This may sound like a simple thing, but simple things are giving me joy in a dark time right now: I’ve got working brake lights. After spending the time and money to source a new wiring harness, pull out the dashboard, swap in the wiring, and replace everything, I was much closer to a street-legal truck:
- All four running lights work.
- The headlights work.
- The turn signals work, after some grounding issues.
- The dash lights all work.
- The heater works.
- The license plate light works.
- The truck starts from the key.
But that wasn’t everything, and there was one major roadblock:
- The brake lights didn’t work.
- The high-beams cut off the running lights; this isn’t a dealbreaker.
- There is wiring for a dome light, but it’s constant power right now—there’s no way to turn it off.
Doing a little research, I realized I’d swapped the old brake light switch from the original brake master onto the new one, and most likely it was broken or clogged. I found a new one on Amazon (after some dedicated research) and swapped it in this afternoon. In two minutes, I had working brake lights.
So next up, I’m going to sort out the dome light situation, and wire three in parallel—two over the seats, and one for the rear cargo area. And as I mentioned before, I’ve got a plan for an additional fuse panel with switched power for more accessories.