Mods to THE BEAST: My 1998 GMC Sonoma Highrider

This page is mainly designed for folks on the ZR2 discussion list, to show what mods I have made to my truck. You can join the discussion list by sending the word "Subscribe" (without the quotes) to mailto:zr2@zr2hr.org.

AUXILIARY BACK-UP LIGHTS:

Here are some pics of my auxiliary back up lights during the day. (Sorry, I should have also taken a side view pic.) I mounted the bracket vertically on the crossbar of the receiver hitch for two reasons. One is so that the lights are higher and less susceptible to damage while wheeling. The other reason is so that if they do get hit, they will rotate up and allow the receiver hitch to take the brunt of the force instead of the lights. I grounded the lights into the receiver hitch.

I got the Blazer lights at the local Checker Auto Parts for $30. I also had to purchase some extra wire to lengthen the leads to the lights, and associated hardware. For these lights, I should have gotten some bullet connectors. It would have made my life simpler, but I was able to get by without them.

This picture shows a little bit of the output of the auxiliary lights versus the regular tail and back-up lights.

I mounted the light switch under the dash above my CB radio because it was a convenient place to do so. In order to align the rocker switch properly, I popped it out of the mounting bracket, flipped the mounting bracket around and popped the rocker switch back in. I ran the wires from the rocker switch to the battery by going behind a vertical support member below the dash board, then running the wire under the carpet to a point above and behind the gas pedal. I drilled a hole through the floor and ran the wires up to the top of the engine, avoiding hot/moving parts, then parallel to various wire bundles for protection, occasionaly binding the wire to those bundles to keep it from moving around and getting caught on something.

I ran the wire for the lights back through the same vertical support member below the dash board, then underneath the carpet, around to the driver's side of the truck, then underneath the carpet along the plastic strip along the door. I drilled a hole in the floor of the truck just behind the driver's seat, then ran the wires along the frame to the back of the truck. The same wiring route is used for my CB antenna wire.

If you're in the Tucson area, drop me a line and we can go wheelin' sometime.