Interior is almost done.

looks good !

 

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Could you put up a link to where you found those reverse bulbs?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151032796649?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

Not sure I like this or not....




AFTER

 

I almost like the light one better but the switches, not sure on those… they look funny all one color.
Black switches would look weird too or maybe not.
Did you try it with black switches ?

Won’t the paint wear off the switches ?

It’s good to try different things, no way to know how it will end up until you try.

Did you say you got some square switches ?

 

What do you mean like the light one better?
I tried with the switch itself black..Not sure on that one either..I even tried just the oval part in black...I can't decide





Paint won't wear off...painted my console a year ago. it still looks good.
Scuff plastic..
Use Bulldog adhesion promoter
Use color coat
3 coats satin finish clear

No on the square switches..I was looking for the rectangular bezels around the switches in the photos.
The actual switch is the oval part. The rectangular surround is a removable bezel.

 

The passenger side looks light-gray, while the drivers side looks dark-gray, that’s the reference to the Lighter one.

I think the dark switches and the dark handle looks good.

What about painting the inside area of the door handle the same color as the door panel, then the switches and door handle would stick out more, maybe look better.

Still it is looking good, if all of the interior coloring matches then it should look good.

I’m trying to decide what to do with the Radio Bezel, the one without any switches (Buggman Special). I want to do a Carbon Fiber Overlay but the dark aluminum color looks good too, not sure where to go but I need to get it done soon.

 

Hmm...They are both the same shade of TAN....

 

This one looks light gray on my monitor, funny.



OK on the oval switches and the square bezel, I was thinking the newer square style is what you were after.
I keep my eyes open on e-bay but everyone wants too much.
Maybe something for the custom interior… I hear with the door handle insert they fit in the older style doors and also I heard they light up… another LED project.

 

Lights are on the menu today.
Led's in the front turn signals and Nokya 9500 2500k in the fogs. Big improvments.

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The Fogs Bulbs are 65 watts !?!

You do know the wiring in the Fog Lights were set up for 35 watts, some have gotten away with 55 watt bulbs but now 65 !
Did you do any rewiring for the Fog Light ?

The truck is looking great, the new light are interesting but if you are like me, when my parkers are on the Fogs are on too, sort of early evening running lights… lol, so the 65 watts will be drawing current or not drawing enough current but trying to pull enough current to run in what Ford has determined to be heavy enough gauge wire to run only the 35 watts lamp and just enough wire size in my opinion.

If you haven’t done it you should consider running a new fused power wire with relay and activate through the existing circuit, i.e. the existing fog light wire to activate the relay and turn on/off the Fogs.
Small amount of wire, small amount of time and small amount of money and big results and you will have piece of mind that you are not going to burn up your truck and the fog will burn as bright as possible and maybe last longer.
130 watts of light / 12 volts = 10.6 amps, a 14 gauge wire will do (15 amps rated) but if you have some 12 gauge piece... use it AND run the same gauge wire back to the battery, not to the frame or bumper or, or, just go back to the battery with it and you will have less problems in the future.

If you have already done this,:thumbup:, it is just me ranting but if not really think on it.

Again the truck is looking good, I for one would not like to see it go up in flames.

ltr

 

I don't always have the fogs on. He was showing off for the photo shoot!
I was slightly concerned about the fog wiring, until I read a post by THE electrical guru Rwenzing. He performed the very same swap that I just did. He did not do any wiring change and has been running them for several years. I may upgrade the wiring in the future but I am not in panic mode,YET. I imagine my 03 already has a fog relay, so all that would really need changed is the wire from the relay to the bulbs. And perhaps the wire from B+ to the relay.

Personally I would calculate amps dividing by 13.5 not 12. That would give me 9.6 amps for both 65watt bulbs and 5.1 amps for the 35 watt bulbs. A difference of 4.5 amps. I will check the wire size feeding both lamps and not the pigtail going to each individual lamp. I am curious.
For some interesting information, check out the actual current carrying capacity (ampacity) of different wire gauges. It is actually much higher than the NEC ratings for commercial/house wiring. It's how auto mfgr's get by with such small wire.

 

Here is rwenzing's post

My observation is that there have been no apparent problems with using the 65W bulbs in my 2003's foglamp housings. I make no promises for anyone else.

Comparing the 2003 factory foglamp wiring to the 2003 factory high beam wiring:

• Hot side wire gauge is the exactly the same for both - 18 ga throughout
• Ground side wire gauge is the exactly the same for both - 20 ga
• Overall, it appears that the fog wiring has similar length wire runs when compared to the high wiring

So, using the factory wiring to the 65W highs as a yardstick, it doesn't seem to me that there should be a wiring temperature issue with 65W fogs. However, that's just my opinion based only on what I see in the schematics. Nothing more. No science. No testing.

The only thing I would question is the effect on bulb temperature due to the difference in volume between the small foglamp housing and the larger headlight housing. I don't see this as a problem for the wiring or sockets but it might have some impact on bulb life. Again, no problems observed with mine which have been working well for about 8 years. Worth a mention anyway though.

