My Running board lighting mod, bed lighting mod and other lighting mods :)

KB Sabre · Apr 18, 2015

It's also good to use an in-line fuse!

I hooked mine up to my parking light fuse in the fuse box under the hood. While installing my wires, the wire coating was accidentally exposed in the middle of the wire (probably where I had stripped back the outer shell holding the two wires together) and must have grounded. When I went to turn the lights on the first time.... Smoke!!! Seeing that coming from my engine compartment scared the **** out of me.

So I re-installed one of the wires (the one to my driver's side strip) and put an in-line fuse in. It's better to blow a fuse than your truck go up in flames.

I tapped in to the fuse box (F79 slot in my 2015 Laramie) so all of my wires are outside the cab.

firebuff17 · Apr 23, 2015

Just got my side steps today. Have to install them yet but I have been following this thread. Excited to get some free time to install.
I want to light up both running boards the full length and I want to do front interior footwell light strips. I am going to use the footwell lighting circuit to accomplish this. So I get the fade off with the doors closing and key FOB.
Do I need to use a relay to avoid overloading the circuit? If I do need a relay, the relay won't give me the full fade off due to the relay opening when the voltage drops below a specific point? Correct?
Are the passenger and driver side footwell lights separate circuits?
Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Klaus96 · Apr 28, 2015

What is the best way to adhere the strips to the underside of the rails?

I had my tinter install mine and look really good. They come on with the cargo lights or the switch I had installed by the tailgate. Problem is they are falling down...

blackbetty14 · Apr 29, 2015

I'm not sure of they are seperate circuits but I have yet to overload the circuit with my full LED strips. Pretty sure you won't get the Dade off with the relay since it's a simple on/off system.

firebuff17 · Apr 29, 2015

Thank you blackbetty.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

blackbetty14 · Apr 29, 2015

Klaus96 said:
What is the best way to adhere the strips to the underside of the rails?

I had my tinter install mine and look really good. They come on with the cargo lights or the switch I had installed by the tailgate. Problem is they are falling down...

I find that the cheap LED strips use the cheap thin adhesion tape by 3M, I know for sure that 3M has much better thicker adhesion tapE you could use. Problem is that it would be very hard and messy to remove.

blackbetty14 · Apr 29, 2015

firebuff17 said:
Thank you blackbetty.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No prob, a full 5m strip is about 6amps, so ur looking at 3 amps max per side but mostly likely a slightly less. You could also downgrade the LEDS from 5050 style to a 3285 or something for snaller LEDS and therfore less power.

firebuff17 · Apr 29, 2015

Less power?!?!? Lol. Nope. Not doing less power.. I will do the 2 strips down each side and 1 strip under the front foot wells inside.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

firebuff17 · Sep 9, 2015

Got the running board lights installed today.
Still need to do the footwell and bed rail lights.
Thanks for this awesome mod!!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1441934249.639485.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1441934282.623476.jpg

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

xrsman · Sep 10, 2015

Klaus96 said:
What is the best way to adhere the strips to the underside of the rails?

I had my tinter install mine and look really good. They come on with the cargo lights or the switch I had installed by the tailgate. Problem is they are falling down...

I use gorilla glue on mine to help it stick. Haven't had any fall off or peel

Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk

PCT · Sep 25, 2015

Not to resurrect a post.... I would love to run LED strips in my bed, but I would like to toggle them via the bed light swtich from the cab, how could I tap those into it?

I was thinking pull the rear light cover and tap 18 or 16 gauge wire down the cab under neath the bed and to the lights strips. Would that work or is it more complicated than that, would I have to changes fuses around ext.

blackbetty14 · Sep 25, 2015

Yes basically that's the way to do it. Or tap into thay signal wire that goes there somewhere in the cab. U don't need that thick of wire.... I think I used 22 gauge. I would prob run it to a relay as the signal wire to switch on the relay to power the bed lights. Full LEDS will pull 5-6 amps and I wouldn't want that on the OEM circuitry as you don't know the safe area of the OEM fuse rating.

dkmesa · Jun 4, 2016

Thanks for the writeup! I just did the same setup with white LEDs, same DEI 8600 switch. I noticed it gets very hot. Did yours melt only because the circuit was closed for a long period? (ie if the switch stays in place and keeps the lights off, it will stay cool?)

LilredRam · Jul 27, 2016

Great thread does anyone have a pic of the trailer wiring where i can tap in to get 12v? Is that always 12v power?I want to hook up my bed led lights to a switch too.

Fishman1113 · Jul 25, 2017

What do I need to do to see the pictures in the op? It says (please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting)? Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

blackbetty14 · Jul 25, 2017

Fishman1113 said:
What do I need to do to see the pictures in the op? It says (please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting)? Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Its photobucket trying to charge me for a yearly subscription. I uploaded a few of the original photos to the first post so you can see how it turned out.

Skyjockey · Jul 25, 2017

Fishman1113 said:
What do I need to do to see the pictures in the op? It says (please update your account to enable 3rd party hosting)? Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doing it to me across the entire forum :-(
Can't see anything now

blackbetty14 · Jul 25, 2017

Skyjockey said:
Doing it to me across the entire forum :-(
Can't see anything now

photobucket is now charging for 3rd part hosting lol... PITA! This is why photo hosting is dumb. pictures never last and you can't go to an old thread and see the pics because the OP could have deleted or changed the picture in there hosting site which trickles down.

blackbetty14 · Jul 25, 2017

blackbetty14 said:
Saved for future updates!!!!

So I have made some updates as of 6/17. I removed my cheap nerf bars and added Westin HDX drop steps. They tuck much closer to the rocker so I couldn't reuse my original setup lighting so I made new lighting for the one side already.

I upgraded the 5050 LEDs to the new brighter 5630 red and ran 2 short strips Under the steps only. The LEDs are barely visible from almost any angle and do a better job of illuminating the step as well as the ground underneath.

See pics below.

Made some updates guys. See the quoted post #3 and pics are located in that post as well.

akennedyusmc · Oct 10, 2017

I like this a lot. Those Weston hdx are really nice too!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My Running board lighting mod, bed lighting mod and other lighting mods :)

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

2019 2500 6.4

Senior Member

Senior Member

Junior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Similar threads

Forum statistics

Share this page