In-cab air bag control mounting location?

[1weldit]

I know there must be a few folks out there who have came up with some neat looking mounting solutions for gauges and switches to control and monitor your air bags. I've got a couple ideas in mind and have looked for pictures and videos for 3rd gen trucks and really haven't found much at all. My truck is 6-spd manual and has floor shifter for the 4wd to keep into consideration. Post pics of your installs. I'm really thinking about using Airmaxxx digital gauges with electric switches, 3 gallon air tank, solenoid valves for inflate and dump, already have air compressor for BD exhaust brake.

 

[mwilson]

What year is your 3rd Gen??

 

[1weldit]

What year is your 3rd Gen??

2007

 

[mwilson]

Trying to find a picture of my set up but pictures have been scrubbed over the years. If you do not have the heated seat or power rear window switch you can remove that storage bin and Carling switches will snap right in there. Gauge, I think someone makes a gauge holder thingy that fits the funny little compartment to the right of the heater controls....
Can get some fresh pictures tonight when I get home.

 

[seafish]

^^^^Yup...the cubby space below the HVAC controls works really well for gauges and/or switches.
It is easy enough to buy and cut a piece of textured abs plastic to make your own custom bezel insert for it.

 

[1weldit]

Really didn't want to mount anything in any of my 4 little cubbies as I keep them full with knick-knacks such as wallet, check books, 22 cartridges, gate keys, and such. Was really wanting to try to use the recessed opening towards the front of the gear shifter, although using that location would require me to either delete my spare accessory outlets with USB ports in them or making a custom gauge switch accessory power outlet panel for that area, which is what I really would like to do, but not sure where to buy abs plastic panels, or exactly how my abs plastic fitting skills would be and I'm not a clean freak, but wouldn't put it in if it didn't look completely professional and neat.

 

[seafish]

ABS sheets in various thicknesses is available from TAP plastics or simply through amazon.

Front of the geat shift (we are talking G56??) is kind of low to look at and operate. Maybe keep your knick knacks there and put the the air switches and control in the higher one, below the HVAC controls.

Thatbeing said, if you REALLY don't want to lose your HVAC cubby, you might get an overhead rearview mirror gauge mount/display and then customize a bezel for your install. That ebbing said, wiring and/or airlines to the overhead location will be more difficult to do. Not impossible, just more difficult.

 

[BILTIT]

I run my dual bag control unit in the triple guage a piller pod mount.

I use this one:

https://www.airliftcompany.com/products/compressor-systems/loadcontroller/

 

[CBari]

I ran mine with the air lines to the under the center seat console. Will try to take a picture later. I cheapened out and didn't do the electric switches and solenoid option. I just used pacbrakes dual bag control. I wish I had a pressure gauge but it isn't really that big a deal unless I am diagnosing a problem with my system.

 

[1weldit]

Thanks for the input so far. Keep the ideas coming. I have toyed with installing an overhead console for the gauges and mounting switches elsewhere, but that airlift gauge with the switches on it might be the way to go and have a very clean install in an overhead 2-gauge pod. Going to look into this and check prices.

 

[mwilson]

In case you wish to revisit the switch location in the lower cubby this is how I did it...

 

[mwilson]

I still have plenty of storage using the floor console, the center console and Geno's cupholder....

 

[mwilson]

I have to deal with a gauge now as well, my new Viair kit arrived and I need to install that if there is time this weekend......

 

[1weldit]

I do like that switch setup in the lower cubby. I could stand to lose that one and install switches there. Is that panel something you made or is it a bought switch panel? I'm planning on installing a couple led reverse lights under my bumper and need a switch for them so I can use just when I want them instead of triggering a relay off the reverse light feed. An overhead gauge install with Airmaxxx digital gauges is what I'm leaning towards and using one single read gauge for tank pressure and a dual read for bag pressure. That Geno's cup holder is pretty slick too, but with a G56 it won't work I'm afraid.

 

[mwilson]

I do like that switch setup in the lower cubby. I could stand to lose that one and install switches there. Is that panel something you made or is it a bought switch panel? I'm planning on installing a couple led reverse lights under my bumper and need a switch for them so I can use just when I want them instead of triggering a relay off the reverse light feed. An overhead gauge install with Airmaxxx digital gauges is what I'm leaning towards and using one single read gauge for tank pressure and a dual read for bag pressure. That Geno's cup holder is pretty slick too, but with a G56 it won't work I'm afraid.

Apologies for the delay in response, got back from a week's vacation and Daimler in their infinite wisdom decided to do a corporate system upgrade which affected our internal business system while I was away....it's been hell since I returned....but enough about that...

Those are Carling rocker switches, I will provide more info when I get time but the beauty of them is that once you remove the storage cubby they snap right into the opening. There are spacers that snap in as well. You have to trim one spacer to make it all come out right.

These switches are used by Western Star and many other OEM's. They consist of two parts, the actual switch (which you don't see) and then the actuator (which is what you do see).....

 

[1weldit]

Apologies for the delay in response, got back from a week's vacation and Daimler in their infinite wisdom decided to do a corporate system upgrade which affected our internal business system while I was away....it's been hell since I returned....but enough about that...

Those are Carling rocker switches, I will provide more info when I get time but the beauty of them is that once you remove the storage cubby they snap right into the opening. There are spacers that snap in as well. You have to trim one spacer to make it all come out right.

These switches are used by Western Star and many other OEM's. They consist of two parts, the actual switch (which you don't see) and then the actuator (which is what you do see).....

Thanks for the information! I had actually gotten curious and went by a parts store yesterday and picked up a switch just to see if by chance it would fit into that space, well you know what I discovered,[emoji6], Dodge might have done it on purpose, but I speculate they accidentally made a cubby hole storage that was meant for an accessory switch installation slot. I studied your picture as zoomed in as I could to conclude this might be the case. Also looked again at that cup holder and called geno's and got one on the way as well as the dual windshield mounted gauge pod for my air pressure gauges. Thanks a ton for the information and pics. This project just got a little closer to finished as a result. Hope you get your new system figured out and all the bugs out of it.

 

[mwilson]

I will link you to the Actuators and Switches this weekend, also there is a thread from a few years back where I helped a member rig up rear floods that worked by themselves, with the truck reverse lights or not at all.....

 

[1weldit]

I will link you to the Actuators and Switches this weekend, also there is a thread from a few years back where I helped a member rig up rear floods that worked by themselves, with the truck reverse lights or not at all.....

Thanks, that'll help a lot. I'm having trouble finding a double momentary switch that doesn't have winch in winch out on it. That switch is what I want, but with a different cover on it. My back up lights are probably just going to be strictly switch operated because I want them as much for me being able to see the ground behind the truck in tall grass hooking up trailers as much as for backing up, we have snakes here in Bama! Plans are also for cargo lights and possibly an air horn and maybe even an upgrade to a York 210 or Sanden air compressor from the Viair I now have. Just need to find drawing for the right brackets so I can fab them up. I appreciate the help.

 

[mwilson]

What do you want the actuator to say on it??
The actual switch would be used for power window, cruise set and resume,

 

[1weldit]

What do you want the actuator to say on it??
The actual switch would be used for power window, cruise set and resume,

Up-down, airbag, air suspension! Pretty much anything that makes some sorta common sense. I saw you had 2 that said high-low, that would work too. A blank switch would be better than a winch switch in my opinion. Lol. I'm not sure if they have the a similar green tint as the Dodge dash illumination or not, but that was my preference to try to keep from mixing so many colors.