Lights on roof rack

Alright guys so i finally got the lights on the new rack. I got 4 of them and their are two wiring sets. Now i have searched and couldnt find anything that suited me. When i run my lights i am going to run them off the two switches prolly, outsides on one and the two on the inside on one.But anyways, i was going to use the wiring kit and run it down the rack and back to the back hatch through the windshield wiper thing,(i dont use my because the wiper rattled to much). But the problem is the wires arent long enough and if i did do it that way, the switches would be all the way in the back. Does anybody have anyway i cant mount these where they look clean.(I dont want them ran to my door. I thought about on the factory sliders, at the front where you have to unscrew that srew that piece comes out and i think there is a hole there, I might try to run it through there then through my liner and down my inside pillars i guess you could call it. But if anybody could please help, or should i make my own wiring kit. Thanks-TJ

 

[mitch]

ok this is what i did and it worked fine. I took a drill bit for matal and drilled a small hole in the metal right next to the stock roof rack mounts. you MUST be very carful not to drill in to the head liner, so have a friend with you. What i did was line the hole in the roof with the handle in the second row set (left hand side of the truck) so that you dont see any signs of an opening. Take the plastic trim peaces off that cover the top of the ceiling and run the wires through them (tape the wires together with electrical tap and anywhere there might be sharp edges). If you run them down a pillar you can mount your switches near the bottom were the stering colum is. for me i had to lengthen the ground wires a little bit bc they would not reach a ground at their length ( just cut the ground wire in half and splice the two together).

Now you should make all the connections to the back of the switches before you mount them. On mine their is an existing hole in the fire wall that i ran my wires through. If you dont have one or cant fit them through try to cheasil it out enough or drill a hole BE CAREFUL not to drill into something important, again a budy would be good. I ran all wires through that hole and tied them off with electric tape again. They sit fine aginst the back of the fire wall. just use some zip ties to tie them to something so the dont get caught in moving parts. Some people say the heat is an issue and rape them in some plastic tubing but i left mine open and they have not had anything wrong with them yet. I got 4 warn spot lights for over a year now.

if you hooked up all the wires right they should work, remember you need a ground on the roof if they are not bolted to something metal ( i forgot this). Good luck i hope this helps some if you have any more questions please ask.

mitch

 

[dmasini]

Would love to see a pic or two of this. Sounds like you did a great job!

 

[mitch]

i would be glad to but i dont know how to put pics on here

 

[410Fortune]

drill a hole

 

[monkeypothrower]

well for now i just have them ran on the roof rack with that black tubing stuff covering it and down the rack onto the sliders then down the back hatch, you cant see unless your bigger then me. When i get bored i will finish drilling the hole. O yea and the other day i tried to do my elite post and it said my pictures were to big, is there anyway i can downsize them so it will upload, so i can throw some pictures on here. THanks -TJ

 

[94ZebraRanger]

When I did my roof lights I ran the power down inside the factory roof rack track to the rear. inside to the reley bank inthe drivers rear panel( along with the fuse block) The switches are mounted above my radio in the dash kit opening. It is only a ground signal from the switch to the relay. I have places for 8 switches in the dash kit. power is direct from the battery to the fuse block, via 4 guage wire. works out great.

Tim

 

[CaptainObvious]

Anyone with pics they want hosted email to me:
RangerC83@aol.com
And I will host. I'm pretty darn curious to see this too.

 

[toddious]

how do you run the wires through the drilled holes without getting leakage? i am worried about getting a decent seal between the roof and the wires.

 

[monkeypothrower]

thats what im worried about. leakage. i though about going to home depot and seeing if they have lil rubber things, like the ones in the fire wall. -TJ

 

[toddious]

thats what im worried about. leakage. i though about going to home depot and seeing if they have lil rubber things, like the ones in the fire wall. -TJ

i've spent the last day and a half online looking at grommets, but haven't seen anything like what i need. i already have the light bar bolts through the roof, and they are sealed up nice and tight. all i need is a way to get the wires through the roof, without that hole leaking. let me know if you come up with anything.

 

[ThirteenthCurve]

glue? sealant glue that is or whatever its called...or jb weld?

 

[monkeypothrower]

glue? sealant glue that is or whatever its called...or jb weld?

Yea my buddy suggested jb weld, right now i am content they way i have them ran, but you can see a little bit of the wires inside the vehicle when they come down the left and right back doors. I have them all the way to the back then in the vehicle trying to run them in the headliner, slash plastic cover. But when it stops raining here and i have a free chance i am going to look at it. Wont stop raining here, and its suggested for the next week to. -TJ

 

[toddious]

yeah, i used some RTV silicone sealant all over the holes for the light bar itself. i was hoping to maybe find something specifically for running wires through sheet metal. if nothing else, i'll put RTV all over everything. todd.

 

[MartyD]

I've been trying to figure this out myself, and also have found no satisfactory hardware to keep the roof sealed. I know police departments have shops that install the lights etc. on top of their cars. Does anyone have a way to find out what these shops use or how to find one in their area? I think they might be able to provide us with an answer. I'm running both lighting wires and a CB antenna cable from the roof and want a professional installation, even if I have to do it myself...lol. Also I'm looking for some small switches for my lights. I want to locate all switches within arms reach from a normal driving position. I'm thinking of the area around the tissue dispenser, or somewhere on the center console. I have one set of lights already, on my brush gaurd, and am planning to eventually have atleast 3 more pairs on the roof, a set of high wattage (100w or 130w) driving lights, and a set of floods in front and another set of floods in the rear. That means I'll need room for 4 switches, which is why I'm looking for minis.

 

[mitch]

yeah, i used some RTV silicone sealant all over the holes.

exactly what i used

 

[monkeypothrower]

I can prolly find out what they use, my dad is a cop, i have a buddy that is a firefighter and if i can find then umber to my buddy josh, He actually works at a place downtown that does lights. -TJ

 

[toddious]

nice, seems like a few of us could use the tip!

 

[mitch]

as soon as i can take some pics of the lights and rack and stuff ill let CaptainObvious host them so you guys can see

 

[SplashMan]

When I wired my roof lights I went through the roof too. I just used regular silicone sealer on it and then cut slits in my wire loom so that it would sit flat against the roof. I also squirted silicone inside the loom so water would not get in that way. 4 years and no problems. I did remove the silicone around the outside of the loom last year and replace it, but it was just a precaution, it didn't need it.