Adding auxilary power to the fold down center seat console
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Adding auxilary power to the fold down center seat console
I have a 2002 F-150 sport Scab. It has a fold down seat in the middle with a console built into the back of the seat. (So you have the option of having a seat in the middle or a console) See photo below. There's also a link to a video of a truck with the same setup as mine that can give you a better idea of what I'm working with.
What I would like to do is add a cigarette lighter auxiliary socket inside the center console so I could add a cell phone charger in there. I'll take a couple of better photos tonight including inside the center console.
What would the best way to tap into a power supply? Right now I assume the smartest route would be to run a new line from the fuse panel along the floor toward the center of the truck and then straight back under the carpet to the pillar for the center seat. Then find a bolt or something around there I can attach the ground. Most importantly I need to leave enough slack to allow the seat to slide along the track and also fold down or be put upright. It looks like the wires could be tucked in behind some plastic as I fish them up the seat pillar. The real question is, how hard is it to take apart the insides of the console to add the adapter? Ideally I'd like to pop out the plastic interals and drill a hole in the corner so the power supply will be recessed. (So the hole would face the rear of the truck and the body of the outlet would be inside the cushion of the console under the cupholders. I'm not sure if this is doable or not. There doesn't appear to be any screws holding the plastic into the console. I don't want to destroy it pulling things apart.
Any advice is appreciated.
What I would like to do is add a cigarette lighter auxiliary socket inside the center console so I could add a cell phone charger in there. I'll take a couple of better photos tonight including inside the center console.
What would the best way to tap into a power supply? Right now I assume the smartest route would be to run a new line from the fuse panel along the floor toward the center of the truck and then straight back under the carpet to the pillar for the center seat. Then find a bolt or something around there I can attach the ground. Most importantly I need to leave enough slack to allow the seat to slide along the track and also fold down or be put upright. It looks like the wires could be tucked in behind some plastic as I fish them up the seat pillar. The real question is, how hard is it to take apart the insides of the console to add the adapter? Ideally I'd like to pop out the plastic interals and drill a hole in the corner so the power supply will be recessed. (So the hole would face the rear of the truck and the body of the outlet would be inside the cushion of the console under the cupholders. I'm not sure if this is doable or not. There doesn't appear to be any screws holding the plastic into the console. I don't want to destroy it pulling things apart.
Any advice is appreciated.
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Easton, Pa.
Any way you do it, use the best wire you can find for outer covering toughness. None with cheap plastic covering.
You might get some wire from an auto from a yard.
Leave enough slack and dress so it dos not get damaged.
Fuse the lead at the source for no more than 10 to 15% of the expected current draw as a safety measure should a ground out occur..
Good luck.
You might get some wire from an auto from a yard.
Leave enough slack and dress so it dos not get damaged.
Fuse the lead at the source for no more than 10 to 15% of the expected current draw as a safety measure should a ground out occur..
Good luck.
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So I got around to doing this mod this past week. It came out great and looks pretty professional. I wish I had taken more pics as I went along but I'll try to write a good narrative and will add the pics I took a little later.
-To start I pulled the console out of the truck so it would be easier to work with. I wanted to mount the aux power inside the console and mount it in a way it would look factory. Thus I choose to drill a hole in the bottom, front, drivers side corner about an inch in diameter to accomodate the aux power I pulled out of a chrysler at the junkyard. You can use whatever one you want but I went with one that has a flip lid that way if I'm not using it I can put the cap on so nothing happens to slide in there.
Running the wire was time consuming. To do it in the console I first
took a nail and held it over a candle. Waited til it was hot and then
i used that to put a hole in the plastic inside the console so i could
hit it with the drill. Then I drilled out the plastic so the
cigarette lighter would fit in there. Then I did the hot nail thing
again to burn out some of the styrofoam inside the seat so the power
adapter would fit in it. Then I had to fish the wire through the seat
cushion and up along the inside of the stryofoam and out the holes in
the back of the seat.
As for the truck I cut a little slit in the carpet under the center
seat. Then I fished a coat hanger through that hole toward the front
of the truck where the stick is for the transfer case. Then pulled
wire through. Did same from transfer case to carpet under dash. Then
I used one of those splitter connectors and tied in to the wire the
previous owner had run to a switch to power those lights on the push
bar. So right now the socket is always hot regardless if the truck is
on or not. I may look into relocating that power cord off the battery
and see if there is a solenoid outlet I can tie into like the old
truck. (There is a fusable link) about a foot off the battery so no
risk of fire).
As for the ground wire there are metal arms that come up the bottom of
the seat to the console portion. I drilled a hole in one and then
tapped it. I screwed the ground wire right into that. I figured no
need to run more wire than I need to. That stuff all gets covered up
by plastic housings. You wouldn't even know it was there unless you
looked under the seat or opened the console to see the adapter.
-To start I pulled the console out of the truck so it would be easier to work with. I wanted to mount the aux power inside the console and mount it in a way it would look factory. Thus I choose to drill a hole in the bottom, front, drivers side corner about an inch in diameter to accomodate the aux power I pulled out of a chrysler at the junkyard. You can use whatever one you want but I went with one that has a flip lid that way if I'm not using it I can put the cap on so nothing happens to slide in there.
