EDIT - It works perfectly. 2.5 hours well spent. The 10' of split cable tube was barely enough to reach from under the rear bed rail to a grommet in the cab floor. In the cap the wires are sheathed with a bit of Romex casing, which tucked nicely into the rear door frame. All the cab wiring is under trim.

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_{CHMSL stands for the center high-mounted stop lamp.}

There is a spare camper wiring harness above the brake pedal. An orange CHMSL wire is in the bundle. It looks like 22g. There is also a white neutral, same gauge. Only the red and black power wires are larger gauge.

16 gauge braided wire to the cap incandescent brake light? May I run neutral from the same harness or do I definitely want to pull a ground off the frame?

My plan is to tuck braided 16-2 from above the brake pedal, under the doorjam, thru a plug / grommet at the back corner floor of the cab, into a 10-ft x 0.375-in Plastic Split Cable Tube. It should reach all the way back into the truck bed rear side.

I've never used Butt Splice Wire Connectors (yeah, can you believe it?) but that's what I figure it used. The existing cap harness is 3-prong flat; not sure what I'll do there.

Planning on skipping power to the dome light; a power drain I'll not have to worry about. Besides wire, butt connectors, and split cable tube, is there anythine else I want? What's the call on the ground wire? Thanks -

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Background: The 2013 pickup truck has received it's long-awaited cap - c.2008 A.R.E. V-series, used three years, stored from 2011 to last week; I said "I'll take it" based on perfect fit and price. Driving 40 miles home was a blast; ten years of grime obscured most visibility through its windows. But under the orange blobs of caterpillar slime, dirt, and funk, white fiberglass was shiny, the glass pristine. It even has the "Aluminum Framed Tilt-Down Picture Window" which made cleaning the front a breeze. We'll be road-tripping in style. One last thing, gotta get the brake light wired. Some states will pull you over for it even though most require only "two brake lights" or "all factory vehicle lights functioning".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Woodman,

Why even bother going that far??
I just tapped into the tail light and wired a quick disconnect in the bed for when I removed the topper.

Don’t forget to unplug the bulbs in the trucks high mount lights.

If the 3 way was like mine just plug this into the camper harness and run the wires to the tail light and frame.
I presume this is what you mean by a 3 pin flat at the camper top.
12" 18 Gauge Trailer Connector, 3-Way Flat (64859) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0..._encoding=UTF8&psc=1

My brake lights blink with the turn signal. I'll skip the logic module which eliminates the blinking, as well as skip tapping into existing wiring.

Why do I want to remove the existing center brake light bulbs? They will be distracting as I drive, visible from the cab? Kind of hard to get to now. It's a 180 pound cap.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
My brake lights blink with the turn signal. I'll skip the logic module which eliminates the blinking, as well as skip tapping into existing wiring.

Why do I want to remove the existing center brake light bulbs? They will be distracting as I drive, visible from the cab? Kind of hard to get to now. It's a 180 pound cap.

Mine reflected off my cap/glass at night. It was annoying.
I am clear how heavy they are. I rigged a hoist up in the garage so all I had to do was crank.

Well, I guess my question is answered. An electrician got back to me. Says the 22g CHMSL wire in the bundle above the brake pedal, along with the 22g neutral in the same bundle, are both fine to use. Running the 16g wire is for the distance. Yes 16 will handle the extra distance without overloading the 22 wire He concurs that leaving the taillight alone is preferable.

Specifically, on the ground, Either place for ground is fine List looks good, make sure you have a connector for a screw to connect to the chassis if needed for ground

I should be able to run it completely concealed thru the cab, into the underside, and up the bed sidewall. Thru the rail stake pocket, directly through the cap rail. No easy source for a 3-pin flat female connector, but I have options.

The list:
Butt Splice Wire Connectors
10-ft x 0.375-in Plastic Split Cable Tube
6.4mm 4-in Heat Shrink Tubing
16 gauge braided wire