Wire Management - Cleaning Up My Mess of Mods (1 Viewer)

[Chris FJ80]

Last weekend I set out to install sound deadening material on my floor. (I had done the sides and ceiling some time ago, but had been procrastinating on taking out the seats and carpet to get the floor done.)

With all the carpet out, it was the ideal time to clean up the mess of wiring I have created with years of electrical mods. It ended up taking me far longer to clean up the wiring than to install the sound deadening!!!

Also, to avoid having to snake wires under the carpet for future mods (who knows what will come next ), I routed the spares I could think of and then a few more for good measure.

Because of the number of photos, I will have to break this up into five posts below:

1) Cleaning up front driver side to passenger side wiring
2) Cleaning up wires running from auxiliary fuse box area (under passenger front seat) to rear quarter panel area
3) Spares/futures
4) Ground strip install in rear quarter panel
5) Cleaning up rear driver side to passenger side wiring

NOTE: Pictures were taken at various times during the sound deadening install, so you will see various floor coatings (OEM, dynamat extreme, ¼" foam) depending on when the pic was taken.

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1) Cleaning up front driver side to passenger side wiring

I've done two mods where I routed single wires from the driver side kick panel area over to the passenger side. Fished them up underneath the steering column area (through some conduit I installed for my IBS dual battery monitor, which sits on the shift console), over the tranny hump, then in and around the glove compartment. I've never been happy with this; always seemed sloppy to me.

The mods were (a) rear facing camp lights controlled by fog light switch mounted to the left of the steering wheel and (b) heated mirrors (passenger side specifically requires the wiring across the vehicle) that I tied into the rear defrost relay near the driver side kick panel. In the pictures that follow, the pink wire is for the camp lights and the red wire is for the passenger side mirror heater.

So with the carpet out it was easy to reroute these two wires (pink and red). At the same time I installed a spare/future from the driver side kick panel to the auxiliary fuse box area. This is the green wire.

 

[Chris FJ80]

2) Cleaning up wires running from auxiliary fuse box area (under passenger front seat) to rear quarter panel area

I've got a bunch of wires running from my auxiliary fuse box back to the passenger side quarter panel interior for the following:
a) Aftermarket subwoofer
b) Rear facing camp lights
c) Interior 12VDC outlet and USB outlets
d) Interior downlighting (LED) on the upper tailgate

In addition, I plan to install an inverter back there at some point and who knows what else, so I routed three spares/futures (see other post on this thread.)

Bottom line, I've got 7 additional wires running back there now. Two are 8 AWG and the others range form 18 AWG to 12 AWG. Also have an 8 AWG cable coming in through the passenger side firewall from my second battery to power all these goodies, so I needed to get these tightened up.

 

[Chris FJ80]

3) Spares/futures

To avoid having to thread wires under the carpet in the future I ran seven futures in the places I thought I could use them eventually. Each of them I folded over and taped with electrical tape for easy identification in the future. I coiled up the extra lengths and zip tied them to hold them in place.

a) 14 AWG from driver side kick panel to driver side rear quarter panel interior (gray)
b) 16 AWG from driver side kick panel to driver side rear quarter panel interior (blue-green)
c) 12 AWG from auxiliary fuse box to center console (for future 12VDC and/or inverter) (yellow)
d) 8 AWG from auxiliary fuse box to passenger side rear quarter panel for future inverter (red)
e) 14 AWG from passenger side kick panel to passenger side rear quarter panel interior (light green)
f) 16 AWG from passenger side kick panel to passenger side rear quarter panel interior (red-blue)
g) 16 AWG from driver side kick panel to auxiliary fuse box (zip tied to conduit forward of rear heater blower) (light green-red)

 

[Chris FJ80]

3) Spares/futures - continued - one more pic

Note: I installed both front and rear seat heaters, hence the number of connectors under the center console

 

[Chris FJ80]

4) Ground strip install in rear quarter panel

I wanted to clean up my grounds in the passenger side rear quarter panel area. Beforehand, I had everything spliced together then running a 12 AWG ground to the OEM ground point underneath the vehicle in the center of the rear cross member of the frame.

I wanted to pick an out of the way, yet convenient place for the ground strip and ended up mounting it behind the rear seat belt support on the D pillar.

The bottom terminal/wire connects to the OEM ground point mentioned above. The other terminals ground the various items mentioned above.

 

[Chris FJ80]

5) Cleaning up rear driver side to passenger side wiring

Finally - but this is what got me going on this project to start with it has always bugged me that the dealer/port install ran the green wire for the trailer light connector underneath the carpet in the cargo compartment. Even though this has always bugged me, I added fuel to my own fire a few months back when I installed my LED rear facing camp lights and took the easy path and routed the driver side wires over to the passenger side along the same path.

For a long time I have wanted to reroute these to run underneath the vehicle, in parallel with the wiring harness that is already there.

Additionally, I have a backup camera and the license plate light for my Slee rear bumper that were making somewhat of a mess underneath the vehicle, so wanted to get this all cleaned up. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the mess beforehand, so can't show the before and after.


More pics in next post

 

[1973Guppie]

sounds like fun, I need to do the same when I dynamat the floorboards, have only done the doors so far.....

 

[Chris FJ80]

5) Cleaning up rear driver side to passenger side wiring - continued

I ran ⅜" OD conduit across the undercarriage. This fits perfectly into some ⅜" ID grommets I had on hand. The hole for the grommets is a bit over ½" but the largest drill bit I have is ½", so drilled a starter hole, then the ½" hole, then used a carbide burr to get it big enough. It worked well, even in the confined space. I finished off with a hand file.

