Install questions and help

[Mason Fresh]

So, since i recently sustained a shoulder injury, i have a friend who is going to come over and attempt a 4 channel amp install while i watch .
i have a few questions i need answering.

Can I ground to the negative on the battery? (Isn't the battery negative grounded to the chassis?)

Will all remote lines work for any amp? My friend has a factory amp for his speakers and tomorrow we are installing a new one.. and I was wondering if we could just use the same remote and RCA's but re-run the power and ground.

Does anyone know how to get a 4 gauge power wire from the cabin into the engine block?

I have the stock JBL synthesis system ... and when i got a new HU the install guy at the shop made me buy a $150 piece.. cant remember the name of it... it was to maintain the JBL synthesis 5.1 system with an aftermarket HU.... Will this make running the RCA's any more difficult?

I've got a few write ups on wiring a 4channel but kind of lost in general... before i jacked my shoulder i installed one set of my components in my rear doors just to make sure i could do it.. and i could, it was pretty ghetto and sketchy.. but they're making noise - i have 100 ft of speaker wire, but don't think i'm gonna run it... too much of a hassle.

Thanks in advance.. This is the first installation that we have done and I want to make sure it's done right.

 

[riceandpho]

Save the trouble and run all new speaker wires from the amp and to the doors, 14 gauge min. Also to get power wire thru, on the driver side take all sill and kick panels out , look up under the steering wheel and u should see a gromet/ rubber boot with lots of wires coming thru about top left when ur under, that's where all the power wires are runnig thru, run RCA and remote line on the pass side if u can. Where are u gona have the amp at? Remember to unplug the jbl amp and disscounted all the plugs on it, ur not gona use the jbl sub are u? Upgrade the ground wires on the battery also, make sure it's on bare metal of the chassi, sand it or grind it to make a shiney metal contact. Also make a ground wire from the bat neg post to engine , find a good nut on the engine to secure it, and also engine block to chassi and pos post on bat to alternator plus post, make sure u dissconnect the battery before u do this electrical upgrade, otherwise u see a spark with plus touchin negative.

 

[Barnaby]

Can I ground to the negative on the battery? (Isn't the battery negative grounded to the chassis?)

Yes, but it's not necessary. Ground your amp to a solid point near the amp itself. There's no real need to run an axtra ground cable to the battery.

Will all remote lines work for any amp? My friend has a factory amp for his speakers and tomorrow we are installing a new one.. and I was wondering if we could just use the same remote and RCA's but re-run the power and ground.

Chances are the factory amp doesn't use a remote turn-on, you may have to run one from the deck anyway. Without seeing the set up I can only guess what's already there and what's needed though.

Does anyone know how to get a 4 gauge power wire from the cabin into the engine block?

Hopefully you'll be running it to your battery if anything, wiring it to the engine block may not yield acceptable results. I would look for a grommet on the firewall that's not being used. Pop it out, drill a hole in it and run the cable through that and re-insert the grommet in the firewall. If no grommet is available, you can sometimes use an existing grommet that has wires being fed through it. You'll have to be careful with this because you'll need to cut a small slit in it and run the new cable along side the existing wires. Any damage to the existing harness would be a pain to repair, so this would be a second option if there is no other way.

I have the stock JBL synthesis system ... and when i got a new HU the install guy at the shop made me buy a $150 piece.. cant remember the name of it... it was to maintain the JBL synthesis 5.1 system with an aftermarket HU.... Will this make running the RCA's any more difficult?

Since you are no longer going to be using anything JBL anymore, you'll just bypass it. It won't be needed anymore.

I've got a few write ups on wiring a 4channel but kind of lost in general... before i jacked my shoulder i installed one set of my components in my rear doors just to make sure i could do it.. and i could, it was pretty ghetto and sketchy.. but they're making noise - i have 100 ft of speaker wire, but don't think i'm gonna run it... too much of a hassle.

Follow the instructions on the amp and you should be fine. Safety is incredibly important here. A nicked wire without a proper fuse could ruin your entire truck, a drill though an existing harness will cost a pretty penny to repair, you get the idea.

You can reuse the factory speaker wire, but it's kind of a pain sometimes. I wish I could help but I am heading to AZ this morning and won't be available to give a hand(or even timely advice). Best of luck on it.

Tim

 

[Mason Fresh]

This is great help.

Thank you guys.


And Tim, I wish you could help too! Haha, We'll see how it goes.