New Project: Push Button M-Series Light Switch

[slosurfer]

doesnt look too bad price wise if you can win that auction near the starting bid... as long as it doesnt get up to the $50 buy it now price... lol

NO Kidding! I got excited about them at first, when I saw the low price, then I looked at the buy it now price. I really don't have the need for them, so I'll just use regular bullet connectors. The mil spec ones really would be overkill for something that is just under the dash.

If I were to build a open rockcrawler, I would definately consider doing it all mil spec.

[reggie 00]

ah i see now said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.


I agree those connectors would be a bit over kill.

If you wanted something easy and weather proof, wouldn't some simple blue bullet connectors and some silicone and heat shrink tubing work?

[slosurfer]

Yeah reggie, those will work great. That's what I have connecting my four flat towing plug to my m416 trailer harness. They will plug right into the mil spec ones.

The only reason I'm considering soldering the bullet connectors on and then do the shrinkwrap, instead of crimped bullet connectors, is A)for the challenge and to learn something new and B) there area a lot of wires right there in that bundle and the crimped connectors might make it too unruly. (although it might not be that bad, LOL)

[reggie 00]

Soldering connectors is pretty easy.

Heat up the solder and fill the connector, while its still hot insert the wire. Let cool done. Get a little pin torch. Just don't catch your self on fire.

That's how you would do say an 0 gauge wire battery terminal.

[slosurfer]

Yeah, I found a youtube vid of how to do it and was like "damn that's easy" Plus I get to go get another tool, since I don't have a solder gun

[slosurfer]

Starting to rethink where I'm going to mount this switch.

Here's where I'm thinking of mounting it.
Beware this isn't a true mockup, just seeing if it even fits there with what I was thinking.


ignore the switch being upside down


Basically I will build something that will extend my center console and replace the area that is above the little cubby hole before the switches in front of the shifters. I will have to pull the console to make a proper mock up, but it will be angled slightly more downward and I want to make the top part hinged (basically where the duct tape is), so that it will make it easy to access the wireing when needed. Also, it would make a good spot to add another 12v plug.

Couple reasons for wanting to put it there.
1. I can keep my elocker and winch controls up on the dash and out of the way from accidentally getting turned on.

2. This switch and the plug on the back of it, need a deep space to fit, and I don't think it would have fit where I wanted it to. The only other place would have been on the dash on the passenger side, which I would have no problem reaching but would have looked odd.

I may also take that gaudy looking control panel for the rock lights and stash it inside this box and hardwire it to the switch. Then I can turn it on and off with the switch and then I will just use the remote if I want to use the other play functions and the control panel will be hidden out of view.


I sat in there and moved the shifters around like I was driving and with it angled down a little more, it was totally out of the way. Only thing is, I'll be loseing that little cubby, but all that ever sits there is pennies, trash, and keys.

[4x4mike]

Cool. I like my switches in or on the console because it's easy routing to the front, rear and bottom of the vehicle. You've got on mondo switch and the rear plug in is pretty burly.

[slosurfer]

I was totally thinking of how you were saying that you ran your wires when I was thinking of putting the switch there. If I can make it how I picture it, I'm hoping the flip up lid will make it easy to work with. I'm thinking of hitting up a jyard to see if I can find one of these center consoles to use for mock ups. It's hard to do the mock up on it while it's in the vehicle, the 2nd gens are tight in there, but it would be sweet to have one to mock up on a bench and then move the mock up to the 4runner to see if it fits.

I'm also considering extending all the wires on the switch plug (even the ones that won't be used right away) and running them up to under the dash somewhere. That way it will be really easy to add accessories to the switch.

Another thought/dream would be to move the switch over more passenger side and install a switch on the front of the box and one of these Rail Shifters, so I could switch it and manually control the transmission shifts. Of course that's just a dream. One of the baja shifters would be cool, but there's no room for one of those unless I totally redid the console and removed the rear heater in it.

[corax]

If I can make it how I picture it, I'm hoping the flip up lid will make it easy to work with. I'm thinking of hitting up a jyard to see if I can find one of these center consoles to use for mock ups. It's hard to do the mock up on it while it's in the vehicle, the 2nd gens are tight in there, but it would be sweet to have one to mock up on a bench and then move the mock up to the 4runner to see if it fits. . . .
. . . . Another thought/dream would be to move the switch over more passenger side and install a switch on the front of the box and one of these Rail Shifters, so I could switch it and manually control the transmission shifts. Of course that's just a dream. One of the baja shifters would be cool, but there's no room for one of those unless I totally redid the console and removed the rear heater in it.

how about a custom job like this one? It's not as hard as it looks (thin plywood, felt/that unused Snuggy you have laying around, fiberglass resin, sand paper)

thread link from that other forum

although this is one of my favorites

yet another thread link from that other site

[slosurfer]

Kevin, that first one you posted is awesome! I kind of want to make something right now, I'm pretty sure I already have a bunch of fiberglass and resin left over from fixing my surfboard (split the nose in half lengthwise )

I don't think I'm ready to do a whole center console yet, but that technique would be cool to even use for adding on to the existing console.

4rnr's set up is really cool too. I can see having to go that route if I ever do an engine swap or go to duals. He actually had (got rid of it when he went to a 3.4) a similar shifting setup like I want to get, except his was with up/down buttons rather than a rail shifter. You really open up a lot more space for adding stuff when you raise the whole thing up like he did. I'm not sure how hard it would be to raise the whole stock shifting assembly up that high as I know with the auto 3.0 it's hard to do a big body lift because of the shift cables not having much lenght adjustment in them.