Who Wants Some Extra Cash and Knows About Decks?

[Sayton]

@offroadzj

How I make my connections:

1. Strip roughly 3/4" off ends of each wire.
2. Slide shring tubing on (making sure for proper sizing)
3. Divide each wire into 2 sections (making a “Y” on each end)
4. Make the wires scissor each other (giggity)
5. Twist wires together so that there is roughly 3/4" of bare wire.
6. Tape the wires TIGHTLY starting and ending at least 1" from the connection. Using a single piece of tape for the entire distance is better but if you must “piece” the tape together, make sure to overlap by atleast 1/2". Also be sure to use real tape. Not the $.25 roll crap. Spend the $3-$5 on 3M Super 33… it holds up MUCH better over time through both hot and cold.
7. Slide shrink tubing over taped connection and heat it until it shrinks into place… being careful not to melt the tape. (If I don’t have shrink tubing, I skip this step)
8. Throw just a small piece of tape (single wrap) over each end of the tubing to keep moisture from seeping in. (and this one)
9. Repeat for all wires.
10. About 1" from the end of each connection (after the tape) I like to put a small zip-tie on each side. Make sure to tighten it with some good force, but not enough to cut through the wires. This will help to hold the wires together making them more like a single wire instead of multiple wires. (Think of the single stick vs. multiple sticks story you were always taught in gym class… lol). Sometimes I’ll use tape instead of zip-ties if I don’t have zip-ties handy.

It can be time consuming… even possibly as long if not longer than soldering, but will hold as good if not better.

There is so much stuff that can go wrong with soldering (cold soldering joint, over-heating the wire and yielding its strength, stiffening of the connection causing it to be brittle, obviously the whole burning yourself/your car, etc) that I prefer to stay away from it unless I have to.

However if there is ever a tight place that I cannot do the above, then its solder all the way. Like when people came in for a radio install and their buddy who knows all about installing and chopped their factory harness, leaving only an inch or two of wiring that I have to reach 3" into the dash to even feel it… yea, that just plain sucks.

Damn you Krazy… now I just wasted my damn lunch break writing this book… lol. Thats why I didn’t want to get into it. I hate your life. lol.

+1 rep for not eating lol…

I think I will see you at 6 ish today

[LKSi]

adhesive heat shrink would allow you to not have to use tape on the ends of the heat shrink… would look a lot more professional

[Code_Blue]

what would you know about looking professional?

[offroadzj]

@LKSi

adhesive heat shrink would allow you to not have to use tape on the ends of the heat shrink… would look a lot more professional

I’ve thought about that but I’ve rarely seen it (never really looked though either). Once its all said and done it looks like a neat bundle of wires. I’ll take some pics today and post up what it looks like when i do a stereo. My heat gun shit the bed on me so I won’t be able to shrink tube them today but you’ll get the idea.

[KrazyKid]

@offroadzj

…Damn you Krazy… now I just wasted my damn lunch break writing this book… lol. Thats why I didn’t want to get into it. I hate your life. lol.

:ahh LOL any time home slice.

so you twist and go? how the hell do they not come apart? your almost tying a note in the wires? i never heard of anyone doing it that way. so let me get this straight, your holding each wire side by side or face to face?

like : --------< >----------

or

===========< and twist?

[KrazyKid]

@offroadzj"

I’ve thought about that but I’ve rarely seen it (never really looked though either). Once its all said and done it looks like a neat bundle of wires. I’ll take some pics today and post up what it looks like when i do a stereo. My heat gun shit the bed on me so I won’t be able to shrink tube them today but you’ll get the idea.

cig lighter ftw.

[LKSi]

yeah the old school guys use a candle haha

here’s what I use

http://www.buyheatshrink.com/heatshrinktubing/3to1adhesive.htm

[Sayton]

@offroadzj"

I’ve thought about that but I’ve rarely seen it (never really looked though either). Once its all said and done it looks like a neat bundle of wires. I’ll take some pics today and post up what it looks like when i do a stereo. My heat gun shit the bed on me so I won’t be able to shrink tube them today but you’ll get the idea.

