shipfitter_sjd

Hello,

I was thinking about adding factory foglights to my car. I know this entails replacing the grill, etc. This is what I would like to know:

Does every car come with the fog light harness or some portion of it installed as part of the wiring harness?

What else do I need besides the grill, lights, air boxes, and switch (switch plate?)........wiring and plugs from light to harness?.......wiring from switch to harness?

Has anybody installed an aftermarket brand foglight assembly into the stock grill openings?

Thanks.

Scotty562

I would also like to know if the non-foglight cars came with any portion of the wiring needed.

shipfitter_sjd

......i was finally adding foglights to my (non foglight equipped) Camaro. I did not see any factory installed wiring.....at least not the plugs for the lights themselves, so I am just running the wiring myself. I got the factory switch and pigtail with connector and they will be installed in the correct location and i will splice the aftermarket wiring into the factory pigtail.

It is looking pretty good so far!

tom3

And the factory wiring is a real screwball deal too, best to do like shipfitter and use the simpler wiring.

305q_ta86

iTrader: (1)

I hate that the foglights turn off when you hit the highbeams.

SeeYa

I am doing this too. Do I need a relay or can the factory switch handle it.

This is how i am planning on doing it.
batt --- + switch - ------ + bulb - --------- + bulb - ------- Ground

One wire.

shipfitter_sjd

When wiring anything in your vehicle that draws heavy current such as high powered driving lights there are a few things to consider. Number one, make sure you use wire that is rated for the amperage that the accessories is going to pull. It is always better to have wire that is OVER rated rather than wire that is not rated high enough. If wire is used that is not rated to handle the current that your accessory will pull, the result could be overheated wires that could melt the insulation, causing a short or worse yet it could result in a fire. If you know how much current your accessory will draw you can determine what gauge wire is appropriate for your application.

Personally I like to use wire that far exceeds the current draw of my accessory. It's overkill but in a few applications I've used heavy gauge stranded industrial wire with water and chemical resistant insulation. That way there is no question as to whether the wire is rated high enough or not. If this approach is taken, it is very wise to place a fuse at the battery end as close to the battery as possible. Most wire in a vehicle, if shorted out, will burn up before the battery overheats and possibly explodes. If wire that is over-rated for vehicle use is used and a short occurs, a short will most likely result in damage to the vehicle of some sort unless a fuse is put in line as close to the battery as possible. With the fuse there, in the case of a dead short, the fuse will burn out first before any damage could occur.

With accessories that pull a lot of power it is always better to get your power directly from the batteries positive terminal rather than tapping into the existing fuse block or wiring harness. In most cases the vehicles existing fuse block is not rated to handle the additional load of high powered accessories such as off-road lights. If you are the kind of person that likes to add all kind of goodies to your vehicle it might be worth installing an additional fuse block that handles non-critical items like off-road lights, CB radios, power inverters, etc. This additional block can then be powered by a heavy duty wire capable of carrying the current required of all the accessories on the block. Be sure to fuse the block at the battery.

In almost every case where high current is required the switch use to turn on the power should not handle the load. That is better left to a relay. What is a relay? A relay is a device that, through a magnetic induction coil, turns on the power for you. The switch that is installed in the cab of your Camaro actually only powers the relay itself which draws very little current. In my installation I used a 30 AMP relay from Radio Shack (Auto Relay Cat. Number 275-226) to do the switching. I used a lighted switch in the cab to let me know the lights were on even though there was no way I would have any doubt they were on (even during the day).

The method I used for wiring the lights is as follows: I first ran a wire from a 12 volt power source to the switch on the dash and out to the relay placing a fuse at the source of the power. (Follow the relay's wiring schematic when connecting the wires to the relay) One of the relays terminals goes to ground. Then I ran a heavy gauge wire from the battery to the relay placing a 30 Amp fuse in line very close to the battery. Do not connect the power to the battery until all wiring is done. Then I ran a single heavy gauge wire out to the lights and split it into two leads at the lights. If you do this be sure the wire is rated to handle BOTH lights since it will carry the current of both. Then I ran the second wire of both lights to a good ground on the frame of the car. If the wires will not be soldered together and crimped connectors will be used it's a good idea to put a dielectric paste on the connectors where they come in contact. This will prevent corrosion as time passes ensuring a good connection. I then double-checked all my wiring before plugging in the power. Later that night I took the vehicle to a flat parking lot for adjustments.