Bed Underrail Lighting

mfennema · March 12, 2009

I actually had thought about using a single gang waterproof electical box with a spring loaded door to house the switch, relay ( i know these are leds and don't draw much but rather be safe then sorry) and inline fuse. This will also make sure this circuit is only on with the ignition, so I don't accidentally leave them on. I'd mount the box up high near the bed rail. It's heavy duty so it won't get damaged by any cargo I throw back there. I haul alot of stuff back there ususally.

Also - I was thinking i might install a Waterproof Quad box instead of a single gang if I decide to add AC to DC converter. That'll give me a 110v outlet at the back of the bed for the cordless tool battery chargers

I thought about this too, but realized that many times when I'm getting something out of the bed of the truck, I won't have the ignition on. I will just have to be careful not to leave them on. I guess you could use a momentary switch or contact switch on the tailgate somewhere that would only allow power to the switch when the tail gate is open. That might work.

I like your idea about the 110v outlet. I think I might try that if I had a second battery, but I don't as of yet.

Nice write-up Mitch! Just a thought, why not wire those to the existing Cargo Switch on the console instead of putting in a separate switch in the bed?

[maybe because you'd like to have that convenience instead of walking back to the cab ]

You hit that one right on the head. I didn't always want to have to get into the cab to turn this light on. One other thought on this subject is that if the cargo light is on, it makes it even harder to see in the bed under the cover because the light is shining in your eyes. That, and I didn't want to mess with any of the wiring in the dash that isn't plug and play...I'm not too sure what all is controlled on which circuits.

Great questions guys (and possibly gals) and great ideas. Keep them coming.

Silverado_Monkey · March 12, 2009

I actually had thought about using a single gang waterproof electical box with a spring loaded door to house the switch, relay ( i know these are leds and don't draw much but rather be safe then sorry) and inline fuse. This will also make sure this circuit is only on with the ignition, so I don't accidentally leave them on. I'd mount the box up high near the bed rail. It's heavy duty so it won't get damaged by any cargo I throw back there. I haul alot of stuff back there ususally.

Also - I was thinking i might install a Waterproof Quad box instead of a single gang if I decide to add AC to DC converter. That'll give me a 110v outlet at the back of the bed for the cordless tool battery chargers

I thought about this too, but realized that many times when I'm getting something out of the bed of the truck, I won't have the ignition on. I will just have to be careful not to leave them on. I guess you could use a momentary switch or contact switch on the tailgate somewhere that would only allow power to the switch when the tail gate is open. That might work.

I like your idea about the 110v outlet. I think I might try that if I had a second battery, but I don't as of yet.

2nd Battery? Nah...! You just need one of these...

http://www.prioritystart.com/

and a Optima battery. That should do the trick no problem!

mfennema · March 12, 2009

I actually had thought about using a single gang waterproof electical box with a spring loaded door to house the switch, relay ( i know these are leds and don't draw much but rather be safe then sorry) and inline fuse. This will also make sure this circuit is only on with the ignition, so I don't accidentally leave them on. I'd mount the box up high near the bed rail. It's heavy duty so it won't get damaged by any cargo I throw back there. I haul alot of stuff back there ususally.

Also - I was thinking i might install a Waterproof Quad box instead of a single gang if I decide to add AC to DC converter. That'll give me a 110v outlet at the back of the bed for the cordless tool battery chargers

I thought about this too, but realized that many times when I'm getting something out of the bed of the truck, I won't have the ignition on. I will just have to be careful not to leave them on. I guess you could use a momentary switch or contact switch on the tailgate somewhere that would only allow power to the switch when the tail gate is open. That might work.

I like your idea about the 110v outlet. I think I might try that if I had a second battery, but I don't as of yet.

2nd Battery? Nah...! You just need one of these...

http://www.prioritystart.com/

and a Optima battery. That should do the trick no problem!

Thats a pretty neat little "doohickey". Haha. Do you have one or know anyone that has used one before? Now I'm interested.

