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- #21
I am still in the process of testing the solar system and making a few changes to get the very most that I want out of it, but so far it is working quite well.
One thing that I had seriously considered doing when I installed the system was to hard wire a wiring loom through the roof. I guess I got lazy, or lost the nerve to drill the hole in the roof and so I just ran the wires through the rear hatch door.
I would be interested in any suggestions or ideas about how I intend to run the wires through the roof, as I intend to keep this wired for a long time and it would help to run wires for additional lighting.
Here is my plan. I have found a location in the roof near the rear hatch that is somewhat easily accessible from inside the rear headliner.
This location has the room I would need to run a waterproof bulkhead fitting. The only object that appears to be close is the rear wind deflector when the hatch is open, but it should still clear completely.
I would then drill a 7/8 hole in the roof with a step drill bit (I have used them to install deflectors and spoilers, and they work well for this application). This would allow the bulkhead to fit snug. I would prime all the fresh edges and install a washer on the bottom of the fitting to reduce the possibility of it getting hit and denting the sheet metal (although I consider this location to be pretty well protected by the roof rack and the deflector). Next, I would silicone the sealing surfaces and install the lower fitting nut to seal and secure the fitting in the roof. Then I would pass a loom of 6 wires, 14 gauge through the fitting. This loom is pretty solid and should contain all the wiring that I would ever need with a very nice tight fit in the bulkhead fitting.
I already built this loom and installed it so that it would be easy to run later. I sealed all of the wiring inside the loom.
This way I should have everything I need and then I can tighten it all up nice and sealed. I should be able to make changes to it later if I need to, but I don't see much need to mess with it as long as it works well. Am I missing something??? Is this a bad Idea, or can you suggest a better way to do it?
One thing that I had seriously considered doing when I installed the system was to hard wire a wiring loom through the roof. I guess I got lazy, or lost the nerve to drill the hole in the roof and so I just ran the wires through the rear hatch door.
I would be interested in any suggestions or ideas about how I intend to run the wires through the roof, as I intend to keep this wired for a long time and it would help to run wires for additional lighting.
Here is my plan. I have found a location in the roof near the rear hatch that is somewhat easily accessible from inside the rear headliner.
This location has the room I would need to run a waterproof bulkhead fitting. The only object that appears to be close is the rear wind deflector when the hatch is open, but it should still clear completely.
I would then drill a 7/8 hole in the roof with a step drill bit (I have used them to install deflectors and spoilers, and they work well for this application). This would allow the bulkhead to fit snug. I would prime all the fresh edges and install a washer on the bottom of the fitting to reduce the possibility of it getting hit and denting the sheet metal (although I consider this location to be pretty well protected by the roof rack and the deflector). Next, I would silicone the sealing surfaces and install the lower fitting nut to seal and secure the fitting in the roof. Then I would pass a loom of 6 wires, 14 gauge through the fitting. This loom is pretty solid and should contain all the wiring that I would ever need with a very nice tight fit in the bulkhead fitting.
I already built this loom and installed it so that it would be easy to run later. I sealed all of the wiring inside the loom.
This way I should have everything I need and then I can tighten it all up nice and sealed. I should be able to make changes to it later if I need to, but I don't see much need to mess with it as long as it works well. Am I missing something??? Is this a bad Idea, or can you suggest a better way to do it?