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2nd switch bezel in a TJ

14K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  scoobyjeep 
#1 ·
I followed a writeup at http://home.comcast.net/~tjdreams/MyJeep.html to add a second bezel to my TJ. I followed it for the cutting part, but for the wiring, I had to figure things out myself.

I have (or will have) 4 sets of aux lighting that I want to control and I'm tired of having stickon switches on the dash. I didn't want to mess with OEM switches as they are pricier and I didn't want to search junkyards for those.

I won't go into the steps to do it (cutting) as the above site covers that VERY well.

Here is what I have got...

Parts -
Bezel from a TJ - 7.00 or so at a junkyard
4 ARB switches (Carling manufacturer PN V1D1J66B -7.30 each from www.offroadtoystore.com
4 ARB actuator (covers) with blue lenses PN VVAYC00-000 - 1.30 each from www.otrattw.com Thanks GEEPS!!!

Tools -
Phillips screwdriver
wire stripper
wire butt splices
wire spade connectors
wire cutters
18 or 16 ga wire



Cigarette hole is filled with Cobra 75WxST mounting grommet so I can run the CB's connect to this and have it look clean (more in a bit).


Installed with all switches (except one)


Installed and working


The 4 and 5 switches are powered for dash illumination, but no lights are connected yet. Switch 1 and 2 are my lockers. Switch 3 is my front fogs and Switch 6 is my rear fogs (which are also wired to go on with my reverse gear).



As for wiring, I used this image as my base.



For IPF wired lights, the black is ground (lead #8), the red is power from the fuse block (Lead #2) and white is for the relay/solenoid (whatever your powering) (Lead #3). Other switches are probably the same.

That leaves leads 6 and 7. Lead #7 is the ground for the dash illumination and Lead #6 is the lead for dash power. Finding a power source for this, I had a couple of choices. I could use one of the orange wires from the HVAC or the stereo dimmer function, but I didn't want to splice into the HVAC and I didn't want to run a longer wire from the stereo harness to the switches. I had a wiring harness by my ARB's that was factory, but never used. I'm suspecting either rear wiper or defrost (neither of which my soft top TJ has - and won't have). I snipped the orange wire coming to this useless harness (to me) and spliced it into a setup that had 4 wires, one for each switch to be wired. I used 18 gauge wire and used insulated spade connectors to wire the #6 lead on all switches.





Now to get these wires into where the ashtray was, I drilled a 3/4" hole in the dash cover directly below the HVAC (with HVAC removed of course) and ran the wires through that hole. No problems. I have another hole for the CB wire because I relocated the CB from under the Tuffy to behind the dash.

I added the CB wiring so I can plug in my 75WxST in to this location. However, there is NO space behind the dash in that area for me. I have XM and iPod interfaces, GPS hardwiring, and vents back there. Add to that the wire from the 75's little box is only about 5" and I was VERY limited in where I could put it and get the cable to the bezel.

Putting pressure on it to tighten the lock ring the bezel will pop in and look stupid, so I'm using some PVC connector (the 1 3/4" long ones that connect 2 PVC pipes) as a channel to run the CB wire behind the bezel. This will do 2 things. It will keep the CB wire straight instead of the angle you see below. AND it will provide a backing to the bezel to give it some rigidity. This will be installed tonight or tomorrow.

I'll add more pics at that point.

The pics above aren't the best and makes the install look messy. Cutting IS messy and I haven't cleaned up all the dust or finished off the edges. I wanted to make sure everything fit and worked before doing the final cleanup. :)
 
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#5 ·
hehe thanks.

I added the PVC connector last night to make the bezel a bit more solid. Dremeled out a little notch in one end and this is actually held in place by the CB's cable that runs behind it. The notch lets it sit flat.

The cool part is that the PVC spacer is the PERFECT length for what I needed it to do. I'll try to get a pic of my setup at night with everything lit. It looks pretty clean.
 
#6 ·
Great job! Looks factory, keeps your interior very clean! Love it!:cool:
 
#7 ·
Looks pretty cool at night with the bank of blue switches along the bottom. Matches the stereo perfectly and nearly matches the HVAC.

I'm putting in blue or superwhite dash lights to get rid of that dirty yellow-ish color of my stock dash lights.

I hope it comes out okay. :)
 
#8 ·
very, very nice! Job well done.
 
#11 ·
Follow the link in the first post. It describes much better how it is done (esp since I didn't take pictures of that process).

Basically, I dremeled out the back of the ashtray fairly close to the opening, sanded it down, then test fit the 2nd bezel. You have to cut the back sides off the 2nd bezel so it locks into place with the first one that is already there (described and shown in that link).

I went one step further and added a PVC connector behind the bezel. This kept the CB cable straight and looking good in front, kept the cable from moving around, and provided a solid backing to the bezel so it is that much more solid. The PVC connector I used was the perfect length.

You could easily glue it to the back of the bezel, but I chose not to as the CB wire for my Cobra keeps it from moving around.
 
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