Ok, So I have been reading and rereading every thread I can find on internally wiring bars. I bought the 10" Z bars from Licks and am pretty confident on how I am going to tackle this except for protecting the raw metal from drilling the holes for internally wiring. What kind of paint is everyone using or are you even bothering painting/protecting the metal after drilling? To me it seems like a no brainer to protect the paint with atleast some clear coat. Anyway some ideas would be great.
Also feel free to throw in any tips specific to wiring the Licks Z bars.
Thanks in advance.

 

Are you refering to protecting the wiring from chaffing on the cut edge or protecting the bars from rust?
If it's rust your worried about ask the wife for some clear nail polish, works good and comes with it's own tiny brush.
If it's the wires you want to protect a thin wrap of black duct tape or drill the hole a bit bigger & use a small rubber gromet.

 

bars from rust.
Will the nail polish really hold up though?

 

Yeah but I would reapply once a year or so.

 

Good luck wiring them. I spent hours on my 8" z bars until I gave up and eliminated the wires completely with homemade switch switches.

 

nail polish is pretty damn close regular automotive paint.

 

I used black fingernail polish on some exposed bolt heads years ago and it's holding up.
Stainless steel bars (stock 883C) powder coated. No rust. Two small holes and grommets under the clamp/speedo mount.


If you gotta drill the indents, check to see where your switch housings will be located and drill accordingly. Probably more towards the red dot end shown below. If you drill too far towards the yellow dot, the wires might show.