Wiring a stereo system from scratch (2nd Gen)

I currently have the JBL system in my 2008 DC. It is a real pain in the ass to install an aftermarket stereo with the current wiring. Crutchfield apparently has no solution. I know there are different wiring harnesses out there but I don't want to spend the money and I really don't want the sound going through the JBL amp. The JBL amp and sub are coming out anyways because my custom box won't fit behind the seat with that pile of plastic there.

What I want to do is just install my alpine bt-103 with all new wiring. The speakers are straight forward. I will run new wires and connect them to the new speakers that are going in the doors. I have a question on power source though. I was going to run a power wire right from the battery. Is this a good idea? Fuse it? And as far as the ground wire, is there an existing place to ground where I don't have to grind and drill?

And where I have no clue whatsoever is where connect the wire that turns the stereo on/off with the ignition. I think I went to the fuse box on my old truck but I don't wanrt to screw anything up. I will also be hooking up a 400w amp so is it possible that these two can connect to the same spot.

Just to reiterate I do not want to splice into the existing wires whatsoever.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

I can understand why you do not want sound traveling through the JBL amp, however I would still use the Power/Ign/Ground from the factory harness so that everything is grounded/fused properly. Its not like the headunit is going to know where the power is coming from and its not like you have to use the audio wires in the harness for the power to work.

 

i agree with uood8. i'd get a harness that connects into the factory harness and only connect the 3 power wires.

then i would run a wire from the battery for the amp and run new speaker wire from the amp to the doors, or wherever you need to.

personally, i left all the factory wiring in, because when i sell the truck, i'm putting the stock speakers back in and putting my stuff in the new car, unless the buyer wants to pay a premium for the stereo.

 

Thats why I wanted to leave the factory wiring harness alone so that when I go to sell I can just put the old stuff back in. I suppose if it's done cleanly the first time then a guy could splice into the harness. From what I remember looking at it, there wasn't a lot of excess wire. Maybe I'll just have the local shop do that for me so I don't screw things up. Thanks

 

All you do is get the adapter that plugs into the factory harness, you wouldn't have to splice into anything, then run the new wires to the speakers.

 

I've done this many times on customers cars when I worked at a car audio shop. There are two different ways to do this. First would be run the speaker wires from the head unit to the factory amp and pick up the factory speaker wires there to save from running them thru the doors. There are multiple posts on wire colors you would need on this site. Definitely get the power/acc/ground from the head unit wiring like stated before.

The second way would be just running wires from the head unit straight to the speakers. This is gonna be a pain in the ass (and I personally don't think its needed) but you will know everything is right. Just remember though don't run new wires for the power/ground from elsewhere. They will not be properly fused and will cause more problems in the long run. Tap into the factory harness and it will work great. Hope this helps.

 

Good point. I wasn't thinking outside the box.

Two good options. I like the second better so when I go back to stock to sell the truck I just plug everything back in. Do you know where I could get just the adapter for that? The adapter that sends the data signal to the amp is an expensive one. I know Crutchfield says that there is nothing available for the JBL, it has not been researched.

Thanks everyone for the input

 

Thanks everyone for the info. The harness from Sonic Electronix was out of stock so I did a little more research and thanks to azTRD I was able to find a much less expensive harness that will allow me to get power, ground, and switched power to the HU. I wanted to post that on here in case anyone else is trying to do the same. Once I receive it and get it installed I will let you all know how it worked. Heck, maybe I'll even do a write up since there isn't a lot of info for the JBL guys on here. Keep in mind that this is only for power. For the speakers I plan to run new wires through the truck. Here is the link to the adapter I am gonna try: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_12708_Metra+70-8113.html

 

I'll comment to this as I'm just finishing up my stereo... What I did was just this. My particular truck is a 2005 Double Cab w/JBL stereo. I wanted to use the OEM door wiring as its simply easier rather than running new speaker wire from the head unit to each door. You'll have to run (4) separate lengths of speaker cable to the passenger side rear of the truck where the OEM harness is that originally plugs into the factory JBL amp/sub. 15 foot lengths will be plenty. To help simplify routing the wires, you might want to label each end of speaker strand with tape so you'll know what wire is "right front", "left rear", etc... If you have a buddy to help hold one end of the wires awesome, if not, attach it to something so you can pull the all 4 strands of speaker cable tight. Next use a drill on one end to essentially braid the (4) cables together so you can route them along the "passenger side" of the truck as one cable easier. Once you have your speaker cable routed from the head unit to the rear harness, you'll have to cut 8 wires. You might want to make your cuts a few inches back from the harness, just in case you someday want to return the stereo back to its OEM setting.

The wires from the JBL OEM harness that you'll want to use are as follows:


DRIVERS FRONT (LF) + = VIOLET (PIN #6)
DRIVERS FRONT (LF) - = PURPLE (PIN #17)

PASSENGER FRONT (RF) + = LIGHT GREEN (PIN #7)
PASSENGER FRONT (RF) - = BLUE (PIN #18)

DRIVERS REAR (LR) + = BLACK (PIN #4)
DRIVERS REAR (LR) - = WHITE (PIN #13)

PASSENGER REAR (RR) + = RED (PIN #5)
PASSENGER REAR (RR) - = WHITE (PIN #14)


Hope this is helpful.