wiring thru firewall?

[jbowl]

Battery to amp

Are there any common rule of thumb ideas for drilling through?
Other than the obvious look out for hoses and whatnot.

My battery sits on the passenger side so I'd like to punch through on passenger side. Is the decision as simple as that?

[PolkThug]

Just make sure you know what's on the other side of the firewall in the spot where you are drilling. Also, you may have a hole already that is currently plugged with a rubber grommet, so look for those as well.

Regards,
PolkThug

[exalted512]

nope...just common sense stuff
and yeah, you might already have a hole there...some vehicles have holes punched, you just need to hit the metal out
i ran my power wire though the steering column so i didnt have to worry about drilling
-Cody

[geolemon]

In over 15 years, I've still never had to drill a hole through a firewall... running 1/0 gauge or whatever.

I honestly fear drilling through metal on a car, particularly when you are talking about metal exposed to the elements, particularly when you are talking about drilling into wiring, hoses, or whatnot that you might not even be able to see.
Even when making grounds (even though that metal HAS to be bare ;)).
Bare metal rusts.


With all the wires, hoses, cables and the like that pass through the firewall, you WILL be able to find a gasket that you can pierce slightly (carefully) to run the power wire through.
With many cars, you'll even be likely to find empty rubber plugs, filling holes that for whatever reason aren't being used. Pierce that, and run the cable through that.

And when trying to pull wiring, remember... coathangers and duct tape are your friends. After puncturing the rubber (I use a sharp, long, narrow woodworker's chisel), I poke a coathanger through it, duct tape the end of my power cable to it, and just pull it through.

[exalted512]

when i was hiding my speaker wires and rca's to my amps, i used speaker wire and electrical tape...i wouldve preferred a coat hanger...but i was inside my truck and speaker wire is what i had handy...lol
-Cody