Need Help With '81 Stereo Wiring

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Nov 5, 2014 | 03:56 PM

Sugar Bear

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Need Help With '81 Stereo Wiring

Hey Guys! I need a little help figuring out a wiring issue. I'm putting an aftermarket stereo in my "81. There is a 2 wire connector on the car's wiring with an orange and a brown wire. Am I correct in assuming that the orange is for illumination and the brown is the hot wire for memory, etc? Also, on the connector that has the wiring for ground, ignition, and power antenna there is a gray wire. The wiring diagrams just say "Part of IP Harness". Any ideas what this is for?

Last edited by Sugar Bear; Nov 5, 2014 at 04:01 PM.

Nov 5, 2014 | 04:10 PM

The13Bats

Race Director

Joined: Mar 2003

Posts: 11,608

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From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sugar Bear

Constant 12V+ Orange
Switched 12V+ Yellow
Ground Black
Illumination Gray
Dimmer Brown
Antenna Trigger Pink
Antenna Left Rear
Front Speakers 4" x 6" Dash
Left Front (+) Tan
Left Front (-) Gray
Right Front (+) Light Green
Right Front (-) Dark Green
Rear Speakers 6" x 9" Side Panels
Left Rear (+) Brown
Left Rear (-) Yellow
Right Rear (+) Dark Blue
Right Rear (-) Light Blue

Nov 5, 2014 | 07:27 PM

qwank

Le Mans Master

Joined: Feb 2011

Posts: 5,943

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From: Southern NH

Why don't you buy one of those plug and play connectors so you don't have to cut up the original harness?

Nov 6, 2014 | 09:19 AM

4SPDL81

Racer

Joined: Aug 2010

Posts: 337

Likes: 6

St. Jude Donor '16

For my '81 I used a Scosche plug and play car stereo wiring connector P/N GM01...about 10 dollars at your local walmart...( no factory wires were cut in the installation)...Good Luck!

Nov 6, 2014 | 10:36 AM

Sugar Bear

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Joined: Mar 2014

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Thanks for the replies guys! I got things sorted out. I am using one of the plug and play connectors from Best Buy. It connects to the two factory plugs that have the speaker wires and the plug that has ground, ignition, power antenna and dimmer (Ta-Dah! Thanks for that one Bats!) I couldn't figure out what the gray wire in the factory plug was for. On the wiring diagrams it just says "Part of IP Harness". There is no corresponding wire on the connector I got from Best Buy. Made sense after I thought about it because the aftermarket stereo (Alpine) doesn't have a dimmer. What really had me baffled was the separate 2 wire connector on the factory harness. My Best Buy plug and play connector didn't match up. Turns out, on the factory connector, the orange wire is the constant 12 volt and the brown is for illumination. Amazing what one can figure out when you actually drag out the multi-meter! So I just cut the pigtail off the factory radio and grafted it onto the aftermarket connector.

Nov 16, 2024 | 09:52 PM

81 C3 guy

1st Gear

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Additional wires gray for illumination and brown for dimmer

[QUOTE=The13Bats;1588198527]Constant 12V+ Orange
Switched 12V+ Yellow
Ground Black
Illumination Gray
Dimmer Brown
Antenna Trigger Pink
Antenna Left Rear
Front Speakers 4" x 6" Dash
Left Front (+) Tan
Left Front (-) Gray
Right Front (+) Light Green
Right Front (-) Dark Green
Rear Speakers 6" x 9" Side Panels
Left Rear (+) Brown
Left Rear (-) Yellow
Right Rear (+) Dark Blue
Right Rear (-) Light Blue[/QUOTE

are those for the factory radio because i am installing a retro radio in my 81 corvette and I don’t seen to find any use for them! Please if anyone knows anything about it i am all ears thank you