I need to get 'always on' power to my center console in order to wire up a 175 watt power inverter. I am planning on running 12 guage wire to it. Where would be the best place to 'take off' from? The fuse/breaker panel is kind of tough to draw power from, for me anyways. Anybody have a good way of doing it? I thought about coming straight from the battery, (might be overkill for my purpose) but how/where do I get through the firewall?

2003 SuperCrew King Ranch

 

Straight from the battery - no question. Get a REALLY good fuse block too.

Lots of entry points - grommets on the firewall, and in the door sills. If you run under the truck use Coreline to protect the cabling.

 

If you run to the battery make sure you put the fuse as close as possible to the battery. I like to keep it just inches away, the closer the better.

 

My 1000w inverter is powered right off the battery. I have an optima and I used the side terminals. I bought a cheap set of booster cables with 4 gauge wire and used that. The insulation is thick and the best part was the cheap price. A buddy of mine who does Stereo installs set up the mega 80 amp fuse off the battery.

JMC

 

I am just not finding any convenient spot to get wire into the cabin. The grommet on on the door jamb is obviously intended to be a complete weather-proof seal and I sure don't want to break into that. I have grommets, but no way to get a good angle to drill into that part of the wall. Can't even see much of anything on the firewall, let alone where it comes out inside the cabin.

 

Pull the sill plate on the passenger side and you will see one there in the rocker panel. Here is a pic of mine.

JMC

 

175 watts is not that much current,
Take it from the power point in the dash along side the cig lighter.
175 watts = 13.6 volts x about 13 amps = 177 watts.
Why go to over kill.

 

Get a battery with top and side terminals and run it directly from the battery. Even though its not a lot of draw, its always the best bet. Dont forget the fuse though. Something around 25-35 should be enough.