Switch-pros install -- GX550

[NY2LA]

I mounted a Switch-Pros in my GX today. It was very tricky to find a good place for the control unit. But I managed to squeeze it in behind the battery, where temps are nice and cool. The upper left slot for the battery cover prevented me from mounting the unit in a more level fashion without pushing it down lower where it would be impossible to see, so I settled on this diagonal mounting position. An aftermarket manufacturer can probably make a bracket with more complex bends that tucks right up against the engine compartment sheet metal and looks a little cleaner. But meanwhile, this is stable, strong, and easy to access and will do just fine.

After the battery cover is put back on, the control unit disappears, except for a small "shark fin." All in all, I'm happy with my results, which were accomplished with the Switch-Pros standard bracket, a couple of Home Depot brackets, and two massive pairs of pliers to twist things into the shape I needed.

Mounting the switch panel was also tricky, but I found a workable spot next to the steering wheel. Behind the factory plastic, it's very busy. Lots of things mounted internally back there, leaving little room for the Switch-Pro's four mounting screws to poke through. But after a little swearing and time, I got it to fit.
(Pardon lousy cell phone night shot and false purple color.)

Ignition wire found a quick home in fuse box 1 (near battery) via a fuse-tap.

However, the white wire for auto-dimming the switch panel at night remains homeless. UPDATED: SEE BELOW.

 

[NY2LA]

Meanwhile, here are the fuse layouts for folks doing related mods. The acronyms printed on the GX fuse box lids are even more esoteric than older Land Cruiser names. In fact, it's literally impossible to know what many of the fuses are without a separate list.

Box 1 (battery side):

Box 2 (driver side):

There's a third fuse box under the glove box for internal items. But that one's pretty self-explanatory.

 

[ryanjl]

Looks good.

Unfortunately, this will be one of the areas where the GX550 is way different than the LC250, so there's going to need to be two veins of trial and error.

 

[NY2LA]

Update: after studying the electrical diagrams for the GX550, I found a place to connect the white nighttime trigger wire: the 10A taillight-only fuse under the dashboard. This fuse is only energized "down the line" after the main ECU learns the ambient light is low (or suddenly very bright) and instructs a power distribution box to send a signal to a relay that then closes the taillight circuit.

The nighttime dimming feature now works on the Switch Pros panel. The only annoyance is that the cover for this fuse box sits flush with the fuses, so I will need to a cut out a passthrough for the tap. I feel that that will be fine, as this cover doesn't have the tight seal of the engine fuse box covers anyway. There's also protection from the interior panel that conceals the fuse box. Of course, it would also be possible to tap the taillight wire itself and avoid a fuse tap for anyone so inclined.

 

[NY2LA]

Taillight electrical diagram.

 

[BigMF]

Nice job!