Adding 81-82 bumper fog lights

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Slooptin

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Recently threw on this fog light bumper and I’m wondering how/where to wire up the lights to come on with the marker/driving lights?
 

PrairieDrifter

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Recently threw on this fog light bumper and I’m wondering how/where to wire up the lights to come on with the marker/driving lights?
Those are supposed to be turn signal/marker lights. Get a relay and harness and wire them into a switched source from the light system.
 

Slooptin

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Those are supposed to be turn signal/marker lights. Get a relay and harness and wire them into a switched source from the light system.
Will the fog lights blink with the turn signals if I wire them that way?
 

DoubleDingo

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Only if you wire them to the turn signal wiring will they blink. But for fog lights you'll need actual fog light housings that will fit the bumper openings, and a way for them to mount. It's been done I believe, so you should be able to find a video or some info on how to alter it and wire it up.
 

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Either marker light or headlight circuit. Easy find with a test light. Find a relay wiring diagram and learn it. You'll need to learn it anyways. Relays are important.
 

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Only if you wire them to the turn signal wiring will they blink. But for fog lights you'll need actual fog light housings that will fit the bumper openings, and a way for them to mount. It's been done I believe, so you should be able to find a video or some info on how to alter it and wire it up.
I have head of guys doing that, but I've never seen the install so I'm not of much help, but. If I were doing it, I'd leave the OEM lens in the bumper and install a pair of Hella 450's or 550's whichever is the closest size to the opening right behind it. Aiming them would be a pain due to access back there, but they'd probably hold the aim pretty good since they are protected.

I wonder if @Ellie Niner would be able to give advice on this.
 

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Cool, I have the housings and everything, just trying to figure out how to wire them in. I have the relays and marker wires make sense. Thanks!
 

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Okay easy peasy. Way get a generic 4or 5 wire relay and socket from ebay,parts store where ever hook terminal 30 to battery 12v+ hook terminal 87 to your new lights 86 to battery/chassis ground. Hook terminal 85 to a marker light hot lead. Whenever the marker is on current will flow from 30 to 87 turning on your aux lights. I'll get you a relay pic and part number in a minute. You don't actually need a relay socket wires and 1/4 female terminals work. Fuse terminal 30 with a 15 amp fuse again 1/4 female terminals will work as fuse connections. Brb.
 

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Camar068

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Okay easy peasy. Way get a generic 4or 5 wire relay and socket from ebay,parts store where ever hook terminal 30 to battery 12v+ terminal 87 out to your new lights 86 to battery/chassis ground terminal 85 to a marker light hot lead. Whenever the marker is on current will flow fro 30 to 87 turning on your aux lights. I'll get you a relay pic and part number in a minute. You don't actually need a relay socket wires and 1/4 female terminals work. Fuse terminal 30 with a 15 amp fuse again 1/4 female terminals will work as fuse connections. Brb.
yes using original/old wiring on the vehicle to control relays makes it easy.
 

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The proper way to wire in the fog light relay is to hook the control wire to the low beam circuit. That then cuts out the fog lights when you go to high beams. If you are wanting to just use them as running lights you can switch the relay and use ignition power to the switch Then you control when they are on and they will be off when ign. is off.
 

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^There’s a few good ways to wire them up, but not a ton of options to “integrate” them into the “system”. Imo.
Advisable to wire them either completely separate from OE wiring (I just don’t like taxing the old electrical system with new loads) or tap OE marker or low beams as a trigger for a relay controlled power source.
Doing either of these ^ will just have them auto ON with the parking lights or low beams.
I’d be more inclined to use the parking lights as a trigger source so they DONT turn off with high beams.
Yes I know it’s “illegal”. Who gives a F? When it’s dark as F the more lights the better….
I generally try to mod any of my newer vehicles to all on with the fog/driving lights and low/hi beams on together.
Maybe not needed if you just drive in urban areas. But at 5am crossing the Cascades, and elk n deer trying to commit suicide on a regular basis, I’ll take all the light I can get!
Or you could just old fashioned wire them to a separate switch to turn them on and off at will.
Hell, with an 80s truck you could put in an old floor mount dimmer switch to operate them. That would be awesome.
I used one (hidden) for an ad hoc fuel pump relay disconnect redneck security system on the 86.
 

SirRobyn0

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^There’s a few good ways to wire them up, but not a ton of options to “integrate” them into the “system”. Imo.
Advisable to wire them either completely separate from OE wiring (I just don’t like taxing the old electrical system with new loads) or tap OE marker or low beams as a trigger for a relay controlled power source.
Doing either of these ^ will just have them auto ON with the parking lights or low beams.
I’d be more inclined to use the parking lights as a trigger source so they DONT turn off with high beams.
Yes I know it’s “illegal”. Who gives a F? When it’s dark as F the more lights the better….
I generally try to mod any of my newer vehicles to all on with the fog/driving lights and low/hi beams on together.
Maybe not needed if you just drive in urban areas. But at 5am crossing the Cascades, and elk n deer trying to commit suicide on a regular basis, I’ll take all the light I can get!
Or you could just old fashioned wire them to a separate switch to turn them on and off at will.
Hell, with an 80s truck you could put in an old floor mount dimmer switch to operate them. That would be awesome.
I used one (hidden) for an ad hoc fuel pump relay disconnect redneck security system on the 86.
One comment on wiring them into the low beams, Like Grit said the way to do it is to wire them so the low beams trigger a relay and the fog or droving lights are powered separately. If you were to wire them directly to the low beams you'd tax the old wiring and at the very least dim them down to the point where your getting less light on the road overall. Ask me how I know. I very briefly try it with my Jeep, and changed it the next day.
 

PrairieDrifter

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Guys... it doesn't matter where you tap power from, it's going to draw the same amount of power from the truck.. while more load will be on that circuit, doesn't mean the load will be different anywhere else and you can still get dim lights. As well as it's just a switched source, I can't tell you what it draws to turn on a relay but it ain't much.

It's personal preference, of when you want your lights on and off. From experience, turn on a few off-road lights and the stock rated alternator won't handle it.
 
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