I hope I told you its a DVD player not just stereo… Dont want to surprise you in a few hours lol

[KrazyKid]

@Sayton

I hope I told you its a DVD player not just stereo… Dont want to surprise you in a few hours lol

its all the same stuff. do you have any external amps? Any external video sources? if not its no different installation wise than anyother deck.

[Sayton]

@KrazyKid

its all the same stuff. do you have any external amps? Any external video sources? if not its no different installation wise than anyother deck.

Nothing external source wise. no amp sub or anything. The only thing I was confused about installing myself is that “safety ground wire” that has to be grounded or something. Didn’t want to do it myself.

Also the power cable comes straight from battery on my car instead of the stock harness which is weird.

[Sayton]

update: So no soldering needed and job is done just right

Thank you Kenny. Good guy.

[offroadzj]

I didnt get to get any pics b/c I couldn’t find my camera. And it wasn’t my best work because the harnesses were previously used and were cut a little short. Still looked better than anything that would come out of half the shops around here… lol. Also had a little set-back on the parking brake wire. Forgot that the pioneer 5700’s couldn’t just ground out. They need to see an interruption in the ground signal so I had to search through the center console to find the parking brake wire. His ebrake (like most) doesn’t engage until about the 3rd click or so, so by hooking it up correctly he can simply bring it to the first click and it will trigger the screen to come on but the e-brake is nowhere near mechanically on. Took a little longer than expected but welcome to installing… lol.

[offroadzj]

@KrazyKid"

:ahh LOL any time home slice.

so you twist and go? how the hell do they not come apart? your almost tying a note in the wires? i never heard of anyone doing it that way. so let me get this straight, your holding each wire side by side or face to face?

like : --------< >----------

or

===========< and twist?

Option 1. How would they be scissoring if they were like option 2??? lol. It doesn’t really tie them, its more of a poor man’s braid. I showed him on one of the wires before i even taped it and it took almost my full strength to pull them apart. And if you ever have that much force on the wires, you have more of an issue than the radio.

[Sayton]

@offroadzj

I didnt get to get any pics b/c I couldn’t find my camera. And it wasn’t my best work because the harnesses were previously used and were cut a little short. Still looked better than anything that would come out of half the shops around here… lol. Also had a little set-back on the parking brake wire. Forgot that the pioneer 5700’s couldn’t just ground out. They need to see an interruption in the ground signal so I had to search through the center console to find the parking brake wire. His ebrake (like most) doesn’t engage until about the 3rd click or so, so by hooking it up correctly he can simply bring it to the first click and it will trigger the screen to come on but the e-brake is nowhere near mechanically on. Took a little longer than expected but welcome to installing… lol.

I appreciate it and I did try driving with first ebrake click. Your right. You dont notice the difference too much and definitely worth it to keep kids from talking too much. Suckers love watching TV lol.

THanks again… It did get a little messy your right, but nothing the consoles couldnt cover lol.

[offroadzj]

Here is a quick one I just did for reference…

Wires Stripped:

Scissoring (giggity)

Twisted:

Taped:

Minor strength test:

A little more definitive proof of its strength… lol. Kicker ZX700.5:

[offroadzj]

Now keep in mind this is only a single wire. As multiple wires (such as in a radio harness) are zip-tied/taped together in a bundle, it will multiply the holding power.

[Sayton]

@offroadzj

Now keep in mind this is only a single wire. As multiple wires (such as in a radio harness) are zip-tied/taped together in a bundle, it will multiply the holding power.

Worked for my car.

ps: I guess your hands strength is strnger than a kicker amp You ripped those wires off while “testing” it Than again there was no tape.

[ReDevil]

Oh wow! ITs a DOUBLE RAINBOW!

[KrazyKid]

Great stuff man. +1 for you and your efforts! I will have to give it a try next time.

gooood shit dude.

[offroadzj]

Another way you can do it without splitting them, and it holds just as well is to take the 2 stripped wires, hold the center points together. Twist one, then twist the other, then grab both wires tightly and twist them about a half a turn. Basically the tighter you twist and tape, the stronger the connection.