What do you guys use to run wires through your doors? Boots, grommets, etc? And where did you get them? No luck at NAPA. I was thinking I might have to scrounge some from Pick-n-pull.
I'm looking for ideas. Just a regular old grommet isn't very good protection. Since these are opening my doors I don't want them to fail.
Funny you ask. I just repaired the wire bundle in the door of one of my rides for the second time. I use high-quality marine grade wire, shrink wrap and grommets and still have had problems. It is a property of copper wire that it is flexible, but only to a point. Metal fatigue causes the wire to break cleanly in half. Over time as you open and close your door(s) the metal is subjected to the stresses, and there isn't much that I know you can do to prevent the eventual breaking of the wires. The driver side will go before the p***enger side. So whatever you design, realize that you or somebody else down the road is going to have to replace or repair what you put together. Don't make it too complicated. For my latest ride, my solution was nothing electrical in the doors, ie, roll down windows and manual doorlocks. The only way to go. Pete Richmond, VA
do a search... there was a really great thread where a hamber took his hinge and cut a 1/2" section off the bottom and put 1/2 square tubing back on it to run his wires through! looked really good!!
What kind of car? Here is an old post about running wired through the hinges on a '55 chevy. This is a way cool idea. This is the thread chaddilac is refering to above. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=234908
The trick is to have enough wire. The wires on the riv are original from 1964, and no problems so far. Look at the hinge area on some newer cars at Pick-n-pull for the flex conduit. It's corrugated rubber basically.
Summit sells a clear plastic box full of different sizes for cheap. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=WMR%2DW5214&N=700+115&autoview=sku
Someone sells spring loaded contacts that eliminate the need to run wires. Theres just no contact when the door is open. Check wireing ads or street rodder.
Depends on what kind of hinge you have. With regular hinges you can use an after market loom BUT with hidden hinges you can not do that because the door doesn't hinge at the jamb but slides across it. If you have hidden hinges there are several ways of running wires. First is the hight tech cut the hinges and put square tubing as mentioned above. Second is to use jamb contacts but nothing works when the door is open. Third is to run the wires verticle. Come out of the body jamb side at one height and then drop down abut 6" and into the door. This requries some clearance from door to body at the jamb.
I read something very similar to your post that someone had used a piece of small PVC and it had a slight bend to it . On the door the PVC was attached to the door and a larger hole was drilled in the front post . They use a larger grommet that was thin in the middle where they cut a small slit into the rubber so the PVC could slide in and sideways in the rubber slit . I am sure you understand way better than I can explain it but you get the idea . The one with the welded piece is a lot of work but the results are show quality ! Great idea !
Go to a hardware store and buy a long screen door spring. You can get them in different size dia. You want to purchase two rubber groments for each spring. one that will fit ***e on one end of the spring and hold it in the door post so the spring will not slide at that end. The other gromment you want it to fit loose so the spring will slide in and out thru it. Run your wires on the inside of the spring. As the door opens the spring will slide thru the gromment. Make sure you cut the spring long enougth so it wont drop out of the door when you open it. I have had this on the rear doors of my 34 Dodge panel for years and its worked for me. Good luck
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