bubbatrucklover
Heavy Metal Red Neck
I quoted the word upgrade because what I did was very minimal as I am on a tight budget.
I thought I'd share this in case there are people new to the stereo world (or like me) getting back into it with the "newer" vehicles.
This is for a '02 Silverado etended cab WITH power windows(I'll explain why I emphasized this later)
Most of this will need to be done if/when you do a full upgrade so the waste is minimal.
I pulled my speakers and wire out of my non running '87 Chevy Conversion Van(as well as amps,patch chords etc.)
So obviously this is even cheaper than buying new. I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't"transplanting" untill further down the road.
I will give you exact measurements of the final wire(except for rear speakers as I had plenty and just did a rough figure. I THINK I started with 17' and ended up with 16'6" ) It doesn't hurt to have a little extra but I wouldn't go overboard.
An FYI is (and this is STUPID) the rear speaker wires run down the driver side,split at the rear left speaker run ALL THE WAY behind the back seat and into the rear right door. WTF??
I digress. If you haven't been into your truck as much as I have mine, do this in phases. it took me WAY longer then I thought. That's even with me being able to get all 4 door panels off and in the house (for safe keeping) in like 10-15 minutes.
This was done with keeping the factory head unit but bypassing the wiring plug. (I recommend you unplug the whole HU and set it some where out of the way. It CAN be done with the HU dangling from the antanae cable and remote tape deck wires but it's MUCH easier to remove them.
I started off with it in place because the said wires were VERY stubborn and I didn't want to risk breaking something I couldn't replace. (They will come out just depress the tab on the remote TD wires with a good pair of needle nose and some patience and wiggle it with steady pressure untill it comes out on the antanae no tab to depress just the wiggle part)
The 4 wires in the upper left(front speakers) and the bottom right(rear door) are what you're splicing in to. Tape or loom the rest as far down as you want to behind and down into the cavity. I gave myself a 12" lead off of the HU with factory wire.(you could go 6" no biggie either way)
Now something I would STRONGLY STRONGLY (did I say?) STRONGLY (LOL) suggest is strip the puny 18-20 (ish) factory wire to like 1 1/2" and the aftermarket to 3/4". Use 8 male and female tabs. DOUBLE over the puny wire and push it through til it's to THE END of the tab then crimp(OBVIOUSLY) push the after market(again to the end then crimp) bend them up push the tabs together then fold the puny wire down and then aftermarket down. These will be down into what you now can use as a "solder tray" of sorts containing it. I HATE using little wires but remember we're on the cheap for now.
I started in the back. I removed the rear seat(Only way to remove trim panels and access rear doors for running wire into them)
Not much to see:
I put the jack and other crap in the truck box since this pic.
The front doors are VERY time consuming if you want to "do it right". IMHO the only way to do it is inwind the tape get rid of the factory wire to the plug and re tape the power wires. Then put the power wires in a 3/8" wire loom and tape the new speaker wires together from the cross over into the door and run them seperate to the 2 speakers with 1/4" wire loom(NAPA is the only brick and mortor I found that carries it this small
.)
I used 12 gauge monster(some say overkill I say it's what I had PLUS it allows for "what ifs" down the road without re wiring spending $$ twice) so a VERY tight fit in the rubber frame to door loom.(hence wire looming power and taping speaker wire, You could reverse that it's your call) This process WILL require popping the plastic retention tabs and having said loom away from both frame and door.
MAKE SURE IT IS NOT going to rain that day as you can't close the doors untill you're to a certain point(ask me how I know.
)
I phased all my wiring but that's me. I have all the tape colors and had left over wire loom(from another project) so right side got blue tape and then blue wireloom from X-over to HU and and left yellow(plus I phased the 2 sets of rear wires brown and green respectively)
This plug is behind both kick panels. I ASSURE you this is where your wires run through( as I said earlier I will explain the "power window" reference. I posted for help on another forum before I went to take on this project and was told by a member I WAS WRONG and that the plug in the sides of the dash were the spkr wires. I then PMd him with my findings and he said it was 'cause I didn't have power windows. I PMd him back I did and he hasn't replied. I'm NOT belittling him just saying) IF you have a truck with my make,model etc.
