AM radio wiring help

[couchcuts]

Hi,

I am totally new to auto wiring so excuse my basic questions

I have a 1970 F100 that I believe never had a radio in it, aftermarket or original.


I now have a 1968 AM radio and dash speaker I would like to install. ( thanks Mancar1 )



The question is ... How do I wire power to the am radio?
I do not see the other half of the in-line fuse.

I also do not see any extra wires coming out of the ignition area.

Do I need to buy wire and an in-line fuse?

What kind of wire?

Thanks

[70 ranger]

You need a wire that has a fuse in it. This is so that if it shorts out accidentally, the fuse will blow instead of your wiring heating up and possibly starting a fire! The wire coming out of the radio has half of this already. The other half pushes in then twists to lock in place. (there is also a spring that goes in). And of course...the fuse! You should be able to walk into any stereo shop and buy this whole set up. If you can't get the other half of this, just cut the wire and install a new fuse container. This needs to be attached to a wire that is already in your truck that is only powered up when the ignition is on. for this a test light might help. They are super cheap and very handy. You just attach it to any wire and see if the light comes on. You should be able to look at the wiring diagrams on the site to find out what color the radio wire should be. Just look around under your dash for that wire. If you can't find that try hooking into another line that is only powered when the ignition is on.
before you try hooking it up you might want to try hooking it up directly to the battery to make sure that it works and check to see if the light bulb is burnt out. It is nice to have it light up at night when your headlights come on.
Another thing to check is the speakers changed around 70-71 I can't remember when but the new ones won't work with the old radio. I know there are some threads about it.
Good luck!

[couchcuts]

You need a wire that has a fuse in it. This is so that if it shorts out accidentally, the fuse will blow instead of your wiring heating up and possibly starting a fire! The wire coming out of the radio has half of this already. The other half pushes in then twists to lock in place. (there is also a spring that goes in). And of course...the fuse! You should be able to walk into any stereo shop and buy this whole set up. If you can't get the other half of this, just cut the wire and install a new fuse container.

okay got it, I will look around..

This needs to be attached to a wire that is already in your truck that is only powered up when the ignition is on. You should be able to look at the wiring diagrams on the site to find out what color the radio wire should be. Just look around under your dash for that wire.

The wiring diagrams I found at this site said the wire for radio power is green, I believe.

I also read that the 68-72 radio's got their power from the accessory plug (3 plugs) off the ignition unit.

does this look like the accessory plug? All three wires seem to head out towards the door, not towards the center of the dash.

before you try hooking it up you might want to try hooking it up directly to the battery to make sure that it works and check to see if the light bulb is burnt out. It is nice to have it light up at night when your headlights come on. Another thing to check is the speakers changed around 70-71 I can't remember when but the new ones won't work with the old radio. I know there are some threads about it.
Good luck!

I know the radio works well, the speaker and radio come from the same year so the ohms match up.

what is the best way to hook it up to the battery to check the bulb, etc... before I wire it behind the dash.

thanks for your response, I appreciate it.

[70 ranger]

Ya I saw that you bought the whole unit from Mancar after I posted you about the difference of the speakers. Sounds like it should work! To bench test it. Plug the speaker into the wire plug. rest the radio on your inner fender (metal to ground it out) Then after you have your fused wire in place, touch it to the positive side of the battery. You should be rockin to the oldies right about then!
My truck has a 1995 wiring harness so I am not sure about that plug in your picture. I would disconnect it and check the plug with a tester. on your tester it should have an alligator clip on the end of the wire, clamp this onto a metal piece of your dash. Then touch the tester to a known "hot wire". the light should light up then. This ensures that your tester works. Now push the tester into the plug and test each of the three wires for power with the ignition off. See if the tester lights up, this will be a "hot wire" constantly like a horn would be. (The horn has power even when the ignition is off) Now turn the ignition switch to the on position and test the three plugs again. If the light comes on with one of these wires it is going to work when the ignition is on. Now turn the key to the accessory position and try them all over again. If one of the wires lights up the tester now, and when the ignition is in the run position that is the one you want. Now your radio will not only work when you are cruisin the strip, but it will keep on rockin when you are sitting in the parking lot. Ya you have the ultimate chick magnet now!

[70 ranger]

Looking at that plug again I think it might be the one that goes to the steering column. But I really don't know, maybe someone else can help here. The Green wire should be all green, that wire in the picture looks like it is green with a white stripe.

[couchcuts]

Okay you may be right, the wire seems to be heading in that direction.

It does have a white stripe as well.

[70 ranger]

Have you looked around for any loose wires around where the radio would be? I would grab a flash light and get as comfortable as you can while almost standing on your head and try to learn what all the wires are doing under there. If you splice into the wire that goes to the heater, your radio will work when the ignition is on but not when the accessory is on. That would be O.K. but not perfect.

[70 ranger]

I went to the diagram section and looked at some of the diagrams. I am the worst at reading those things plus my eye balls aren't what they used to be but... I think the wire you are looking for is spliced off of the wire that goes to the windshield motor. (they both run on accessory). I was looking at the 72 wiring diagram because it is the most detailed and I figure it is probably close to a 70. The wire looked like it was blue and green or black and green . Maybe that is different on a 70 but you might want to keep your eyes out for that color combo. You can also use the pointy end of the tester to poke right into the wire casing to check them for power. It will leave a small hole in the wire, but shouldn't be a big deal. (on interior wiring). I would look for the original radio wire or the original windshield motor wire. (before the switch). Have you ever soldered wire and used shrink wrap?

[couchcuts]

I have soldered before, but I have not shrink wrapped or spliced though, just used wire caps etc..

I have been getting pretty familiar with under the dash.

That's the thing I do not see any extra loose wires where the radio should be.

I am going to take my radio delete plate off so I can get a better look.

I will take your helpfull suggestions.....
look for those color combos .....and report back.

Thanks again

[couchcuts]

Okay, thanks to the FORDification wiring color chart http://www.fordification.com/tech/schematics_h.htm

You were right, the green-white wire is a turn signal switch see chart below.. ( highlighted in orange )

I think the wire I need to find 297-Black-Green ( highlighted in green )

[couchcuts]

Here is a very helpfull diagram ..... from 71_Montana




cheers

[70 ranger]

Have you tried removing your ash tray? You might be able to see something in behind there. If not you might want to just trace it from the ignition switch itself.

[couchcuts]

Bingo! I think I got it.... definatley a 12 gauge Black-Green wire coming out of the ignition switch...

Thanks for your patience 70_ranger.....I already have learned so much .......

[couchcuts]

[71PA_Highboy]

Does your ignition switch have a threaded stud coming off the back? If so that is where you should feed the radio from.

Fix that yellow wire - that is a disaster waiting to happen.

Do you have the brackets shown in the drawing?