Z71kris · March 12, 2009

yeah thats like the battery buddy, now the battery brain, both good investments

Silverado_Monkey · March 12, 2009

I actually had thought about using a single gang waterproof electical box with a spring loaded door to house the switch, relay ( i know these are leds and don't draw much but rather be safe then sorry) and inline fuse. This will also make sure this circuit is only on with the ignition, so I don't accidentally leave them on. I'd mount the box up high near the bed rail. It's heavy duty so it won't get damaged by any cargo I throw back there. I haul alot of stuff back there ususally.

Also - I was thinking i might install a Waterproof Quad box instead of a single gang if I decide to add AC to DC converter. That'll give me a 110v outlet at the back of the bed for the cordless tool battery chargers

I thought about this too, but realized that many times when I'm getting something out of the bed of the truck, I won't have the ignition on. I will just have to be careful not to leave them on. I guess you could use a momentary switch or contact switch on the tailgate somewhere that would only allow power to the switch when the tail gate is open. That might work.

I like your idea about the 110v outlet. I think I might try that if I had a second battery, but I don't as of yet.

2nd Battery? Nah...! You just need one of these...

http://www.prioritystart.com/

and a Optima battery. That should do the trick no problem!

Thats a pretty neat little "doohickey". Haha. Do you have one or know anyone that has used one before? Now I'm interested.

Yeah it is! No I don;t have one on my Silverado yet, but did install one like it a few years ago when I was outfitting fleet van. I setup a charging station in the back of my E-350 installation van (Yeah I know the F-word, i didn't buy it ;) ). We had all our cordless batteries charging on the way to and from a job, since nobody could manage to remember to do it on the job. I came up with this idea, wired it all up, it worked great!

Now that I think about it, it might be a better idea to put the 110v outlet in my truck bed tool box?! (That's where my tools are usually anyways) Ahh... what the hell, might as well have it in both locations... Great country this America, isn't it! HAHA

Anyhow, now that i've hijacked your thread (sorry) i'll shut up!

Once again, great find on those LED strip lights... At that price, i'm sure I'll be finding alot of uses for them...

Bruno

mfennema · March 12, 2009

I actually had thought about using a single gang waterproof electical box with a spring loaded door to house the switch, relay ( i know these are leds and don't draw much but rather be safe then sorry) and inline fuse. This will also make sure this circuit is only on with the ignition, so I don't accidentally leave them on. I'd mount the box up high near the bed rail. It's heavy duty so it won't get damaged by any cargo I throw back there. I haul alot of stuff back there ususally.

Also - I was thinking i might install a Waterproof Quad box instead of a single gang if I decide to add AC to DC converter. That'll give me a 110v outlet at the back of the bed for the cordless tool battery chargers

I thought about this too, but realized that many times when I'm getting something out of the bed of the truck, I won't have the ignition on. I will just have to be careful not to leave them on. I guess you could use a momentary switch or contact switch on the tailgate somewhere that would only allow power to the switch when the tail gate is open. That might work.

I like your idea about the 110v outlet. I think I might try that if I had a second battery, but I don't as of yet.

2nd Battery? Nah...! You just need one of these...

http://www.prioritystart.com/

and a Optima battery. That should do the trick no problem!

Thats a pretty neat little "doohickey". Haha. Do you have one or know anyone that has used one before? Now I'm interested.

Yeah it is! No I don;t have one on my Silverado yet, but did install one like it a few years ago when I was outfitting fleet van. I setup a charging station in the back of my E-350 installation van (Yeah I know the F-word, i didn't buy it ;) ). We had all our cordless batteries charging on the way to and from a job, since nobody could manage to remember to do it on the job. I came up with this idea, wired it all up, it worked great!

Now that I think about it, it might be a better idea to put the 110v outlet in my truck bed tool box?! (That's where my tools are usually anyways) Ahh... what the hell, might as well have it in both locations... Great country this America, isn't it! HAHA

Anyhow, now that i've hijacked your thread (sorry) i'll shut up!

Once again, great find on those LED strip lights... At that price, i'm sure I'll be finding alot of uses for them...

Bruno

By all means keep up with the ideas. You are telling me things that I didn't even know were possible.

The only problem with the light strips that I got is that they came from China and took a while to get here and cost as much for shipping as for product. I thought about maybe doing some kits and selling them but I think there are too many variables between all the different types of trucks.

