light bar

[skinny_kenny_18]

i am wanting to put a light bar on my 84 and the bar is not the problem.. i want to know what you guys think the best way to run the wires. i do not want to cut the roof i thought of just pushing the wire through the top's gasket, but i know it will probally leak. so what do you think. thanks guys you guys are great!!!

 

[BLADE262US]

Ill get some pics but heres how I do mine . I used an amphenol connector which is a military grade pin and socket connector . I think I used a 12 pin they are round . Any electricians here will know what a knock out punch is . It makes a hole in sheet metal for conduit sizes a half inch conduit is around a 3/4 hole or so . Anyway I removed the dome light and drilled a hole as far back and center as I could then fished the knock out in there and punched a 3/4 hole in my roof . I then soldered wire to the back of the amphenol the length to go from the roof to the pocket under the side panel on the drivers side by the seatbelt ( this refered to as the pocket for the rest of the post ) I took a metal fish tape and ran it up through an opening in the pocket up between the inner and outer body panels to the dome light opening . I started the wires in from the outside and put the amphenol retaining nut on then taped the wires to the fish tape and pulled them to the pocket . Now I sealed the amphenol to the roof and tightened the retaining nut . The other end of the amphenol gets wired to the light bar the pins are numbered so make sure you write them down which are + and - . I ran 4 lights so I ran a + and - for each useing 8 of the 12 pins to make sure I didnt exceed the capacity of the pins . Next I used a car stereo circuit breaker and mounted it by the battery the ran battery cable from there through the firewall under the sill plate to the pocket . I went a bit over **** with the solenoid but its trouble free . Its a continouduty starter relay that I got from a local alternator shop . I mounted it in the pocket and ran the 4 + wires to one side and the battery cable to the other then the small activation post I ran a smaller wire back up the path of the battery cable to the dash where you can put the light switch anywhere you want . I put all the - wires in an eye terminal and mounted under one of the seat belt bolts . I have run this system for many many yrs trouble free . I wouldnt hesitate to recomend this to anyone . Allied electric is where you can get the amphenol connectors /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[skinny_kenny_18]

thanks so much for your information. i would love to see the pictures of your set up. well just the amphenol connector and where it comes through at. i dont want to cut a hole in the roof but if i can get it not to leak i will think about it.

 

[Broncobill78]

A knockout punch will distort the sheetmetal surrounding the hole to some degree depending upon how sharp the edges are kept (some knockouts leave pretty large dimples around the hole when used on thin gauge metal) and a 3/4" hole might seem awfully large to some guys to just run lighting wires. You'll also have to disassemble & reassemble the headliner & upper moldings to gain access to the backside of the sheetmetal roof. let me perhaps suggest that a small 1/4" hole drilled anywhere else will work just fine. Holes in the sheetmetal are easily sealed with silicone and holes in the cap can be easily repaired with fiberglass resin. I've seen numerous guys who simply used the plastic-sheathed spade connectors (and even trailer harness connectors) and just unbolted the top, pulled it back a few inches to run the wires before sliding it back in place and being done with it. By using connectors you can easily replace the sections of wire that run thru the cap joint without having to splice them but even if you don't a simple wire-splice is no big deal. Plenty of guys have just run the wire from the light, thru the joint between the cab & the cap and never had a problem. IF the wires aren't thick and are coated with silicone there often isn't any leak at all. Sometimes there IS and you wind up chasing it down but that's the cost of not drilling holes in your truck. There are a number of ways to run the wiring, it really depends on what you want to do and what you're comfortable with.

 

[BLADE262US]

Heres the pics , I chose to do it this way because it is water tight and if I ever have to take it off the connector only sticks up about 1/2 inch with the seal cap on it . Be careful useing trailer plugs or anything small like that these lights are 150 Watt so theres some amperage draw . Too small a connection or a loose connection could cost you your truck in a fire .

 

[skinny_kenny_18]

thanks so much guys i i think i know how im going to do it now. i have been wanting lights but wasnt sure.

 

[skinny_kenny_18]

thanks so much guys i i think i know how im going to do it now. i have been wanting lights but wasnt sure.