Need help with some electrical wiring questions

[Pemerling]

hey everyone its been a while since ive been here... I sold my explorer and got my dodge ram last may... anyway im currently putting new lights on my truck but Ive been wanting to put a set of turn indicators on each side of my toolbox so the idiots here in boston can see that im turning. I was wondering how am i to go about tying it in to the turn signals and how to get them to blink... ideally id like to have them on all the time when my running lights are on and then blink when turning (left and right) independently ie right turn = right side blinking.. please any help would be great.. it would be awesome to see this work.
thanks
pete

 

[Alec]

In the truck's taillamps: are there separate turn and running lamps, or do the running/brake lamps also function as turn signals? If they're together, it would be really easy, just tap off of them. If not, not that much harder.

Basically you could just run a trailer-type harness to the new turn signals. If you already have trailer wiring, it's already done!

 

[Pemerling]

ive got a trailer harnes on it.. the brake lights are seperate from the turn signal lights but the running lights and turn signal lights are together so i guess i could do that.. how would i run it off the trailer wiring harnes and how would it work.. thanks for the help

 

[Pemerling]

oh by the wya im also on instant messanger if u wanna sign on it might easier than typing back and forth.. appreciate the help...

 

[Alec]

really easy since you have the trailer harness. Everything will be wired through that: brake, running, turning (each side), and ground. You just need to get the appropriate matching harness to plug into the truck and make sure it's long enough to run back to the toolbox. Then you figure out which wire does what in the harness and connect those to the lights. As long as the new lamps are run-of-the-mill and not special high wattage or anything, the trailer harness will be sufficient and you don't need to run any relays or additional wires besides the trailer harness.

EDIT: You're basically making your toolbox a trailer.

 

[Pemerling]

well i guess that is the easiest way to do it.. i was kinda hoping to run it without using my trailer wires so that i can still pull my trailers .. do you have any suggestion for that ? also i noticed on your car you had a black plastic case on top of your battery.. where did you get that and does it act as a fuse block.. i currently have an auxilary fuse block running my other lights and stuff but would like to make it a bit neater. thanks for the help

 

[Alec]

When you pull a trailer just unplug the toolbox and plug in the trailer. I had a similar setup with the extra lights on my CRL bumper on Splat.

The fuseblock on the VW is a stock item.