Bandit Runner's Roof Rack Build

[rideexileex]

Diagram looks good other than one question, as alluded to above:

I think the power you will be pulling from the taillight fuse is always going to be hot. My guess is that you were trying to get the switches to light up only when you turn on the headlights/corner lights? If thats the case, if wired as above, the lights will always be "on".

The system works off of a switched ground, so you can actually combine the two power leads to the switches to come from a single source. Then, you'll want to have the ground for the switched lights to be activated by the head/tail lights switched ground. I also recommend a diode isolation, depending upon where you tap into, because the switching of the relays (unless they already have internal diodes) causes a very brief, but huge voltage spike.

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/images/diopro.gif

I learned this the hard way when I inadvertently mixed up my relays and used one without a diode - I no longer have the auto-headlight turn off feature...

 

[Bandit Runner]

The wiring diagram looks good to me! Am I understanding it correctly that you will be pulling the power for the switches from your "horn/hazards"? and you will be pulling the power for the switch lights from the "tail lights"?

Diagram looks good other than one question, as alluded to above:

I think the power you will be pulling from the taillight fuse is always going to be hot. My guess is that you were trying to get the switches to light up only when you turn on the headlights/corner lights? If thats the case, if wired as above, the lights will always be "on".

The system works off of a switched ground, so you can actually combine the two power leads to the switches to come from a single source. Then, you'll want to have the ground for the switched lights to be activated by the head/tail lights switched ground. I also recommend a diode isolation, depending upon where you tap into, because the switching of the relays (unless they already have internal diodes) causes a very brief, but huge voltage spike.

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/images/diopro.gif

I learned this the hard way when I inadvertently mixed up my relays and used one without a diode - I no longer have the auto-headlight turn off feature...

Thanks so much for the input fellas. It looks like a have a little more work to do on my wiring diagram. First, I guess I should have taken a little more time to explain what I am trying to accomplish. I want to be able to turn on the roof rack lights at any time, whether or not the key is in the ignition.

Also, I plan on using the Contura V rocker switches from OTRATTW. They have two LED lights in the switches. The lower LED is independently wired, and I want that LED light to come on with the dash lights. The upper LED light will turn on when the switch is engaged. Here is a pic of one of the switches, and a switch pin diagram from OTRATTW website.

Since I want to be able to turn on the roof rack lights at any time: to power the switches, I added a circuit to the Horn/Hazards circuit, because that is always hot. This should still be OK, right?

You were correct in assuming that I was trying to turn on the lower switch LED by adding a circuit to the tail light circuit. I realize now that I was wrong and that circuit would be always hot, so the lower LED would be on all the time. I am still a little confused by the whole “switched ground” thing. If I combine the two power leads as you suggest, switch pins #2 and #6 could both come from the Horn/Hazards add-a-circuit? Would the wire coming from pin #8 (upper LED) still go straight to ground? Then I would need to tap into the head/tail lights switched ground for pin #7 for the lower LED? Do you know where exactly to tap into the switched ground?

Sorry for all the questions, and I REALLY appreciate your help. Thanks!

 

[4ever4running]

No problem Bandit, I had to do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions when I was wiring up my Contura switches so I'm glad to help.

I'm not sure what rideexileex was getting at with the whole "switched ground" thing either...

I can tell you that I am using the exact same style switches (the only difference being that I am using the Contura II's instead of the Contura V's).

For the lower light power (Pin#6): I have my switches wired up so the lower light is on whenever the running lights/headlights are turned on. I did this by simply tapping into the interior light dimmer knob/switch. I used a T-tap and connected it to the green wire that is connected to the dimmer knob. Then I simply "looped" all the lower light connections together so essentially all of the lower lights are being powered by the single green power wire from the dimmer knob. I have not had any issues at all doing it this way because the lower lights draw very little power. If you really want to be safe, you can add a fuse after the T-tap, but it really isn't necessary.

For the ground wires (pin#7 and #8): Each switch will have 2 ground wires, 1 for the lower light ground (pin#7), and 1 for the switch ground (pin#8). I have all of my lower lights and switches gounded to the the body. Again, I have all of the gound wires "looped" so they are all connected to the body using a single wire.

