Cab Light Wire Routing

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Doppleganger

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Could swear (and I know ALL the words too) that I saw this in another thread, but cannot find it. Someone mentioned that the cab lights are routed in that 1-2" space between the roof and inner panel - and that they go down inside the A-pillar to the dash?

Is there a hole or something where they exit the pillar into the dash?

Thanks in advance.
 

Blue Ox

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That is correct. I'll try to look when I get back to the shop to try to get you a picture, but it's a pretty obvious hole in the tin under the pillar.
 

Craig 85

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My dash is torn apart here's some pictures.

Looking through the windshield and down below the L/F speaker hole. It's a solid white wire attached to a black wire. There is a rubber grommet it goes through. It's about level with the back of the volt gauge. The orange wire here is for my clock.
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Looking up from under the dash.
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Looking up through the left A/C vent (removed).

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Termite_Delight

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I just did that, what a pia. I used bailing wire and pulled the wiring harness through. Take the drivers side visor off to gain more access & help to guide it through. Good luck.
 

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I spent hours trying to fish wire thru the A-pillar. Up, down, sideways, inside out... nothing. There seemed to be a blockage about halfway between the top and bottom. Finally gave up and ran the wires on top between the inner/outer panel and down the B-pillar (?).

This was for my auto dimming mirror and moonvisor running lights.

Major PITA!!!
 

Doppleganger

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People who design that sht never have to do it so I'd be almost disappointed if it went too easy....or spend the day wondering how Murphy was going to even the score.

The harness for the cab lights looks to have a rubber plug end on them where you'd plug the lights in from outside - they'd almost have to be pushed through from inside but if the hole was correct size, it would be a tight fit (yeah....thats what she said).

I was almost thinking of drilling through to the inside and then opening the plug hole up for access (1/2"?)....with a flush rubber plug inside (getting a headliner anyways). Sounds almost as bad to me as cutting the radio out (which isn't happening).

I also notice that alot of these aftermarket lights are one piece - cant replace the bulb - whole lamp has to be replaced.....and this on a Recon brand. Everything made today is such crap.
 

QBuff02

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I'm trying to remember how the lights looked when I rewired mine last winter, I believe they were one piece with a ground wire/clamp on one wire and just a bare pigtail on the other wire. Naturally mice had completely decimated the wires in the roof. So I had to run completely new from the passenger side cab light all the way down to the light switch. I removed all the old lights and fished a mechanics wire across the roof below the cab light holes starting at the passenger side, hooked a new power wire to it and pulled it across the roof, and then once the power wire was pulled in, I puled all the excess wire out and then ran a mechanics wire up through the hole on the left side of the dash until I finally felt it at the hole where the drivers side visor goes, hooked the new power wire onto it and then pulled it back down into the dash to the light switch. Then I took excess power wire up at the roof to make little loops about 3 inches long sticking out through each individual cab light hole in the roof and then cut and spliced and piggy-backed two wires into each power connector, a male on the light side and a female on the supply side and then the grounds just slid onto the skin of the cab roof under the lights before bolting them down. crimped on a new connector to go onto the headlight switch and was done. Once I came up with my plan I had it completely wired up and working in about an hour or so. I used the Truck-Lite 1313A assemblies.
 

QBuff02

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Actually I went back and looked at my phone for pics.. Didn't have any pics left of the actual install/wiring but I did have a few pics of the new/old lights. and a crude drawing of how the wiring was supposed to go included. I felt the truck-lite was just a new/updated version of what was on it. pretty much identical. And by crimping a connector onto the power wire.. if it ever burned out or was broken, it's a simple as getting a new light, crimping a new connector on and screwing it back home. Lol

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Doppleganger

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They've got the harness already wired - twisted together. Not sure I'll use it that way. So you grounded every light separately - like into the sheet metal inside with a self tapping screw? Or did they ground where the screw that holds them to the roof is?

The lights I got are more streamline - just liked the look. Here they are just sitting - I have them spaced better since. The roof is marked where they go - if for some reason I bail on the whole idea, the truck needs painted anyways so the markings will go away too. Drives me nuts....one day I really like them, the next, not so sure. Lost in fickle-dom.
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QBuff02

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They've got the harness already wired - twisted together. Not sure I'll use it that way. So you grounded every light separately - like into the sheet metal inside with a self tapping screw? Or did they ground where the screw that holds them to the roof is?

Each light was individually grounded out of the package, in the included pic with the green circle around the white (ground) wire, it already had a tab with teeth soldered onto it and that simply pushed securely onto/over the skin of the roof at the light opening for the ground. for the power supply harness that I made, I used connectors similar to what's in the other included picture. Except on the light side of the wiring I just crimped the male part of the connector onto the black wire of the light so that I had a pigtail with a male on the light, but from the supply side of the wiring harness I soldered what would essentially be two wires into the back of the female connector so that my power supply simply piggy backed from light to light- 1 through 4 with just a single wire then feeding from light #4 to light #5 where the harness terminates. might make sense to look at the hand schematic for the wire routing. but That way I had 12 volts from the switch all the way to light #5, and individual grounds at each light. And if I ever needed to remove them for replacement or future body work I could simply take the lights loose and unplug the wiring connectors and tuck them into the cab roof until repairs are complete. Kind of plug and play.

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Doppleganger

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This is how these are.....I suppose if done properly, will work pretty nice. The female plug ends push through from inside and make a semi-flush socket that fits up into the foam-rubber seal on the light. The light has a male end like a 194 bulb.

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78C10BigTen

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This is how these are.....I suppose if done properly, will work pretty nice. The female plug ends push through from inside and make a semi-flush socket that fits up into the foam-rubber seal on the light. The light has a male end like a 194 bulb.

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Are they LED or incan? Look LED
 

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