...and before you you flame-away, i've read each sticky multiple times and feel that alkeli, XJ-TERRA, Rev, et al are close personal friends.
going to go w/ the Xoskel Lo-pro lightbar and rear lightbar, four Hella FF75 for front and KC Hilights 517 back up flood for rears.
that being said, even having absorbed all i could about mounts, relays, placements and brands, still have a few questions:
can i route roof lights down windshield channel into truck? really don't want to drill into roof. if i don't ground on roof, it would be four hots (eight if i want to ground inside). either way, doesn't seem like that large of a bundle to sneak down the weather stripping. just don't have it in me to drill. is there another way?
instead of the four FF75s, any recommendations for two spots in the middle w/ the 75s on each side? either Hella or any brand?
want to mount a Blue Sea block that i've had kicking around for awhile. forget which member (XJ?) but like the behind the glove box spot. after feeding it from batt, can i just run lights into it? that's the whole purpose of the block, right?
You can try but it will look pretty ugly and haphazard. Just drill through if you want a clean install. Lots of people are scared at first, but it's all in your head. Start with just the tip. Just to see how it feels. You'll be happily drilling in no time. Posted via Mobile Device
Tips First
*To avoid drilling to far into anything slide a socket over the drill bit.
*To run wires through the roof I DO NOT recommend just putting the wires through a hole in sheet metal and siliconing. Too much of a risk that chaffing will cause an electrical short or water leak. Instead buy some PVC cut a short piece, buy a rubber grommet to run the pipe through. I made it so tight that i had to lube the pvc to slide it through. Thats how you want it. No water leaks this way, even without silicone, and its easy to add more wires later if you add accessories.
*A good spot to ground out your lights is right near the hole they run through above the dome light. Sand to bare metal around this little hole in the pic and use a sheet metal screw to attach ground wires here, inside and away from the elements, yet still close to the lights. Shorter the ground wires the better.
I used the windshield channel for my roof light wires (no drill) and it came out clean enough for my satisfaction. I used black wire and black silicone caulk. I will post some photos.
If your X came with an XM radio, the XM antenna is located underneath the roof fairing and is accessible from inside the cabin by removing the map light assembly. You can unscrew the antenna and remove it, which gives you a nice pre-made hole in the roof (a square hole, for some reason).
When you start drilling, use a small bit (pilot hole, you can even dimple the metal where you decide to drill with a small Phillips head screwdriver and hit it with your fist) with a large thickness rubber hose slid up the bit. Cut the hose just shy of the end of your drill bit.
Last thing you want to do is punch through your roof and put a hole in your headliner.
Do the same hose trick with your larger bit too. If it grabs the metal, it'll plow right through and drag your drill before you can say "Awwww fffff...".
if i don't ground on roof, it would be four hots (eight if i want to ground inside). e
want to mount a Blue Sea block that i've had kicking around for awhile. forget which member (XJ?) but like the behind the glove box spot. after feeding it from batt, can i just run lights into it? that's the whole purpose of the block, right?
on my 01 xterra i ran the wires to the roof lights on my xoskel bar up the windshield, covered all the wires in heatshrink and used clear silicone to keep it neat, it really was not that noticable.
I bought some larger gauge outside-rated cable to run up the channel. It's the type you'd use to extend a lamp or something (two cables together, kinda flat) and ran it up the channel, split it so that 2 lights hooked up to 1 and the other 2 to the other 1, then grounded on the bolts going into the roof. Finally, used black silicone to keep it in place. Looks fine and no one has even noticed. I didn't want to fight with the headliner and such. I can get pics once it gets light here or when I get a chance.
Regarding the FF75's--I put two spot versions in the middle and then two floods to the sides. They work great! Only bummer is that there is a **** ton of hood and windshield splash. I blacked out my hood, which helped, but I am currently cutting some thick plastic shields to help with the windshield. They saved my ass over the other weekend with dear and some off road obstacles at night. I can highly recommend them!
EDIT: View my build page and the straight on image shows you how much the cable shows...
Total wiring components cost me about $18 from ace hardware. It was stupid easy, works like a champ (i've had the lights on for up to 3 hours no issues) and took about 2 hours to do the whole thing from battery, switch, to lights.
Here is my wiring using the rain gutter, driver's side.
I used black 12 GA wire -- bedded it in black silicone -- waiting for spring to add more black silicone and smooth it out, but its been perfect for months.
You can run many lights off the same wires. I have four lights running on three wires. Two hot circuits to allow me to flick the driving lights or pencil beams in two different circuits and a ground wire for all for lights. The ground cable is a heavier cable to hold all four lights power.
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