Okay, as promised, here is the writeup with pictures. This is my first writeup. I hope it is helpful to someone out there...I know I have always appreciated looking through other peoples’ work to get ideas for myself.
I ordered 25’ of Dayton 4 conductor 13 gauge pro audio wire from Parts-Express.com:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=100-485 My tower is very simple, and the amps are going to be against the passenger compartment wall, so I probably will only end up needing about 15 – 20 feet, but I always would rather have too much than not enough, even if it costs quite a bit extra (at ~$2/foot).
I used (1) 3/8” Thru-Deck Seal that I got from Earmark Audio. It is West Marine model #181859. It is chromed brass. I thought it was stainless steel at first, but it looks good. I was a bit nervous because the OD spec of the wire I got was .472” and the quoted ID of the Thru-Deck fitting was .375”. I flipped the rubber grommet inside out and trimmed a bit off with a razor blade to give me some more clearance. Once flipped the normal way, you can’t see any trim marks. The grommet ended up pretty tight, but slid without much difficulty. I’m not sure if trimming the grommet really helped or not.
I got (3) #6 stainless screws from my local mom & pop hardware store. I used oval heads as I thought they looked better than flat.
Drilling Tower First, if you are drilling a stainless steel tower,
go get a couple brand new nice drill bits (I think I used Dewalt Titanium). I guarantee you the ones in your standard house set are not going to work well. It is WELL worth the extra few dollars to have super sharp bits.
I used a center punch and hammer to make a mark where I wanted the holes. This prevents the bit from walking, which will definitely happen when trying to drill round things, especially if drilling stainless steel because it is so hard. Then, I used a 3/32” bit to start the hole. My technique is to start the drill, push reasonably firmly, then let off. Then repeat. If you leave the bit spinning, you’ll just burn it up. Don’t forget to make some kind of sling with a beach towel or something to catch the shavings. Be patient, and take your time. Took me about 2 hours to drill the (3) holes, mostly because I only had (1) sharp bit. The hole I had the sharp bit on only took a few minutes.
Next, I used a scrap piece of metal in my garage to mock up the grommet/tower/cable interactions to make sure I liked the fit before I decided on a final diameter of hole.
I used a Speed Bit (tapered, conical tool) to increment the hole to the right size for the grommet. This creates a nice round hole without catching like drill bits can when you are trying to increase the size of a hole.
Drilling Through Deck I set the Thru-Deck Seal on the gunnel and pretty much eye-balled what looked “right”. Sometimes measuring isn’t as good as what looks pleasing to the eye. Then I put down a piece of duct tape and set the fitting back on there, again eye-balling where it looked nice. Then I marked the ID with a pen. **Key thing: Make sure you put the fitting in a spot where you’ll be able to get your drill in there to drill the mounting holes and a screwdriver in to drive the screws.** I puckered my you-know-what, then pilot drilled the center with a small bit, then drilled it with a bit the same size as that of my hole saw. With a 5/8” hole saw, I drilled in reverse all the way through. The hole came out perfect, no chipping.
(Message edited by wakerider42 on March 10, 2009)
(Message edited by wakerider42 on March 10, 2009)