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My version of an amp install

245K views 182 replies 74 participants last post by  elvis_dog 
#1 ·
Lets start with running the wire from the battery. Maybe 8 gauge is enough, I used 4 gauge.
You’ll need an adapter (car parts or stereo shop) to hook up to.
Before

After

Then to a fuse holder.

To get the wire inside the truck, I went inside with a screwdriver and poked a hole through the trucks wiring harness boot, then when I fished the wire through – it was pretty tight – but I’ll probably silicone it too.

Lift the plates off at the front and back door sills and run the wire back to in under the back seat – then put a slice in the carpet and fish it to another slice where your amp is.





Now to the factory amp. Remove the passenger side rear plastic pieces. I don’t have pictures of that, just do it! If there isn’t a visible screw (one large torx for the seatbelt, a phillips partway back and a knob at the rear hatch), it’s just snap connectors – just pull them off.

The rear speaker wires are the lower plug. (for my 05 TB)
Brown – left rear+
Yellow – left rear-
Dark Blue – right rear+
Light Blue – right rear-

Tap into the wire by stripping a section of insulation off. Here’s the dark blue.

Solder and tape the connections. You can see I also tapped into the top plugs pink wire – it’s the remote turn-on wire for the amp.



Then run the speaker wires (the ones you just tapped into at the factory amp) to the amp you’re installing. My Rockford amp has hook-up for speaker level input so I’m using that (at least until I replace the head unit!) - (if you’re using a line-out-converter you’d wire it in somewhere between here and there). I ran them front and underneath the rear seat and with another slice’n fish under the carpet to the amp.

Then run your speaker wires (from your new amp) to your speakers.
You probably have to write the rest yourself – but I’ll show you what I did!
I ran them back under the carpet and up the corner post.



and a short one to my sub (everything REALLY needs cleaned up – oh well!)

Looking back.

Rock on!:D
 
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#122 · (Edited)
*EDIT*

Now that i see that the wire boot is really close to the battery terminal, it makes me more at ease with doing the amp myself.

the cable kit i got is from wal-mart its a scosche 8 gauge kit. the fuse is in a plastic type holder, would it be ok to put it under the hood? or should i get a different one to put on? (i'll put in a pic if anyone cant figure out what im talking about)

And also where would i put the little blue wire? could i still put it in the back fuse box? I dont have bose/a rear amp.

and if someone would be kind enough to maybe link the battery adapter and the fuse adapter id need, from advanced auto parts id be much obliged.
 
#125 ·
what is a wire boot?

you talking about the rubber "boot" down by the break pedal?

the plastic fuse holder is fine, make sure that you mount it somewhere safe, by that i mean the wire not gonna get cought up in anything.

what blue wire are you talking about?

also dont know what a battery adaptor is? you mean like a battery extention blot?
 
#123 ·
I need help car wont start

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so i was filling up gas, and i went to go start my car again, and it all just died. everything. literally. the key is stuck in the ignition, my steering wheel is NOT locked up, i am stuck in park no matter how many times i press on the brakes and pray that it will be mobile again, and yeah. i had it towed to my house.

ALSO,
I did just do a pioneer deck install, a kicker amp install and a kicker solo baric L5 10" sub installed. When i finished the install everything was working fine overnight and i ran the car and started it several times before it died. Please help me.
 
#127 ·
Hi all,

Just throwing this out there. I am a certified MECP Installer and can answer most of your auto installation questions. Just shoot me a message if you have any problems and I will do what I can to help you solve it. I have been certified every 2 years since 2004. I have to renew it every two years that is. So I will do what I can to help. Thanks for reading.:tiphat
 
#129 ·
Couple of questions for those with the Bose system who connected your amps to the pre-out connections before the Bose amp and not after.

1. Do you still have bass roll off issues at higher volume levels?

2. Are really low frequencies (below 60hz) getting cutoff?

3. Do the rear and front pre-outs sound different just like when tapping into the outputs after the amp?

4. Why are you using a line level converter if the signal is already low voltage?

5. If the line level converter has to be used to remove some signal noise, which one did you use?


For questions 1 - 3, I'm trying to figure out if all the crappy equalization for the Bose speakers is happening at the amp or the HU.
 
#130 ·
4. Why are you using a line level converter if the signal is already low voltage?

5. If the line level converter has to be used to remove some signal noise, which one did you use?


For questions 1 - 3, I'm trying to figure out if all the crappy equalization for the Bose speakers is happening at the amp or the HU.
you use the line level converter so you can use RCA's, so you can add a sub. it has nothing to do with sound processing.
 
