Pickup bed "build out" of my long bed GMC sierra

[FESTER665]

I need to build something kinda like this in my work van, the space between the wheel wells is like 47" or something stupid, just short enough to not be able to lay down full sheets of plywood or drywall, need to build a platform above them so I can grab full size sheets and lay them down.

Looking at some of these things would be sweet to instead of having to pitch a tent and all that just crash inside the van like they did in the 70's, minus the shag carpeting everywhere. HAHA

 

[Frank Dukes]

thats amazingly lazy engineering to make a space 47" wide in a work van.

 

[FESTER665]

thats amazingly lazy engineering to make a space 47" wide in a work van.

To be fair it might be like 46" or something, but in any case you have to lay sheets on top of one wheel well while the other one is down on the wall...

Not a tiny van either, It's a Chevy Express 2500.

 

[Yaj Yak]

so stumbling around trying to find a stud thing i saw for @sleeplerls and stumbled on this wiring website.

this is awesome.

https://www.waytekwire.com/item/36662/Cole-Hersee-46211-R-Battery-Feeder-Stud-Red-/


for getting power through a firewall, or bed, without having a wire exposed to the metal. but having a solid connection.



still looking for the stud thing for sleeperls though.

 

[Yaj Yak]

some of these builds are so INSANELY clean & perfect and well thought out, it's just amazing how much planning had to go into some of these.

Capture Colorado 01 TRD Taco - GOAE build - Page 4 - Expedition Portal

 

[RICH17]

 

[Chester Copperpot]

Electrical stuff can be an art form, that's for sure. As noted above.

 

[Yaj Yak]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-csumg1431/overview/

leaving this here so i remember what they are called

 

[Rent Free]

thats amazingly lazy engineering to make a space 47" wide in a work van.

didnt get this at 1st then the light bulb went off.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-csumg1431/overview/

leaving this here so i remember what they are called

Is there any sort of covers for them to shield accidental touching of the positive side?

 

[Rent Free]

Is tgere any sort of covers for them to shield accidental touching of the positive side?

there

 

[Yaj Yak]

Is tgere any sort of covers for them to shield accidental touching of the positive side?

yeah these will cover the entire stud on either side, the metal collar isn't charged.

just have to do a 1 1/4" hole for the thing to pass through.

this entices me more than running a grommet with a cable through it. seems sturdier.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Seems sturdier and far less likely to become an issue at some point in the future.

 

[Yaj Yak]

my thought with it too, was if for whatever reason my bed has to be pulled in the future, i don't have to pull the wire out, but rather just disconnect it.

drilling/cutting a hole lik that in my bed is a lil unnnerving but at the same time plenty of bros cut hole for sweet STACKS in the same bed so i think my 1" hole will be just fine.

 

[Yaj Yak]

so right now im thinking power wire directly off of the auxiliary isolated battery, with a circuit breaker directly off the battery like dis.

back to the bed, to that power post thing i posted, into the bed, to a 3rd deep cycle battery inside the bed. to a small 12v fuse block like this:

wiring something like this to control lighting, fridge, cigarette lighter, auxiliary power etc in the bed. mounted in the toolbox portion of the cap so it's accessible from outside the truck & lockable.

allowing it to be expandable for future expansion or needs. because it would be sweet to be able to add a solar panel to the roof of my cap to keep auxiliary batteries always charged and ensure fridge is always cold.

 

[RICH17]

Damn this will be a sweet setup

 

[Yaj Yak]

now im puzzled because this says i could run the 10 gauge wire that's already to the end of the cab, which would be good to 50amps at 20 feet?

unless im misunderstanding?

12 Volt Wiring Tech: Gauge to Amps | Offroaders.com

 

[Chester Copperpot]

I'd do 8 gauge to be safe.

But yes, it appears 10 gauge @ 20' is good for 50A.

 

[Yaj Yak]

 

[Yaj Yak]

I'd do 8 gauge to be safe.

But yes, it appears 10 gauge @ 20' is good for 50A.

my pickle is, the 10 gauge is already there. it's in between cab and bed. so without pulling new wire, and getting new isolator.. i already have sufficient wiring basically. as long as i dont go nuts with stuff in the bed.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

as long as i dont go nuts with stuff in the bed.

Exactly what I was going to say. Don't go nuts with it, 50A is a LOT of junk. 10ga is fine.

Fuck like a king under the stars on your inflatable mattress while making hot cocoa. Win/win.

 

[Yaj Yak]

i mean it looks like my fridge is 3A.

i'd have some room after that.

i need to crawl over this thing and see where i can run power into the bed at.

drill the cap or the bed... that is the question.

 

[SleeperLS]

Drill through the bottom of the bed somewhere so you don't ever have to worry about a water leak. Easier to hide the wire too

 

[Yaj Yak]

alright so figured out a halfway game plan tonight.

im not going to add a 3rd battery just yet. im going to see how the 2nd isolated battery does by itself.

messing around today with my truck, i noticed how the shop that put my cap on ran the wires for my 3rd brake light and lights for the cap... no drilling, no mess, no fuss.

so it got me thinking, that there has to be a way to do it without drilling into my bed, or the fiberglass of my truck.

i found a hole in the bed, near where i want all this to happen and stuck a paper towel through just as a test to see if i could see it from under the truck.

waaaaallaaaaaaa

yesssss. i can run the 5th wheel wiring provision directly up the bed, into the bed through said hole.

5th wheel wiring:

so basically im going to drill into the bottom of the drivers side tool box, with a grommet to pass wires directly through.

im going to make a panel to block off that area, to hide the wiring, and house the circuit breaker and switch panel.

also going ot put switches for things inside of the cap, on the inside of the toolbox. which will mean i have to cut the toolbox sheet metal but im way more comfortable doing that than the bed of my truck or the fiberglass of the cap.

 

[SleeperLS]

Good shit. Nice detective work.