O.k. guys..as promised here is my abbreviated write-up. I'm going to comment on the key issues here rather than basic stereo setup stuff that you can read about on numerous forums. It goes without saying that this write-up is an addition to mustangworld.com article that includes lots of good pics.
My write-up includes specifics relating to installing an aftermarket powered subwoofer (or amp + sub) to a bone stock Mach 460 setup w/6 disc in-dash changer. It took me about a week of Q&A on various forums to get it right, but once you know how it’s very easy. I will take the guess work out of it so that any of you can enjoy deep bass in your cars without having to pay someone big bucks. Also, NO installer would follow my simple instructions, and instead would charge hundreds more to rewire your stereo system.
Okay, here are your required parts:
1. Aftermarket Sub+ Amp (I used the Infinity Basslink= best bass for the buck in a very compact space)
2. 5 'clam' wire splice connectors (These are connectors that can be bought at any auto parts store. They clam over an existing wire and allow you to splice in another wire without cutting the existing wire).
3. 1 Line Output Converter. (I used a PAC Converter. This will allow you to connect an RCA cable to the existing speaker wire).
4. 1 3ft. RCA Cable (Buy a good one for car audio application)
5. 1 15-20ft Power Wire (Use 4 gauge so you never need to upgrade)
6. 1 15-20ft Remote Lead wire (12v rated wire from auto parts store will do)
7. 1 3-5ft Ground Wire (I used 4 gauge)
8. 6 terminal connectors for your 3 wires ends (power, ground, remote lead)
9. Knife/Scissors
10. Pliers
11. Good option (solder + torch).
12. Screwdriver
13. Socket Wrench + Sockets (can't remember exact sizes)
Disclaimer: I don't know much about car stereos. I'm sure some guru has a better way to do this, but in the mean time the method I used works great and I've had zero probs so far. So this is a guide, but follow at your own risk.
Okay, here are the real key things you need to know:
FIRST STEP IS TO DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL OF THE BATTERY. –Do this now so you don’t forget later. The black battery wire can be disconnected by using a small socket on the terminal. Don’t reconnect until you are ready to test power on the subwoofer.
a. Teardown
You need to remove the trunk lining in the trunk that hides the convertible when it is retracted. This is pretty easy, there are only 3 plastic screw retainers holding it in that you can pry out with the pliers and screw driver. If you break these off, you can buy more at auto parts store for $1, but I was able to re-use all of mine.
Once you have the trunk lining out, you will be able to see the mach 460 amps and also the convertible top motor. I have no camera, but there are plenty of pics of this on various mustang boards online.
The next step is removing the back seats (top and bottom cushions). This took me a while to figure out, so read what I say. You need to remove the bottom cushion before removing the top cushion. There are TWO plastic clips that are located under the rear bottom cushion. You need to kneel down and pull up on the rear cushion up to see them. They are white. Once you see them, push a flat head screwdriver into each clip and pull up on the cushion. This will unlock one side of the cushion. Do it to the other side and the bottom cushion will now come out of the vehicle.
Once the bottom rear cushion is out, you will be able to see the 2 bolts holding in the top cushion. Before removing the nuts holding the bolts down with a socket wrench, you should unsnap the rear seat-belt plastic brackets that are snapped in behind the top rear cushion. They just pop out and will keep the seat belts out of the way during the install. Once the seat belts are popped out and the nuts at the bottom of the top cushion are off, you can pull up on the top cushion and it will come right out.
(In case you haven't figured it out by now, it’s MUCH easier to perform this install with the convertible top down. You can 'jump right into' the vehicle this way.)
The other piece that is optional to loosen, but I highly recommend, is the rear back-seat drivers side panel, that houses the stock speakers in the back seat. This is not too bad to take off; it’s held in by a plastic screw retainer in the top-back, and a few snap buttons near the door jam. You should be able to wrestle this loose, just be careful with it like anything else. Note: you only need this piece loose and do not need to remove it. You do not need to disconnect the rear woofers.
b. Sound
Once the back seat is totally out of the vehicle, you can look down where the drivers side rear bottom cushion used to be, there will be a bunch of wires (20 or so) taped together and covered by a piece of black plastic and a bunch of black tape. You need to cut through this black plastic protector and the black tape to expose the wires. This is where you will splice in.