Keep me posted on what you use them for.

-Mitch

brims · March 12, 2009

That looks really good. I've thought of doing this as well, this just gives me more reason to actually do it as it looks pretty clean.

Dano07 · March 12, 2009

Do you have a link or the name of the lights that you used.

mfennema · March 12, 2009

Do you have a link or the name of the lights that you used.

I don't necessarily have a manufacturer for them as it was not included on the eBay page which the link is on the first page of the thread. I think the best way to find them would be to look on eBay for SMD flexible strip or SMD leds. That seems to work for me. Here is a link.

SMD Flexible on eBay

Silverado_Monkey · March 12, 2009

By all means keep up with the ideas. You are telling me things that I didn't even know were possible.

The only problem with the light strips that I got is that they came from China and took a while to get here and cost as much for shipping as for product. I thought about maybe doing some kits and selling them but I think there are too many variables between all the different types of trucks.

Keep me posted on what you use them for.

-Mitch

Yeah I saw the shipping, but if they last they're still worth it. I had orginally thought of adding a cheap set of fog lights from Walmart (10-20 bucks)mounted in the recess near the tailgate, firing towards the front of the truck. That'll definitely light up the whole bed. But that might be overkill (maybe)

If those LEDs are good, they'd be good as rock lights for the wheel wells. That is of course if I wheeled my truck. Since they double side tape on they also could be mounted to shine down on the side steps, maybe connected to the door light switches so they come on when you open the doors, so you can see where to stepping.

mfennema · March 12, 2009

By all means keep up with the ideas. You are telling me things that I didn't even know were possible.

The only problem with the light strips that I got is that they came from China and took a while to get here and cost as much for shipping as for product. I thought about maybe doing some kits and selling them but I think there are too many variables between all the different types of trucks.

Keep me posted on what you use them for.

-Mitch

Yeah I saw the shipping, but if they last they're still worth it. I had orginally thought of adding a cheap set of fog lights from Walmart (10-20 bucks)mounted in the recess near the tailgate, firing towards the front of the truck. That'll definitely light up the whole bed. But that might be overkill (maybe)

If those LEDs are good, they'd be good as rock lights for the wheel wells. That is of course if I wheeled my truck. Since they double side tape on they also could be mounted to shine down on the side steps, maybe connected to the door light switches so they come on when you open the doors, so you can see where to stepping.

Sounds like you have a couple good ideas there. One word to the wise is to get some extra sticky 3M tape from AZ or somewhere like that. Problem I had was that the ends of the lights wanted to roll up on me and the tape wasn't sticky enough. I just cut about a 3 inch piece of the super sticky stuff and stuck it on there and it works great.

One thing I like about the lights is that you can cut them down every 3 lights however long you need them. Just have to snip them off with a side snips and you're good to go. Completely waterproof too.

masonbid · March 12, 2009

By all means keep up with the ideas. You are telling me things that I didn't even know were possible.

The only problem with the light strips that I got is that they came from China and took a while to get here and cost as much for shipping as for product. I thought about maybe doing some kits and selling them but I think there are too many variables between all the different types of trucks.

Keep me posted on what you use them for.

-Mitch

Yeah I saw the shipping, but if they last they're still worth it. I had orginally thought of adding a cheap set of fog lights from Walmart (10-20 bucks)mounted in the recess near the tailgate, firing towards the front of the truck. That'll definitely light up the whole bed. But that might be overkill (maybe)

If those LEDs are good, they'd be good as rock lights for the wheel wells. That is of course if I wheeled my truck. Since they double side tape on they also could be mounted to shine down on the side steps, maybe connected to the door light switches so they come on when you open the doors, so you can see where to stepping.

Sounds like you have a couple good ideas there. One word to the wise is to get some extra sticky 3M tape from AZ or somewhere like that. Problem I had was that the ends of the lights wanted to roll up on me and the tape wasn't sticky enough. I just cut about a 3 inch piece of the super sticky stuff and stuck it on there and it works great.

