zonehawk
Well-Known Member
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Warning, long post ahead... If you look at my post history I asked last year about connecting auxiliary accessories. I had a few that I pulled from my previous vehicle, a GX460.
In the last few months a few people have begun showing how they've connected some different accessories and thus gave me the motivation to get these things installed. A huge thanks to @WattTruckMatt for responding to my questions on his build thread and for helping pave a path. The below is lengthy but I wanted to capture a lot of details about my experience incase others were looking at one approach to installing accessories
My goal was to install as much as I could while minimizing permanent modifications. I did end up drilling a few holes for a track mount on the bed. I picked one of the smaller pieces that you can relatively easily remove and I will be ordering a replacement part of it just to have if I decide to change this approach with a bed rack or if I part out the vehicle in the future.
Parts Used (none of these links are referrals, just trying to share what I used):
*Disclaimer, do any modifications at your own risk, doing anything like connecting things to the 12v batteries could be just reason to void a warranty or insurance claim if the problem might be related to the modifications.
Did you read the disclaimer above, seriously.... it's not too challenging of an install but these modifications could be enough for Rivian to not honor a warranty service. Additionally, you may find a better way to do this and if so please feel free to share with me, I'm always open to seeing how people approach these types of projects... Alright let's get started, so I decided to mount the WeBoost and Midland GMRS under the seat near the subwoofer. I knew I was going to be running cables up the passenger side of the vehicle as there is an existing firewall wire passthrough that leads above the passenger footwell and close to the where the Garmin PowerSwitch would be mounted. I also knew there was a little bit of space between the air filter and strut tower near the 12v battery system. This space is small and cramped which is another reason why I went with the Garmin PowerSwitch due to its small profile.
You can remove the top paneling above the batteries and the frunk to get access to the area you'll be doing all the work in. You dont need to remove any other panels for this. I used a small step ladder and hopped up into the frunk. It's a tiny space for a human so be prepared for your legs to go numb after a while. You'll lift the plastic funnel leading into the filter and set it up near the windshield. The sensor and cable connected to it shouldn't need to be removed, just remember to place it back before closing the frunk when all said and done.
You will want a head lamp or ample lighting, the hood provides a lot of shade. The wire passthrough into the passenger footwell is to the left of the filter, and where I'm mounting the Garmin is to the right. I decided to run the cabling first. It's hard to get through this passthrough and I wish it was more easily accessible (or if Rivian just included built in Auxiliary connections) but getting the the cables run through and reachable into the passenger footwell probably took longer than the entire rest of the process for me. I ended up buying some special tools from amazon to make it a bit easier for me. I was able to get a coat hanger through but these passthroughs are capped with rubber on the interior side of the vehicle so unless you remove the entire rubber grommet and slice the tips off the interior rubber ends, you'll want to find a good strategy for pulling wire; a wire coat hanger struggled to pull a wire through in my experience. As a side note, you cannot easily access or see this passthrough from the interior. For me there was a bundle of wiring and a harness blocking most of it, so having a long tool to fish around it makes it far more manageable. The passenger footwell kick panel is connected with two T20 or T25 (can't recall which size) Torx screws and a few clips; it also has the wiring for the footwell light which is just a normal harness you can unclip and remove. I ran my own wires through from the frunk side and then spliced them with the power from the WeBoost and Midland GMRS (after running their wiring up to the front of the vehicle) because it was easier for me than trying to fish the wires from that footwell into the frunk. I also recommend lowering the vehicle as low as it can go and moving the passenger seat as far back and low as it can go to give yourself enough room to contort into this small space when looking for the wire you've pushed from the frunk. One final note on the Midland Antenna Cable, it's a bit larger than other cables so I ended up fishing that through the top of the passthrough and reseating the rubber grommet after successfully pulling it through.
After placing the WeBoost and Midland into under seat storage. I removed the backseat following this less than one minute guide. Removing the backseat allowed me to see where I could ground some of these accessories and it made it easier to run cabling from not only the bed but also back towards the front of the vehicle. A couple notes on the backseats, there is a plastic covering right at the base of the seats that are held in with clips on each side and there are two wiring harnesses at the very bottom on each side (I'm assuming for the heated seat function), they're normal clips and easy to disconnect before pulling the seat out.
