Ford Ranger 2004 Install

fireradio · Post by **fireradio** » Sat Nov 27, 2004 8:37 pm

Finally took some shots of my Spectra install (2004 Ford Ranger). The speaker is currently not mounted; however, my gear bag seems to be holding it in place just fine.

Post by Pj » Sat Nov 27, 2004 8:42 pm

Its green!

I find with the mic cover, take a nice sharp razor blade, and cut straight down along the little seam, and it will make a nice flush cover.

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Sat Nov 27, 2004 11:36 pm

Hey, velcro has been holding the speaker for my CDM in my '03 ranger for 2 years now!

apco25 · Post by **apco25** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 4:35 pm

very nice, but electrical tape on the control cable?

EW!

Why?

Its just going to get nasty and sticky quickly - remember split loom is your friend!

fireradio · Post by **fireradio** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 4:47 pm

Well, the cable was covered with electrical tape when I got it, and I didn't have any loom at the time, so rather than having the pre-existing goo get all over the place, I just retaped it.

apco25 · Post by **apco25** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 5:29 pm

true, I just had the residue left by tape

nothing a good solvent can't clean up though

kb0nly · Post by **kb0nly** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 5:38 pm

Just get some expandable sleeving for it. That's what i use. I don't like split loom because there is still an opening in one side for dirt and grunge to get into it. And the ribs on the split loom always collect so much dust and dirt.

The sleeving is great, i have put it right over the control head connector without problems. It expands like a chinese finger trap, then after its on you pull on the ends and it tightens. Now, your going to ask, how to keep it neat? It depends on the cable. If you got access to an end that will slip through a piece of heat shrink tubing than use a piece at each end to hold it tight and keep it looking nice. This is how i sleeve all the wiring in custom computer cases.

If you can't get the heat shrink tubing over the cable then put a cable tie on one end, pull it tight and put a cable tie on the other end, then use some self-vulcanizing rubber tape. Go to a sports shop, they sell it for tennis racket and hockey stick handles. If you want the real deal go to an electrical supply house, or even home depot carries it. Wrap a few wraps around the end and cable tie, it then molds to itself forming a single piece of flexible rubber seal. I use it on outside coax connections, have been for many many years, and it works great as cable wrap. Heck, you could do the whole cable with it instead of any loom or sleeving at all if you wanted. Its a lot better than tape that turns to goo in no time. God i hate cleaning that crap off used cables!!

Here is an example of some:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 97811&rd=1

nypdcar1 · Post by **nypdcar1** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:49 am

nice clean setup,

onlything you need now is that damm speaker bracket.

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:23 am

kb0nly wrote:Just get some expandable sleeving for it.

Dumb Question...do you have to be able to snake all of the wires through it? In otherwords is it a tube, or can you place pre-wired wires into it, i.e. ones that are allready connected to something.

fireradio · Post by **fireradio** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:25 am

It's a tube but it's cut down the entire length of it, so it's easy to feed wire in...

Post by **akardam** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:52 am

fireradio wrote:It's a tube but it's cut down the entire length of it, so it's easy to feed wire in...

You're talking about split loom. kb0nly is talking about expandable sleeving, which is like a flexible mesh tube - it is not split down the side (to do so would defeat the structural integrity of the sleeving). If you've got to run say a remote head cable that has large bulky connectors on each end, then you'd have to use split loom, the expandable sleeving wouldn't fit over the connectors.

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:19 pm

akardam wrote:
fireradio wrote:It's a tube but it's cut down the entire length of it, so it's easy to feed wire in...
You're talking about split loom. kb0nly is talking about expandable sleeving, which is like a flexible mesh tube - it is not split down the side (to do so would defeat the structural integrity of the sleeving). If you've got to run say a remote head cable that has large bulky connectors on each end, then you'd have to use split loom, the expandable sleeving wouldn't fit over the connectors.

Exactly, Thats what I was wondering, if it was split or not

FFParamedic571 · Post by **FFParamedic571** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:31 pm

this stuff.. It works wonders.. A few black cable ties and your in business...

http://www.waytekwire.com/

thebigphish · Post by **thebigphish** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 8:18 am

yeah, that split loom stuff does work wonders. i prefer that for wires being run in out of the way places...i prefer the expandable sleve (the kind that you have to feed in from one end) for anything that will be moved...like mic cords or aux input wires..