Aftermarket Stereo Wiring - Tunnel or Sills

KMT

Registered User
For those of you that have run wires between the dash and trunk for your sub-woofer and amp on your SC, did you end up running them from the center of the dash to the outside, then along the sills, or down to the tunnel and then straight back into the trunk? Somewhere else?

I've added different wiring over the years, first for the amp, then cameras, and it's time to tidy all that up. Hiding the wires under the carpet along the sills is not that hard, but it adds to the length of the wires and requires more fishing inside the dash. Running under the carpet along the tunnel seems better, but it's not that easy to accomplish. Right now I'm running above the carpet, along both sides of the tunnel.

Just for info, I'm running two audio channels from the head unit, back to the amp (center & sub), then speaker leads back to the dash for a front 5.1 center speaker that sits in the cavity below the head unit, right above the console, and two single wire video feeds from cameras at the rear. I'm using the factory harness for the amp's power feed and remote turn-on, so those are taken care of.

Just curious what others have gone thru and might recommend that would save me trouble, look clean, etc., thanks.

Ken
 
I've had the RCA cables fail when passed under the rear seat running down the tunnel. The seat frame pinched or crushed the insulation against the floor over time til it shorted. Especially if you use the rear seat at all. 1/2 and 1/2? Run down tunnel til ya hit the rear seat then take a right or left on the corner of the floor and around the seat. Be same with wire length and more difficult than dash/sills so...

I just run down the sills. especially with the "tunnels" built into the area where factory wiring runs

Adam
 
Yes, even with the soft materials on the underside of the back seat cushion, I don't feel good about wiring there.

I've only lifted the carpet enough to look right next to the sill/door rubber, but I remembered I took some photos in the junk yard of a 'bird w/the carpeting removed...those are -very- generous cavities a bit further inboard of the sill - thanks for pointing them out ;)

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I've had them routed on top of the tunnel for many years (front/rear/sub RCA's and remote power to amps), although I'm sure that eventually they will fail.
 
I lived w/mine that way for a decade, then ended up with a hum and higher than tolerable parasitic draw that all went away with the rear stuff offlined, so something had to be done.

I just finished moving several wires to the pass. side wiring channel, some thin, some medium, and one 3/8" dia. cable for the head unit's GPS module which used to sit loose under the pass. seat. Worked out nicely, but since the factory crowds the SC's pass. side pretty well to begin with, it's full up now. Anything else will have to go down the other side.
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Those tunnels are perfect/highly recommended for the job at hand, easy to access since the front seats don't need to come out, just the back seat cushion, a bit of the rubber door gasket, plastic trim along the door line, kick panel in front and one small plastic shield in the back where the wires turn and follow the seat platform in the corner. Wish I'd used them to begin with ;) Thanks again to aroot1.
 
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I lived w/mine that way for a decade, then ended up with a hum and higher than tolerable parasitic draw that all went away with the rear stuff offlined, so something had to be done.

I just finished moving several wires to the pass. side wiring channel, some thin, some medium, and one 3/8" dia. cable for the head unit's GPS module which used to sit loose under the pass. seat. Worked out nicely, but since the factory crowds the SC's pass. side pretty well to begin with, it's full up now. Anything else will have to go down the other side.
View attachment 69929

Those tunnels are perfect/highly recommended for the job at hand, easy to access since the front seats don't need to come out, just the back seat cushion, a bit of the rubber door gasket, plastic trim along the door line, kick panel in front and one small plastic shield in the back where the wires turn and follow the seat platform in the corner. Wish I'd used them to begin with ;) Thanks again to aroot1.

That's a perfect trick to organize and easy access of the wiring.
 
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