This is the Drivers side (note the 4 wires coming out 2 Tan,2 Grey or Gray LOL)
There are 2 plugs in the passenger side dash end that need to come off along with this to fish it throught the boot. DS is only this plug.
MAKE DAMN SURE when you are done to plug these back in. To some this may seem obvious. In my case I just wanted to check out my stereo to see if all was working right so I didn't care if my doors locked or mirrors worked, windows etc I started my truck up and IT RAN LIKE SHIZ!! I shut it off plugged them back in and problem solved.
I put my PS x-over here behind the glove box:
DS side is kinda hard to put in words(sorry no pics) but behind where the brake release handle is.
I will upgrade HU and door speakers later. When I have the $$ so that's when I'll tear more of the dash apart finish removing the factory wires paint the rusted metal(no biggie but I'm anal that way) and prob run the patch chords down the middle in a flat chord protector under my center console. I'll sound deaden the doors and replace the Polk Audio 4"X6" with my JBL 6"X9"s(some cutting and door panel modding but I have a plan of attack layed out) they are what I have and I don't want to waste them just sitting.
I had the Boston Acoustics component set up so I made speaker mounts out of 1/4" plywood for the tweets in the shape of the factory and drilled out the hole in the center with a paddle bit (no pics pretty self explanatory) as this isn't my final door speakers I didn't want to carve up my panels untill I knew when/if I needed to.
If you go with a setup similar to mine it's 4'6" from the HU to the X-over and 3' from the X-overs to the mids and 5' from the x-overs to the tweets.
OBVIOUSLY the measurements will change if you go with mids that have the built in X-over. Now with what I did here is where "minimal waste" comes in.
The wire from X-overs to speaker will remain the same(I am thinking of a JL Audio C2-650 for the fronts ) the wire from the HU to the rear will be cut at the X-overs( I paired them up with the front wires and wire loomed them to the HU) that wire from the cut can now be hooked to the x-over and the other end can be pulled from the rear speakers and run to the amp for the front doors and since patch chords will replace the home run to the amps I "could" use the left over to run from the amp to the rear door(most likely will chose 10 gauge to them as well as the subs since it's a short run and not alot of $$ wrapped up in 10 gauge that way)
I took the time to solder pretty much everything except the tabs to the speaker and x-overs(but I did solder the speaker wire to the tabs after crimping).
One trick I found(and I'm a DUMB ASS for FINALLY figuring this out at the end
) Is solder your tabs to the tweets leave a 6" to 8" pig tail on and solder tabs to that. When you put the panel back on the pig tail will stick out far enough through where your power door controls sit you can then plug it in with out trying to balance the MOTHER FU*KING panel on your FU*KING knee.
With my measurements you should have plenty to pull speakers out of doors to disconnect and the HU(factory has you on a short leash to do this)
This isn't my first rodeo with stereos but it is with keeping the factory HU AND dealing with factory shiz (ESPECIALLY "newer" stuff). So I hope this helps any of you who are on a shoe string budget(like me) don't be afraid to do this (I was at first) VERY doable WITH some patience and common sense.(You will save ALOT of money DIYing this.) Buy a F'n Chiltons(if you don't have one) $20 bucks. Not counting the $$ you'll save using it for the rest of the vehicle THIS PROJECT alone will pay it back.
AND FYI Chiltons will ONLY tell you how to remove trim panels the above DOES NOT even show up .
Of all that you do to upgrade a sound system this is pretty much the most labor intense phase of it. The rest can be done for the most part while leaving your truck "driveable".(I've driven without door panels and the controls dangling as well as dash parts missing) So if you do this in a weekend,you have shaved that much time off of the over all install both spreading your budget and labor over a longer period of time making the project easier then taking it all on at once.
I'm not patting myself on the back but with how I layed it out above you WILL save A LOT of time as I not only had to trace wires and shiz I had to re solder some things after cutting shorter and wait to solder while in the truck as I wasn't sure on finished lengths. (i.e. I "looped" the wire for the x-overs to front speakers and soldered the ends for the crossover but didn't want to wast the wire so I waited to cut to length for the ends and solder on tabs after I pulled the looped end through. I saved around 2 5' lengths this way instead of a set of 2' and 3' but had to solder outside).
