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Part 1 - Complete Audio Install

C

carrerarod

GUEST
Hi Gang,

Well decided the "gut" the AV today and redo all the wiring for my amp, speakers, etc. I noticed that there are not many pictures so I decided to take some detailed pictures and share with y'all. Only had time to focus on the rear of the AV: removed the rear seats, new preamp RCA wires, and new rear speaker wires. This is only phase 1 and I will post other pictures as I work my way through the interior of the truck. Comments & Questions are welcome.

Removed Rear Seat:
Rear Seats Removed

The Seats are Removed:
Rear Seats Removed (2)

Another shot of the Interior without Seats:
Rear Seats Removed (3)

This shows how the wires get to the doors:
Closeup of Rear Door Connector

Closeup of OEM speakers & connectors:
Rear Speaker

Ran high quality cable to the speaker locations:
New Rear Speaker Wire

This is how I decided to run the new speaker wire through the door:
Drilled Hole above stock connector

This is what it looks like "after":
New Rear Speaker Wire

This is where I ran the RCA's from the rear along the front Passenger seat:
PreAmps along Passenger seat

If you would like to request pictures for when I move to the front of the AV or when I mount and wire the amp, please let me know! >:D
 
You and I are in the same boat. I just installed the door speakers and my wire kit is comming Tuesday. Thanks for the pics of the rear seat. Now I feel I can tackle that part of the job!!

Onward to the front of the Vehicle....but dont take those seats out. Airbags are touchy!!!!
 
hey carrerarod, great choice on speaker wire, hahah, i have the same ones?! i am just as a perfectionist as you are, and took my dear time re-routing all of the wires (all of 4.5 hours). too bad i dont have a digicam yet, but soon i hope. btw, excellent work!!!
 
Wiki said:
Onward to the front of the Vehicle....but dont take those seats out. ?Airbags are touchy!!!!
Click to expand...

I was considering adding soundproofing under the carpeting as Pendlum.

Pendlum's Sound Deadening

What's the problem with removal of the front seats and the airbag system? I thought the airbag trigger was impact activated from the front end...
 
There's no problem with the front seats and airbags. I think he was just warning me.... any kind of short can lead to the premature deployment of the airbags. Plus I am sure they are a pain to remove. I removed the rear seats and it's easily a two person job. VERY tight fit and if you don't angle it right, you will rip and knick your door panels (trust me on this :mad:)

If you are going to go all out I would also recommend putting material on the doors like Dynamat.

Good Luck!
 
Searched, but didn't see much in regard to speaker wire routing other than this post, so here I am asking for hints. ?Anyone?

c-rod, why did you drill a new hole above the connector in the door jam? ?Are there too many wires in the boot to easily get a new speaker wire through? ?Wiki made it sound like he was able to fish it through by using some lubricant.

edit-- Ah, just found this, sorry: Speaker Sizes. RocknZ66 has a good idea and I have a Dremel tool. (y)

My new set of Kickers (K65's and K65.2's) arrived about 30 minutes ago. ?The included speaker wire appears to be 16-18 ga. ?Should I toss it and use something bigger?
 
timcosco said:
Searched, but didn't see much in regard to speaker wire routing other than this post, so here I am asking for hints. ?Anyone?

c-rod, why did you drill a new hole above the connector in the door jam? ?Are there too many wires in the boot to easily get a new speaker wire through? ?Wiki made it sound like he was able to fish it through by using some lubricant.

edit-- ?Ah, just found this, sorry: Speaker Sizes. ?RocknZ66 has a good idea and I have a Dremel tool. (y)

My new set of Kickers (K65's and K65.2's) arrived about 30 minutes ago. ?The included speaker wire appears to be 16-18 ga. ?Should I toss it and use something bigger?
Click to expand...

Well a few things made me do what I did. I used twisted pair 14 gauge wires and I simply could not easily get them through...lubricant helped a little but the rubber is at a very funky angle and I got tired and decided to take the easy way out!

if you use 16-18 gauge or non-twisted speaker wire, it may be a lot easier. The wire I used was kicking my a$$ and decided to drill the truck! :rolleyes:
 
I went yet another route. If you look at the plastic holder that holds the wires in the hole in the door, you will see there are 4 clips holding them in place. I simply took my dremel tool, and cut out the top clip big enough to allow my speaker wire to pull through. When this configuration is put back, the plastic on the clip prevents any rub on the metal door hole. (Is this making sense)
3 clips hold everything in place very securly. I then fished the wires through the ruber grometed sleeve using "wire soap" found at most eletrical supply stores. Evertything is hidden and secure.

A couple of things. YES it is a pain to route wire through this way. YES you will be glad you didnt hack up your AV to where it can be noticed.

Take your time. Its been awhile, but I think the front doors were worse than the front. (harder)

MOD ON

Wiki
 
Just thought I'd add another picture of the rear speaker wiring. Fishing wire through the rear door conduit was much easier than the front... just disconnect the bulkhead in the door panel, stretch the conduit out straight and fish it through (I used a solid copper wire with a small loop in one end).

It's not visible in the picture, but a rubber grommet fits within the "notch" in the door pillar to prevent wire chafing.

15371433.jpg
 
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