In running the power, WeBoost Interior Antenna, and Midland antenna cabling, I removed the door sill foot plates with the words "Rivian" on them in both the front and back seats. They were held in with clips, and this was the only paneling I had to fully remove. You can loosen the clips for the other side paneling just to make it a little easier to fish cabling but it was fairly easy with a plastic pry tool to get the wires fished under. I mounted the WeBoost Interior Antenna on some velcro and ran it under the front passenger seat. The only cables that weren't run through this passenger side were the Midland Mic which was a little shorter and I didn't feel like splicing it so I ran it under the back floor mat and under the paneling in the center console, eventually running it up under the center screen. As well as the WeBoost Exterior Antenna which I ran through a small hole behind the back seat that has direct access to the exterior of the bed above the tonneau cover.
The WeBoost Exterior Antenna I decided to mount onto a cover piece in the corner of the bed against the cab. The main reason was its proximity to the hole for access to the cab and it was a small piece that could be more easily replaced if I wanted to return the vehicle to stock. I went with a T Track mostly because with a Ram Mount I can fold it down when not in use and it can swivel at any angle. I looked at some other fold down mounts but because they folded straight down to side they'd catch the spoiler. To be fair, I'm not confident how well this solution with hold up in the long run but so far so good. I did also use a little bit of velcro to have a place to rest antenna when in the down position and not have it vibrating against the bed or back window.
The baja designs ditch lights came with their own wiring harness, I spliced a smaller ring on the positive cable so it'd fit the Garmin PowerSwitch and used zip ties to help tidy up and wire manage the cabling. The ground for the PowerSwitch and the ditch lights runs to the second 6V battery in the system. The two other grounds (WeBoost & Midland GMRS) are run to screws that are grounded through the body of the truck.
The Garmin PowerSwitch I mounted with extreme indoor/outdoor 3M Velcro Adhesive and as additional security I was also able to use one of the bolts existing in that area to connect to a mounting hole on the PowerSwitch and re-secure that nut. When connecting the accessories, be mindful the screws can drop down into the void never to be found again. Luckily I avoided that and found it helpful to have a small mirror below on an extending rod as well as a towel below to try and catch any lost screws or nuts. I ran power from the PowerSwitch to the second 6V and mounted it to the 150amp fuse block on the battery. The Garmin PowerSwitch has a built in fuse in the power cable as well.
The PowerSwitch runs on Bluetooth and gives a lot of customization for strobing, constant on, dimming, etc... It takes only a couple seconds to connect when first opening up the app. As stated above I do hope carplay/android auto, gets rolled out one day, simply so I can control the accessories right from the center screen. Additionally, the Garmin has 3 more slots available that I've mounted in an easily accessible way in the event I add more items in the future.
That's it for now, hopefully the pictures help others when deciding what things they may want to do to add to their adventures. Let me know if you have any questions!
In the last few months a few people have begun showing how they've connected some different accessories and thus gave me the motivation to get these things installed. A huge thanks to @WattTruckMatt for responding to my questions on his build thread and for helping pave a path. The below is lengthy but I wanted to capture a lot of details about my experience incase others were looking at one approach to installing accessories
My goal was to install as much as I could while minimizing permanent modifications. I did end up drilling a few holes for a track mount on the bed. I picked one of the smaller pieces that you can relatively easily remove and I will be ordering a replacement part of it just to have if I decide to change this approach with a bed rack or if I part out the vehicle in the future.
