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Bed lighting - wiring?

1940ModelB

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1940ModelB Enthusiast

1940ModelB

Posted
Posted

After installing a tonneau cover on my truck I am coming to the realization that its dark as hell in there at night, so I would like to add some bed lighting. 

 

For those of you that have done this, where are you tapping into for power?  Any DIY's out there?  I couldn't find any with the search bar.  Ideally I would like a switch somewhere in the rear of the bed. 

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Skeeter McSkeet Senior Enthusiast

Skeeter McSkeet

Posted
Posted
After installing a tonneau cover on my truck I am coming to the realization that its dark as hell in there at night, so I would like to add some bed lighting. 
 
For those of you that have done this, where are you tapping into for power?  Any DIY's out there?  I couldn't find any with the search bar.  Ideally I would like a switch somewhere in the rear of the bed. 

Have you looked into the gm led bed lighting kit? I believe it just plugs in to a factory harness. Mine were in my back seat when I bought my truck, dealer installed them in about 5 minutes.


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Boardmember Senior Enthusiast

Boardmember

Posted
Posted

Not that you apparently need the motivation, I will say that I have a tonneau cover and use my bed lights pretty frequently.  

 

Last St week I turned them on, forgot and drove somewhere then went back there and they were again on - after apparently turning off while I was driving.  

Roadking01 Enthusiast

Roadking01

Posted
Posted

on my 2015  you turn them on with the cargo light .. they stay on  for about 20 minutes  unless turned of manually ...

they will stay on  if truck is in park   or reverse ..... but will not  stay  on if truck is in forward gear....

 if you drive a short distance and then put it in park .. they will come back on  ( as long as  the time out period has not ended )

 

 

Sierra706 Senior Enthusiast

Sierra706

Posted
Posted
on my 2015  you turn them on with the cargo light .. they stay on  for about 20 minutes  unless turned of manually ...
they will stay on  if truck is in park   or reverse ..... but will not  stay  on if truck is in forward gear....
 if you drive a short distance and then put it in park .. they will come back on  ( as long as  the time out period has not ended )
 
 


Factory kit is great for the integration. Leaves a little to be desired for brightness and position. The lights it comes with only cover the tailgate area. Consider splicing in some aftermarket lights to cover the back half


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Skeeter McSkeet Senior Enthusiast

Skeeter McSkeet

Posted
Posted

Could always buy the plug you need for the factory harness and splice whatever lights you want to it. No need to find a spot to tap into power like that. This is for OP’s situation.

 

If you already have them, I agree the cab side needs it if you run a bed cover. Two sets, one toward the tailgate and one toward the cab, would be preferable with that setup.

 

 

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Roadking01 Enthusiast

Roadking01

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Bushleaguechew said:

 


Factory kit is great for the integration. Leaves a little to be desired for brightness and position. The lights it comes with only cover the tailgate area. Consider splicing in some aftermarket lights to cover the back half


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they prolly figured cargo light  covered the front half  .. and inside lights cover the gate 

Sierra706 Senior Enthusiast

Sierra706

Posted
Posted
they prolly figured cargo light  covered the front half  .. and inside lights cover the gate 


Factory lights are at the rear of the bed by the tailgate. So at night the front of your bed is a dark abyss


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slj2008 Senior Enthusiast

slj2008

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Bushleaguechew said:

 


Factory lights are at the rear of the bed by the tailgate. So at night the front of your bed is a dark abyss


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my 2015 Midnight Edition came with bed lights , so i added a 36" white Led strip across the front of the bed and tap it into one of the front lamp. hope this helps  you . 

cbrsilv15 Senior Enthusiast

cbrsilv15

Posted
Posted

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There’s a dummy plug on the box under the bed where the factory bed lights plug into. I made my own and just used some leds from amazon. Way brighter than the 2 that are oem. Plus $30 > $100+.


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cbrsilv15 Senior Enthusiast

cbrsilv15

Posted
Posted

Mine is a 14 btw. 14-15 are the same. 16-18 have a different plug, but the same concept. You’d have to research and see which pin is the pos and neg.


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Korazu Enthusiast

Korazu

Posted
Posted

I took the GM wire harness and added some waterproof LED lights off amazon and then spliced together.

 

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1940ModelB Enthusiast

1940ModelB

Posted
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Posted

Awesome, thanks for the input regarding the GM harness.  Love the custom option cbrsilv15... I may go that route.

 

To be clear the GM harness is powered by the cargo light switch in the cab?  While that is certainly a good option, I would like to be able to activate the lights from the bed.  It would be nice to turn the lights on and off without having to get in and out of the cab.  Maybe even a momentary switch activated by the tailgate?

Sierra706 Senior Enthusiast

Sierra706

Posted
Posted
Awesome, thanks for the input regarding the GM harness.  Love the custom option cbrsilv15... I may go that route.
 
To be clear the GM harness is powered by the cargo light switch in the cab?  While that is certainly a good option, I would like to be able to activate the lights from the bed.  It would be nice to turn the lights on and off without having to get in and out of the cab.  Maybe even a momentary switch activated by the tailgate?


Yes. You can also use a short jump wire in the harness plugs under the steering wheel to enable cargo lights to come on with reverse lights. Not only does this make your reverse lights brighter, but your cargo and bed lights will come on when you unlock the truck.


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