One thing I like about the lights is that you can cut them down every 3 lights however long you need them. Just have to snip them off with a side snips and you're good to go. Completely waterproof too.

Jeeze I leave to go to do actual work for an hour and soooo many ideas came up. My mind has been running wild for the last month thinking of all these things. I even have the whole plan worked out in my head

I have thought about doing the lights on the running boards. Buy the SMD LED strip and stick them underneath the door where it meets the door sill so when you open the door you have lights pointed at the ground. Just wire them into the interior lights. Plus when you happen to need the interior lights on while driving they under door ones wont light up outside and possibly get you pulled over, they will be hidden away under the door.

i thought about just adding a 3-way switch wiring into the strips WITH the cargo bed light so that I could either have JUST the cargo bed light OR BOTH or just the strips controlled from the spst switch in the bed.

The LED strips off EBay are MUCH MUCH MUCH less than what you can find retail locally. I found a 30cm green strip for $30 bucks... I paid $15 for a 100cm white strip.

Using the SMD strip with double sided tape in the wheel wells may not hold so well. You would need to find a place where you could stick them and then cover them in some kind of clear silicone or such so that they dont get ruined/fall off while driving.

Im guessing that if you left these strips on in the back of you bed overnight they wouldnt kill your battery by morning. They draw such minimal current that they COULD POSSIBLY be left on overnight by ACCIDENT. I'm not saying that you should do it but it should be ok...

Wiring fog lights on the other hand would light up the bed ALOT but drain the battery if left on for a while. I scrapped that plan.

SMD strips will give a more uniform lighting pattern due to the way they disperse light outwards. The strips I used are 5mm LEDs and they produce a more straight line of light and a bit of a reflection outwards to light up the bed. They will produce more light than the smd but depending how much you want or if you want the light to be more subtle.

K, I can't think of many more things off the top of my head right now. I will try to chime in when I get back and read some more of your comments.

BTW, if you wanted to take a peak at my original posts heres the link

brims · March 12, 2009

Super Bright LEDs has some water proof LED strips, a bit pricey though. Super Bright LEDs

masonbid · March 12, 2009

Super Bright LEDs has some water proof LED strips, a bit pricey though. Super Bright LEDs

Several lighting places online carry them such as what you linked and also Auto Lumination. Prices are a little higher than what I wanted to pay so I ended up with EBay. Ive ordered off there already and havent had any problems yet. China makes some good stuff and they want you coming back so it better be good.

CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP

masonbid · March 21, 2009

Here is my custom under rail light. Mitch used my ideas from my original post.

I will now give another step by step on how to do this.

Materials Needed:

Zip Ties

Zip Tie Bases

Led Strip

Wire

Heatshrink

T-Tap

Wire Loom

Paint

Adhesive Sealant

Electrical Tape

Waterproof switch

Tools Needed:

Wire Cutters/Strippers

Drill

Drill Bits

Lighter (for heatshrink)

Soldering Iron

Flux and Solder

Cleaning agent/cloth

Sand Paper

Philips Screw Driver

Prep the surface where the zip tie bases will go by roughing up the surface with sand paper. Clean off the ridges where you will place the zip tie bases. I used super clean because it's also a degreaser.

Wait for the surface to dry completely before placing the zip tie bases on the ridge.

With the zip tie bases in place, start to zip tie the LED Strip to the bases. Make sure the LED strip is facing in the right direction before you tighten the zip tie down. Also make sure the wires from the LED strip are on the right side as well. My LED strip is angled facing towards the middle of the bed so there is a move even light pattern.

Repeat the same process on the other side of the bed.

Remove the tail lights. There are 2 screws holding them in.

Route the extra wire on the ends through the cracks of the sheet metal to behind the tail lights.

Now for the switch. Find an appropriate location to place the switch. I placed mine behind the tail light and off to the side so it won't get hit when I toss stuff in the bed.

Drill a hole through the metal and prime/paint the exposed metal. This is prevent rust from forming around the switch.

Place the switch in the hole and tighten down the nut. An adhesive sealant can be used on the back of the switch to help it from moving around and also helps keep water out of the back.

Solder more wire onto the side where the switch is not located. Heatshrink or tape the solder point.