OF ALL THE WIRES, THE ONE'S THAT I USED ARE 2 BLACK/WHITE STRIPE (-) AND 2 BLACK/GREEN STRIPE (+).
Now that sounds pretty easy right? That's all they write in the mustangworld article. Only problem is that there are at least 4-10 of each color wire!!! Which one do you use?!?!?! Okay, using some twisties or something to separate the wires temporarily...
First, isolate all the black/white stripe, green/white stripe wires. You may need to tie off wires in groups at a time to eliminate the one’s you won’t be using. Once you tie off all the non-necessary wires, you should only be left with 8 wires. 3 of each color. Now, of the 8 there are 4 stand alone wires and 4 wires that splice down to 2 wires, like a “Y”. You want to use the wires that do not splice together. There will only be 4 wires there that run all the way through without consolidating/expanding to less wires.
Note: To be honest, based off the schematics (you can google onine), these wires may be speaker level, and not the ‘data’ wires coming from the receiver to the amp. To be honest, it took so long to get the wires that brought sound to my sub that I didn’t care. These wires work. Feel free to try different wires if you have the time..
Okay, using the 4 wires, you will need to splice these in using the ‘clam’ connectors you bought from the auto-parts store. You will splice these to the speaker wire included as part of your line-out converter. Remember black/green stripe is positive. Connect all 4 to the converter using the converter’s directions. You should not have to cut any wires. Just use some pliers to make sure the connectors are on tight.
Now you have a line out converter that will pick-up sound. You can now hook in the 3ft rca cable to the converter and that will connect to your subwoofer.
c. Power
Next, power. This is pretty standard. Run the power wire (I used 4 gauges) from the trunk down through the driver’s rear panel that you loosened before. Remember to make sure that the power wire does not get in the way of the convertible top mechanism. This wire should be run down the drivers side trim (just pry it up by hand) and through the front left kick panel on the driver’s side… I ran mine through where the ‘hood release’ lever is. From here you will need to get it through the firewall. There is a factory grommet that you will see under the dash that other wires travel through. You will have to pry this open with a screwdriver from the hood-side in order to get the wire through. Pry hard to get that sucker open enough for thick wire… or have someone else hold it open for you. Once you get the wire through and into the engine bay, you can buy some silicone sealer to droop around the power wire and close up the grommet hole. No big deal.
From here, you should have a fuse for the power wire, and then it can run into the accessory terminal next to the battery. You can see this from the mustangworld article. As I noted above, I highly recommend soldering your terminal connections. Especially if you never want to worry about power.
d. Ground
Okay, your power is run, now you need a good ground. I MADE A BIG MISTAKE HERE. I ran a ground to a bolt in the trunk area near where the rear lights are attached. This ground sucked, and it took me hours of troubleshooting wondering why I had no power. Turns out, the best ground is the metal seat belt bracket bolt sticking out of the chassis where the rear seat cushion goes. You can’t miss it, very thick bolt. Only thing is that I did not want to loosen that bolt, as it holds the seat belt in place. I could see me getting busted for that if there were ever an accident. Instead, I used an old nut I had that fit the bolt, connected the ground to the bolt, and tightened the nut on top of it. A ‘sandwich’ if you will. If you have a fluke or sensor device, I would check the sub now to ensure its getting around 12 volts of power. (Temporarily reconnect the negative battery cable to perform this test). If its not, chances are you have a bad ground. Make sure you take care of the power issue now because you’ll have to tear the car apart again later if you don’t.
e. Remote Turn-On Wire
From here, you should have a good power and ground connection to your sub, and your rca’s should be plugged in to your amp according to the manufacturer’s directions. The only thing left, is a remote lead. This lead will sense power when the ignition is turned, and only turn the amp on when the radio is on. Remember, if you just ran constant power to the sub it would always be on and drain your battery overnight. This way it comes on only when you want to listen to the radio. Before you wire the remote lead wire, lets again make sure we have a good power connection. Find some sort of ‘jumper’ wire lying around, or you can even use a wide screwdriver. Make contact to the remote wire terminal and power terminal of your amp, and see if the amp powers up. If it does, your good. You should continue to run little tests like this over the course of the install to eliminate potential problems if you have to troubleshoot later.
