Roofrack Side Lights

We have been using portable lights when camping and although these work well, we decided that we need to improve our methods. What we decided was to fit lights into the Rhino roof rack and get rid of the portable lights.

After some considerable research the Narva L.E.D Awning Lamp with PIR Sensor Model Number 87792 looked like it would fit the bill perfectly.

I wired the switches in such a manner that each light can be switch on/off or in sensor mode.

The lights are fitted into the side of the Rhino roof rack with the wire coming from the cabin of the Pajero to the roof rack via a hole drilled into the roof of the truck and the bottom of the roof rack. The wiring is then run through the internal roof rack tubing to its position at the side.

The lights only come in white so the covers which are removable need to be painted black. An auto undercoat for plastic was used before the topcoat in black.

When the Dual Battery was installed I ran 6 B&S cable from the engine bay to a Blue Sea 5026 12 Way Fuse Box fitted in the boot area of the Pajero. The Blue Sea 5026 was chosen for its 12 connection points (for future expansion) and it has a positive and negative bus, which allows both positive and negative to be run back to the fuse box, rather than earthing the negative to the nearest bare metal. I had done research about the best place to earth accessories and could not find a definite answer. Some say earth to bare metal, others earth back to the battery. In the end I decided to earth back to the fuse box (which earths back to the battery) for ease of installing accessories.

The switches are located near the 3rd row seat belt on the left hand side of the truck, two thirds of the way up.
This area was chosen to ensure there was enough depth for the switches and wiring as not to contact the bodywork, also for me it was the most convenient spot for reaching.
I did hurry this part of the installation and didn’t take due care as can been seen by the marks around the switches, not being level and spaced correctly.
The first switch (on/off) on the left with the red light is for a cabin light fitted in rear of the truck. The blue and
orange lights (on/off) are to supply power to left and right lights. The two unlighted (on/off/on) are for switching the lights on or to sensor mode. Two switches for each light are required for operation. Switch the power on then switch the on/off/on switch to sensor or light mode. The lights receive power from a distribution box fitted behind the air vent in the rear of the cabin. The vent has been cut out to allow access to the fuses.

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