Head Unit wire harness madness

[jims2321]

As I continue to restore my mustang I decided to upgrade the stock audio. A quick surf to Crutchfield and I got the basics for a decent sound upgrade:

JVC KD-HDR60 HD radio/CD player with USB and Aux jack
Kicker 08zx200.4 amp
2 pairs of Kenwood KFC-C6893PS for the front doors and the rear quarter panels.

Because I was replacing the stock amp, I decide to put the new amp in the trunk so, I wanted to run RCA back to the amp and then speaker wire out to the new speakers.

Big problem, the JVC only has 2 RCA channels for speakers and 1 for Subwoofer. A quick call to Crutchfield tech confirmed that if I was willing to sacrifice the ability to balance left to right, then I could just split the 2 RCA at the amp to feed all 4 speaker channels.

To Hell with that, some research turn up a neat little device called a High Signal to Low Signal Line-Out Converter. Basically it takes the speaker outputs from the HU, converts it to RCA line signal to send to the amp.

Now I had all the parts to send RCA signal to the amp, but one major problem lots and lots of splices needed to be made. Since I decide I was going the converter route, I also decide use the existing power connections from the old HU to provide the necessary ground, power and control.

As I started to assemble the wire harness, my lovely wife mentions that I needed to run a control wire from the HU to the amp to control turning it on (damn I hate when she is right! ). So I grab the control wire from the amp installation pack and add it to my harness.

As I am about to start soldering and testing the harness. I get flashes of snagged and nicked wires behind the HU, so I dressed up the harness to miniumize the possibility and the end result is below

The entire harness

Close up of the new HU connector side

The Power connector side

 

[newskool]

looking good

 

[Zero Signal]

You're brave. I ditched the entire stereo harness and amps and rewired the entire thing. So much easier than trying to figure out the factory mess.

 

[earleys94gt]

I feel like a just read a module for an Electrical Engineering major, j/k.

Work looks good.

 

[revhead347]

I used one of those thingies about 15 years ago on my MR2. It was the same thing, but it was called a PAC. Can't for the life of me what it stands for though. Had 2 amps and 22 speakers on my MR2 all running off the stock head unit.

Kurt

 

[MysteryMachine]

22 speakers? good lord where did you fit them all?

 

[Adam95GT]

22 speakers? good lord where did you fit them all?

Under the hood Da Dun Tis.

 

[revhead347]

22 speakers? good lord where did you fit them all?

Dude, I was in high school, and I don't know what we were thinking. This is the car that was originally my older brother's that somehow I ended up with. If you have ever seen the inside of an MR2, you'd understand though. There is no room for anything. It was all small speakers tucked into every corner of the interior. There was no room for subs anywhere, and it's pointless to put them in the trunk, because that's behind the engine. We had these things called Aurora base shakers bolted to the floor under the seats. Basically just the magnet with no cone.

I know I miss that car a lot though. It was unbelievably comfortable, and holy **** fast.

Kurt