You should run the remote lead wire the same way you ran your power wire.. down the driver side and through the ‘hood release’ area. HERE is another spot the mustangworld article lacked clarity. That guy ran the remote lead into the fuse box. After screwing with my fuse box for about 2 hours, I concluded I had no idea how he did this. I could not get the thing out and wires were sparking all over the place. I decided there had to be an easier way, and there is. You should run the remote lead directly to the in-dash receiver itself. You can do this by prying off the shifter bezel with a flat-head screwdriver (be careful not to scratch it, I pried counterclockwise starting on the upper right hand side). Once the shifter bezel is off, you can remove the center bezel that houses the radio, vents, etc. Disconnect the harnesses for traction control, fog lights, defrost, and lighter during this process. They just snap in and out. Once both bezels are out of the way, the stereo receiver comes out really easy, as it’s only connected with 2 bolts. Use a small socket on the bolts and gently remove the receiver. Look at the wires going into the receiver in the back. FIND THE BLACK/PINK STRIPE WIRE. This is the wire that you will use the 5th ‘clam’ connector to splice in your 12v remote lead wire. Run the wire under your dash and up behind the stereo so that it doesn’t stick out. Connect it good and then reinstall the stereo, bezels, etc.
Now, reconnect your negative battery terminal and turn the ignition!! You should have sound!!! If you don’t, re-read this guide and troubleshoot accordingly. Chances are you either have a bad ground, or spliced into the wrong wires, or screwed up the connections to your amp/sub. I think I did all 3 of these at least once during my install. If you get it all right the first time, then you’re better than me
Once you sort it all out, all you have to do is put your car back together exactly how you took it apart. Remember to hide the wires and don’t get anything in the way of the convertible top. Retract the top a few times back and forth before you close everything up. You will now have to mount your sub permanently, so take some time tuning it and positioning it to where you think the sound is the best. I’m still getting some rattle in the trunk that I need to take care of, so that is expected.
Phew... your done. You got ‘er done!!!!
My write-up includes specifics relating to installing an aftermarket powered subwoofer (or amp + sub) to a bone stock Mach 460 setup w/6 disc in-dash changer. It took me about a week of Q&A on various forums to get it right, but once you know how it’s very easy. I will take the guess work out of it so that any of you can enjoy deep bass in your cars without having to pay someone big bucks. Also, NO installer would follow my simple instructions, and instead would charge hundreds more to rewire your stereo system.
Okay, here are your required parts:
1. Aftermarket Sub+ Amp (I used the Infinity Basslink= best bass for the buck in a very compact space)
2. 5 'clam' wire splice connectors (These are connectors that can be bought at any auto parts store. They clam over an existing wire and allow you to splice in another wire without cutting the existing wire).
3. 1 Line Output Converter. (I used a PAC Converter. This will allow you to connect an RCA cable to the existing speaker wire).
4. 1 3ft. RCA Cable (Buy a good one for car audio application)
5. 1 15-20ft Power Wire (Use 4 gauge so you never need to upgrade)
6. 1 15-20ft Remote Lead wire (12v rated wire from auto parts store will do)
7. 1 3-5ft Ground Wire (I used 4 gauge)
8. 6 terminal connectors for your 3 wires ends (power, ground, remote lead)
9. Knife/Scissors
10. Pliers
11. Good option (solder + torch).
12. Screwdriver
13. Socket Wrench + Sockets (can't remember exact sizes)
Disclaimer: I don't know much about car stereos. I'm sure some guru has a better way to do this, but in the mean time the method I used works great and I've had zero probs so far. So this is a guide, but follow at your own risk.
Okay, here are the real key things you need to know:
FIRST STEP IS TO DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL OF THE BATTERY. –Do this now so you don’t forget later. The black battery wire can be disconnected by using a small socket on the terminal. Don’t reconnect until you are ready to test power on the subwoofer.
a. Teardown
You need to remove the trunk lining in the trunk that hides the convertible when it is retracted. This is pretty easy, there are only 3 plastic screw retainers holding it in that you can pry out with the pliers and screw driver. If you break these off, you can buy more at auto parts store for $1, but I was able to re-use all of mine.
