Wiring help needed for stereo install in 83 BJ60

[jalong]

Hi everyone! I decided to put a stereo in my 60 this weekend. So I pulled off the dash top and faced my first hurdle, mounting the damn thing. 9 hours later, I now have a good mount but am faced with my next obstacle - finding where to hook up some of the wires. I've only installed stereos before using wiring adaptor harnesses, so this is a bit of a challenge for me...

Specifically, I have 2 leads I'm not sure what to do with. One needs to go to "the +12V power terminal which is energized at all times." I was thinking I could somehow hook this lead into the glove box plug in since this is on all the time. Is that a good idea? Any suggestions as to how I should hook it in?

The one that really has me baffled has to go to "the car's illumination signal." I'm not sure what they mean here. The lights? The dimmer switch? Anyone have any tips for me here? Help!

Thanks in advance!
John

 

[dogboy2]

one is a constant "hot" lead to keep the memory programmed so your radio stations don't erase every time you shut the truck off.

the other "car's illumination signal" most likely is a "switched hot" lead, meaning that it will receive power only when the ignition switch is in the "on" position.

the best way to add electrical accessories to your vehicle without screwing up your factory wiring harness, is to add additional circuits independent of the OEM harness. Painless makes a Circuit Boss kit for such a purpose that is very simple to install. doing so also eliminates the possibility of overloading an existing circuit, another plus.

hth,
-dogboy- '87 FJ60

 

[euclid]

For the car ilumination signal you can patch in to one of the wires leading to your AC dash lights. One of these wires will be hot only when the car lights are on, which turns on the dash lights. This will tell your head unit (HU) that your lights are on, probably activating a feature that dims the HU lights. If you don't care about that feature then leave it loose.

For the constant hot you are probably best off running a wire back to the battery with a fuse right by the battery and one right behind the HU. You can poke around under the dash and find a wire that is hot with the truck off, but I'd be concerned about the HU pulling too much power for whichever circuit you piggyback and blowing a fuse all the time.

 

[jalong]

Exactly what I needed

Thanks Dogboy2, Euclid.

That's exactly what I needed to know!

John