underneath the seatbelt bolts there is a gusset under the cab. it has holes in it. on the passenger side there is an egg shaped hole, i rounded that out with a 1" unibit, so i could get a socket in there. i then took a 1/4" pilot bit and drilled a spotter through the cab floor. i used the jl master ground lug. its a nickel plated stud with a nut on top and bottom. this way my grounds are tight, wont ever be a prollem. yes sand metal clean

 

I used the bolt and hole for the factory jack since I took it out anyway. No need to sand and its working so far.

 

u have to sand off the paint for the ground area. it isnt debatable

 

why does your horn go off when you disconnect the battery? ive taken the batts out of all my vehicles and never had a horn go off before. do you have an aftermarket alarm on it or something?

justin -w32
it helps to if you use a washer that has all the teeth on it (i cant think of the proper name for it) in between your terminal lug and the body to get a better ground as it digs into the metal so to speak.
or you could weld a new stud to your floor with a couple of nuts on it and solder the terminals to the stud for a grounding point its what i did in the back of mine. but i was already fabbing and welding up seat brackets in the rear. makes for a good low resistance ground.

 

yeah i know that what i meant to say is that i used the bolt and fixed nut in the floor for the factory jack no paint on it or at least mine doesnt on the nut or bolt where the connection touches so there is not a problem with my ground. sorry about that

 

Well I installed a deck and amp for a friend in a 01 Ranger and his did, and my sis 02 150 did the same, I just didnt know if the 04-09 were the same. My cousin also said his 04 did too. Im not sure but I know when disconnecting a battery its - then + maybe we disconnected the + first, Im not sure. I thought it was some kind of anti theft, the Ranger did have an alarm but not sure if it was hooked up tho.

 

theres no reason why disconnecting a battery should make a stock horn go off.

 

I dont know if my 05 does cuz i took out the fuse before disconnecting. The ranger had an aftermarket alarm, and the 02 150 did too but i belive it was removed by the dealer. My dads 98 Dodge has an alarm and it goes off when it senses a drop in power/amps whatever. So its possible its just on aftermarket alarms.

 

Check this out for a complete system install with pics and instructions.

http://www.fordf150.net/photos/showgallery.php/cat/4226

 

Is the method the guy used above a good spot to enter the cab when running the power wire under the truck?

 

Yeah its perfect...in my opinion...there's a grommet already there for your wire...like ford put it there for audio people lol

 

I just wanted to thank you guys for this posting. I just ran my 4 AWG through the grommet on the passenger side behind the battery. It was definitely easier with the battery and box removed... Took a couple of times to find it behind the glove box, but it wasn't too much of a problem. Down the door sill to the back and it's hidden nicely. Next up is to mount the amp on the back wall, but I have some honey-do's and it'll have to wait for the moment.

Thanks again.

 

I would like to say thanks too. Just got my stuff finally installed. Took a little time in between work but got it done. I've got 4 6x8 3 way Pioneers all around and an Alpine F300 amp pushin' them. Factory non-audiophile stereo also. Hooked it right into the speaker wire leads. This amp is awesome. I didn't realize that 50 watts per channel could sound that loud and that good. No sub yet but maybe someday. For the price from Crutchfield you just can't beat that amp. Thanks again guys.

 

I am trying to run two 10ga wires through the firewall to power a small converter for laptop. I see the grommet on firewall that is behind the battery but for the life of me, I cannot get anything thru it so that I can grab it on the inside. I have tried a large screwdriver, clothes hanger, etc. I guess its the carpet/padding preventing anything from going thru.

 

Go from the inside. Use a flathead to get through, then create an opening by "prying" with the screwdriver to pass a wire fish (or a large zip tie with the end cut off) through the opening you made. Tape your power wire to that, and pull it through.