Wagon - powered tailgate wire routing?

[Jeff W]

Thanks to Steve @ Doghouse Powdercoating, I now have wonderful back-up lights to dress up my previously naked tailgate.

Does anyone have a good picture on where and how the wires route from the moving tailgate to the body of the car? I'm assuming there are grommets involved. I'll also be running a ground wire with the power as I'm sure the moving hinges are not a reliable ground path.

[Luva65wagon]

Jeff, I only know from pulling some wires I got from Steve for the power tailgate harness and safety switch. So I have that harness, which is probably the same routing any other wires would have taken.

Briefly, they went down the passenger side, out a hole under the rocker panel below the right-hand side, just to the left of the tail-light hole... then across to almost center of the gate, then out. Then there was a short twistable section... about 6" or so... that had a right-angle grommeted sleeve going to a mirror-image grommet on the bottom of the tailgate. So it only had to rotate about 90 degrees and didn't have to bunch-up or anything. Stay'd in one spot and twisted as you opened and closed the gate.

I could probably snap a picture of [what was left of] it this weekend. FWIW, I haven't been available lately, so that's the soonest I could probably get out there. Heck, I think today is my first time I've been on here in 2 weeks. Chaos...

[doghows]

Jeff; The wires on mine run behind the panel on the inside of the tailgate and go through a hole in the center of the lower lip on the tailgate. Then they run across the gate towards the passenger side and go through another hole in the rear "valance"? and tie in with the wire harness for the taillights. I just took mine all apart again to do the body work on the tailgate. I will see if I can lay out the stuff and snap a couple of pics. Also forgot to measure for the rack again Sorry.... I will staple a note to my head for tonight... Steve