2023 Mustang GT B&O stereo upgrade - install journal w/ instructions & photos

[Johnny man]

It's complicated because that's how it looks when you break it down and draw out the setup! I'm doing the same method as both you guys...just trying to figure out how to get the door 3-way component set signal from the amp in the trunk to the crossover for the set. If that crossover is located in the trunk, then you have to run the low/mid lines to the PAC wiring harness in the dash (to get to the door mid/low) and the high lines direct to the tweeter...so that's 3 pairs for each side that need to be run. If the crossovers are near the PAC, then you just need to get the one pair for each side to the crossover, and the low/mid can run to the PAC under the dash and the high can run direct to the high (tweeters).

The second method (crossovers near the PAC) is probably the easiest...just need to either use the factory wiring or just run speaker wire. The trick of using the rear speaker lines in the factory harness is one way...or the no-longer used subwoofer lines is another.

Then the remote turn-on line...this could also use the factory wiring from the rear deck speakers (if that's not used for the front 3-way crossovers) as a method from getting from the trunk to the PAC then to the AmpPro feed. Or just run the wire with the RCAs that go to the AmpPro anyway. I'm leaning towards just running a 14ga wire along with the RCAs to keep it simple.

Sorry for the double posts...not sure what's up with my browser.

Joe I agree with Evolved, the wiring from the harness is all you need. The pigtail in the kit hooked up to the OUTPUT of the OEM amp puts an artificial load on the amp to fool the system to transfer chimes to the PAC-pro and thus the new amps/speakers. the other wiring harness hooks to the car's factory wires so you do not have to run new wires for anything but the A-pillar's. The A-pillars use the rear wires to get the signal back up front because the crossovers for the door on mine are mounted in the trunk.... so 3-ways go like this..... A-pillar's rear leads, door woofer Mid leads, door mids Tweeter leads. The rear speakers will just get new wires directly from the amps mounted in the trunk. I mounted my amp below the rear deck because I use my spare tire all the time. The placement of my rear tweeters made a significant improvement on my set because the hertz 2-ways that I have the woofer produces very marginal mids and the deck cover and reflection off the glass does not have the power to overcome the sound from the front of the car. I believe if you went with 6X9 triaxials it might do it, but I can't say for sure.... but the movement of my tweeter definitely helped. The turn on lead from the PAC-Pro you can just run along with the power cable to the rear amp, or the RCA's to the rear amp

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[Johnny man]

Here

 

[Johnny man]

My reasons for putting the crossover in the trunk
1. easy access
2. the new harness wire is plenty long to get the signal back to the front of the car
3. no extra jolting when opening or closing the doors
4. less chance of moisture
5. not a lot of room under the dash by the OEM amp and wire harness connection

 

[joe603]

My reasons for putting the crossover in the trunk
1. easy access
2. the new harness wire is plenty long to get the signal back to the front of the car
3. no extra jolting when opening or closing the doors
4. less chance of moisture
5. not a lot of room under the dash by the OEM amp and wire harness connection

The parts should be here today or tomorrow...so I haven't actually seen the harness. I guess I assumed that it wouldn't have the length needed to go from the front dash to the rear trunk for the door low/mid speakers and that's why the crossover needed to be close. Off that crossover, there is a +/- for each speaker, for a total of 3 pairs on each side. I understand the use of the rear deck speaker wiring...but that would only be for 1 pair (for the A-piller tweeters). How do you run the other 2 pairs? Is that just 2 speaker wire pairs run from the trunk to the dash and spliced into the harness which then connects to the door woofer and mid speaker?

My thought was to not run any speaker wires from the trunk, just use the rear deck for the high-level OUT from the amp, grab it from the harness, and splice to the crossover IN, then short wires from the crossover to the harness, and a longer wire run up to the A-piller tweeters.

 

[Johnny man]

The parts should be here today or tomorrow...so I haven't actually seen the harness. I guess I assumed that it wouldn't have the length needed to go from the front dash to the rear trunk for the door low/mid speakers and that's why the crossover needed to be close. Off that crossover, there is a +/- for each speaker, for a total of 3 pairs on each side. I understand the use of the rear deck speaker wiring...but that would only be for 1 pair (for the A-piller tweeters). How do you run the other 2 pairs? Is that just 2 speaker wire pairs run from the trunk to the dash and spliced into the harness which then connects to the door woofer and mid speaker?

My thought was to not run any speaker wires from the trunk, just use the rear deck for the high-level OUT from the amp, grab it from the harness, and splice to the crossover IN, then short wires from the crossover to the harness, and a longer wire run up to the A-piller tweeters.

