I know there are a lot of us that wish there were more than one power outlet in these little cars. I was always struggling to swap around the plug-in for my phone charger, radar detector, GPS, and then if I had a passenger that needed to charge their phone, well, it was bedlam! The purpose of this post is to show how I added a four circuit AUX fuse box to my car and hard-wired some of my devices to it, and then added another power outlet in the center console. The parts I bought were all sourced at the local Autozone store. I had most of everything else. (The connectors, wire, etc)
Parts list.
1 Four circuit fuse panel. (Could be more if you need more)
2 12 volt relay. (Like for a horn or something with a lot of draw is best)
3 Add-a-fuse tap. (You've seen these just about everywhere for adding accessories to your OEM fuse box)
4 12 volt power outlet. (Like the old cigarette lighter socket)
That's it!
There isn't a lot of room in these little cars, but I found a bit of space behind the dash. There is a panel that pops off on the end of the dashboard when you have the drivers door open. I ran a pretty heavy wire to the battery and fused it right at the terminal, & then ran it thru the firewall to that location behind the dash.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
Above is the battery connection. Obviously, I removed the fuse during construction to prevent any smoke from escaping the circuitry. :)
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Above is the new fuse box.
I wired up the 12 V relay to the new fuse box like so... The new fuse panel shuts down when the key is turned off since the trigger wire, from the "add-a-fuse" is wired into the OEM fuse box in a location that is switched. Through trial & error I found one that worked the way I wanted it to work.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
I have my radar detector mounted between the seats where that useless little "air blocker" thingy lives. I removed that thing and mounted my radar detector there. I can hear it there just fine, even with the top down, but it's hard to reach the power off button, so I added a 12 V SPST lighted switch in the dashboard where the passenger airbag switch lives. I just popped out the blank and popped in the switch. It was too bright, so I added some red nail polish to darken it a bit. Kept adding coat after coat until I was happy with it.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
And...
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Just cram it all in there behind the panel...
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
The next thing I did was install the new power outlet in the center console. I won't bother with explaining how to get the center console out since it is probably already covered elsewhere in this forum. Suffice it to say, the window switches were b1tches! :D
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
While I had my center console out I thought it best to mount my RAM mount ball for my GPS cradle. Yeah, I'm not using a smart phone for a GPS. I already had this Garmin Zumo 450 that I was using on my Goldwing, it still works great, it was expensive, and I'm not going to just toss it out. Deal with it. :mrgreen:
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
Here's a shot of it in a finished state...
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
And the radar detector... (Valentine One)
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
I am using the V1 "remote display" mounted front and center just above the "oh-so-useful" oil pressure gauge. I can still see it well enough.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
V1 Mounting tray. It was removed from the Wing and modified to fit here.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
The best part about having it mounted here is that nobody expects it to be there so it goes mostly un-noticed. With the top down, no one sees it there, and with the top up, it is virtually invisible. (Got a pretty dark tint on the rear glass)
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
Ya can't even see it, right?
So to recap, the four new circuits supply power for the V1, the Garmin, the new outlet in the center console and the last one for my GMRS radio.
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
It took a little work but was able to mount the magnetic base right here...
https://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a...D550/ry%3D400/
That's all there is to it! Enjoy!:8):