I thought I'd share this in case there are people new to the stereo world (or like me) getting back into it with the "newer" vehicles.
This is for a '02 Silverado etended cab WITH power windows(I'll explain why I emphasized this later)
Most of this will need to be done if/when you do a full upgrade so the waste is minimal.
I pulled my speakers and wire out of my non running '87 Chevy Conversion Van(as well as amps,patch chords etc.)
So obviously this is even cheaper than buying new. I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't"transplanting" untill further down the road.
I will give you exact measurements of the final wire(except for rear speakers as I had plenty and just did a rough figure. I THINK I started with 17' and ended up with 16'6" ) It doesn't hurt to have a little extra but I wouldn't go overboard.
An FYI is (and this is STUPID) the rear speaker wires run down the driver side,split at the rear left speaker run ALL THE WAY behind the back seat and into the rear right door. WTF??
I digress. If you haven't been into your truck as much as I have mine, do this in phases. it took me WAY longer then I thought. That's even with me being able to get all 4 door panels off and in the house (for safe keeping) in like 10-15 minutes.
This was done with keeping the factory head unit but bypassing the wiring plug. (I recommend you unplug the whole HU and set it some where out of the way. It CAN be done with the HU dangling from the antanae cable and remote tape deck wires but it's MUCH easier to remove them.
I started off with it in place because the said wires were VERY stubborn and I didn't want to risk breaking something I couldn't replace. (They will come out just depress the tab on the remote TD wires with a good pair of needle nose and some patience and wiggle it with steady pressure untill it comes out on the antanae no tab to depress just the wiggle part)
The 4 wires in the upper left(front speakers) and the bottom right(rear door) are what you're splicing in to. Tape or loom the rest as far down as you want to behind and down into the cavity. I gave myself a 12" lead off of the HU with factory wire.(you could go 6" no biggie either way)
Now something I would STRONGLY STRONGLY (did I say?) STRONGLY (LOL) suggest is strip the puny 18-20 (ish) factory wire to like 1 1/2" and the aftermarket to 3/4". Use 8 male and female tabs. DOUBLE over the puny wire and push it through til it's to THE END of the tab then crimp(OBVIOUSLY) push the after market(again to the end then crimp) bend them up push the tabs together then fold the puny wire down and then aftermarket down. These will be down into what you now can use as a "solder tray" of sorts containing it. I HATE using little wires but remember we're on the cheap for now.
I started in the back. I removed the rear seat(Only way to remove trim panels and access rear doors for running wire into them)
Not much to see:
I put the jack and other crap in the truck box since this pic.
The front doors are VERY time consuming if you want to "do it right". IMHO the only way to do it is inwind the tape get rid of the factory wire to the plug and re tape the power wires. Then put the power wires in a 3/8" wire loom and tape the new speaker wires together from the cross over into the door and run them seperate to the 2 speakers with 1/4" wire loom(NAPA is the only brick and mortor I found that carries it this small
.)I used 12 gauge monster(some say overkill I say it's what I had PLUS it allows for "what ifs" down the road without re wiring spending $$ twice) so a VERY tight fit in the rubber frame to door loom.(hence wire looming power and taping speaker wire, You could reverse that it's your call) This process WILL require popping the plastic retention tabs and having said loom away from both frame and door.
MAKE SURE IT IS NOT going to rain that day as you can't close the doors untill you're to a certain point(ask me how I know.
)
I phased all my wiring but that's me. I have all the tape colors and had left over wire loom(from another project) so right side got blue tape and then blue wireloom from X-over to HU and and left yellow(plus I phased the 2 sets of rear wires brown and green respectively)
This plug is behind both kick panels. I ASSURE you this is where your wires run through( as I said earlier I will explain the "power window" reference. I posted for help on another forum before I went to take on this project and was told by a member I WAS WRONG and that the plug in the sides of the dash were the spkr wires. I then PMd him with my findings and he said it was 'cause I didn't have power windows. I PMd him back I did and he hasn't replied.
I'm NOT belittling him just saying) IF you have a truck with my make,model etc.