Parts Used (none of these links are referrals, just trying to share what I used):
- Garmin PowerSwitch - Wireless option for connecting up to 6 accessories, ability to customize. Rationale is one day I hope we get CarPlay/Android Auto and then i'll be able to control all the accessories from the main screen, otherwise I have a phone mount that sits at eye level between the two screen. - https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/718849
- s00nish Ditch Light Brackets - Easy install without worrying about hood coming out of alignment, hood still functions as expected, very minor vibrations of the brackets themselves when at speed but nothing I haven't seen before. - https://s00nish.com/s00nish-ditch-light-bracket-for-rivian-r1t-r1s/
- baja designs S2 Pro Black (Amber) -I've had several lighting products before, Baja Designs is a name I've been able to trust and they put out the light level I want in a small form factor. - https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/s2-pro-black-led-auxiliary-light-pod-pair/?sku=487813
- Midland MXT275 GMRS Radio- GMRS, compatible with handhelds I use with buddies as well. - https://midlandusa.com/collections/micromobile/products/mxt275vp4-micromobile-two-way-radio-bundle-1
- Midland MXTA27 Universal Lip Mount - https://midlandusa.com/products/micromobile-mxta27-universal-lip-mount
- WeBoost Drive Reach (Cellphone Signal Booster)- has worked great for us when out of service, turn it on and usually it is able amplify whatever little signal that may still exist. - https://www.weboost.com/products/drive-reach-overland
- TWRAPS Rear Seat Storage Divider - Mounted my WeBoost to this to secure it in place versus mounting to the tub and to allow a divide between these accessories and the gear in the rest of the under seat storage. - https://twraps.com/products/rear-seats-under-storage-dividers
- EveryAMP Phone Mount Dash Anchor for Rivian - Used to mount a ram mount with mic cradle. - https://everyamp.com/shop/dash-anchor-r1t-r1s-2022/
- RAM Mounts (variety, usually ordered from Amazon)
- Size C - T Bolt Track Ball - for WeBoost Antenna mount
- Size B & C - Double Socket Arms varied lengths
- Universal Mic Cradle
- Various wiring, heat shrink, and connectors
*Disclaimer, do any modifications at your own risk, doing anything like connecting things to the 12v batteries could be just reason to void a warranty or insurance claim if the problem might be related to the modifications.
Did you read the disclaimer above, seriously.... it's not too challenging of an install but these modifications could be enough for Rivian to not honor a warranty service. Additionally, you may find a better way to do this and if so please feel free to share with me, I'm always open to seeing how people approach these types of projects... Alright let's get started, so I decided to mount the WeBoost and Midland GMRS under the seat near the subwoofer. I knew I was going to be running cables up the passenger side of the vehicle as there is an existing firewall wire passthrough that leads above the passenger footwell and close to the where the Garmin PowerSwitch would be mounted. I also knew there was a little bit of space between the air filter and strut tower near the 12v battery system. This space is small and cramped which is another reason why I went with the Garmin PowerSwitch due to its small profile.
You can remove the top paneling above the batteries and the frunk to get access to the area you'll be doing all the work in. You dont need to remove any other panels for this. I used a small step ladder and hopped up into the frunk. It's a tiny space for a human so be prepared for your legs to go numb after a while. You'll lift the plastic funnel leading into the filter and set it up near the windshield. The sensor and cable connected to it shouldn't need to be removed, just remember to place it back before closing the frunk when all said and done.
You will want a head lamp or ample lighting, the hood provides a lot of shade. The wire passthrough into the passenger footwell is to the left of the filter, and where I'm mounting the Garmin is to the right. I decided to run the cabling first. It's hard to get through this passthrough and I wish it was more easily accessible (or if Rivian just included built in Auxiliary connections) but getting the the cables run through and reachable into the passenger footwell probably took longer than the entire rest of the process for me. I ended up buying some special tools from amazon to make it a bit easier for me. I was able to get a coat hanger through but these passthroughs are capped with rubber on the interior side of the vehicle so unless you remove the entire rubber grommet and slice the tips off the interior rubber ends, you'll want to find a good strategy for pulling wire; a wire coat hanger struggled to pull a wire through in my experience. As a side note, you cannot easily access or see this passthrough from the interior. For me there was a bundle of wiring and a harness blocking most of it, so having a long tool to fish around it makes it far more manageable. The passenger footwell kick panel is connected with two T20 or T25 (can't recall which size) Torx screws and a few clips; it also has the wiring for the footwell light which is just a normal harness you can unclip and remove. I ran my own wires through from the frunk side and then spliced them with the power from the WeBoost and Midland GMRS (after running their wiring up to the front of the vehicle) because it was easier for me than trying to fish the wires from that footwell into the frunk. I also recommend lowering the vehicle as low as it can go and moving the passenger seat as far back and low as it can go to give yourself enough room to contort into this small space when looking for the wire you've pushed from the frunk. One final note on the Midland Antenna Cable, it's a bit larger than other cables so I ended up fishing that through the top of the passthrough and reseating the rubber grommet after successfully pulling it through.
