, but the local store is out of it, i settled on its larger brother, the Pro538W, and i'm glad i picked it. more on the reason later.

step 1: Antenna location. problem: low overhead clearence in my garage. i only have less than 2 feet. so even a Li'l Wil won't work.



after some extensive planning, i decided to go with a "dual-antenna" setup. for daily driving, i mounted a 4-footer on the steel bumper, for field trips, one magnetic roof mount which i can plug the longer antenna when ever i want.




i drilled a hole directly thru the bumber and the cable goes under the fender, door jam carpet. fairly easy to install. i put some medium strength loctite(blue) on the thread so it wont get lose by the virbretions. it leans forward a little, by this way, when the car is travling at high speed, the antenna won't bounce on the headlight lense. the wind was blowing hard yesterday, 40-50mph gust plus i was driving at 65mph, that put a nice bend on it, still, held up very well.





step 2. CB head unit install. originally, because the stock CD player broke, i'm planning put an aftermarket single-DIN stero and the CB unit to replace the factory 2-DIN radio. i have not yet bought the CD player, so i thought just stuck the CB between the pass. seat and center console. to my supprise, it fit just perfectly perfect. (did i use 2 "perfect"?). the key is to use a 3-way antenna connecter so the cable comes in sideways and the weight of the CB unit is carried by the seat frame, not the antenna connecter. and the power is coming from cig. lighter, the wire goes under the center console. in this way, i wouldn't drain the batt. if i leave the CB on at night, mainwhile i have the option to plug it into the battery power outlet when i'm in the field using CB while not keep the engine running.






mic hook is placed on the rear ashtray




step 3. aux. power outlet. there was only one power outlet from factory. i need one for CB, 1 for GPS, 1 for Cellphone, 1 for whatever else. i wired the power directly from battery, with 15amp fuse, pretty simple work at first. but after leaving the car outside only couple hours, the velcro gave up. even these were industrial strength velcros, they just couldn't hold up againest the summer heat. i got a simple fix. drill 4 hole on the glove compartment, 2 large nylon zip ties did the trick. thou i put some double sided tape on the back of the power strip just keep it snug.





finally, i put a Homedic massage pads in there. after a long drive, flip the switch, all i can say "it feels goooooooooooooood".





here are some pics of the whole rig

[uberhahn]

Looks nice. One comment on the aux power outlets. Depending on the permnance of your add-ons, you may consider hard-wiring the accessories to an aux fuse box. Would keep the wires hidden. I guess it depends on your needs.

Looks nice overall.

[ih8seals]

Aux fuse box is a great idea, i just don't know where and how to connect it. again, newbie Toyota owner here. there is an in-line fuse hooked up close to the batt. side.