Wiring Lights On A Roof Rack

[AZ DESERT RAT]

Need some help deciding the best way to wire my driving lamps on my roof rack...without having wires all over the place. Anybody have any pics or a write up on their's? Just want to keep a clean look and not have to drill a ton of holes through the body? (if thats possible). Thanks for your help....

 

[Craig Wood]

This topic was discussed a while a go. A person recommended using Amphenol Connectors that are water proof. I haven't use them, but the item sounded good. Hope this helps.

CW

 

[Chris S]

On my 91 there is a panel hidden under the drivers side of the hatch. All the hatch wiring comes through it.
I plan to add a hole and a gromet and run my wires through that panel.
It means running them from the dash to the back and nearly back to the dash again along the roof rack, but better than than drilling the body.

 

[2offroad]

i ran my wires thru the weatherstriping on the pass. side door, not the cleanest but no holes.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21275&highlight=weather

 

[DrMoab]

I wired a set up for a buddys a few months ago and we used a 110 extention cord that was three pronged. One wire we used for a ground and one was backup lights...the other was for the lights facing forward. Then we ran them through the back hatch and used the connection(male and female) to unhook right inside the back hatch...that way if he needed to remove the rack it would unplug easily. Not to mention all the wires were sealed in a good rubber coating and it looked real clean...we just ran it down the inside of one of the floor pieces so you couldn't see them from the outside of the rack.

 

[afjeep2082]

I routed the wireing from the battery through the engine compartment, throught the fender into the door jam area, up the weather striping and here is where it gets interesting....take out one screw on the front of your factory roof rack (there will be two) and take off the plastic molding that goes along the top inside of the door opening then take a wire and feed it through the screw hole from the factory roof rack you took out, now gently pull down on the head liner inside and feel arround and you should find you wire poking through, lastly connect the the two wires together and your golden. NOTE the headliner will not be effected from this if your carefull.

 

[Red97XJ]

I JUST finished this exact setup. If I could post pics, I could show you some pretty cool ones. anyone that can post a pic for me, E-mail me at [email protected] and I will send them to ya.

I bought four 100 Watt lights at Wally-world for $17each, they are great, chrome, look like KC, but no 23 year warranty. Also, they have a "glow" ring on the outside (I can take a pic) that is pretty cool, it does not shine any light, more like a parking light, but cool.

I could not believe but I think I spent about $150 for hooking them up! I used one 8 guage wire to ground all 4, 12 gauge to hot each one. two 30 amp relays, and two switches, the two middle on one, and the two outside on another. I ran mine in the door sills on passenger side (wish I would have gone drivers) up thru hatch, and back along rail to front.

I have a 97 with a factory roof rack that is full length, I modified one of the cross bars as my light bar, it was free and looks super cool, you can see far away pics at http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeBMmLJy4atXIA Extremely easy to do. F.Y.I. I lowered that surco roof rack lower than the standard gutter mounts mount it since those pics.

Sorry no close ups yet. I wired it completely seperate from the Surco roof rack in case I want to take it off (yeah right) or in case it gets ripped off by a tree (possible).

Please for your rigs sake don't use anything less that 12 gauge for that long of run (10 would not hurt) per 100 watt light! (fire bad)

Jason

 

[AZ DESERT RAT]

thanks for all the input guys....