[Icom] Pointers on getting through firewall?

[robrk]

Have done commercial (Motorola) installs in every brand of car, small
truck and suv made. We use a 
sharpened antenna rod, find where a wiring harness goes through the
firewall, push through the grommet,
without nicking to many wires, from the engine side, tape the wire or
wires from the passanger side
and pull through to the engine compartment.(number 8 wire). I like to
pull a number 8 "black" and bring the
negative side of the battery to the short ground lead Motorola provides
at the trunk mount radio.

There have been very few cases where two number 8's and heavy zip cord
for the siren won't go through 
a grommet. When you drill the transmission tunnel for the mount, don't
worry about the red stuff dripping
on the garage floor, it's just transmission fluid. The green stuff is
radiator juice from mounting
the siren speaker.

If you want to switch the radio with the ignition (40 or 50 watt radio),
the auto parts stores sell a "fuse pigtail".
A molded fuse holder with "fuse pins" and a place to replace the auto
circuit fuse and a second slot inline
with 6" of #16 or 14 wire with a crimp/splice to go to the radio. They
sell for a rip-off $6 or $8, but provided
a very secure connection and up to a 30 amp fuse.