Hidden EBH Plug

I just had an idea on how I could fix my EBH so the power cable wont fail again. I doubt this idea will work because of the bumper foam but I will give it a shot anyway. So here is my idea.

I want to use one of those 15A marine plugs that are water tight. I actually all ready bought one. I hate the idea of having a black circle on the front of my bumper so I thought maybe I could put it behind the license plate. What I want to do is to put hinges on the license plate so I could just flip it up when I want to use the EBH. The EBH would go in the center of the license plate area. There is plenty of room on the outside for this but I'm worried about the inside. There is foam behind the bumper cover that may not give me enough room to install the plug. What I'm hoping to do is to maybe cut just enough foam out so the plug will fit into place. To keep the license plate from flapping around I will use some magnets since the license plate is steel. Here is a pic of what I had in mind.

The seal for the plug is missing in the pic.


This is just one of my Prius projects that I want to do when the temperature warms up.

 

Well I have part one finished. I managed to get my license plate on a hinge with magnets holding it shut.

Some parts needed...
Brass hinges
Some special bolts I had laying around. Had to grind two bolts down to attach the license plate to the hinge.
Magnets from old hard drive
Glue

I'll try to explain above each picture.


Here you can see the brass hinges. The bolt attached to the frame is some kind of flat box top bolt. I had it lying around so I don't know what you would buy at lowes. I had to drill an extra hole in the center of the top hinge for the license plate. I also had to grind down the bolt for the license plate so it would close correctly.



Here is the back of the frame. I glued on some high powered hard drive magnents in the lower corners where the square holes are. I had these laying around also. The gap between the magnet and the plate caused by the frame make the strength of the magnet perfect for keeping the plate secure but easy to flip up.



Here it is installed. It looks stock.



Here it is flipped up.



Here is a quick video of the function of it.
[ame="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3823806845226708071"]Hidden Electric Block Heater EBH 2006 Prius[/ame]

All thats left now is to get that plug installed. I just hope that plug I have will fit. If not I'll have to find something else to use.

 

I think that should work. The bolts I used had the same thread size as the stock bolts. If your planning on doing the same thing you might want to make sure you get the same thread size so you can use the built in nuts. The bolt I used had a pretty flat head. It allowed the hinge to lay parallel to its self. I guess I could still grind this down a little if needed. I had to drill a center hole above where that bolt would be so the plate bolt would not interfere and cause the plate to stick out. I had to do some on the fly engineering to get everything to work right. I'll try to get more detailed pictures when I start to install the plug.

 

My plate is not aluminum. I think its stainless steel. Thats why the magnets pull on the plate. Magnets wont pull aluminum.

 

My bad. I guess my plate it steel then. Must be some good steel because there is not s spec of rust on it. It might be plated with something.

 

Well I'm finally finished it. I'm surprised because usually when I do a Project like this I always seem to cut myself and bleed but this time I did not. Instead I'm blessed with blisters on just about every finger. Oh well on to the good stuff.

Parts used...
Weatherproof marine 110v 15A plug.
Male and female 110v plugs that you can add your own wire to.
Old heavy computer power supply cable to cut up and use as the extension wires.
Some small bolts to secure the weatherproof plug to the bumper cover.
Some black tape to waterproof the connectors.


I drilled a hole using one of those doorknob hole drill bits. I had to file it down a little to get the plug to slide in the hole. I also used 3 bolts to make sure the plug wont come out of the bumper when I disconnect the power.



Here you can see where I cut out the foam. I cut all the way through it just for the heck of it.



Here you can see the easy disconnect if I or anyone else would have to remove the bumper cover. If I did not put this here it would have been impossible to remove the bumper if needed without cutting the wire. The end that comes from the bumper cover goes down and behind the actual bumper and is zip tied where you see it. Male connector is from the bumper cover and the female is from the EBH.



Here is the plug installed. And yes the magnets still pull the plate shut.



Here is what it looks like with the cover removed.



Here it is with the electric hooked into it. First time in a few months that my block heater has had power. Its warm out now so I think I will just give it about an hour of juice before I drive.



Here is what it looks like at rest.

 

If you talking about the little thing right below my plug that would be my front mounted camera.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-m...another-variation-front-rear-view-camera.html

 

No I don't need the curb feelers. I know my Prius well enough to know how close I am to the curb but the front end is still a little tricky.