OE Head Unit Questions

[woundedbear]

First, I want to thank everyone who had input to my last question inquiring about a remote power on output from the stock head unit (mdrag :D ). It was right on...not that there was ever a doubt.

Now that I am finally getting around to my upgrades, I have got a few more questions. To get you acquainted with my proposed setup, I will explain...
-stock head unit speaker outputs to line level converters to RCA cables to 65 X 4 RMS amp to door speakers
-RCA cable out of 65 X 4 RMS amp to 100 X 2 RMS amp to custom enclosure with 2 8" subs


1) What are the locations and/or colors of the front two speaker outputs from the stock head unit wire harness?
2) How in the world have you guys been able to route any wires/cables down the center hump? I have the split bench seat, so that might be the problem right there. I decided to route the power cables under the DS doors, and the RCA/speaker cables under the PS doors.
3) If I wanted to use just the one 65 x 4 RMS amp, does anyone have any experience with running the 4 door speakers in parallel using 2 channels of the amp and using the remaining 2 channels of the amp to power my 8" subs?

I should have preempted my questions with the fact that I am only looking for good sound, not booming sound.

Thanks in advance. This forum and all of its contributors have been an invaluable tool in the ownership of such a great truck!

[mdrag]

woundedbear,

I would need to check the Helm's manual for the speaker wire colors. I don't always have the manual at home and it may be a few days before I can check that for you. If no one else replies, I will look that up the next time I'm at the shop.

I have the center console with the front buckets and ran all my wires under the door sills. No opinion on #3.

[SoCalDMAX]

woundedbear,

I'll leave #1 to Mdrag, he's got the manuals to check color codes.

#2 I also have the 40/20/40 bench and... you did the right thing. I went down the center to the front of the seat, then turned left to the DS door sill and continued rearward. With a lot of effort and a fishtape it could go straight down the center, but not worth it to me. ;)

#3 I'd recommend running line out converters on the front and rear speaker outputs. Then use a splitter on the front RCA jacks to give you another RCA pair to the sub amp. If you cut this corner, you might change your mind later.

Is this going into a CC or EC? Are the speakers going under or behind the rear seat? Might I suggest 10" subs instead of 8"? I have no experience with 8" subs, maybe they work well.

These 10" subs I'm using in this truck are the smallest I've ever used, driven by the most power I've ever used. I'm deaf, but very satisfied.

If interested, click truck pics to see what I'm running. You didn't mention what you're doing for mids/tweeters. The stock speakers can't take much power... Mdrag and I are both using the Pioneer component 6.5" midrange/ 7/8" tweeter speakers. Inexpensive, very efficient, excellent sound. Click on Mdrag's pics to see how easy they drop into the stock holes. Hope this helped.

Regards, Steve

[Maverick]

Just another option for you. The stock head unit is what makes these stereo's sound so bad. I swapped out my head unit with a new Pioneer unit. Buy the face plate, antenna adapter, and the wire haress and hook it in. No cutting or splicing of the stock wires with the harness. My radio is 50 x 4 watts and sounds excellent with the stock speakers. The head unit is what distorts your sound when you crank it up. I can turn it up as loud as I can stand it and it is crystal clear. My new head unit has RCA outputs already. I can send only bass to the amp with my head unit and my amp has a crossover as well. My amp is a 2 ch. bridged at 200 watts and drives 1 8" sub. I have a reg. cab and it shakes the windows and sounds awsome. This can be installed in less than an hour and a less of a headach than what you are doing in "my opinion". Take a look at my head unit. It's a very clean install. Even got a wireless remote.

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=551338&uid=437876

[woundedbear]

Thanks for the response guys. I'll wait to hear from someone on the speaker outputs. I have some time this weekend to put a dent into this project and I might have to do some trial and error. :eek:

Sounds like the door sills are the way to go for wire routing. The reason I am routing the power down one side and the RCA/speaker wires down another is to lessen the risk of interference.

I have a crew cab, and my enclosure is located behind the rear seat. I have 2 8" subs that I took out of my previous truck that worked very well and when I drew up my enclosure plans, 8" was the biggest that would fit. I know some have put 10" subs behind the rear seat, but without having to remove the carpeted flap, I did not see how this was possible.

As far as door speakers are concerned, I will be using Pioneer ts-c1653 components in front and ts-**667 3-ways in the rear. Right now, it looks like I will be going with the two amps. 65W RMS going into those Pioneer's ought to sound pretty good. I can hardly wait to complete the upgrade, but I am being as methodical as possible in order to get a quality install.