Running the wire was time consuming. To do it in the console I first
took a nail and held it over a candle. Waited til it was hot and then
i used that to put a hole in the plastic inside the console so i could
hit it with the drill. Then I drilled out the plastic so the
cigarette lighter would fit in there. Then I did the hot nail thing
again to burn out some of the styrofoam inside the seat so the power
adapter would fit in it. Then I had to fish the wire through the seat
cushion and up along the inside of the stryofoam and out the holes in
the back of the seat.
As for the truck I cut a little slit in the carpet under the center
seat. Then I fished a coat hanger through that hole toward the front
of the truck where the stick is for the transfer case. Then pulled
wire through. Did same from transfer case to carpet under dash. Then
I used one of those splitter connectors and tied in to the wire the
previous owner had run to a switch to power those lights on the push
bar. So right now the socket is always hot regardless if the truck is
on or not. I may look into relocating that power cord off the battery
and see if there is a solenoid outlet I can tie into like the old
truck. (There is a fusable link) about a foot off the battery so no
risk of fire).
As for the ground wire there are metal arms that come up the bottom of
the seat to the console portion. I drilled a hole in one and then
tapped it. I screwed the ground wire right into that. I figured no
need to run more wire than I need to. That stuff all gets covered up
by plastic housings. You wouldn't even know it was there unless you
looked under the seat or opened the console to see the adapter.
Thread Starter
|
Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
So I got around to doing this mod this past week. It came out great and looks pretty professional. I wish I had taken more pics as I went along but I'll try to write a good narrative and will add the pics I took a little later.
-To start I pulled the console out of the truck so it would be easier to work with. I wanted to mount the aux power inside the console and mount it in a way it would look factory. Thus I choose to drill a hole in the bottom, front, drivers side corner about an inch in diameter to accomodate the aux power I pulled out of a chrysler at the junkyard. You can use whatever one you want but I went with one that has a flip lid that way if I'm not using it I can put the cap on so nothing happens to slide in there.
Running the wire was time consuming. To do it in the console I first
took a nail and held it over a candle. Waited til it was hot and then
i used that to put a hole in the plastic inside the console so i could
hit it with the drill. Then I drilled out the plastic so the
cigarette lighter would fit in there. Then I did the hot nail thing
again to burn out some of the styrofoam inside the seat so the power
adapter would fit in it. Then I had to fish the wire through the seat
cushion and up along the inside of the stryofoam and out the holes in
the back of the seat.
As for the truck I cut a little slit in the carpet under the center
seat. Then I fished a coat hanger through that hole toward the front
of the truck where the stick is for the transfer case. Then pulled
wire through. Did same from transfer case to carpet under dash. Then
I used one of those splitter connectors and tied in to the wire the
previous owner had run to a switch to power those lights on the push
bar. So right now the socket is always hot regardless if the truck is
on or not. I may look into relocating that power cord off the battery
and see if there is a solenoid outlet I can tie into like the old
truck. (There is a fusable link) about a foot off the battery so no
risk of fire).
As for the ground wire there are metal arms that come up the bottom of
the seat to the console portion. I drilled a hole in one and then
tapped it. I screwed the ground wire right into that. I figured no
need to run more wire than I need to. That stuff all gets covered up
by plastic housings. You wouldn't even know it was there unless you
looked under the seat or opened the console to see the adapter.
-To start I pulled the console out of the truck so it would be easier to work with. I wanted to mount the aux power inside the console and mount it in a way it would look factory. Thus I choose to drill a hole in the bottom, front, drivers side corner about an inch in diameter to accomodate the aux power I pulled out of a chrysler at the junkyard. You can use whatever one you want but I went with one that has a flip lid that way if I'm not using it I can put the cap on so nothing happens to slide in there.
Running the wire was time consuming. To do it in the console I first
took a nail and held it over a candle. Waited til it was hot and then
i used that to put a hole in the plastic inside the console so i could
hit it with the drill. Then I drilled out the plastic so the
cigarette lighter would fit in there. Then I did the hot nail thing
again to burn out some of the styrofoam inside the seat so the power
adapter would fit in it. Then I had to fish the wire through the seat
cushion and up along the inside of the stryofoam and out the holes in
the back of the seat.
As for the truck I cut a little slit in the carpet under the center
seat. Then I fished a coat hanger through that hole toward the front
of the truck where the stick is for the transfer case. Then pulled
wire through. Did same from transfer case to carpet under dash. Then
I used one of those splitter connectors and tied in to the wire the
previous owner had run to a switch to power those lights on the push
bar. So right now the socket is always hot regardless if the truck is
on or not. I may look into relocating that power cord off the battery
and see if there is a solenoid outlet I can tie into like the old
truck. (There is a fusable link) about a foot off the battery so no
risk of fire).
As for the ground wire there are metal arms that come up the bottom of
the seat to the console portion. I drilled a hole in one and then
tapped it. I screwed the ground wire right into that. I figured no
need to run more wire than I need to. That stuff all gets covered up
by plastic housings. You wouldn't even know it was there unless you
looked under the seat or opened the console to see the adapter.