Here is the pic of the driver side. From left to right in the picture: (a) OEM harness; (b) new conduit/grommet; (c) extended breather tube in same ⅜" ID grommet; (d) sunroof drain hose.

Another pic facing to the rear of the vehicle

Center of the vehicle frame / OEM ground point.

The black shrink wrapped terminal is my 12 AWG ground from the ground strip. The small, blue wire with the ring terminal is from the Slee license plate light.

Next pic shows the brown wire for the Slee license plate light connected into the OEM terminal per Slee install instructions. Wire is now routed nicely in the new conduit rather than coiled an zip tied all over like it was before.

Lastly, the passenger side.

Sunroof drain tube on the left, new conduit/grommet in the middle, OEM harness (largely masked) on the right. The conduit I just installed goes directly across the vehicle. The coil of conduit in the picture contains the Slee license plate light wiring and the backup camera wiring. These wires come down through the new conduit I installed, then peel out and go back to the bumper.

That's it.

Surprising amount of hours spent on what I thought was going to be a pretty quick job. Partly because I kept redoing things (like zip tying a cable harness, then deciding to run a spare/future, so having to start over again); partly because I improved a bunch of the splices as I went (e.g. removing marginal, crimped insulated butt splices and upgrading to crimped, soldered, and shrink wrapped butt splices; and partly because I suck at time estimates!!!

 

[Chris FJ80]

sounds like fun, I need to do the same when I dynamat the floorboards, have only done the doors so far.....

I put down dynamat and then 1/6" foam on top of it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URV8MFC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Definitely much quieter than before!

 

[1973Guppie]

thx for the link, that stuff looks great! saved in my amazon cart......

 

[Congo Cruiser]

Very nicely done. Guess I'm not the only one suffering from OCD on little details like cable ties and wiring harnesses... Bet you can rest easy knowing electrics are secure and safely installed.

 

[Chris FJ80]

Very nicely done. Guess I'm not the only one suffering from OCD on little details like cable ties and wiring harnesses... Bet you can rest easy knowing electrics are secure and safely installed.

Yes - resting easier now. I was getting worried about the rat's nest I had created in places!

 

[1973Guppie]

I put down dynamat and then 1/6" foam on top of it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00URV8MFC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Definitely much quieter than before!

hey one question on this, was one order of this enough? I have 2 cars that I have to do, a toyota echo and an 80 series, thinking I should order 2 of them?.....

 

[Chris FJ80]

hey one question on this, was one order of this enough? I have 2 cars that I have to do, a toyota echo and an 80 series, thinking I should order 2 of them?.....

One roll did NOT fully cover the floor of my 80. Needed just a little more. I did not apply this stuff to the ceiling and walls and doors when I did those but would imagine you would nee at least three rolls for the entire truck

 

[1973Guppie]

cool, thx, I don't plan on doing the doors or the roof, ok think I will get 2 of them.....

 

[thelal]

very nice. I did something similar with lots of photos that need to write up and post at some stage.
If I was doing it again I would get wiring loom from some old trucks and have different wires/colors instead of std black or red wire (in different gauges) with masking tape w/ writing on it and then write up a proper sticker diagram (like regular fusebox)

 

[NCFJ]

I do a bunch of wiring in my business, way more than any sane man wants to. I also find rat's nests of wiring in most of the rigs I work on. The truck in the shop has had two separate security systems along with varied switches, and other add ons. I still have a bunch of ravaged OEM wires to repair.

Not telling anyone what to do, but here are a few thoughts

1. DO NOT hard wire anything into the system. Make all connections in such a manner that whatever you are wiring, and it's harness can be removed by pulling apart connectors.

2. Label everything, you know it now, but you nor anyone else will have a clue 3 years from now. I use a Brother P-Touch I have had for over 20 years. Huge selection of colored labels and you can either use on flat surface or "flag" around a wire to itself.

3. Wire loom everything, it is cheap protection against chafed and burnt wires

4. Double heat shrink all crimp on connectors. One just larger than the wire, up under the hood of the crimp connector and one over it up to the contact point. This not only protects the crimp it also adds a level of strain relief for the wire.

4. Solder and heat shrink all line splices, those little blue splice pieces that cut into the primary line are a major weak link in any system. A short looking for a home.

5. If you are running a loom between engine bay and interior, add an extra wire or two for future use. Cant tell you how many times this has saved me from running another loom through the firewall because I overlooked something or a customer added something later in a build.

6. Use different colored wire as mentioned above. Makes circuit recognition so much easier. You can even add a black or blue stripe to any color wire with a Sharpie in a pinch.

7. WRITE IT ALL DOWN. Record color and gauge of wire, attachment points and what the circuit does

Above all, take your time and think as far ahead as you can when planning out your electrical work.

 

[Hornd]

Nice Thorough work!
If I can give you any advice it would be to rip out the trailer wiring and replace it for $25 with a Curt while you have everything apart.
Many, Many, Many, have had them fail. Do a search if you want evidence.
It very hot to be laying under truck now, but I did not get it done earlier and will need trailer lights soon.

 

[cruiserhound]

@Chris FJ80, I'm trying to replicate what you did here. It looks great by the way. I'm replacing my entire interior with a better interior and I'm currently getting ready to put sound deadening on the floor. While I'm at it I figured I'd try to lay some wires, however I have no knowledge of electric applications. I noticed the big red wire powering the auxillary fuse box. I'm assuming this is the same type and gauge, postive battery cable, that is attached to your original battery? If I do this mod, will this positive battery cable be the only thing I need to fish through the firewall?

 

[Chris FJ80]

That large gauge red wire is connected to my second battery, which feeds the fuse panel I installed under the front passenger seat