So the harness wires are about 14 feet long. You have 3 pairs out of each crossover for a total of 6 pairs of wires. All 6 of these pairs of wires (12 wires) end up at a connector that plugs into the ford OEM connector that plugged into the original OEM amp underneath the driver's side dash. This connector hooked the original OEM amp to the speakers in the door and the rear speakers. The A-pillars never had a pair of wires that connector to this wire harness. Instead the A-pillar wires were hooked up in series to the factory upper door mid range speakers. So, that is why you have to use the new harness's rear speaker pairs (4 wires) to hook up the a-pillers. By having the amps and crossovers in the trunk you connect the front out from the amp to the front speaker crossovers "in". Then, connect the 6 pairs of harness wire bare ends to the crossover's "out". Run these 6 pairs of wires out of the trunk under the door sills to the factory amp. Unplug the factory amp output connector. Plug in the wire load connector Included with the harness kit, into the factory amp output. Next, Plug the new wire's connector you just ran into the wire connector you just unplugged from the OEM amp. The door's speaker wires are now hooked up. At or near the new wires you just ran, cut the 4 wires that were to be used for the rear and spice in new wires to the A-pillars. Back in the trunk at the new amp's rear output simply run new fresh wires to the speakers you put in the back deck or their crossovers if they have them. I have a 5 channel amp, so now I ran the output from that amp's sub channel to the new sub.

 

[Evolvd]

So the harness wires are about 14 feet long. You have 3 pairs out of each crossover for a total of 6 pairs of wires. All 6 of these pairs of wires (12 wires) end up at a connector that plugs into the ford OEM connector that plugged into the original OEM amp underneath the driver's side dash. This connector hooked the original OEM amp to the speakers in the door and the rear speakers. The A-pillars never had a pair of wires that connector to this wire harness. Instead the A-pillar wires were hooked up in series to the factory upper door mid range speakers. So, that is why you have to use the new harness's rear speaker pairs (4 wires) to hook up the a-pillers. By having the amps and crossovers in the trunk you connect the front out from the amp to the front speaker crossovers "in". Then, connect the 6 pairs of harness wire bare ends to the crossover's "out". Run these 6 pairs of wires out of the trunk under the door sills to the factory amp. Unplug the factory amp output connector. Plug in the wire load connector Included with the harness kit, into the factory amp output. Next, Plug the new wire's connector you just ran into the wire connector you just unplugged from the OEM amp. The door's speaker wires are now hooked up. At or near the new wires you just ran, cut the 4 wires that were to be used for the rear and spice in new wires to the A-pillars. Back in the trunk at the new amp's rear output simply run new fresh wires to the speakers you put in the back deck or their crossovers if they have them. I have a 5 channel amp, so now I ran the output from that amp's sub channel to the new sub.

This.

 

[joe603]

14' dammmmnmn! So I get it now. Thanks guys for all the help!! I'll post pics. Need to replace the trunk carpet trim where the subwoofer was...it has cutouts for the mounting brackets. How did you guys deal with that? (if you pulled the OEM sub out)

 

[Evolvd]

14' dammmmnmn! So I get it now. Thanks guys for all the help!! I'll post pics. Need to replace the trunk carpet trim where the subwoofer was...it has cutouts for the mounting brackets. How did you guys deal with that? (if you pulled the OEM sub out)

You can replace it with a trim panel from any non-tech package S550. I mounted my superbank capacitor there using the stock mounting points for the OEM sub so I didn’t need to replace the panel.

 

[joe603]

That is pure sex! I've been trying to find the trim piece...they usually want 150-200 for some reason on a junked car.

 

[wmoore26]

You can replace it with a trim panel from any non-tech package S550. I mounted my superbank capacitor there using the stock mounting points for the OEM sub so I didn’t need to replace the panel.

Where did you get that mount?

 

[wmoore26]

You can replace it with a trim panel from any non-tech package S550. I mounted my superbank capacitor there using the stock mounting points for the OEM sub so I didn’t need to replace the panel.

Where did you get that mount?

 

[Evolvd]

Where did you get that mount?

Made it myself from HDPE.

 

[joe603]

I get it now...harness has all the speaker wire leads that is 10' long...

Just waiting on the front component speakers...i may start just pulling the dash apart. Phase 2 starts soon!

 

[joe603]

I finally have all the parts...Amazon delayed my front 3-way component set, so I ordered it on Crutchfield, along with a cheaper 2-way for the rear deck. So now I have the 3-way and 2 sets of 2-way component sets...but it got me thinking. I could wire up the rear deck and add another 6.5 in the rear seat side trim area. Probably don't need the tweeter off that one, but I wonder if having another 6.5 midbass would help with overall sound? What do you guys think?

 

[Evolvd]

I finally have all the parts...Amazon delayed my front 3-way component set, so I ordered it on Crutchfield, along with a cheaper 2-way for the rear deck. So now I have the 3-way and 2 sets of 2-way component sets...but it got me thinking. I could wire up the rear deck and add another 6.5 in the rear seat side trim area. Probably don't need the tweeter off that one, but I wonder if having another 6.5 midbass would help with overall sound? What do you guys think?

I wouldn’t, unless you like your soundstage to be all screwy and rear biased. The back speakers are meant for ambiance, not surround sound. This is why most people just delete the rears. But I prefer a little rear fill so I kept them.

But, that being said, there’s not enough room behind the trim panels for a speaker’s motor. You would have to build a pod that protrudes from the panel and it would look very awkward. Not to mention the plastic does not have much support and would most likely resonate badly.

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