Moving factory winch up - 2019 lonestar help

[zk-315]

I have a 2019 Lonestar that I'm moving the factory winch from it's lower location to up on a Tough Country bumper I've installed. Trying to re-route the cables and I'm waaay too short. 

On a 2019 Lonestar and XT, the winch solenoid is under the dash, behind the switches. I'm not sure where the XMR solenoid is on the 2019 and older. Supposedly the 2020+ defenders moved everything up under the hood. 

All that said, I need to re-route my cables that run from the solenoid up to the winch, but am having hell figuring out a way to get enough length to reach the winch, which mounts to the top of the bumper. How are yall re-routing the winch cables on the XT and Lonestar models to a bumper mounted winch?

Is the 2019 and older XMR solenoid under the hood or under the dash? If it's under the dash, I wonder if their winch cables are longer? They do have a different part number than the XT/Lonestar cables. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

 

[zk-315]

New bumper just for grins 

 

[Steelslinger]

You might have to pull the cables back through the dash and reroute that way, though you will have to find a route around the radiator. 

Otherwise, you could make some new cables, attach them to the old ones prior to pulling them through the front wall. Then pull them through, trim to length.

 

[Steelslinger]

You could also splice together extensions if you are confident in your soldering skills. Pick up some appropriately sized wire, heat shrink tubing and good solder.

Cut off the rings, slide several individual pieces of heat shrink on to one of the wires, mesh the ends together, solder them together, then slide one piece of heat shrink over the bare area, shrink it, then slide the next, etc. maybe 3 or 4 layers to build good insulation.

 

[zk-315]

You could also splice together extensions if you are confident in your soldering skills. Pick up some appropriately sized wire, heat shrink tubing and good solder.

Cut off the rings, slide several individual pieces of heat shrink on to one of the wires, mesh the ends together, solder them together, then slide one piece of heat shrink over the bare area, shrink it, then slide the next, etc. maybe 3 or 4 layers to build good insulation.

This was going to be my simplest solution if I couldn't find a good way to re-route the wires. I've moved the cables every which way and crawled up under the dash. I don't see any way of getting any extra length to them, short of pulling the dash, cutting another access hole in the upper firewall area, and going straight forward. That seems like excessive work  IMO. I was hoping there was a simple fix with just a re-route that I wasn't seeing. lol

 

[zk-315]

Updated: Well, I messed with the re-routing of the power cables to the winch quite a bit last night and have it working, but it's not ideal. I pulled the cables back inside the "cab", drilled a big hole higher up in the firewall and poked it all back through. I got the cables to reach, but one of them is super tight. I may have to do some more drimmel work to move the cables up another couple of inches. 

Anyone pulled the lower portion of the dash out? How much of a chore is it?