Once you have the trunk lining out, you will be able to see the mach 460 amps and also the convertible top motor. I have no camera, but there are plenty of pics of this on various mustang boards online.
The next step is removing the back seats (top and bottom cushions). This took me a while to figure out, so read what I say. You need to remove the bottom cushion before removing the top cushion. There are TWO plastic clips that are located under the rear bottom cushion. You need to kneel down and pull up on the rear cushion up to see them. They are white. Once you see them, push a flat head screwdriver into each clip and pull up on the cushion. This will unlock one side of the cushion. Do it to the other side and the bottom cushion will now come out of the vehicle.
Once the bottom rear cushion is out, you will be able to see the 2 bolts holding in the top cushion. Before removing the nuts holding the bolts down with a socket wrench, you should unsnap the rear seat-belt plastic brackets that are snapped in behind the top rear cushion. They just pop out and will keep the seat belts out of the way during the install. Once the seat belts are popped out and the nuts at the bottom of the top cushion are off, you can pull up on the top cushion and it will come right out.
(In case you haven't figured it out by now, it’s MUCH easier to perform this install with the convertible top down. You can 'jump right into' the vehicle this way.)
The other piece that is optional to loosen, but I highly recommend, is the rear back-seat drivers side panel, that houses the stock speakers in the back seat. This is not too bad to take off; it’s held in by a plastic screw retainer in the top-back, and a few snap buttons near the door jam. You should be able to wrestle this loose, just be careful with it like anything else. Note: you only need this piece loose and do not need to remove it. You do not need to disconnect the rear woofers.
b. Sound
Once the back seat is totally out of the vehicle, you can look down where the drivers side rear bottom cushion used to be, there will be a bunch of wires (20 or so) taped together and covered by a piece of black plastic and a bunch of black tape. You need to cut through this black plastic protector and the black tape to expose the wires. This is where you will splice in.
OF ALL THE WIRES, THE ONE'S THAT I USED ARE 2 BLACK/WHITE STRIPE (-) AND 2 BLACK/GREEN STRIPE (+).
Now that sounds pretty easy right? That's all they write in the mustangworld article. Only problem is that there are at least 4-10 of each color wire!!! Which one do you use?!?!?! Okay, using some twisties or something to separate the wires temporarily...
First, isolate all the black/white stripe, green/white stripe wires. You may need to tie off wires in groups at a time to eliminate the one’s you won’t be using. Once you tie off all the non-necessary wires, you should only be left with 8 wires. 3 of each color. Now, of the 8 there are 4 stand alone wires and 4 wires that splice down to 2 wires, like a “Y”. You want to use the wires that do not splice together. There will only be 4 wires there that run all the way through without consolidating/expanding to less wires.
Note: To be honest, based off the schematics (you can google onine), these wires may be speaker level, and not the ‘data’ wires coming from the receiver to the amp. To be honest, it took so long to get the wires that brought sound to my sub that I didn’t care. These wires work. Feel free to try different wires if you have the time..
Okay, using the 4 wires, you will need to splice these in using the ‘clam’ connectors you bought from the auto-parts store. You will splice these to the speaker wire included as part of your line-out converter. Remember black/green stripe is positive. Connect all 4 to the converter using the converter’s directions. You should not have to cut any wires. Just use some pliers to make sure the connectors are on tight.
Now you have a line out converter that will pick-up sound. You can now hook in the 3ft rca cable to the converter and that will connect to your subwoofer.
c. Power
Next, power. This is pretty standard. Run the power wire (I used 4 gauges) from the trunk down through the driver’s rear panel that you loosened before. Remember to make sure that the power wire does not get in the way of the convertible top mechanism. This wire should be run down the drivers side trim (just pry it up by hand) and through the front left kick panel on the driver’s side… I ran mine through where the ‘hood release’ lever is. From here you will need to get it through the firewall. There is a factory grommet that you will see under the dash that other wires travel through. You will have to pry this open with a screwdriver from the hood-side in order to get the wire through. Pry hard to get that sucker open enough for thick wire… or have someone else hold it open for you. Once you get the wire through and into the engine bay, you can buy some silicone sealer to droop around the power wire and close up the grommet hole. No big deal.
