Bought all my stereo equipment in 2002. Can you believe I've been waiting this long to install it!!! Hahaha.. crazy. Finally stars aligned and found a weekend to do the job. Anyway, running REAL speaker wire through the front doors of the 5g has always been a daunting task. Various methods out there:
1. Don't do it: tap stock wires. Not an option for me, since running 200W each to the front speakers.
2. Drill through foot board area: unsightly, not a very clean install, quick and dirty.
3. The Molex thing: the NTPOG way, drill through Molex connectors to run your own wire, but maybe 14 AWG at best, and a royal pain. Risky.
I think what's below is a clean and easy way. Allowed me to run 12AWG twisted pair wire with thick insulation, measuring about 5/16" diameter.
Ok, here's the target. Need to run wire from cabin into door through this area. You can see the rubber boot through which the stock wires run:
Problem is where to drill hole. Very difficult to fit even a right angle drill between door jam and door. I found it impossible, actually. So, we're going to drill from inside the door instead, here:
There's the infamous Molex connector. We can leave that alone. Mark out a spot just above it with your Sharpie:
You'll need the following: standard drill, Flex-a-bit extension, and hex shank drillbit set:
Flex-a-bit is really a life saver. But be careful, can't take to much torque or will break and unravel. Went through 3 of these trying to enlarge the hole to 1/2". When you get to 3/8", use a grinding stone instead to get it to 1/2".
Before you start drilling with your smallest bit, use something sharp to punch an indentation in the sheetmetal first to give yourself a fighting chance of actually starting the hole where you want it:
Here we go:
Be patient, move up in small increments with the bit sizes. Don't get greedy..... and.... Done!
Prime that biyatch!
And grommet it. These are 1/2" grommets from Home Depot, with a 3/8" opening, perfect for the 5/16" diameter wiring I was using:
Start snaking the wire up through the footwell above the fuse box. You'll see an opening:
Aim for where the stock wre bundle exits, and you'll get there:
Now wrestle out the rubber boot around the wire bundle and X-acto a slit in it to run your speaker wire through. There's PLENTY of space to run your wire through this rubber boot:
Might be the hardest part. Get your wire to peak through the slit, then you're golden.
Ok, reseat that boot, and advance your wire through.
And... Finished! Clean, no pinching whatsoever. Leave a bit of slack...
Repeat other side:
Congrats, you're done. Enjoy your new sound system!
1. Don't do it: tap stock wires. Not an option for me, since running 200W each to the front speakers.
2. Drill through foot board area: unsightly, not a very clean install, quick and dirty.
3. The Molex thing: the NTPOG way, drill through Molex connectors to run your own wire, but maybe 14 AWG at best, and a royal pain. Risky.
I think what's below is a clean and easy way. Allowed me to run 12AWG twisted pair wire with thick insulation, measuring about 5/16" diameter.
Ok, here's the target. Need to run wire from cabin into door through this area. You can see the rubber boot through which the stock wires run:
Problem is where to drill hole. Very difficult to fit even a right angle drill between door jam and door. I found it impossible, actually. So, we're going to drill from inside the door instead, here:
There's the infamous Molex connector. We can leave that alone. Mark out a spot just above it with your Sharpie:
You'll need the following: standard drill, Flex-a-bit extension, and hex shank drillbit set:
Flex-a-bit is really a life saver. But be careful, can't take to much torque or will break and unravel. Went through 3 of these trying to enlarge the hole to 1/2". When you get to 3/8", use a grinding stone instead to get it to 1/2".
Before you start drilling with your smallest bit, use something sharp to punch an indentation in the sheetmetal first to give yourself a fighting chance of actually starting the hole where you want it:
Here we go:
Be patient, move up in small increments with the bit sizes. Don't get greedy..... and.... Done!
Prime that biyatch!
And grommet it. These are 1/2" grommets from Home Depot, with a 3/8" opening, perfect for the 5/16" diameter wiring I was using:
Start snaking the wire up through the footwell above the fuse box. You'll see an opening:
Aim for where the stock wre bundle exits, and you'll get there:
Now wrestle out the rubber boot around the wire bundle and X-acto a slit in it to run your speaker wire through. There's PLENTY of space to run your wire through this rubber boot:
Might be the hardest part. Get your wire to peak through the slit, then you're golden.
Ok, reseat that boot, and advance your wire through.
And... Finished! Clean, no pinching whatsoever. Leave a bit of slack...
Repeat other side:
Congrats, you're done. Enjoy your new sound system!