12V Outlet Install (1 Viewer)

[PabloCruise]

Just remembered I don't have mine installed right now. If you want it, PM me your address. Not super hi-res, and probably won't last forever, but it's a good deal for the price of $0.00.

Steve

Just found this - thank you!
PM going out now...

 

[greasem0nkey86]

@C6H12O6
Any reason why not use run new wiring to the stock out let and replace the stock outlet with the BlueSea outlet?

I'm a proponent of reusing & enlarging stock holes (when possible) instead of making new ones.

 

[C6H12O6]

@C6H12O6
Any reason why not use run new wiring to the stock out let and replace the stock outlet with the BlueSea outlet?

I'm a proponent of reusing & enlarging stock holes (when possible) instead of making new ones.

Me, too. That's why I liked the 3D printed solution for the ashtray. Takes all of 30 seconds to go back to stock look. The only hole you make is in the trim piece behind the ashtray. Completely invisible with the ashtray in there.

As far as running wire to the stock location, that might work fine, but the location is pretty shallow and I don't think the BlueSea outlet and bigger wire would fit very well. It might, but I didn't try it. Ultimately, I didn't want the plug in that spot for the fridge. I wanted the fridge on the PS, and the wire would have been in the way all the time.

 

[PabloCruise]

Getting ready to do this!

Did y'all just cut the back off the ash tray housing?

What holds the printed piece into the ashtray housing?

Thanks!

 

[PabloCruise]

I have a 3D printer at work, so I got out the caliper to measure the ash tray holder and used TinkerCAD to build a panel for the 12V outlet. Like I said, the supplied BlueSea mount was almost perfect, but there wasn't really anything to screw it into. This was fun, and it was easier than hacking something together in my garage. Also, the circle in the BlueSea cover still allowed the 12V outlet to spin around, which sucks. The back of the outlet is a threaded cylinder, but has two flat spots to stop the spinning, if only there were flat spots on the mount. Now there are. The fit was just about perfect.


View attachment 1465154

View attachment 1465156

You can see in this first pic that I put tabs on the side of the mount in case I needed to screw it into the sides of the ash tray trim piece. The fit was so snug, that I haven't needed to do that yet. I just printed it in cheap PLA filament, so we'll see how it ages in a hot car. Good enough for now. If anybody wants to try printing it on a better printer with better filament, I'd gladly take another one to try it out. I'll post up the .stl file if anybody wants to play with it. Overall, the look from the back gate is good enough to not look hacked together.

View attachment 1465157

I just re-read this and noted your comments about the snug fit, and if that fails, using the tabs to receive mounting screws.

Looks like I need to commit to cutting the ash tray holder!

Thanks again.

 

[C6H12O6]

If you pull the removable ash tray piece, there is a plastic piece behind it. Sort of cup shaped to allow the retraction of the ash tray. I cut the back off of that with a Dremel cutoff wheel to allow the depth of the 12V outlet and the 3D printed mount. If you ever want to go back, you can still reinstall the ash tray and you would never see or notice the cut-out piece.

I suppose v.2.0 of this mount could be designed to replace both portions of the original ash tray and avoid cutting the back of the trim piece off, but that will be a project for somebody else.

 

[PabloCruise]

Perfect, thank you!