1997 Acty Stereo Upgrade

It was quite a process and I’ll try to keep the text to a minimum, but TLDR - installed new head unit, 2 speakers, amp (which I took out), sub, kill switch, inline fuse, and 12v bus bar. Many trips to auto zone, Home Depot, and amazon boxes later, and my little truck BUMPS!

I’m not a mechanic, and this is my first time doing something this involved. Thank god for YouTube, this forum, and the fact that Actys are pretty easy to work on.

First issue was wiring harness. My friend does his own car audio and helped me a ton with knowledge. He said bypass the harness wiring except for the constant and switched 12v. I got some spades and 30’ of 14 g wire. Top middle is constant and top right is switched (which I figured out with a multimeter). I connected constant straight to the head unit and split the switched 3 ways - 1 going to the head unit and the others for amp and sub. Turned on the truck and the stereo lit up. Good start.

I had already gotten a kill switch, but because of the pencil post battery, I needed some adapters. Got those and the kill switch was really easy to install. Like 5 minutes. But since the kill switch needed a positive line, and I also needed a positive to run up to the cab for amp and sub power, I cut the positive battery cable and added a new head with some posts to add accessory lines. That was pretty easy too. Ran the line to the cab.

I was reading specs for the sub and it recommended doing an inline fuse for safety of battery. Another Amazon box. 100 amp fuse is what I got. Hopefully it’s enough. Split the positive wire going up front and popped it in. Another easy one. Traced the other wires and zip tied the new power line so I was avoiding engine heat.

Added the 12v bus bar under the passenger seat so I could split off power for other accessories in the future if needed. 1 main line gives me 5 accessory lines.

Powered the amp and connected RCA to the head unit. Moved on to installing speakers.

Oh boy…

Got 4”coaxial Kickers, which fit the screw pattern perfect, but were too deep and wouldn’t allow the window to roll down. Figured out if I got 1/2” plastic spacers, I could roll the window down and still put the door panel back in place with the speaker being solidly screwed in. Running the new speaker cables was not fun. My hands didn’t fit in the spaces, and every time I tried to use a coat hanger to pull them through, the tape would rip. I almost gave up, but guess I finally got lucky. Hooked up the passenger side speaker. Moved to the driver’s side

MF’er. Had to get creative because there was no hole in the plastic spacers to run cable through the door, and there were no plastic pieces for the speaker screws to go into. Like they just figured nobody would ever put another speaker on that side I guess. Had to find 4 nuts and bolts that would make it happen. Didn’t feel like ordering or searching for new pieces. Drilled some holes into the door spacers. Finally got ‘em hooked up.

I had been working for about 8 hours in the heat at this point and thought about skipping the sub completely.

Turned on the car and I had sound. Very happy my work paid off.

Took it for a drive. As I accelerated, there was a high pitched whistle that coincided with my RPMs coming through the speakers. WTF man. Lots of googling. Could have been many issues unfortunately. I did a lot of troubleshooting, but ultimately found out the amp was the culprit. Either cheap components getting alternator noise, unsheilded RCAs, or bad ground - or all 3. Wired the speakers directly to the head unit and there was no more noise. Thankfully an easy Amazon return for the amp.

The sound was okay, enough volume, but what was I expecting from 4” speakers? Decided to try the sub.

Since I had already done the work of running power and fixing the ground, the sub went in very fast. Head unit had RCA sub outs and the sub is powered. Tuned it on and holy shizzz. What a world of difference.

My favorite song to tune subs to is “Codeine Dreaming” by Kodak Black. Whoever made/mixed/mastered that song did a perfect job to my ears.

Rockville Wheel of Bass fit perfectly inside the passenger seat netting. Don’t sleep on Rockville. I’ve gotten many AV related things from them and been very happy with the quality.

My truck bumps without rattling, and although you won’t hear me from down the street, it’s plenty loud and full while scooting around town.

Last picture shows all the tools involved.

I think what I love most about my Acty is that I’m not scared to try things myself, unlike my nice new car. That and the fact that people break their neck trying to check it out as I drive by.

Feel free to ask me questions if you’re about to upgrade your stereo and I’ll do my best to answer.

Next up is bed liner and paint job.