#134 ·
im confused!!

so after various days reading and re-reading this post and several others about amp/subs install i came to these conclusions:
1.run power wire from battery
2.tap into bose amp with a pac- or any line in converter.

but the two thing that confuse me are ground and remote turn on wires location:crazy:. ive read several options but havent quite got a clue of which one is the best.
im getting the converter this week and already wired the power wire from battery so its redy to go. i just need you guys to help me with those questions so i dont burn/fry anything. thanks in advance.:thx
 
#135 ·
so after various days reading and re-reading this post and several others about amp/subs install i came to these conclusions:
1.run power wire from battery
2.tap into bose amp with a pac- or any line in converter.

but the two thing that confuse me are ground and remote turn on wires location:crazy:. ive read several options but havent quite got a clue of which one is the best.
im getting the converter this week and already wired the power wire from battery so its redy to go. i just need you guys to help me with those questions so i dont burn/fry anything. thanks in advance.:thx
you can ground it using one of the tie down hooks in the back or one the bolts that holds down the seats(i prefer the second)

the the remote turn on, people seem to have good luck with tapping into the rear fuse box, number 33 for the rear wiper.
 
#139 ·
I cut the wires for the front door and did that. (capped the wires out of the amp and hooked the output of new amp to the wires to the front door) (thanks andrew)

I left the factory amp hooked to the dash speakers so I have the chimes, bells, whistles, warnings, and onstar.

I suppose you could unplug it but you'll still be cutting the wires - so why not just cut the ones you need:undecided.
 
#140 ·
well i have no need or want for onstar and with the aftermarket deck i put in i turned the chime volume all the way down so its no use to me either. and if ur gonna say what if i deside to sell it. well i see no need for me to sell it till my loan is up and by that time i'll prolly just hit a deer and take the insurance money for a down payment on something new. gotta love ******* thinking haha so off that bose amp would i want to go off the bottom plug or the top plug?
 
#143 ·
Feel kind of ridiculous asking but I have everything else done and set up until my amp comes in. All wires spliced hidden etc. The one thing I don't know is, what exactly is that adapter for the power line off the battery terminal. My current fitting is also to small for the current bolt so will I have to get another terminal end to fit the adapter?

Thanks in advance!
 
#144 ·
The one thing I don't know is, what exactly is that adapter for the power line off the battery terminal. My current fitting is also to small for the current bolt so will I have to get another terminal end to fit the adapter?

Thanks in advance!
Sorry - missed this.
Here's a link to one from autozone.
If you search for Gm battery adapter, there's many to choose from.
It holds your battery cable to the battery and also gives an extra bolt for adding extra wires. Yes, the 'adapter' part is the same diameter as the main bolt so you need a ring terminal to fit that.
 
#147 ·
Only from what I've read;
Yes.

But I think you should be able to tap into those wires without one also. They are already a pre-amp signal. The line out converter is intended to hook to speaker outputs and give a low level pre-amp signal. Someone here tried it (without the LOC) and had some noise - but someone else did it without noise.:undecided

If you have the stock radio, you could get one of these and not have to cut your wiring. AOEM-GM24
 
#148 ·
I was gonna do the aoem-gm24 but then I read that it goes behind the headunit so I would rather hookup everything in the back, but then again ive read that it hooks up at the bose amp in the back, and I was gonna do an loc because its alot cleaner than having a bunch of wires taped up. Does anyone know for sure where the aoem-gm24 is connected??
 
#149 ·
so whats better to do the adapter that plugs in the factory harness(the pac) or the one that wires in the the front speakers at the factory amp in the back. Which is easier to do take the HU out and dash or the the rear pillar where the factory amp is like. There is so many loc out there which is the best (gonna run a 2 channel mono amp 500 watts on two JL tens) I got a 07 envoy with bose/nav...
 
#151 ·
That's funny because I went to a car audio place today and I talked To a guy who has done some good work for me and I trust him and he said that the best thing to do would be to connect an loc to the rear speakers and not to any preamp wires. He said it will have a better signal with an loc over connecting straight to the amp and you want to use the rear speakers over the front speakers because they could be crossed over with the tweeters which really produce no juice. I'm not sure if this is all true but it makes sense so I'm gonna do an install tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes.
 
#152 ·
Did my install today. I used a pac audio line out converter and hooked up to the rear speakers. Took it to a car audio place to see if it sounded ok and they said its fine. It wasnt hard at all to do. I use t-taps to connect to the wires, had to strip the wires though because they were too thick for the t-taps to cut into. Thanks for all the good info chevtrlblzr.
 
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