in car audio experts: simple harness question

Just forget the harness. You need to cut it out and throw it away. Our cars are as basic as you can possibly get in the wiring for the radio. I mean 1st grade stuff, maybe even kindergarten so don't lose any sleep over that useless harness that only fits that Sony radio you are tossing out.

All the wire you need out of there (to start with) are the 2 speaker wires (left and right) antenna lead, ground and 12V. That's it. Just those WILL work just fine 100% of the time. My point is don't feel like you EVER need that harness again. It belongs to the Sony radio NOT the car. If your antenna is still set up properly as a semi auto, forget about any wires for that. If you want to have the radio go off when you turn the car off you need another switched hot wire. I am sure there is one in that harness. All you need is a test light and 10 seconds to find which is the battery wire (always hot for the radio settings memory) and the one that switches on/off with the car.

Don't know what kind of Blaupunkt you are using but if it is from the late 70's WAY up into the 80's, they have funny little speaker hook ups on the back. You can buy them on Ebay. Besides those, you need no other special "harness" of any kind. Trust me.

Get that much done and check back. We can talk you thru this, no sweat.

 

Not really. Here's what I would do: simply cut the wires leaving enough hanging out from the dash AND long enough from the adapter so if the other doesn't work, all you have to do is splice the wires back.

Even better just hook up the Blaupunkt to a car battery and a speaker with some spare wire and test it first.

Post a picture of the back of the Blaupunkt. I love those old radios and buy them all the time off ebay so I have a lot of extra Blaupunkt-specific plugs. I can mail you a couple if you can't find any on ebay. No charge for them. Just glad to help.

 

When I tore out the old Alpine, it was hard wired.

What I did was restore the original factory connector ...
... except with two added pins: switched 12V (the factory wiring only had battery power), and instrument lights (to dim the faceplate back light at night).

Then I took the console inside, and wired the new stereo to a mating connector over the winter.

That way, I could test it using a 12V supply and some speakers, before installing it in the car.

 

Car speakers are pretty much all 4 ohm. Are you only using the two door speakers? (need to know how many plugs to send)

 

The speaker wires should be pretty obvious since they run +/- right next to each other. You need to find the switched 12V, Battery 12V and ground. The only wire that will seem a little strange - if it is even there - will be a power antenna and you can live without that anyway. Depending on the age of the radio, I seriously doubt it even has a plug for one on the back.

Don't trust the wire color. You never know who spliced in what and when over the past 30 years. Get an ohm meter and use the continuity tester to find the ground. The whole excercise should take 3 minutes, tops.

Fortunately for us, all you need to hook up an old Blaupunkt are three simple spade connectors that you can buy anywhere all day long. I have the funny speaker plugs so no worries there.

(please forgive me if you already know these things but since we haven't met I have no idea and just want to be as helpful as possible)

 

I need you to pm me your address and I will mail you two plugs right away

 

Is that Los Angeles a cassette deck?

 

Hi all, here is my 1989 - 328 GTS

83000
Right hand drive - Euro/UK Spec.
Rosso Corsa
Black italian leather seats with red carpets

anybody close to my VIN ? how can I find out more on when the car was manufactured, I have UK spec so no label in the door.


cheers
John

 

Does this speaker plug look like it will fit the back of that radio?
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Welcome and congrats!!

You need to go back and type the "Start New Thread feature, and repost your VIN inquiry into a new thread!

You can register at the Oaners Wensite the Factory operates and get that production date info.

Regards,
Alan

 

cool, thanx Alan.

John

 

I'll wait until you get back home and look before I mail them over to you. This is the only type plug I have for the speaker outputs on a vintage Blaupunkt.

 

Unless you don't have the speaker connectors I posted, you really don't need anything I have.

All you need for the other in the "block" are simple spade connectors that are available anywhere. Absolutely 100% positive you do NOT need a special harness, adaptor, whatever you want to call it. As long as the unit works, we are good.

I will double check tomorrow (all this stuff is in my other house) but from memory, you have a ground, a positive (always hot from the battery for memory), another positive (switched on and off from the ignition). Cannot remember the 4th but it really doesn't matter. I have enough units on the shelf that one of them has a diagram on it. I remember rigging the exact same thing in my Alfa Spider earlier this year.

 

Yep, Big Tex is right; nevertheless, without highjacking Paul's thread...your car is a very, very late production 328; most probably assembled in late August/ early September 1989.
But, as Big Tex said, the Factory will give you the exact date.

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