How To Wire New Stereo
Posted 04-30-2015 at 07:16 PM by Roadrunner
The restoration of the "Cable Stream" is going well and nearing completion. The "74" Tradewind came with a side credenza and car stereo. When we started work, the credenza was gone and the stereo box was laying on the floor. For some reason the PO cut holes in the interior skin next to the wiring harness. Nothing worked. The plan was to install a new stereo in the front overhead bin.
The first step was to remove the old radio. Before cutting any wires, we labeled each of the wires for future reconnection. The removal of the two interior panels was next. Remove the wing window molding, drill out rivets, and carefully remove the panels.
To get the stereo wiring harness up to the overhead bin, we drilled 1.5" hole in the curbside end of the bin. A coat hanger worked great to fish the wiring harness into the overhead bin. This is a great time to put in clean insulation prior to panel replacement.
Most any newer car stereo would work great. We choose to go with a Sony BT5100 as it has bluetooth and USB options...great for song playlists on iPod, iPhone, Android, ect. A face and side were made out of beech wood to match the trailers cabinetry. Two 3-post LED rocker switches were installed to act as a cut off power switch to eliminate battery drain. The second was installed for future 12v accessories...such as LED light strip.
Just a few notes about wiring...in our "74" the larger blue wire in the wiring harness is the power (hot) wire, the larger white is the ground wire. The rocker switch has three poles...power, load, ground. The stereo has a plug in harness. We used quick connect spade connectors to connect wiring.
The blue power trailer wire connects to both the power pole on the rocker switch and the yellow power wire from the stereo. The white ground wire connects to the ground pole on the rocker switch and the black ground wire from the stereo. That leaves the load pole on the rocker switch that gets connected to the red accessory wire from the stereo. The wires are pushed through the opening in the wooden faceplate and connected to the stereo. The stereo unit is then pushed back into the stereo mounting bracket. Plastic face plate around stereo and you should be ready for your favorite tunes.
The first step was to remove the old radio. Before cutting any wires, we labeled each of the wires for future reconnection. The removal of the two interior panels was next. Remove the wing window molding, drill out rivets, and carefully remove the panels.
To get the stereo wiring harness up to the overhead bin, we drilled 1.5" hole in the curbside end of the bin. A coat hanger worked great to fish the wiring harness into the overhead bin. This is a great time to put in clean insulation prior to panel replacement.
Most any newer car stereo would work great. We choose to go with a Sony BT5100 as it has bluetooth and USB options...great for song playlists on iPod, iPhone, Android, ect. A face and side were made out of beech wood to match the trailers cabinetry. Two 3-post LED rocker switches were installed to act as a cut off power switch to eliminate battery drain. The second was installed for future 12v accessories...such as LED light strip.
Just a few notes about wiring...in our "74" the larger blue wire in the wiring harness is the power (hot) wire, the larger white is the ground wire. The rocker switch has three poles...power, load, ground. The stereo has a plug in harness. We used quick connect spade connectors to connect wiring.
The blue power trailer wire connects to both the power pole on the rocker switch and the yellow power wire from the stereo. The white ground wire connects to the ground pole on the rocker switch and the black ground wire from the stereo. That leaves the load pole on the rocker switch that gets connected to the red accessory wire from the stereo. The wires are pushed through the opening in the wooden faceplate and connected to the stereo. The stereo unit is then pushed back into the stereo mounting bracket. Plastic face plate around stereo and you should be ready for your favorite tunes.
Total Comments 1
Comments
-
Like it, one of the first things I'm going to be tackling when I start my summer work on my '79. Planning on relocating to the same place you have. Originally it was in the front credenza below the street side window but the old one stuck out so much that it was almost impossible to close the tambour, so it was propped up at 45 degree angle. Also located in the cabinet at the end of the goucho/bed so not really a good place. Running all new speaker wires (color matched to original spec to keep some originality) while everything is open and new shallow mount speakers. Got to have tunes while slaving away. Last summer ran the radio all day every day on the solar panel with no problems. Nearest outlet is about 250' away.Posted 05-06-2015 at 03:20 PM by HiJoeSilver 