Lastly, I am using the stock head unit for several reasons: I prefer the OE look; the radio reception of Delco head units is second to none and when up north bow hunting in fall, I don't like to have Packer games interrupted with reception problems; I believe the biggest problem with the stock head unit is that it is under-powered, and I will be addressing that in the near future.

[SoCalDMAX]

woundedbear,

It should sound great! I went with the TS-C1653s front and rear for simplicity, but you obviously know what you're doing.

I gotta admit, you're absolutely right about the stock head unit (usually) having great reception, plus it has surprisingly good noise rejection. The SCV is also a nice feature to have.

Good luck, let us know how it all comes out.
Regards, Steve

[mdrag]

woundedbear,

Here it is:

Speaker wires
POLARITY & COLORS/CONNECTOR PIN #:

DS front: + TAN/2 - GREY/1
PS front: + LT GREEN/4 - DARK GREEN/3

DS REAR: + BROWN/20 - YELLOW/19
PS REAR: + DARK BLUE/18 - LIGHT BLUE/17

The RADIO CONNECTOR is a two piece connector, each 'half' of the connector has 10 terminal positions - divided into 4 and 6 positions. I'm describing this connector based on the pictures in the Helm's manual. The BLACK half of the connector is C1 and has terminal positions 1 -> 10, the GREY half of the connector is C2 and contains positions 11 -> 20.

For CONNECTOR C1 (BLACK PORTION), hold the connector with the wires entering from the rear/terminals closest to you and the FOUR TERMINAL SECTION to the RIGHT - position 1 is on the FAR RIGHT and POSITION 10 on the FAR LEFT.

For CONNECTOR C2 (GREY PORTION), hold the connector with the wires entering from the rear/terminals closest to you and the SIX TERMINAL SECTION to the RIGHT - position 11 is on the FAR RIGHT and POSITION 20 on the FAR LEFT.


PLEASE NOTE - on my truck ('01 crew cab) both rear speaker wires were the same color - IIRC they were BROWN/YELLOW and did NOT match ANY of the radio wiring diagrams. There are many different configurations - 27 DIFFERENT SCHEMATICS for these trucks, but I believe this to be the correct configuration. The radio connector pin outs support the speaker color combinations/polarity above EXCEPT for both rear speakers having the same colors on my truck - I have no idea where this came from....

Hope this helps. :D

[ 03-29-2002: Message edited by: mdrag ]</p>

[sparks]

I also did an upgrade of my existing stereo by adding 6.5 Fosgate speakers up front,4x6 Infinity speakers in the back,mtx 10"sub & enclosure in the back,and Alpine 4 channel & Alpine mono amp to power eveything. I stuck with the oe deck for now mainly for looks(the distortion is there at upper levels).I was able to find the remote -on prong on the deck but not in the wiring harness,just an open hole in the strip. Had to actually insert my own terminal to make contact with that prong. Don't know if that is the norm or if my truck is just weird.

[woundedbear]

Well, all is complete after nearly 20 hours of work. Needless to say, I am glad I took my time and did not cut any corners...it sounds great! It is a true sleeper of an install. It took long runs of many cables and the only give away is if you fold down the rear seat to expose the two amps beneath and the custom enclosed 8" subs behind. My wife is glad I'm done, too. She just doesn't understand my desire for quality sound, especially in a truck that is going to be with me for the next decade plus.

Thanks a ton, mdrag! I couldn't have done it without your information. Your reply was on the money! If I could buy and send you a beer online, I would. The offer definately stands if you are ever in the Milwaukee area. Don't mean to sound mushy, but this forum is lucky to have a guy like you and your input is much appreciated.

[mdrag]

woundedbear,

Glad to be of help. BTW, did you notice if the rear speaker wires in your CC were the same colors? I should have pointed out that when I said same mine where the same colors - this was at the speaker connection in the doors - I did not check the radio connector colors to see if they were also the same.

[woundedbear]

mdrag,
Sorry it has taken me so long, but I just installed the rear speakers last night. To answer your question...yes, both rear doors had brown/yellow wires, while the head unit has brown/yellow wires for the driver side, and light blue/dark blue for the passenger side. :confused:

On another note, I would really like to mount female RCA audio inputs somewhere on the dash, so that I could plug in a DVD or MP3 player to play through my now improved system. I would think that I could tap into the auxiliary outlet reserved for an OE tape deck (which I do not have) on the head unit. Has anyone done this?

[battmain]

If you think you can figure it out, here is a link to the wiring harness pin outs from the tape deck.

http://forum.62-65-dieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=7&t=002423&p=

I still haven't been able to get the manuals yet, since I just spent money on a scan tool.

Brian