This is the Drivers side (note the 4 wires coming out 2 Tan,2 Grey or Gray LOL)
There are 2 plugs in the passenger side dash end that need to come off along with this to fish it throught the boot. DS is only this plug.
MAKE DAMN SURE when you are done to plug these back in. To some this may seem obvious. In my case I just wanted to check out my stereo to see if all was working right so I didn't care if my doors locked or mirrors worked, windows etc I started my truck up and IT RAN LIKE SHIZ!! I shut it off plugged them back in and problem solved.
I put my PS x-over here behind the glove box:
DS side is kinda hard to put in words(sorry no pics) but behind where the brake release handle is.
I will upgrade HU and door speakers later. When I have the $$ so that's when I'll tear more of the dash apart finish removing the factory wires paint the rusted metal(no biggie but I'm anal that way) and prob run the patch chords down the middle in a flat chord protector under my center console. I'll sound deaden the doors and replace the Polk Audio 4"X6" with my JBL 6"X9"s(some cutting and door panel modding but I have a plan of attack layed out) they are what I have and I don't want to waste them just sitting.
I had the Boston Acoustics component set up so I made speaker mounts out of 1/4" plywood for the tweets in the shape of the factory and drilled out the hole in the center with a paddle bit (no pics pretty self explanatory) as this isn't my final door speakers I didn't want to carve up my panels untill I knew when/if I needed to.
If you go with a setup similar to mine it's 4'6" from the HU to the X-over and 3' from the X-overs to the mids and 5' from the x-overs to the tweets.
OBVIOUSLY the measurements will change if you go with mids that have the built in X-over. Now with what I did here is where "minimal waste" comes in.
The wire from X-overs to speaker will remain the same(I am thinking of a JL Audio C2-650 for the fronts ) the wire from the HU to the rear will be cut at the X-overs( I paired them up with the front wires and wire loomed them to the HU) that wire from the cut can now be hooked to the x-over and the other end can be pulled from the rear speakers and run to the amp for the front doors and since patch chords will replace the home run to the amps I "could" use the left over to run from the amp to the rear door(most likely will chose 10 gauge to them as well as the subs since it's a short run and not alot of $$ wrapped up in 10 gauge that way)
I took the time to solder pretty much everything except the tabs to the speaker and x-overs(but I did solder the speaker wire to the tabs after crimping).
One trick I found(and I'm a DUMB ASS for FINALLY figuring this out at the end
) Is solder your tabs to the tweets leave a 6" to 8" pig tail on and solder tabs to that. When you put the panel back on the pig tail will stick out far enough through where your power door controls sit you can then plug it in with out trying to balance the MOTHER FU*KING panel on your FU*KING knee.With my measurements you should have plenty to pull speakers out of doors to disconnect and the HU(factory has you on a short leash to do this)
This isn't my first rodeo with stereos but it is with keeping the factory HU AND dealing with factory shiz (ESPECIALLY "newer" stuff). So I hope this helps any of you who are on a shoe string budget(like me) don't be afraid to do this (I was at first) VERY doable WITH some patience and common sense.(You will save ALOT of money DIYing this.) Buy a F'n Chiltons(if you don't have one) $20 bucks. Not counting the $$ you'll save using it for the rest of the vehicle THIS PROJECT alone will pay it back.
AND FYI Chiltons will ONLY tell you how to remove trim panels the above DOES NOT even show up .
Of all that you do to upgrade a sound system this is pretty much the most labor intense phase of it. The rest can be done for the most part while leaving your truck "driveable".(I've driven without door panels and the controls dangling as well as dash parts missing) So if you do this in a weekend,you have shaved that much time off of the over all install both spreading your budget and labor over a longer period of time making the project easier then taking it all on at once.
I'm not patting myself on the back but with how I layed it out above you WILL save A LOT of time as I not only had to trace wires and shiz I had to re solder some things after cutting shorter and wait to solder while in the truck as I wasn't sure on finished lengths. (i.e. I "looped" the wire for the x-overs to front speakers and soldered the ends for the crossover but didn't want to wast the wire so I waited to cut to length for the ends and solder on tabs after I pulled the looped end through. I saved around 2 5' lengths this way instead of a set of 2' and 3' but had to solder outside).
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