After placing the WeBoost and Midland into under seat storage. I removed the backseat following this less than one minute guide. Removing the backseat allowed me to see where I could ground some of these accessories and it made it easier to run cabling from not only the bed but also back towards the front of the vehicle. A couple notes on the backseats, there is a plastic covering right at the base of the seats that are held in with clips on each side and there are two wiring harnesses at the very bottom on each side (I'm assuming for the heated seat function), they're normal clips and easy to disconnect before pulling the seat out.
In running the power, WeBoost Interior Antenna, and Midland antenna cabling, I removed the door sill foot plates with the words "Rivian" on them in both the front and back seats. They were held in with clips, and this was the only paneling I had to fully remove. You can loosen the clips for the other side paneling just to make it a little easier to fish cabling but it was fairly easy with a plastic pry tool to get the wires fished under. I mounted the WeBoost Interior Antenna on some velcro and ran it under the front passenger seat. The only cables that weren't run through this passenger side were the Midland Mic which was a little shorter and I didn't feel like splicing it so I ran it under the back floor mat and under the paneling in the center console, eventually running it up under the center screen. As well as the WeBoost Exterior Antenna which I ran through a small hole behind the back seat that has direct access to the exterior of the bed above the tonneau cover.
The WeBoost Exterior Antenna I decided to mount onto a cover piece in the corner of the bed against the cab. The main reason was its proximity to the hole for access to the cab and it was a small piece that could be more easily replaced if I wanted to return the vehicle to stock. I went with a T Track mostly because with a Ram Mount I can fold it down when not in use and it can swivel at any angle. I looked at some other fold down mounts but because they folded straight down to side they'd catch the spoiler. To be fair, I'm not confident how well this solution with hold up in the long run but so far so good. I did also use a little bit of velcro to have a place to rest antenna when in the down position and not have it vibrating against the bed or back window.
The baja designs ditch lights came with their own wiring harness, I spliced a smaller ring on the positive cable so it'd fit the Garmin PowerSwitch and used zip ties to help tidy up and wire manage the cabling. The ground for the PowerSwitch and the ditch lights runs to the second 6V battery in the system. The two other grounds (WeBoost & Midland GMRS) are run to screws that are grounded through the body of the truck.
The Garmin PowerSwitch I mounted with extreme indoor/outdoor 3M Velcro Adhesive and as additional security I was also able to use one of the bolts existing in that area to connect to a mounting hole on the PowerSwitch and re-secure that nut. When connecting the accessories, be mindful the screws can drop down into the void never to be found again. Luckily I avoided that and found it helpful to have a small mirror below on an extending rod as well as a towel below to try and catch any lost screws or nuts. I ran power from the PowerSwitch to the second 6V and mounted it to the 150amp fuse block on the battery. The Garmin PowerSwitch has a built in fuse in the power cable as well.
The PowerSwitch runs on Bluetooth and gives a lot of customization for strobing, constant on, dimming, etc... It takes only a couple seconds to connect when first opening up the app. As stated above I do hope carplay/android auto, gets rolled out one day, simply so I can control the accessories right from the center screen. Additionally, the Garmin has 3 more slots available that I've mounted in an easily accessible way in the event I add more items in the future.
That's it for now, hopefully the pictures help others when deciding what things they may want to do to add to their adventures. Let me know if you have any questions!
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