A quick update on upfitting the truck. Today I gathered up enough info to rip into the dashboard without breaking anything. The goal was to pull the AM/FM/CD unit to verify the type of harness connection plugs so that I could order the right adapter for the JVC HD radio that I have. I also wanted to move some of the excess wiring out of sight and to gain a better understanding of how the dash is laid out and assembled.
Once you learn the trick, it's very easy to open up the entire center section of the dash board which exposes the radio, two A/C vents, and all of the switches and such that are located there.
The radio is held in with four screws on the front panel and then just pulls right out. Here's a view of the backside of the radio while it is hanging down from its normal position:
I pulled the plugs out of the back of the radio to snap a quick pic of them so I can order the correct harness adapter:
It is all reassembled for the moment. I have a double din mounting cage, wiring harness adapter, and antenna adapter on order but with the upcoming holiday and a 3 day trip out of town in the works for this week, I doubt I'll get any more done on the radio until next weekend at the earliest.
I did manage to move all the wiring for the satellite radio head and the GPS into the dash board and out of sight. Ford provides a little hatch in the front center of the top of the dashboard. On some models, there would be a headlight dimming sensor there but it's just a blank cover about 1" square. It pops out easily and all the wiring is 99% hidden from view now. When I get all the radio supplies in, they will both be mounted more permanently with no exposed wiring. And they'll be down below my line of vision out the front window. Pics and details when I get going on that.
I am stumped on an electrical issue at the moment so any advice or information would be greatly appreciated. Here's the situation: The truck came with four 12vdc outlets; all cigarette lighter style and all are always hot. None of them are ignition/accessory controlled. I'd like to move at least one or two of them to ignition/accessory control. The truck is also equipped with the upfitter switches. These are four accessory switches that can be used as needed for things like spotlights, emergency lighting, etc. However, all four of them are ignition/accessory controlled which means I can't leave a switch on and emergency lights running if I pull the key. So I'd like to move a couple of them over to always hot. All of my emergency lighting is LED and can be left running for hours without running down a battery.
I'll probably work on getting the two way radios installed and working early this week. The GMRS radio may be of some interest to folks here since it can also be used to communicate with those bubble-pack FRS (Family Radio Service) walkie-talkies that every one favors these day.