Getting wiring into the cab

[craighaty7]

I'm wiring a lot of devices from outside my vehicle to inside the cab;
there's 2 runs of coax for antenna, and
7 runs of 1mm cable for 2 lots of hazards lights (required for some work sites) and LED clearance lights.
Can anyone tell me the best option to get these cables into the cabin from the engine bay.
I'd rather not come in from underneath as I go through water sometimes and would like to preserve the waterproofing.
At the moment I have a few cables coming in through a gromet on the passenger side up high behind the dash, but it's very hard to get too and hard to enlarge for all this extra cable.
thanks

 

[Aussie Frontier]

I ended up running most of my wiring thru the vent in the back of the cab behind the back seat on the passengers side.I have 3 x 7 core trailer flex and 2 x coax for all my lights cameras etc. I too found it just too damm hard to get thru the dash with more than a handful of cables.

 

[scooba_285]

theres a rubber grommet under the drivers seat which i ran my antenna cable through and along the chassis to the tub, also out of rubber grommets on the fire wall, u can drill holes in it and silicone them up after the cables gone through aswell

 

[craighaty7]

Venting my cabling woes

Thanks for the replies.
The vents behind the back seat, great, didn't consider that and it's in a great place for my top lights and into the canopy.

I did try the firewall on the passenger side but find it'd just too tight and hard to get to. I don't want to risk damaging any existing cables as I think it will be a job to fix them.

I'd be interested in any more, if anyone has more suggestions.

 

[LiveToRide]

I managed to get 1/0 gauge cable through the main grommet on the drives side but i wouldn't suggest to do that - WHAT A PAIN IN THE ASS had to cut it and silicon it up! Other than that like others have suggested i got my coax though the passenger side of the firewall pretty easily!

 

[craighaty7]

@LiveToRide - where abouts/how did you come through the firewall. I can see a gromet there and have used it for a coax, but it was hard to get through - I found I had to try and cut it and it was risky to try not to damage the cables that were originally using it.
Anyone have any more ideas?
I had a look at some suggestions - I have a dual cab with canopy and don't think I can access the rear vents, if there are any. And I can't find an access under the floor - I was thinking of coming up through the sock/gromet that houses the gear shift.
Must be someone out there who's had to bring multiple cables into the cab (2010 D40 dual cab manual here).
thanks.

 

[bsp]

I'm running my UHF coax this weekend so if I'll let you know how I go.
I had a quick look and agree there doesn't seem to be many places to get through easily. (2010 ST Thai).

If anyone has any ideas before then let us know.
Cheers.

 

[Aussie Frontier]

I didnt even bother trying to get the UHF coax out of the cab. I bought an on glass antenna .Looks similar to a mobile antenna so noone knows I have a UHF on board and the head of the radio is hard to see

 

[KraftyPg]

Find a wire coat hanger and straighten it out then gently stick the coat hanger through the rubber grommet in the firewall which goes into the passenger foot well. It's easy and if you do it gently you'll damage nothing. I even hooked the end so that when I'd poked the coat hanger through a few inches it was easy to attach the wires I wanted to pull through. Even the hook damaged nothing.

It's awkward to in the passenger foot well but beats the shit out of fighting with the pedals in the drivers foot well, and for a bit more room you can remove the glove box in a few minutes, but it doesn't help that much.

 

[qqc d22]

I ran mine thru the same rubber gromet the bonnet pull comes through but it was a mission. I think im gonna drill an inch hole through the fire wall and be done with it. I will then put a threaded water tight skin fitting from a boat on there to run the cables through. Dont know if thats a bit agressive lol but stuff it

 

[bsp]

Hi all,

so I ran the UHF aerial cable today. After having a bit of a look around I decided to run it through a gap in the front quarter panel into the passenger side door and through the grommet that houses the speaker and power window cables.

It was a lot easier to get that grommet out and there is stacks of room to pierce a hole without slicing the other cables. From there it was straight into the passenger foot well (easy reach) and across to the drivers side where the unit is located. Just make sure you secure the cable enough so it doesn't interfere with the door opening and closing.

To be honest it worked better than expected. A few attempts to get it though the right gap in the paneling, bit not to bad. I was a bit worried when I started looking as the main grommets through the firewall looked like hard work!

Through the front quarter panel.

View from the passenger side in the engine bay.

Into the grommet.

Cheers

 

[bsp]

should probably make those images smaller...

 

[maho]

I ran mine recently through the grommet that is above the bonnet release cable, on the drivers side. I found that to be pretty easy to get to. Straighten out a coat hanger and push it through from the engine bay.

I then cable tied the cable up out of the way of the pedals.

 

[tootool]

Also if you are going through the groummet above the pedals use a heap of silicon spray as unless your under the age of 5 you will not be able to open it up any more or help push it through

 

[craighaty7]

Great tips. And thanks to BSP for the pics. Pics always help, and although large, I like detail. I'd probably put some kind of grommet or rubber tape on the parts of the cable which is against the edges of the panelling to stop insulation rubbing through.
If you have some cable off-cuts, slit the insulation throw out the conductor and put the slitted insulation sheath on the panel edge where it rubs the cable.

 

[craighaty7]

I have another dilemma to pose:
I have some safety lights to mount on the roof of the cab. How/where do you recommend I run the cables to get from the roof to the cab?
I have a dual cab with canopy and roof racks - so I plan to mount the lights on the roof racks, run the cable along the roof following the rack tracks and then down the back of the cab - BUT, my problem is securing the cable from the roof to down the back of the cab - having a canopy I can't get in there and don't want rattlin' cables annoying me as I drive (not to mention moving cables damage paintwork and rub through insulation).