Truck caps, often known as camper shells, provide a truck with a feeling of elegance and beauty while also providing useful and welcome functionality. An excellent temporary shelter when camping or traveling is a truck cap, which you may use to transport objects without getting them wet or dirty. While many of these caps already have lights installed, some do not, so you will need to learn how to wire them yourself. Even though the assignment may seem difficult, everyone can complete it.
Wiring a third brake light truck cap
- Step 1
To prevent injury to you or your truck in the event of a short, disconnect the batteries from your car. To prevent getting dirt or debris in your eyes while you crawl under the truck, put on the safety goggles first.
- Step 2
On the driver’s side of your car, you should be able to find the wiring harness. Follow it up to your car’s tail light section.
- Step 3
Find the green wire on the vehicle’s bottom. You can identify this wire since it won’t be linked to anything else, even if the color of the wire may vary between automobiles. This line is typically installed by manufacturers in case you need to connect a trailer to the electrical grid.
- Step 4
Make careful to leave a half-inch of bare wire exposed when you strip the wire’s end off.
- Step 5
Create a point of connection to join the two cables together.
- Step 6
Connect the truck cap to the male connector. To permanently fuse the connection in place, use the shrink tubing.
- Step 7
Connect the female connector to the green wire using wire, and then use shrink tubing to wrap the wires safely.
- Step 8
Using zip ties will hold the male wiring in place and keep it from falling when not in use. If more zip ties are required, keep all wires in place.
- Step 9
Your car’s battery must be reconnected. Be alert for any off-putting smells or popping sounds. To check if the light is on, have a friend stand behind the car while you apply the brake pedal.
Wiring a truck cap for an internal reading/light dome light
- Step 1
To prevent injury to you or your truck in the event of a short, disconnect the batteries from your truck.
- Step 2
Pull both dome light’s wires back a little bit and lower them from the cab’s ceiling.
- Step 3
Push the wire quickly connects ends through the headliner panel’s edge.
- Step 4
Connect the wires in the truck’s dome light using solder.
- Step 5
Put the headliner in place of the dome light.
- Step 6
Using the strong-duty mounting glue provided in the package, attach the reading/dome lights to the appropriate spots within the truck cap, connecting the wires as you go.
- Step 7
Feed the wires through the wire cover tube that was included in the kit, and then use the heavy-duty snips to gently cut down the tube, taking care not to cut the wires.
- Step 8
Using the strong adhesive provided in the kit, attach the wire cover tube to the truck cap.
- Step 9
Each wire should be cut and stripped slightly, then inserted into the fast connection that was included in the kit. A drop of solder should be used to secure each wire.
- Step 10
Open the little glass in the truck’s back window and the truck cap’s pass-through window. Attach the joiner cable from the kit to the fast connect you put in the truck cab and the quick connect on the truck cap.
Installing a truck cap
Truck caps are useful because they help to safely transport valuable items or make camping easier, in addition to improving the appearance of your pickup truck. Truck caps are made to fit properly on only a few types and models of trucks. Make sure you buy the appropriate cap for your truck. High-quality truck caps will have their own aluminum clamps and won’t need to be secured to the bed rails by drilling. Some interior lamps in newer truck caps may require drilling a tiny enough hole to connect wiring to the rear taillight assembly. These lamps have a high mount brake light.
- Step 1
A soft area, such as grass or an unpaved surface should be covered with a sizable blanket. Have a helper assist you in turning the truck cap over so that its top is on the blanket.
- Step 2
Except for the rear hatch, wrap an adhesive foam weatherstripping around the bottom of the truck cap. Ensure that the sticky side is on the bottom of the cap.
- Step 3
Your pickup truck’s tailgate should be opened.
- Step 4
Have a helper aid you in flipping the cap back over and carefully placing it onto the truck’s bed. Both edges of the cap should rest level on the mattress.
- Step 5
With the help of two of the aluminum hardware clamps, get into the pickup’s back. Place the clamps as near the front of the truck bed as you can, then tighten them.
- Step 6
To ensure that the cap’s rear window can fully close, close the tailgate. Adjust the alignment of the cap as necessary. The rear hatch will correctly close and lock once you’ve attained the right position.
- Step 7
With the last two aluminum hardware clamps, crawl back into the truck’s back. Using a socket and ratchet, place the clamps on the bed rails as close to the back of the truck as feasible and tighten all four clamps.
- Step 8
If necessary, make a tiny hole close to the left rear taillight assembly. Make the hole large enough to accommodate the cap’s wiring.
- Step 9
Remove the rear taillight assembly from the truck and insert the cap wire into the hole to reveal the wiring. To cut, strip, and butt connect the high mount brake light, locate the brake wire. Remove a little bit of the brake wire’s insulation. Connect the truck’s brake wire to the high-mount stoplight wire. Put the taillight assembly in place and clean the taillight using a restoration wipe solution.
