I recently bought a '97 went to replace the stereo and unfortunately found the PO or their stereo installer was a complete moron and cut off the factory stereo plugs and hardwired the stereo to the factory wires rather than use a $10 connector like every sane person would do to make future stereo replacements not a nightmare. I've got 2 choices:
1) fabricate a new connector to make all future stereo swaps easy. This is the more elegant solution as it's permanently fixing the rats nest of loose wires back there and making all future stereo changes easy.
2) hardwire this stereo in place as well. I know this would be far easier in the short term, but I hate it as a real solution, especially as my plan was to install a bare bones stereo for now and possibly come back later to install a more feature driven stereo if I end up deciding to keep this car long term.
Does anyone know where to source the pins and I guess you'd call it the male connectors for the factory wire harness? I found a photo on the internet that I'm sure must have been used to demonstrate the Metra wiring harness the PO should have used, so what I'm trying to fabricate would the gray connectors on the right side of the connection that combine all the vehicle side wiring. I was too mad when I figured out what they did so didn't notice if they cut off both gray plugs or just the larger one, so I'm assuming they cut off both. I know the Metra harness is common to all Toyotas I think from like 1987 and up (going from memory), so it's not LC specific. I'd also need an EWD so I can figure out the layout for the new connectors I would have to create.
1) fabricate a new connector to make all future stereo swaps easy. This is the more elegant solution as it's permanently fixing the rats nest of loose wires back there and making all future stereo changes easy.
2) hardwire this stereo in place as well. I know this would be far easier in the short term, but I hate it as a real solution, especially as my plan was to install a bare bones stereo for now and possibly come back later to install a more feature driven stereo if I end up deciding to keep this car long term.
Does anyone know where to source the pins and I guess you'd call it the male connectors for the factory wire harness? I found a photo on the internet that I'm sure must have been used to demonstrate the Metra wiring harness the PO should have used, so what I'm trying to fabricate would the gray connectors on the right side of the connection that combine all the vehicle side wiring. I was too mad when I figured out what they did so didn't notice if they cut off both gray plugs or just the larger one, so I'm assuming they cut off both. I know the Metra harness is common to all Toyotas I think from like 1987 and up (going from memory), so it's not LC specific. I'd also need an EWD so I can figure out the layout for the new connectors I would have to create.