My Trick For Going Through Firewall For Amp Power

[HoustonJohn]

2001 Reg Cab Z71 4X4

 

I installed a bazooka tube last night. Sorry for no pics...I was up to my neck in wires, panels and beer cans. The entire process took about 3 1/2 hours. About an hour of that time was fooling around with the firewall. I went through the big grommet that has a million wires going through it up near the brake booster. This grommet is about 1cm wider than the group of wires that enters. So that leaves an accessible rubber ring surrounding the center. Here was my final solution (this would have saved me a ton of time if I done this at the beginning): I took a coat hanger and cut 7" of straight wire. I put that in my vice and left 1.5" sticking out. With a pair of needle-nose, I made a small loop on the end and stuck my heavy wire through there. I mashed the loop until it was very tight and tried to make it as small as possible. Ok, so now I had 4" of power wire through the loop and bent back so the whole thing resembled a sewing needle. I took that rig and entered the grommet at the 9 o'clock position (If you are looking at it through the hood). I gently pushed until I had most of the coat hanger through. At that point I went in the cab and was able to feel the coat hanger with my hand. Then I pulled the wire through no problem.

 

Note: There is inherent danger in using this method. Lord knows what you can screw up if you damage any of those wires going through the grommet. Go slow.

 

Final Note: Don't rule out drilling a hole as an alternative firewall breach. If you can find a place, you can save yourself a lot of time and worry.

 

Other Final Note: The 8" 100W Bazooka sounds great in that reg cab.

[Grip72]

.... pics say more than words

[2001sierra4wd]

Do it wrong and there is alot of smoke and your airbag light comes on and your oil pressure gauge quits working. My advice is be really careful nick the insulation on a couple of wires and it all breaks loose.

[rebelman06]

Thats nice, but I'm thinking about coming in through the vents on the back wall of my single cab. Thats what I did with my CB wire. I will add some of that flexible plastic tubing to the wire under the truck, and then there is no drilling or possibility of cutting wires.

[2001sierra4wd]

In a regular cab in the back behind the seats if you pull up the rug there is a grommet. I ran my power wire in black wire loom under the truck making sure to wire tie it up and through that grommet. wire goes under the rug right to the amp. Pretty clean install with no drilling.

[anealysr]

2001 Reg Cab Z71 4X4

 

I installed a bazooka tube last night. Sorry for no pics...I was up to my neck in wires, panels and beer cans. The entire process took about 3 1/2 hours. About an hour of that time was fooling around with the firewall. I went through the big grommet that has a million wires going through it up near the brake booster. This grommet is about 1cm wider than the group of wires that enters. So that leaves an accessible rubber ring surrounding the center. Here was my final solution (this would have saved me a ton of time if I done this at the beginning): I took a coat hanger and cut 7" of straight wire. I put that in my vice and left 1.5" sticking out. With a pair of needle-nose, I made a small loop on the end and stuck my heavy wire through there. I mashed the loop until it was very tight and tried to make it as small as possible. Ok, so now I had 4" of power wire through the loop and bent back so the whole thing resembled a sewing needle. I took that rig and entered the grommet at the 9 o'clock position (If you are looking at it through the hood). I gently pushed until I had most of the coat hanger through. At that point I went in the cab and was able to feel the coat hanger with my hand. Then I pulled the wire through no problem.

 

Note: There is inherent danger in using this method. Lord knows what you can screw up if you damage any of those wires going through the grommet. Go slow.

 

Final Note: Don't rule out drilling a hole as an alternative firewall breach. If you can find a place, you can save yourself a lot of time and worry.

 

Other Final Note: The 8" 100W Bazooka sounds great in that reg cab.

 

 

Why go to all that trouble? I have 2 under my back seat and run them off my radio power. They only draw 1.5 amps for both.