Lights for roof rack

I bought four lights for my roof rack that came on my Explorer (96, XLT) when I bought it. Just the ones you can slide back and forth not an actualy steel rack with sides. But anyways I need to know how to get the wiring inside the car. Should I drill a hole in the roof? Or run it through the door or how did you guys do it?

Thanks

Keith

 

[FlyAU]

I'd like to second that question, in particular reference not only with lights, but also GPS and CB radio antennas (could I run them through the sunroof?)...

 

[mattadams]

Four my lights on the roof rack (4 PIAA 80 Pro XT 385,000 candlepower 120 watt bad boys) I brought the wires in through the roof. Stupid me though, I didn't pull back the headliner to see where the roof braces were first and just drilled... got two holes right, missed one... result? water leaks, and I've been to lazy to fix it lately. Possibly tomorrow I'll work on it. Basically since I had no grounding spots on the roof (I am using the stock roof rack which, of course, is not properly grounded) and I have not yet added an aftermarket light bar... purchased a Carr "deluxe" rotabar, which turned out to be a hunk of crap and I pitched it. So I had to bring the wires down through two holes (one hole for the ground wire, one hole for the power/switch wires, total of 6 wires through two holes. It looks extremely unprofessional for now and as anyone knows who has seen it, usually if people ask to see how I brought the wires through I say "for the love of god please don't look up there!" Its a mess. Zip ties, silicon, duct tape... its terrible. The problem was when I was installing it it was FREEZING and I was just trying to get it all done before the Truckhaven run in January, so I didn't spend as much time on it as I should have. One of these days though I'm going to devote the whole day to it, and I'm gonna combine wires so I have less, get improved grometts and seal up the spare hole a lot better, and pull the wire through to the interior so I don't have a bunch of ugly wires zip tied up there! Hmm... now I have a project for tomorrow! As for the sunroof, thats a good option, but where will the wire go once you bring it through the sunroof? Going to run it along the headliner or what? Either way it should work, though it might inhibit water leakage.

 

[kubben]

Need help

Run the 4 wires from the lights along the roofrack and thru the back window. Run the wire along the edge of the carpet yet under the plastic concealing it totally. Then run the wire under the drivers seat and into the console. There install the switch. Then from the switch the wire goes where???
How do I get it to the battery? Where is the grommet.

Thanks in advance

Keith

 

[rock883]

You can run the power wire under the kick panels on the driver's side, and then come up from the panels right at the pedals, and there should be a grommett right there on the firewall, run it through there, and then run it accross the backside of the engine compartment, and then to the battery.

 

[riffman]

Grommett?!?!?

I guess I don't have one....I was wondering where that cold air was coming from in the winter!!!

 

[mattadams]

Don't feel bad, you might not have an easily accessibly grommet... I sure didn't. With all the wires running back and forth through my firewall I've used the original grommet, every original hole I could, plus theres been about 6-7 addition holes drilled through the firewall with grommets inserted for getting wires through.

 

[riffman]

hahaha

no....i got the hole....just no rubber stopper....so theres a big gaping hole right next to my feet!!!! Thats where the cold are is coming from...

 

[Brian1]

I ran the wires from the switches under the plastic trim that runs along the roof all the way to the back. I used trailer wire (3 that run together). I ran the wire to where the storage bin is in the back with the jack. I cut a hole in the plastic where the window is and ran it up through the back door. As for going through the firewall I ran all my wires through a rubber plug that is up and to the right of the gas pedal.

 

[kubben]

What I did

Here is what I did. This might help others!
Thanks for giving me all the ideas!
I bought 4 Blazer lights for my roof rack. 2 lights where 17 dollars and I bought 4. I couldn't justify buying real expensive lights. So these ones I bought at AutoZone and they do wonderful.
First of all these lights were made for a bumper but I could care less. So what I did was this. I took the rubber stripping off the stock roof rack and then took four strips of aluminum and drilled 2 holes in each of them. Ok then I took off the thing that attaches to the roof and slipped the bolts under sticking up and then attached the nuts with aluminum under the nuts. I did this for all 4 and seperated them and tightened them. Then I attached the lights to the other holes. So they are on now and stick out from the rack about 3/4 inch. I also painted them black for perfection.
Next I combined all the black wires and red and ran them along the rack to the back window. I ran them thru the window, down the plastic, out the jack holder, under the carpet, then starting at the back door under the plastic, then from the plastic out underneath the seat where the factory already cut a hole. Then on the left of the console installed the switch. Then I ran the wires back underneath the seat and back under the plastic. Then toward the front and to the grommet near the pedel. Then to the battery.
Lights, camera, action. We have lights.


[Edited by kubben on 07-26-2000 at 02:41 PM]

 

[Guerilla Biscuits]

What? No Pictures?