Easy Roof Light Bar Wiring DIY

[Bad_Bronco]

If you have the aux switches you can drill a hole near the mounting bracket and hook into the existing wiring.

Don't Need to drill a HOLE !!!!!! If you look at the Windshield gasket, there is a "V" cut into the gasket for a wire to run over. This was thought out while doing the Aux switches. Don't put another hole in there for water to find it's way in. Mine has never leaked from the wire being there, as the roof panel squishes it down with the "V".

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[BoverW]

I'll look for the link later but I was looking for better methods of routing roof lights to the AUX trace behind the passanger sun visor and saw that Ford routed their Rigid light bar under the front of the weatherstripping at the corner of the hardtop up front.

So far it's done a great job. I do get excess wind noise from that corner when it's cold though. Like sub 40.

Why the extra wind noise? Could you elaborate a bit more? I did a similar job but did not test it in the cold temperature.

 

[GlueBoy]

Why the extra wind noise? Could you elaborate a bit more? I did a similar job but did not test it in the cold temperature.

The edge doesn't sit as flat with the harness running under it on mine at least. I also wedge the rest of the harness between the gap that's up there, and mush it into the adhesive as much as possible. My guess is, once it's colder the edge is less flexi and catches wind more. I could revisit the routing a bit more, but I only do notice the wind noise when it's consistently cold. Never hear it otherwise.

 

[BoverW]

The edge doesn't sit as flat with the harness running under it on mine at least. I also wedge the rest of the harness between the gap that's up there, and mush it into the adhesive as much as possible. My guess is, once it's colder the edge is less flexi and catches wind more. I could revisit the routing a bit more, but I only do notice the wind noise when it's consistently cold. Never hear it otherwise.

Interesting theory. If we add some more adhesive and flat it out, then maybe the problem can be solved.

BTW, do you know the adhesive they used? The sticky black gel?

 

[GroovyGeek]

Don't Need to drill a HOLE !!!!!! If you look at the Windshield gasket, there is a "V" cut into the gasket for a wire to run over. This was thought out while doing the Aux switches. Don't put another hole in there for water to find it's way in. Mine has never leaked from the wire being there, as the roof panel squishes it down with the "V".

Fair, though it should be straightforward to silicone the hell out of the feed through.

 

[4XMORE]

so switch 1 would have worked for them as the circuit is rated for 30amps. I just don't get thinking that the engineers (bane of my existence as a tech) don't adjust the wiring to handle the amperage they are rating it for, the legal issues for ford would be astronomical if they rated it and it couldn't handle the rating. now if op has wired a winch in switch 1 then totally agree for his light bar he needs a aftermarket harness.

Most of the lights on the market are going to pull greater than what that wire can hold. IMO that's one of the biggest misses by ford. They ran all these wires but the gauges don't really match the use case. In addition having to connect it under the dash is really just unnecessary IMO.

 

[GlueBoy]

Interesting theory. If we add some more adhesive and flat it out, then maybe the problem can be solved.

BTW, do you know the adhesive they used? The sticky black gel?

I am not against keeping it modular for serviceability. It's why I also used deutsch connectors for all the AUX wiring in the engine bay. If I need to swap something, I can do it quickly. Same with the weather stripping, keep it attached with the push rivets for easy removal.

I can’t tell you exactly what they used, but it’s likely something like this - https://www.amazon.com/3M-08008-Black-Weatherstrip-Adhesive/dp/B00063X38M?th=1
Read the instructions, you need to let it set before adhering.

 

[Bad_Bronco]

Fair, though it should be straightforward to silicone the hell out of the feed through.

Normally, I would say yes, but the seal on the removable top actually helps it seal the "V" so no need too. I've had mine like this for over two years, and no leaks. Everytime I remove the front tops, I clean the seals and use silicone spray on them so they stay as pliable as day one.

 

[desibull]

Thanks for posting this @Charlotte Kev!! I am also planning to get a TrailRax but choosing Baja Designs S8 over Heretic. I am surprised that the Heretic 40" draws close to 24Amps while the 40" S8 is rated at only 16 Amps. Am I missing something or is the Heretic that much more powerful? Also appreciate all the other posts on connections. I am a complete novice when it comes to electrical circuitry so all this knowledge is both exciting and daunting at the same time!!

 

[desibull]

I am not against keeping it modular for serviceability. It's why I also used deutsch connectors for all the AUX wiring in the engine bay. If I need to swap something, I can do it quickly. Same with the weather stripping, keep it attached with the push rivets for easy removal.

I can’t tell you exactly what they used, but it’s likely something like this - https://www.amazon.com/3M-08008-Black-Weatherstrip-Adhesive/dp/B00063X38M?th=1
Read the instructions, you need to let it set before adhering.

If only I knew this before I used a box connector to wire my onboard ARB!! hahaha. Just looked up Deutsch connectors; pretty cool! Will surely use this for all future connections.

 

[GlueBoy]

If only I knew this before I used a box connector to wire my onboard ARB!! hahaha. Just looked up Deutsch connectors; pretty cool! Will surely use this for all future connections.

There's a lot of good automotive grade connectors out there. I know ARB uses something similar to a metri pack, because those contacts are rated for the current. Deutsch has larger sizes, I just don't remember what their rating is. Overall good little connectors.

 

[TrailRax]

Thanks for posting this @Charlotte Kev!! I am also planning to get a TrailRax but choosing Baja Designs S8 over Heretic. I am surprised that the Heretic 40" draws close to 24Amps while the 40" S8 is rated at only 16 Amps. Am I missing something or is the Heretic that much more powerful? Also appreciate all the other posts on connections. I am a complete novice when it comes to electrical circuitry so all this knowledge is both exciting and daunting at the same time!!

Coming in here to add some details to this, Heretic and Baja designs use different diodes for their lights, one is physically smaller that draws more power to meet the lumens that are needed while another is a larger diode that uses less power to meet the lumens needed. Hope this makes sense!

 

[Baja Designs]

Thanks for posting this @Charlotte Kev!! I am also planning to get a TrailRax but choosing Baja Designs S8 over Heretic. I am surprised that the Heretic 40" draws close to 24Amps while the 40" S8 is rated at only 16 Amps. Am I missing something or is the Heretic that much more powerful? Also appreciate all the other posts on connections. I am a complete novice when it comes to electrical circuitry so all this knowledge is both exciting and daunting at the same time!!

.
Hey Desibull,

A Baja Designs S8 40-inch light bar uses 224 Watts while Heretic’s Solution uses 240 watts. Baja Designs' circuitry can provide light more efficiently while using fewer Amps.

Best,

Brahian Herrera | Forum Sales & Support
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (760) 560-2252 Ext 201

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