Mustang install help in VA

Anyone know a good cheap shop in Richmond, VA that has a history of installing Empegs?
I have everything that was used when it was installed in my last Mustang. It was done with wire tap things so that should be pretty easy...no wires to cut.

If the dash doesn't require modification I'd do it myself...in fact my car did require mods and I still did it. With very little expertise, and pretty good results. Personally I think professional installs are over priced and leave you with an install you don't really understand. Just my two cents...

I agree. I did the UN-install on my previous car...pretty easy. I made notes as to what wires went where on the amp. I did not make notes about how it was wired behind the unit. Any suggestions there?

Are you talking about how the empeg is wired in ? I would just get one of those factory to aftermarket harness adaptor things.

Go to Crutchfield. Input your car info and it will spit out the adaptor that you need for the car. Then just match up the wires (don't trust the colors).

Here are some pics of what I'm looking at.





I have 5 red crimp-splice things that need to attach to the 5 blue plug connectors. The wires on the red side are labeled but the other side is not. All the appropriate Ford harnesses are there from the previous install. I just don't know which wires go to which.

Okay, as a former installer your picture looks very scary. Your red splice connectors tend to not be very reliable. Can you get a factory plug from Crutchfield to mate with your current stereo?

Good luck!
Wes

I don't intend on mating it with my current stereo. My Empeg will be the only system in my car.

What is scary about the pics? The unreliable red splice connectors? or all the mess in the background?

It is all just sitting in a box...it does look like a mess.

Solder and shrink tube. It's the only way to be sure.

The words "solder", "shrink" and "tube" anve meaning to me...but I have no idea what a solder and shrink tube is.

I just want to know if anyone can tell me how to figure which of those 5 wires goes where. help.

He's saying that instead of using those red crimp connectors that you should instead solder the two wire ends together and then use shrink tube to insulate the connection. Shrink tube is plastic tubing that shrinks when heated so that you can slide it over a soldered connection and heat it to create new insulation.

However, you said that you still have the original connector that went to the original stereo in the car, right? You should be able to get an adapter for it so that you don't have to solder, crimp, or otherwise mangle the wiring in your car (any more than has already been done). This is by far the easiest way to connect a new stereo to your car. If you can't find anything locally, Crutchfield should be able to provide you with approriate adapters.

I think I have all the necessary adapters. It came out of a Ford Mustang and is going into a Ford Mustang. I have all the adapters that were used in the previous car.

I took notes as to what wires went where on the amp...but...like a fool...I didn't make note as to what wires I was pulling out of the crimp things when I pulled the Empeg out.

Does the car you are installing the empeg into have the original factory connector that plugged into the factory stereo. If yes then you need to buy an adaptor harness like one of these Link

Then you connect this adaptor to the connector that is attached to the car and connect the wires from the adaptor to the empeg sled.

If you don't know what the wires are on the empeg sled it tells you in the user manual located Here

The best method for connecting the wires together is to solder them together and cover the joints using heat shrink tubing Those crimp on wire taps suck.

Hi John,

I have a mustang too (95, but the plugs look the same), here is what I can see:
The top picture looks like it is the connector for the speakers (note the matching pairs of colours, one of each has a black line) from this I am guessing that all of the outputs from the amp are run back to these and fed back into the factory loom.
The second picture shows what looks like part of the Ford power connector harness, does this have a big plug on one end similar to the one in picture 1? also what is on the other end?
Picture 3, I assume the wires with the blue connectors on the end go to the Empeg sled? If so it most likely means the original connector has been removed from the sled.

From what I can make out from picture 2 it appears all of the wires that connect into the factory harness have tags attached telling you what they are for (I can see earth and lights easily), what you need to do is match those names to the names listed on page 6 of the user guide msaeger linked too, then connect that colour wire to the correctly tagged wire on the harness. Ideally you should check all of the wires in the harness with a meter first to check they are actually what they say they are, but I am guessing you don't have a meter to hand.

I'll see if I can take some better pics tonight with everything laid out to make more sense of it.

Here is the mess

The sled wires are labeled:
LIGHTS ON
AMP. REMOTE
EARTH
IGN. SENSE
MEMORY
TEL MUTE (no red crimpy here)

On the Ford Adapter, the wires are imprinted:
CHASSIS GROUND (12V-)
DIMMER
12 VOLT IGNITION/SWITCHED (12V+)
BATTERY CONSTANT (12V+)

There is also one blue female (mate to the red crimpys) that is on the group of wires that goes to the amp...it is unlabeled.

Some of the pairings seem self-evident but I don't know for sure.

lights on = dimmer
amp remote -> goes to your amp
earth = ground
ign. sense = 12 Volt Igntion/switched
memory = battery constant
tel mute = tape this off and ignore unless you've got a car kit for your cell phone.

Good luck on the install.

Matthew

The place with the most experience with Empeg installs in Richmond is AudioExchange (I think that's their name -- I always get them confused with the other one that has a similar name). They did mine, Kirsten's, and Adam's install (and will be doing my Cooper S install soon). It's the place a couple blocks west of Broad and Malvern (near the bo-building, since you know what that is ) in the building that used to be D. R. Frick's.

ms

I haven't heard the term "bo-building" in a long time.
I'll give them a shout if I don't get it done right. I hope to have the car in the garage this evening and give it a shot.

What do you think about the location of the amp? in the trunk or under a seat? Was under the seat in the last car...but only because my previous trunk had no room for anything...not even an amp!

I don't guess it matters that much ... In Kirsten's car it is under her seat, but in the Boxster it was in the front trunk.

hehe...front trunk...silly German cars.

I'm going to shoot for under the passenger seat...less distance to pull the cables.

ARRGGHHH!!!

I have been at this for some time now. I can't even get the existing radio out! It is a Pioneer with a detachable face. seems to be attached at the back with some sort of flimsy metal rear support. I can't get to it...must be missing something.

Is there some trick to removing a pioneer head unit?

Finally...got the damn thing out. Calling it a night. I still need to figure out where to go through the firewall on this car.

Well, I got most of it installed tonight...stopped to make sure that everything would power on before I finished it up. I got the Empeg to startup, but no sound. I tested the power to ground at the amp, it had power. Just to make sure, I plugged in the pioneer unit that was previously installed...without going through the amp...and I got sound.

When I went back to the Empeg being connected...still no sound. Rechecked the power with a meter...no juice! It had juice just a minute ago. Blew the in-line fuse that is connected to the car battery!

Any suggestions as to why that thing would have blown?

Ok Skraggs...AudioExchange is "getting out of car stuff". They said it'd be at weeks before they could fit me in.

Anybody else have a place in Richmond to suggest? No one else seems to want to install something they didn't sell.
Or if someone who knows what they are doing and wants to help, I could throw some dollars at you...