installing an amp in an 08 silverado w/o bose

[jamesbalog]

hello, i havent had any subs in my car for awhile and decided to put some in my truck today. well it seems to be a bit more difficult than i remember. What i need to know is where should i drill through the firewall to run my power wire from the battery since i cant seem to find an existing hole anywhere. Also if someone could give me a step by step on hooking it all up to the stock head unit id appreciate it

thanks

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[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

you need find a spot that is clear on both sides. this means looking for reference penetrations and keeping track of where you want to drill. usually, above and slightly left of the gas pedal can be clear (clear of the master cylinder). drill a small pilot hole first and make sure you have a large enough flat spot for the wire grommet to seat.

how you connect to a factory system depends on the aftermarket amp and if your vehicle has a factory amplifier. hopefully, you have an amp with high level inputs and auto turn-on. tell us what amp you have and we can give specific instructions for that amp. if you don't have high level inputs, you'll need a Line Output Converter (LOC) that connects to left and right factory speaker wire and converts it to low level RCA cables. i prefer to snag the front speaker wires behind the factory radio (or at the factory amp) so i can use my fader to attenuate the rear speakers. otherwise, the rear speakers can be disconnected so the sub only is on the rear channels, which allows you to use your fader like a sub level control.

many factory systems reduce bass output as you increase the volume, to protect factory speakers. you can buy OEM integration pieces from AudioControl, JL Audio, JBL, MTX, Alpine, etc. to give you better control over the audio signal.

you also need a turn on wire if you amp doesn't have auto turn-on. don't use ignition for an amp turn on. GM provides a turn on wire at the head unit or factory amp, typically pink., but verify that it does not lose voltage with CD.Car Radio Battery Constant 12v+ Wire: Orange

Car Radio Accessory Switched 12v+ Wire: The radio harness does not provide a switched power source. Run a wire to the fusebox for switched power.

Car Radio Ground Wire: Black/White

Car Radio Illumination Wire: Gray

Car Stereo Dimmer Wire: Brown

Car Stereo Antenna Trigger Wire: Pink

Car Stereo Amplifier Location: Under the center console.

Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Tan

Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Gray

Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): Light Green

Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): Dark Green

Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Brown

Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Yellow

Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Dark Blue

Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Light Blue

GM uses a Class II Data Bus to combine a lot of vehicle information with the factory radio. For that reason, the head unit cannot be simply replaced, but you need the appropriate GMOS interface. This is why a switched ignition wire is not available behind the head unit.

 

[reallyxxxxloud 10+ year member]

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