As I have said many times before, we are here to do a QUALITY stereo installation. Not some janky lame-o flash work. We're installing a stereo for the life of your vehicle and so we spent a little extra time to do things right. Sooooo when it comes to cable we have to think about how we want to do first.
To re-cap. Do you know what components you will install even if you do not have all the components now hopefully you know what your plans are. It allows you to run all the wires so when you finally get your components you can just mount them and connect the cable and you're ready to rock.
Do not be stupid like most people think of the first component and THEN think about how to install them. Think about how to install the components get installed THEN install the component parts. DUH By the way you will save time and money with this approach.
Whether it's a fairly long introductory OK let's get into what you need to know about cables
First buy all the cables that you think you'll need and a few extras just for safety. Do not worry your money will not be in vain
Next unload your vehicle in places where wires will be run. When I say I'm serious unpacking Pull up a chair carpet panel all believe this will make walking easy and safe wiring.
If you plan to use any sound insulation or damping material now is the time to lay down. If you do not plan on using it why not It will make your system sound better with lower noise and eliminating vibration. Just do it
Now you can run the wire. Run them everywhere they are needed. Run the power cable speaker cable RCA cable interface cable remote turn on cable. EVERYTHING.
Now they're laid out how you want and need their time to secure them. Manufacturers of vehicles using the relationships everywhere to keep cables organized and out of the way. Now it's your turn many many many people ignore this step and I do not think too smart.
Why
Because when the cable experience the thrill of weather stress and other things that are always present in their vehicles tend to wear away. When you get the cable wore away ...
Short Circuit Vehicle fire Ruined components
Do not risk it just to secure your wires
If you have an amp rack cables or other items that you are going through it is time to mount the item and secure the cable to them.
OK OK. They are the basic steps you will go through to run wires. But how do you actually do it Let's break it
. Measure the distance between where the components are mounted and what they connect to. For example, measuring from the battery to where you will mount your amp. Also do not be stupid. Buy a few extra feet at each end so you will have room for error. Also you will want to make sure no wires are stretched. You want to have some slack at each end. It will make your life much easier.
Another to measure the distance
Head unit to amp
Amp to speaker
Head unit for cd / dvd changer mp player navigation system etc.
Also before you buy your cables make sure you know what will work best with components that are planned. If you plan to install watt amp and you know that the amp will be out of battery use chart to figure out what wire gauge to use. People want to get all loco on Cabeza with electrical wire and spent a foot on the wire gauge. WHY If you do not need it do not buy it
. OK so you have all your cables in hand and ready to go. Now is the time to dismantle the parts of your vehicle. First find out where the wires will be run. I usually run my power wire on the same side of the vehicle as the battery. I also usually run my RCA cables in the middle of the vehicle. Knowing this information will tell you where you need to remove the parts of your vehicle. If you are not going to run the wire in a certain part of your vehicle will not be required to take anything apart. UNLESS UNLESS UNLESS you plan to put some sound dampening material below. I always recommend this
So here we go. Time for the fun part. First things first. Remove the ground wire from the battery negative alias.
Pull the panel I highly recommend some type of panel removal tool to remove the panel. This will help protect you from breaking the panel.
. Time to run cables
First we'll run the power cable Find the hole in the firewall of your vehicle. If you can not find a hole you might be able to suppress the power cord through the corner away from your tent and into the windshield of your vehicle like it. If you can not do that then you have to drill. Every car is different but one suggestion is always right plan ahead and be warned Check where you plan to drill a hole and make sure you will not damage anything in the process. Take it slow or if you feel very nervous drive your vehicle to a stereo shop and have them run your power wire through the firewall. Next run any wires would fit well and will not look after you put the carpet back in place. Run all the way to your trunk or wherever you plan to have the amp or distribution block mounted. Further secure the cable. Use zip ties or glue or even Velcro to make sure your power cord stays where it should. Make sure there is nothing near moving parts or rub on that will strip insulation. Also make sure it will not hinder anything after you reinstall all the panels carpets etc.
Next let us run your RCA's cable interface cable and turn away at the wire. Again make sure the negative cable from the battery removed. Dismantle any and all panels surrounding your head unit. Pull your head unit out. Furthermore, the console panel and pull all the carpet around where you will run your RCA cables and interface cables. Connect the remote turn-on wire to your head unit wiring harness. If you plan to connect more than one or two devices to the head unit remote turn-on you'll want to look into installing a relay. Next run the interface cable RCA cables and remote turn-on. All the things I said before about the power cord is also true of the RCA and interface cables. Make sure your cables are not near moving parts are not rubbing against anything that would strip the insulation and installed in such a manner as not to appear at all the panels and carpet put back in place. Connect the RCA cables to the pre-outs on your head unit and make sure you know which RCA cables go where the channel on the amp. Many use the RCA cables are color coded so it should not be too difficult. Plug your interface. Now re-install your head unit. Make sure everything is all connected before you put it all back together
OK the last step. Let's run the speaker wires This is exactly like the other wires running all over. Pull the panel. Run the cable. Be aware of where you plan to run. Secure them. Make sure you have a few extra feet on each end of the speaker cable. I know this sounds stupid but trust me. It's more stupid to spend all this time running wire only to find that it was too short. Then you have to pull the wire into the throw then run again. DUMB
. Secure the cable
Now your cable run is time to secure them. There are many ways to secure the cable and not all of them will work every time. In fact you will probably need to use a variety of methods to secure your wires along your vehicle. Soooooo ....
. Secure the wires with zip ties to another cable bundles.
. Secure the cable with zip ties to the small hole or making a small hole
. Use glue to secure the zip ties for your vehicle and then secure the cable with them.
. Run the wire behind the objects that they can be secured to.
. Use velcro to secure the cable
. Secure the cable to the mounting location of the speaker pods amp rack etc
If you have some sort of custom enclosure or rack for your stereo components you will want to find a way to secure your cables to the rack or enclosure. If the rack or enclosure is designed to be seen you might want to take some time to make cables look and looks good.
In this example your amp rack can drill a hole where all the electrical connections into the amp. Run the cable through the hole and into the amp. This trick will make your wires look nice and clean and keep your wires organized.
For speaker enclosures there are various things you can do to make the wires look good. For the plexiglass subwoofer enclosures often choose wire that looks good. In addition the installer will choose the hardware terminal wire high quality and look nice. If you want your cage to be removed you can install the speaker terminals on the outside of the cage or even set up a quick-release harness, custom cable.
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