Speaker Wiring
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Cross-Country
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 96
Likes: 12
From: Oklahoma City
Speaker Wiring
My 76 Highboy I acquired recently did not have a radio and it had the old single speaker in the dash. I got my hands on an original working AM radio and bought a new speaker from LMC for the dash. The radio has a black wire and a black with white wire for speakers but the speaker has a red wire and a black and red wire. I don't know which goes to which. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Thanks
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,256
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From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
The OEM radio was powered by a GREEN 2-terminal pigtail. YELLOW with a BLACK stripe is switched power, BLUE with RED stripe is dash illumination. Do not mistake the BLUE with RED stripe wire for ground. The OEM radio grounded through its mounting chassis. The speakers were connected over a separate pigtail.
Looked behind the glove box and find a connection the goes off the green and yellow. GREEN with YELLOW stripe wiring is hot-at-all-times power for the courtesy lamp circuit. Use that. There is a black 3-connector pigtail behind the glove box (which also goes on to power the cigarette lighter).
It's not the stock radio wire because the stock radio didn't need hot-at-all-times power (EXCEPT the factory digital AM radio for clock memory).
solid black—power
blue with red stripe--dial light
black with gray dashes—ground
orange with green dashes--right speaker
white with green dashes--left speaker
Assuming an AM/FM stereo and stock wiring harness.
Purple is ground, right speaker is white and left speaker is orange.
For OEM radio help, the guy to use is in Scottsbluff Nebraska. His name is Gene Cochran, and he works out of his house. He's a crusty old codger, but does some tremendous work. His number is 308 632-2520 (I checked with him at the time I collected my stereo, and he was OK with giving his number out) He also lined me out on the manner in which the old radios were wired. The speakers are in series meaning positive from radio to positive on speaker #1, negative from that speaker goes to positive on speaker #2. Negative from Speaker #2 goes to Negative on stereo. Now the stock stereo rocks as loud as the little 5 1/2 speakers can handle!!!
Looked behind the glove box and find a connection the goes off the green and yellow. GREEN with YELLOW stripe wiring is hot-at-all-times power for the courtesy lamp circuit. Use that. There is a black 3-connector pigtail behind the glove box (which also goes on to power the cigarette lighter).
It's not the stock radio wire because the stock radio didn't need hot-at-all-times power (EXCEPT the factory digital AM radio for clock memory).
solid black—power
blue with red stripe--dial light
black with gray dashes—ground
orange with green dashes--right speaker
white with green dashes--left speaker
Assuming an AM/FM stereo and stock wiring harness.
Purple is ground, right speaker is white and left speaker is orange.
For OEM radio help, the guy to use is in Scottsbluff Nebraska. His name is Gene Cochran, and he works out of his house. He's a crusty old codger, but does some tremendous work. His number is 308 632-2520 (I checked with him at the time I collected my stereo, and he was OK with giving his number out) He also lined me out on the manner in which the old radios were wired. The speakers are in series meaning positive from radio to positive on speaker #1, negative from that speaker goes to positive on speaker #2. Negative from Speaker #2 goes to Negative on stereo. Now the stock stereo rocks as loud as the little 5 1/2 speakers can handle!!!
More Turbo
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 563
Likes: 143
From: CA
If the speaker has a larger terminal that is positive, I would try radio black as negative. You can hook the speaker up either way, but sound quality will be better the correct way. Aftermarket radios often are labeled if you pull it, could be a sticker.
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Cross-Country
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 96
Likes: 12
From: Oklahoma City
Thanks for the info.... the radio is the correct factory Ford am radio with one speaker under the dash. It has the factory plugs to hook right up to the truck it’s just the new speaker is different. So sounds like the black is negative and the black with white dashes on it is positive coming out of the radio. I’ll try that and see how it goes.
thanks
thanks
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