switches and outlets - what to do?

[RootBreaker]

ok where to start... guess light switches for now...

ok having an older chevy truck... there is not alot of dash to put switches... I have seen people put them under the column... well my feet will hit them...

so I need a light switch idea....
minimum 6 switches...
im going to order them from 12vguy.... i like the red covered toggles...
need 6 for...
1 - 4 lights on front bumper
1 - 5 lights on rollbar (lights are bad and going to replace them soon)
1 - 2 lights on rollbar backwards (have 2 eagle eyes)
1 - Accessories
1 - heater (or fix my heater... think my switch is bad but got it on a toggle right now)
1 - washer squirters.. squirters stopped working from switch... put 85 column in and still dont work... I can put power to the wire that goes from in the cab to squirters and that works... but for some reason not working on the column... could fix that some day...

now currently I have a manual steering column and dash cover and no air conditioner... so that means my gauges cover has no vents in it... so I have 4 toggles on the lower left... but will cut that out to put my toggle for winch... or get the dual winch setup and put it in the upper right... currently upper right has that tray to put stuff in.. you know when you nail the gas everything flies out of there.....

so the only other option is make some kind of box and lay it on top of the dashpad and figure something out....



now outlets section.... you are probably scratchin your head...
anyway... going to get a dc to ac converter....
I have a ipaq to which i use as a gps and speedometer... well i just bought a windshield mount... and a external drive for it... so I can use the ac outlets for power to ipaq, external brick, recharge cell and plug other stuff in.. or just do a 4 sig outlet... then just use car adapters....

anyway where to put all this crap??????

 

[dubbyx]

Do you use your ashtray? If not, fab up a plate and put something there, since it doesn't have a/c, seems like you'd have a lot of landspace where the vents should be to rig up something. I don't care much for putting stuff on top of my dash, but that's just me.

in my 1 ton, single cab dually I pulled the bench, dropped in 2 buckets, and built a HUGE console between the seats... part of which has lots of switches and holds my power inverter.

 

[trailblazr81]

My 73 has a little pocket above HVAC control panel... maybe there? Or where theres just painted matal like next to ash tray or under head light switch. Or do what I planned for my 72 Nove and take off the plastic and padded dash and build a sheetmetal dash.

Question... Why do you need 9 forward facing aux lights? My 2 KC Daylighters were plenty with like 160watts. MAYBE run 4 on a light bar..

 

[RootBreaker]

My 73 has a little pocket above HVAC control panel... maybe there? Or where theres just painted matal like next to ash tray or under head light switch. Or do what I planned for my 72 Nove and take off the plastic and padded dash and build a sheetmetal dash.

Question... Why do you need 9 forward facing aux lights? My 2 KC Daylighters were plenty with like 160watts. MAYBE run 4 on a light bar..

lights are cool.... oh '80's are over....
also ... why not?

anyhow.. the bench seat deal has to stay.... I have myself, wife and son.. we all fit right now... however I have to do a crew cab swap next summer.. wife is pregnant.. and p.s. that is a good thing as we have been trying for 18 months.... then im going to do 2 buckets up front and bench in the back....

also I have that same thing your talking about.. right above my heat controls I have that opening.. so im thinking this may go there...

$137 is a good chunk o change... but 8 switches $15 each =$120 plus gotta get the led's and all other stuff.....

could put it in my headliner....
jcwhitney headliner.... big section.... will see....

 

[trailblazr81]

Check Summit and Jegs. They have switch panels and some designed for over head mount. I have an ignition switch and push button start that was gonna be used in my Nova project, that I may throw in the K20. Since my ignition is screwed and I dont need to put the key in it to start it.

 

[2Dogs]

I am in the process of designing an extended console that will have plate to mount toggles, floor shifter, e-brake etc..... The only thing holding me back is the placement of the np241 shifter. Have not decided if I tie it into cage or have a floor mount pedestal.

I currently have a panel in my ash tray spot - getting full tho.

 

[Cmoe]

I put 3 switches inplace of my ash tray/lighter.... what's nice is you can close the ashtray door and it turns off all switches, so the off road lights can shut off fast by just closing the door....

 

[diesel4me]

under the colum...

I put several switches for plow lights and cargo lamps,back up lights,etc,in the filler panel right under the steering colum..it comes off with 4 screws for easy access to the wires..switches are a bit hard to reach,but if you have small children,that might not be a disadvantage!...I made swiss cheese out of my 74's under dash,with all the toggle switches and pilot lamps I had in it!..

Also, the "cubby hole" above the heater controls is another place to mount a panel..if you dont have A/C,the long dash "filler strip"above the ash tray is another big empty spot--I installed a CB in the spot that an A/C duct would have gone,also a triple set of gauges in another truck..you could get the filler strip from a boneyard truck to drill out for the switches,and save the original in case you go back to stock someday..

I made bucket seats from a mercury topaz fit my bench seat tracks and made a console/seat for the center to hide all the crap I needed to carry,like chains and my remote for the winch on my crane setup,etc..worked out pretty good..I wished I had an extended cab many times though,especially when grocery shopping on rainy days..

 

[RootBreaker]

Well I currently have 4 switches here... sorry dont have a pic yet....but out of room...

so I was thining of putting them here....

But I may get a external video card for my ipaq... and if I do ... a LCD would look good there... for my GPS to display on.... play movies (when not driving of course)



however I am really leaning on putting the lights here.....
my JCWhitney headliner I bought YEARS AGO!!! like in 1990!!!! and they still sell it!!! I LOVE THIS THING!!!

so if I put them in there.. and run a harness down the pillar... can still have room for my lcd in the future!!!!


more headliner shots.....

found a add from jcwhitney

 

[beater_k20]

how about the trim panel on the dash pad, directly over the ashtray? my '77 had a clip for the CB mic there, and my buddy's '86 has an EQ mounted there for the stereo. just put the switches that need to be most acessible to you closer to the driver.

 

[beater_k20]

lol, didnt really look at the pic before i uploaded it. apparently he's got his CB surface mounted there too.

 

[gmcman7202]

go with the head liner.... my buddy with his furd did that and it works great and looks great.... all in reach without having to lean over like if lower on dash.... he even had little faceplates made for them outa the crap like on the teachers doors in highschool....black with white letters... he got them from an marine placel, like boaters world, if i ever did somethign like that i would use small letters from the office supply store and put them on a piece of plexi and then spray the back then take off the letters so i could light up the names, i have seen little letter stickers about one half inch tall...

 

[K5er4Life]

Definitely put the switches in that plastic headliner thing. That would be way awesome, you could like a trucker with your switches and cb overhead. I like that liner, I almost bought one a few years ago but I kind of forgot about it.