For the switch power (Pin#2): I pulled the 12+ power for each switch directly from the battery. I recently installed a Blue Sea fuse block so the power wires for my switches are connected to the Blue Sea fuse block. If you don't have a Blue Sea, your best bet is to just pull the power from the battery and add an in-line fuse. That way, you don't have to worry about damaging other components by tapping into them (i.e. horn/hazared, etc.)

For the relay (Pin#3): Pretty self explanatory.

I have had my switches wired up like this for over a year now and I haven't had any issues with blowing fuses or anything so it is a really solid setup IMO. I hope this info helps and feel free to let me know if you need pictures to go along with the explanation or if you have any questions about how I did everything.

 

[Bandit Runner]

No problem Bandit, I had to do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions when I was wiring up my Contura switches so I'm glad to help.

I'm not sure what rideexileex was getting at with the whole "switched ground" thing either...

I can tell you that I am using the exact same style switches (the only difference being that I am using the Contura II's instead of the Contura V's).

For the lower light power (Pin#6): I have my switches wired up so the lower light is on whenever the running lights/headlights are turned on. I did this by simply tapping into the interior light dimmer knob/switch. I used a T-tap and connected it to the green wire that is connected to the dimmer knob. Then I simply "looped" all the lower light connections together so essentially all of the lower lights are being powered by the single green power wire from the dimmer knob. I have not had any issues at all doing it this way because the lower lights draw very little power. If you really want to be safe, you can add a fuse after the T-tap, but it really isn't necessary.

For the ground wires (pin#7 and #8): Each switch will have 2 ground wires, 1 for the lower light ground (pin#7), and 1 for the switch ground (pin#8). I have all of my lower lights and switches gounded to the the body. Again, I have all of the gound wires "looped" so they are all connected to the body using a single wire.

For the switch power (Pin#2): I pulled the 12+ power for each switch directly from the battery. I recently installed a Blue Sea fuse block so the power wires for my switches are connected to the Blue Sea fuse block. If you don't have a Blue Sea, your best bet is to just pull the power from the battery and add an in-line fuse. That way, you don't have to worry about damaging other components by tapping into them (i.e. horn/hazared, etc.)

For the relay (Pin#3): Pretty self explanatory.

I have had my switches wired up like this for over a year now and I haven't had any issues with blowing fuses or anything so it is a really solid setup IMO. I hope this info helps and feel free to let me know if you need pictures to go along with the explanation or if you have any questions about how I did everything.

Thanks for the detailed response. I think I understand how you wired the lower lights to the dimmer switch, and that you connected all the grounds together to the body. A few questions on the switch power pin #2 though. When I was researching this, I found that it was not recommended to connect the switch directly to the battery +12Vdc (something about too much voltage coming through the firewall if I remember correctly, and that it was better to go through a relay first).

Are you not using a relay at all? Or if you are, how do you have the relay wired (specifically pin #86)?

 

[rideexileex]

Switched ground is the architecture for the wiring - meaning, that all of the components/loads have +12V going to them constantly, but its the ground that is switched, thus completing the circuit and turning on the headlights, etc. The idea is that since the switch/relay is after the load, there's not as high of an instantaneous current spike.

Either of the two options mentioned will work - either the ground to headlight relay, or the option of + 12v from the dimmer switch wire. On some of my switches, I merely tapped the wire from the cigarette lighter light.

I only suggested the headlight/taillight wire, because I was wondering if you were also trying to get the rack lights to also auto turn on/off with the tail/headlights.

 

[rideexileex]

And yes, for pin #2, you can connect that to any +12V source, whether it be the add-a-fuse, or from the battery directly, just as long as it has a fuse. That wire will eventually power the relay coils themselves, which only draw ~200mA each if I remember correctly.

Yes, switch pin #3 goes directly to relay pin 86

 

[4ever4running]

Thanks for the detailed response. I think I understand how you wired the lower lights to the dimmer switch, and that you connected all the grounds together to the body. A few questions on the switch power pin #2 though. When I was researching this, I found that it was not recommended to connect the switch directly to the battery +12Vdc (something about too much voltage coming through the firewall if I remember correctly, and that it was better to go through a relay first).

Are you not using a relay at all? Or if you are, how do you have the relay wired (specifically pin #86)?

No problem, I'm glad to help.

