Ford Transit Van Build | Wall Prep | Rerouting the Wiring Harness

[@mrgcav]

Thank you for the video I am doing the same to my 2024 Transit 350. However you cheated by not drilling through the B pillar, C pilar and the rear D pillars which I need to do. The B pillar has Boron Steel you can not get past in the wall without drilling through it. Carbide here is a must. Takes about 4 hours per hole and lots pf Prep and lots of snack breaks. The C Pillar has boron Steel you may be able to get a hole above the Boron Steel and bypass the Boron steel. It depends on your model. But plan ahead to go through the Boron Steel. The rear D Pillar has no Boron Steel. At the D pillar two 1.5" adjacent holes ( 1.5" x 2.5") will do fine. The D pillar needs 6-8" long bits and extensions. Drill up at a 30° angle. I need to enter before the B pillar. Drilling the D pillar in wall with a 1-7/8" Carbide Milwaukee Dozer Hole saw ( not Dozer bi-metal) was not fun. You must have Cobalt drill bits and Cobalt step drills and Carbide hole saws and at least two people to do this job. Cutting boron steel is slow and requires cutting fluid, high pressure and low rpm. So one person steer's the drill and one person leans on and pushes the drill. Use Cobalt hex shank step drills with locking extensions of several various lengths. to start all holes. www.amazon.com/AugTouf-TOOLANT-Step-Drill-BIT/dp/B09SPZQ6LV?th=1. You will need two step bits of each and every size Listed. What you do not use you can return. www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-Hole-Dozer-Carbide-Hole-Saw-Set-12-Piece-49-22-3090/310213292 PLUS a 1.0, 1.125" , &1..25" Carbide hole saw. Hole saw MUST have a 1/4 x 6" Cobalt bit. and you will need 1/4" x 12" Cobalt bits. www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW241Q9D?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 You will need a Dremel and several large 2" Gyro ST Cutoff wheels and grinding bits to smooth out sharp edges. If you need a large hole larger than the step bits. Use the step bit to pre-drill the 1/4" Pilot hole first. Then the carbide hole saw. Drill oval holes, two adjacent overlapping holes Cutting out the wall with a cutoff wheel is not a good method. Drilling holes is always better. To enter the B pillar you need to remove the overhead shelf and disconnect the battery. You drill a 2.0" hole near but before the B Pillar.Then drill using a 1/4" x 6" Cobalt bit as a Pilot hole You will need to lengthen the Harness by 36". Easiest way to do this is to get a harness from a Junked Transit or a new Harness. Make an extension for the front end the harness. But you will need a female connector to put on the donor harness to make a 36" (approx) extension cable" You want the extension to go from the fuse box, up the A Pillar and end at the top of the A pillar. You want your mid junction between the A pillar and the entry into the B pillar. Solder all the pins in the correct order. Add Silicone lots of Di-electic grease to the mid Junction to make it water tight. Join Male and Female connectors. Then wrap in three layers of rated #33 Electrical tape 6" to either side. Hope this helps.

[@blazingwanderers]

Yes we did consider trying to drill through the pillars, but the time/cost investment wasnt worth it to us. We were able to run in down through the back pillar which was very helpful in giving us a clean look in the back against our wall panels, and our wall panel kit had enough space allowance behind the panel to fit the bundle without having to do all the work as you detailed here. I would have loved to run it through all the pillars, believe me! It was something we were willing to do without though. Good luck!

[@mrgcav]

That is Not "in the Wall".

[@MAXIMUSMINIMALIST]

It's absolutely pathetic that Ford would even run that harness outside the wall to begin with it just goes to show you how little they care about their consumers!!

[@blazingwanderers]

I couldn’t agree more! They have those inner cavities which are perfect to run through- just not a priority for them I guess but it does make it a pain for van builders like us!

[@mrgcav]

Its not about care. Its about speed and ease of production..