Link to other forum thread on fog light upgradehttp://www.rangerpowersports.com/forum/electrical-tech-197/oem-ranger-fog-light-bulbs-280948/
​

 

I wouldn’t argue with anything Bob has/had to say; the man knows his stuff, especially about Ford Ranger and has helped me in more than a few wiring problems.

That said, I still hold to the idea to use a new fused power feed for the Fog Lights and run the grounds back to the battery or a terminal near the battery that in turn is hooked to the battery.

I have seen so many Lighting Systems fail or become faulty on the trail and have helped people fix their wiring woes because of inadequate factory wiring and bad grounding, that I will always tell people to set up a new circuit for the aftermarket lighting or when you exceeding the OEM Spec in existing lighting.
Again, using the OEM Wiring to activate a relay, OK I’m for that, but no further.

Once you have setup the new power side of the circuit and know it will work, if something goes wrong with the lights you can trouble shoot the problem to either the new wiring or the factory latching system, that easy and that easy to fix.
To go a little further, if you are using an OEM Fog Light switch you might consider one of The Buggman’s Adapter Harnesses to cut out all of the factory wiring and in turn reduce the problem areas almost completely.

Again, no offense to Bob, a good man to do what he does for us Ranger Owners and I thank him for it but I know what I am happy with and if you are happy with your wiring the way it is then so be it.

All I am trying to do is post an opinion, of course my opinion, and I might add an educated and long time tried methodology, that works well.

Remember the easy way out is not always the best way even though a lot of people use it.

 

No problems:thumbsup:..I like to hear everyone's opinion. You keep me on my toes and that can be good. I am a trained electrician and I do keep an eye and NOSE open for issues.
I want to let you know that I was not arguing with you. I was just stating my source. The internet makes it tough to tell the difference sometimes.

Before my heart surgery, I would have rewired the whole truck just because I could. Now I have to choose where to use the energy that I have. The whole no garage thing kind of dampens my projects also..literally:cry:..

 

Shawn, no problem, we are always getting in each others way… !
No argument, no getting pi$$ed, just talking, just making comments.
(Could have sworn there was a BEER - Smiles to add here).

Being bettered by Bob is not the worst thing in the world either way so you can pull the "Bob Ace Card" anytime you want or need to.

Thanks for the concern but I do not get hurt/angry/pi$$ed or otherwise over posting on here or any site, it is not worth it.

Ltr,

 

This does remind me to get a used under hood power distribution panel. I want to be able to add relays in the stock panel. I hate having them screwed to the inner fenders.

 

There you go.
Something always pops up.

A power distribution terminal strip or panel is a good thing, it also cleans up the battery terminals and only one wire is needed.

No matter what you add to the truck, always run your grounds back to the battery area.
Most problems in the electrical areas of vehicle can be found in faulty grounding.
All of my lighting in the past, not this truck yet, has new power wires and new ground wires, both the same size and run to a distribution location next to the battery.
By keeping the distribution close to the battery you keep the fused size of the power (battery to distribution panel or Relay), to a minimum and reducing any possibility of fire.

Everyone is different, everyone comes from different backgrounds; me, I am an Electrical Engineer by Degree and worked as a Quality Assurance Engineer for the last 30 years, ya I am OLD and I have been in 4 wheeling for 20 years. I find that I am a lot more critical about wiring thing than most people, so i just attempt to let people know that there is an alternative and it is their choice.

Good Luck on the wiring, if I was closer I would come by and assist you in your project but, a little too far and my moving to SoCal is limiting my helping anyone lately.

LTR
GOD Bless

 

Ohhh...Now I understand...Electrical Engineer...one of those...:icon_cheesygrin:

As I look back, I could have gone to school and became an Engineer. Woulda, coulda, shoulda...
Instead I went for the application and repair route. I spent 20 years as the main electrician for a fleet of 130 school buses. Now I repair and custom build pressure washers. I deal with engineers a bit. You guys keep us guys honest..Ha Ha Ha..
Engineers can overbuild, but considering the average user/abuser of equipment, they have to. I am not the average ab-user.

I NEVER increase any fuse from designated size. I trust that Ford put the fuses in according to wire size. The first hint of a blown fuse and I will be all over completely rewiring the fog lights. Grounds are always the first/main cause of electrical issues on vehicles. Especially with lighting, vehicles need the shortest path from power to load. The biggest plus with that is to eliminate voltage drop as much as possible. Optimum voltage means optimum lighting. Longer wire increases resistance and drops voltage. Shorter, bigger wire means less resistance and higher voltage.
I am sure you know all of this. I want to post it for future readers....

Great conversation Scrambler. Most guys don't understand electricity and so many are afraid of it. It's usually tough to have a real conversation about it. I have seen so many incredibly scary backyard wiring jobs..Maintenance men can do "interesting" wiring also. Some guys must not understand how fast 460v 3ph can make you dead..

 

LTR

I hope to carry on this and other conversations on this site.