Routing wires for shell-top lights, antennae

[asteffes]

I'm planning to wire up my new Hella Rallye 4000s this weekend. I have a pair of Hella 500s that I may put on the shell roof rack, along with a dual-band antenna for a ham rig. I'm curious how you folks have routed the wiring from the cab or engine bay up onto the shell. Are there any easily-utilized passthrough grommets on the back of the cab?

I'll have the shell off this weekend, but I'm playing with some ideas and would appreciate any advice.

 

[erin]

I would think you have some drain plugs somewhere in your bed but they might be under your liner, haven't looked that close at the new beds though.

 

[BajaXplorer]

My truck and others on this board have the lights on brackets on the front of the shell mounted rack and the wiring drops down between the cab and the shell to be routed forward. The wiring is tyerapped under cab to engine bay relays. My antenna is near back of roof and drops down beteen the cab and shell, under and up through shifter console to radio. Shell no ground plane-no antenna. There are access holes with rubber plugs back of cab on both sides of my '02 Taco I use for sat antenna and power to fridge entry into cab.
BX

 

[BajaTaco]

Yea, what BX said. My wiring for rack lights is routed the same way. No need to go through the cab, just go under it. The relays for the lights are mounted in the engine bay (mine are on the firewall). My antennas are hood mounted in the channel where the hood lays flush with the fender panels.

 

[offroad_nomad]

I have 4 Hella 550s facing forward and 2 550s facing rearward. Ran the wires along the roof rack to meet above the driver's side rear passenger door. The wires were then snaked behind the rubber window gasket and followed it forward then down the pillar (still behind the rubber weather gasket) and then into the engine compartment.

Here's a pic of the wires from my lights on the rack going into the weather strip around the doors.

Her's a close up of the wires going into the gasket.

My switches:

 

[smbphoto]

If you lay under the bed of your Taco, near the front and look up... There is a space in-between the exterior sheetmetal and the bed metal (you will see the back of your tie-down in the bed), there is room there to route wires into the bed, without drilling holes, then you can go up the side of your shell and through the roof to your rack/lights with a waterproof cable outlet (see attached).

http://www.boatfix.com/catalog/54.pdf
http://www.boatfix.com/catalog/95.pdf

Also, if you need to bring wires from the cab, there is a stock grommet under the drivers seat you can bring wires out of to the bed. You will have to take off the plastic threshold, and peel the carpet back a bit...

Cheers,


Sammy