Gen 1 Standard Cab Install

[baxtej44]

i don't have the skill to solder, i'll try some butt connectors.

 

[baxtej44]

i know this has been quite possibly the slowest evolving project ever, but i got the hole cut for the sub today. used a jig saw.

got some silicon sealant for the inside seams, and planning on nailin her shut tomorrow! just need to attach some speaker wire to my terminal cup, say a foot or so even though it's not that far from where my sub will be mounted, i just want to make sure there isn't any tension. going to put a ring of silicon around the terminal cup b4 i screw that in also. also, is it necessary to put silicon when i mount the sub? i don't want that to ruin the sub or make it impossible to take the sub back out if i ever want to put a better 12" in there. (although i do think that i have a relatively great sub, but only time will tell i suppose!

you know what i've been thinking?? can i somehow mount my amp IN the box? no no no, not with the same chamber as the sub, here i'll try my best to explain it.


i, of course, forgot to measure all aspects of my box when i was cutting the mdf, so it's by far way too wide. taking up nearly all of my rear shelf, thus cutting out the area i was going to use to mount my amp to the back wall. what if i were to create a new side piece, cut down the face plate of the box, and make the chamber smaller, and use the extra width to mount my amp? holy crap, i just amazed myself... i have never thought of doing that before.... not much can go wrong with that can it???? i think it sounds like the ideal solution to a messed up box (well not messed up persay, just too wide)

 

[Pistons23]

if it were me id get a big hammer and knock the face off the box. then one side piece. or you can gut it off. doesnt matter how you get it off. then i would resize the front piece and then slide the side peice in. so then your left with a sub box that has a amp rack/shelf built in. maybe this is what you were trying to describe. oh well. thats what id do

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

that sounds like a good idea, that way you can screw right to the box without putting holes in your back wall and your box will get smaller which by the sounds of it would be a good thing.

 

[baxtej44]

it's exactly what you guys described! i'm on my way to do it now... wow this is the fastest this project has gone, i'm working on it two days in a row!! haha...

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

keep on charging ahead until you hit another road block, then ask us a ? and we'll help you get past it. (im still waiting on parts to arrive to "finish" my system)

 

[4x4fun]

keep on charging ahead until you hit another road block, then ask us a ? and we'll help you get past it. (im still waiting on parts to arrive to "finish" my system)

they "GOT" the order monday right?

 

[baxtej44]

amp rack worked out great.... i still don't know how i ever thought of that, i'm just not creative like that, EVER lol...

basically all i have left is screwing the amp on, mounting the sub, sticking in the terminal cup, and wiring everything up. i have my power wire through my firewall already, turn on lead, and RCA's from my HU ran already. well, they are ran on top of my carpet, think i should just do it right and drill out the screws on my stainless steel pieces that hold my carpet down at my doors? (You know what i'm talking about?)

the screws on them have been worn down way too much with sand and salt, and there's no way i'm getting them out. so do i just try to find screws that will match back up, or do i order from LMC the whole new panel with screws? actually now that i think about it, i may just be able to buy the screws, i can't really remember though

 

[Pistons23]

amp rack worked out great.... i still don't know how i ever thought of that, i'm just not creative like that, EVER lol...

basically all i have left is screwing the amp on, mounting the sub, sticking in the terminal cup, and wiring everything up. i have my power wire through my firewall already, turn on lead, and RCA's from my HU ran already. well, they are ran on top of my carpet, think i should just do it right and drill out the screws on my stainless steel pieces that hold my carpet down at my doors? (You know what i'm talking about?)

the screws on them have been worn down way too much with sand and salt, and there's no way i'm getting them out. so do i just try to find screws that will match back up, or do i order from LMC the whole new panel with screws? actually now that i think about it, i may just be able to buy the screws, i can't really remember though

i would use one of those bolt extractors that you hook up with a electric drill. take one of those bolts out. take it down to your local hardware store and see if they can match it or find something with a similar head.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i always try to dig out the head of the screw with a pick tool, then use my hand impact and a medium hammer to see if i can get them to budge before i drill then out.

 

[baxtej44]

i will try digging them out with a pick if i can find one around here. thanks guys. i want to have the wires out of sight, i just hope that the 4g wire can fit underneath those things lol.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

it should be able to, yours are aluminum right? when i ran my 2 ga there was a plastic channel that the wires for the dome light and rear speakers ran through, so i ran it inside the channel to protect it, but im not sure if your 1st gen has such a thing as i never pulled up the carpet in my 1st gen when i had it. i got all my parts today and my gf is mad at me so im going to pull an all nighter and try to wrap this thing up tonight, even if im up until 3am!

 

[baxtej44]

it should be able to, yours are aluminum right? when i ran my 2 ga there was a plastic channel that the wires for the dome light and rear speakers ran through, so i ran it inside the channel to protect it, but im not sure if your 1st gen has such a thing as i never pulled up the carpet in my 1st gen when i had it. i got all my parts today and my gf is mad at me so im going to pull an all nighter and try to wrap this thing up tonight, even if im up until 3am!

ya aluminum or something of the sort that run parallel to the doors and hold down the carpet. i do know that there are rear speaker wires and dome light wires that are underneath my carpet, i just don't know where they are ran. i'm super pumped for all of this... this weekend it should hopefully get a lot done.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i wish you luck man, i was working on mine from 7:30pm (as soon as i got home from work) until 4am and i didnt finish all my wiring. i ended up driving my back-up ranger to work so i didnt have to throw a seat back in there and drive it to work gutted. if youve got 2 whole days to work with you should have no problem running your wires and making everything look clean, especially since youve already got your amp mounting figured out and your box is built. i spent 4 days building my boxes, running my wires, making my amp mounting rack, fitting my speakers, and doing lots of soldering. remember to take pics and keep us updated!

 

[baxtej44]

update: got to work on my new (used) HU... undid the old radio harness and the OEM harness adapter. put in the new one, and matched up all the colors. the harness adapter has 4 wires that don't match up with anything on my headunit.

1) orange w/ white stripe
2) orange w/ black stripe
3) pink'ish salmon color, possibly an orange?
4) solid blue (the blue with white stripe was the turn on according to the little tag on the wire on the radio harness)

so i capped those off with a wire nutt, the two striped orange ones are together, since they go together (is that okay?)





buuuuuuuut, HU doesn't turn on... causes? i mean i could triple check, but i am 99.999999% sure EVERY wire has a home besides those above. and they are all illumination or dimmer, and i believe the solid blue was for power antenna (which i don't have). (i think the dimmer had a positive and negative, thus orange w/ white and orange w/ black)


i'm extremely upset about this right now... i really wanted it to work =(