Page 1 of 1

Running wires through roof

Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 4:06 pm
by jman9895
It was a nice day so I figured I'd install the antennas for my 2-way radios, roof lights (mounted on a cargo basket) and xm today. I noticed alot of people saying they ran the wires through the boot at the rear hatch. I ran them through the roof rack mounting feet..

If you pull the roof rack covers, you can bore a half inch hole through the roof and into the cab of the truck. A little spray paint to prevent rust, and then if you use an extra large (4 foot) zip tie as a snake, you can fish the wires through the hole to the back of the car without even taking down the headliner (the D piller trim needs to come off though). From there I connected to tie wires I had run earlier when I had the interior of the truck apart.


Here you can see how the wires come up through the foot
Image


Holes drilled through the bottom of the foot into the roof

Image

How the connector will mount

Image


The Final Product


Image

Image

Image

Posted: Wed May 28, 2014 6:35 am
by XVTer
Nicely Done. Clean install 8)

Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:13 pm
by flat6symphony
Looks good. What is the black tacky chewing gum looking stuff you used? Any chance you could post a picture with the roof basket and lights?

EDIT: Tacky as in adhesive, not visually "tacky" haha

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:12 am
by jman9895
Wow, sorry I missed your response,

The sticky stuff is called "Strip Caulk" Any napa or body shop supply store will have it. It goes on like putty and then hardens over a day or two. 3M Makes it, I'm sure other brands are out there too. Its great for sealing around wires as, unlike silicone, you can push it somewhere and it will stay put.


I will post a pic of the roof basket as soon as I get the cross rails so I can mount the thing. I'm trying to find a better deal on ebay... but after 5 months, I suppose its time to face facts and realize im not getting them for under 150... I thought about making a set of my own, but by the time I'm done with the steel and fabrication work, I'll have something that doesnt look quite as good as the factory ones and costs almost as much.. :(