As far as Pin#2: Honestly that is the first time I have heard anyone mention that it is not recommended to connect the switch directly to the battery...

The PIAA wiring harness does have a separate 12+Vdc power wire for the switch power, but it says that it can be connected to any 12+Vdc power source, so I just hooked it up to the battery through the Blue Sea fuse block.

For my Hella lights, I don't have them wired up yet, but here is how I am going to wire up the relay:
Pin#30 - connected to 12+Vdc battery terminal (throught Blue Sea fuse block)
Pin#86 - connected to Pin#3 on the switch
Pin#87 - connected to lights (+)
Pin#85 - connected to ground (-)

And here is how the switch will be wired:
Pin#2 -connected to 12+Vdc battery terminal (throught Blue Sea fuse block)
Pin#3 -connected to Pin#86 on the relay
Pin#6 -connected to 12+Vdc dimmer knob
Pin#7 -connected to ground
Pin#8 -connected to ground

 

[Bandit Runner]

Switched ground is the architecture for the wiring - meaning, that all of the components/loads have +12V going to them constantly, but its the ground that is switched, thus completing the circuit and turning on the headlights, etc. The idea is that since the switch/relay is after the load, there's not as high of an instantaneous current spike.

Either of the two options mentioned will work - either the ground to headlight relay, or the option of + 12v from the dimmer switch wire. On some of my switches, I merely tapped the wire from the cigarette lighter light.

I only suggested the headlight/taillight wire, because I was wondering if you were also trying to get the rack lights to also auto turn on/off with the tail/headlights.

And yes, for pin #2, you can connect that to any +12V source, whether it be the add-a-fuse, or from the battery directly, just as long as it has a fuse. That wire will eventually power the relay coils themselves, which only draw ~200mA each if I remember correctly.

Yes, switch pin #3 goes directly to relay pin 86

Thanks for the explanation and additional information. I think I've got it figured out now. I'll update the wiring diagram and repost it soon. Also FYI, I was not trying to get the rack lights to come on/off with the tail/headlights. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Bandit Runner]

Thanks for the follow-up. Its all starting to make sense now. I think I'm still going to power the switches through the Horn/Hazzard add-a-circuit, so I don't have to run the wires all the way to the battery. I will update my wiring diagram and repost it. Thanks again!

No problem, I'm glad to help.

As far as Pin#2: Honestly that is the first time I have heard anyone mention that it is not recommended to connect the switch directly to the battery...

The PIAA wiring harness does have a separate 12+Vdc power wire for the switch power, but it says that it can be connected to any 12+Vdc power source, so I just hooked it up to the battery through the Blue Sea fuse block.

For my Hella lights, I don't have them wired up yet, but here is how I am going to wire up the relay:
Pin#30 - connected to 12+Vdc battery terminal (throught Blue Sea fuse block)
Pin#86 - connected to Pin#3 on the switch
Pin#87 - connected to lights (+)
Pin#85 - connected to ground (-)

And here is how the switch will be wired:
Pin#2 -connected to 12+Vdc battery terminal (throught Blue Sea fuse block)
Pin#3 -connected to Pin#86 on the relay
Pin#6 -connected to 12+Vdc dimmer knob
Pin#7 -connected to ground
Pin#8 -connected to ground

 

[Bandit Runner]

Thanks again to all those that helped me figure out the wiring diagram! I was close with the first one, and the only real change was how to power the lower led in the switch. Here is the revised diagram:

 

[4ever4running]

Thanks for the follow-up. Its all starting to make sense now. I think I'm still going to power the switches through the Horn/Hazzard add-a-circuit, so I don't have to run the wires all the way to the battery. I will update my wiring diagram and repost it. Thanks again!

Your welcome. Yeah wiring is one of those things that can be tricky if you don't know how everything works. I don't claim to know it all by any stretch of the imagination, but I can speak to the wiring of accessories like lights, compressor, etc.

I'm looking forward to see everything come together, good luck!

 

[Bandit Runner]

So I took a giant step backwards in my roof rack build recently. I decided to make it 1.5” taller, for a couple of reasons. First, it didn’t look quite right to me, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. It was just too low. Secondly, when I welded the 45 degree uprights to the main horizontal tube, the horizontal tube warped slightly. Fortunately, the curvature that resulted matches the curvature of the roofline of the 4Runner just about perfectly. I actually prefer the curved look of the main tube, so I’m happy about that. However, the warpage also made the front of the roof rack sit even lower than I had planned, so it was really tight trying to fit the Rigid Industries lights in between the roof and the rack, like I wanted.