From here, you should have a fuse for the power wire, and then it can run into the accessory terminal next to the battery. You can see this from the mustangworld article. As I noted above, I highly recommend soldering your terminal connections. Especially if you never want to worry about power.
d. Ground
Okay, your power is run, now you need a good ground. I MADE A BIG MISTAKE HERE. I ran a ground to a bolt in the trunk area near where the rear lights are attached. This ground sucked, and it took me hours of troubleshooting wondering why I had no power. Turns out, the best ground is the metal seat belt bracket bolt sticking out of the chassis where the rear seat cushion goes. You can’t miss it, very thick bolt. Only thing is that I did not want to loosen that bolt, as it holds the seat belt in place. I could see me getting busted for that if there were ever an accident. Instead, I used an old nut I had that fit the bolt, connected the ground to the bolt, and tightened the nut on top of it. A ‘sandwich’ if you will. If you have a fluke or sensor device, I would check the sub now to ensure its getting around 12 volts of power. (Temporarily reconnect the negative battery cable to perform this test). If its not, chances are you have a bad ground. Make sure you take care of the power issue now because you’ll have to tear the car apart again later if you don’t.
e. Remote Turn-On Wire
From here, you should have a good power and ground connection to your sub, and your rca’s should be plugged in to your amp according to the manufacturer’s directions. The only thing left, is a remote lead. This lead will sense power when the ignition is turned, and only turn the amp on when the radio is on. Remember, if you just ran constant power to the sub it would always be on and drain your battery overnight. This way it comes on only when you want to listen to the radio. Before you wire the remote lead wire, lets again make sure we have a good power connection. Find some sort of ‘jumper’ wire lying around, or you can even use a wide screwdriver. Make contact to the remote wire terminal and power terminal of your amp, and see if the amp powers up. If it does, your good. You should continue to run little tests like this over the course of the install to eliminate potential problems if you have to troubleshoot later.
You should run the remote lead wire the same way you ran your power wire.. down the driver side and through the ‘hood release’ area. HERE is another spot the mustangworld article lacked clarity. That guy ran the remote lead into the fuse box. After screwing with my fuse box for about 2 hours, I concluded I had no idea how he did this. I could not get the thing out and wires were sparking all over the place. I decided there had to be an easier way, and there is. You should run the remote lead directly to the in-dash receiver itself. You can do this by prying off the shifter bezel with a flat-head screwdriver (be careful not to scratch it, I pried counterclockwise starting on the upper right hand side). Once the shifter bezel is off, you can remove the center bezel that houses the radio, vents, etc. Disconnect the harnesses for traction control, fog lights, defrost, and lighter during this process. They just snap in and out. Once both bezels are out of the way, the stereo receiver comes out really easy, as it’s only connected with 2 bolts. Use a small socket on the bolts and gently remove the receiver. Look at the wires going into the receiver in the back. FIND THE BLACK/PINK STRIPE WIRE. This is the wire that you will use the 5th ‘clam’ connector to splice in your 12v remote lead wire. Run the wire under your dash and up behind the stereo so that it doesn’t stick out. Connect it good and then reinstall the stereo, bezels, etc.
Now, reconnect your negative battery terminal and turn the ignition!! You should have sound!!! If you don’t, re-read this guide and troubleshoot accordingly. Chances are you either have a bad ground, or spliced into the wrong wires, or screwed up the connections to your amp/sub. I think I did all 3 of these at least once during my install. If you get it all right the first time, then you’re better than me
Once you sort it all out, all you have to do is put your car back together exactly how you took it apart. Remember to hide the wires and don’t get anything in the way of the convertible top. Retract the top a few times back and forth before you close everything up. You will now have to mount your sub permanently, so take some time tuning it and positioning it to where you think the sound is the best. I’m still getting some rattle in the trunk that I need to take care of, so that is expected.
Phew... your done. You got ‘er done!!!!