So after lots of measuring of the truck, rack, and garage door, I decided to add 1.5” to the height. (I’ll still have about 1.5” of clearance with the garage door – a little less than I would like, but oh well.) Unfortunately, this meant cutting apart most of what I had already completed. After thinking about the best way to add the extra height, I devised a way to cut each upright in half, and insert an extension into each upright.

So I borrowed a sawzall from my buddy, and cut all the uprights in half. Here a a few pics of what I ended up with:

For the extension pieces, I had the diameters machined so that they will insert into each end of the cut uprights. I figured this would be the best way to keep everything aligned. Here are the extensions I had machined:

So then I bolted the bottom cut halves of the rack to the 4Runner’s roof. Then set all the extension pieces into the uprights. Then set the upper half of the rack onto the extensions. Surprisingly, it all fit together quite nicely. At this point I was able to tack weld all of the extensions into place. Then I removed the rack from the truck, and fully welded all the extensions. Sorry, no pic of this yet.

Now my welding is not the prettiest, so I have a LOT of cleanup to do on each of the 10 upright/extension joints. That is where I am at right now. Eventually, you won’t even be able to tell that there are extensions in the middle of each upright, and it will look like one solid piece.

Even though this has set my roof rack build back quite a bit, I am so glad I decided to do this. I’ve been contemplating this for about a month, and figured that now was the time to do it. If I would have completed the rack as it was, I would have always regretted not doing it when I had the chance.

 

[Bandit Runner]

I've been ordering more parts for the roof rack build. A bunch of electrical components for wiring all the lights including: wire, relays, terminals, fuse holders, fuses, etc.

Also the paint: 1 quart POR-15 semi-gloss black (will be top coated with rustoleum semi-gloss black enamel):

And finally, a bunch of light switches from OTRATTW:

The lower verbage on the switches will be light up green when the dash lights are on. The upper light symbol on the switches will light up red when the switch is flipped on. I will be making a custom switch housing for them all to fit in. It will probably sit just above the hazard light switch on the upper center dash.

 

[tyr0981]

what model of switches are those?

 

[Bandit Runner]

what model of switches are those?

Sorry, forgot to mention that. They are the Contura V Laser Etched Rocker Switches from OTRATTW.

OTRATTW

 

[tyr0981]

Sorry, forgot to mention that. They are the Contura V Laser Etched Rocker Switches from OTRATTW.

OTRATTW

Thank you good sir, I like the look of those switches

 

[Bandit Runner]

Got a little work done on the roof rack this weekend. First I finished cleaning up the risers with the new extensions welded in. Here is a pic showing the new height:

Then I started working on the features that will mount the small round LED lights on the sides of the rack. They will each be housed inside a short piece of 1" tubing that extends out of the main horizontal tubing. This shows the 1" holes in the main tubing:

Here are the 14 pieces of 1" tubing that will house the LED lights:

Then I started tack welding the small pieces into position. I jerry rigged a fixture so that I could ensure that each light would be at the same angle:

And I finally got them all tacked into place:

I still need to fully weld them, and then clean up the welds. That's it for now.

 

[Full_Throttle]

Subscribed! I may have to add this lighting system to my WMW rack :high5::hat:

 

[Bandit Runner]

Made some progress on the roof rack this past weekend. The side light mounts have been fully welded and cleaned up. Then I needed to mount the rack back on the truck to get the front legs on, but I ran into a small problem. It seems that welding the side light tubing pieces resulted in the side rails warping just a little. When I tried to mount the rack to the roof, the holes were off by about 1/16". So out came the hi-lift jack and I spread the side rails apart by 1/16" and now the holes line up dead nuts.

Then I added the front legs and front feet. That went without issue.

Pics of how it sits now:

Also, I really like the newly added height - looks much better. Next up is front and rear light mounts and light protection.

Thanks for looking.

 

[dtc81]

welp, that's the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Great work as usual! I always look forward to when you post up new pictures in your threads