We go to a lot of mud runs and bonfires and tailgating here. External speakers would be awesome instead of relying on the Dewalt radio. How would you go about hooking up a pair of 5 1/2 marine speakers on the outside of the truck? Could you just run the wires to the headunit and it be fine? How would you do this? My stereo is stock except for a head unit.

-Curtis-

 

Im guessing you are currently running the stock truck speakers off of the aftermarket headunits internal amp correct? (EI; no aftermarket amps installed?)

If so the simplest thing to do would be to run a small to mid size 2/4 channel full range amp off your headunits RCA outs to two or four (depending on amp/speaker combo) full range marine speakers externally mounted. Wire your amp up as you would normally run one, except run the radio's remote turn on wire to a switch located in a place of your choosing then from the switch to the amp.
When your out and about frolicking with your pals on the trails or tailgate simply turn the switch on to power the amp and send signal to your external speakers.
Remember to always carry jumper cables so someone can jump you off incase the partying gets wild and you forget to turn your truck on before the batt goes dead lol.

 

Ok so an external amp would be needed?

Either 2 channel if i want 2 speakers and 4 channel if i want 4 speakers?

-Curtis-

 

Yes for a simple solution an external amp would be the fastest easiest way and i dont mean external as in mounted OUTSIDE of the truck.

and ehh yea i guess just stick with 2 speakers two channels four speakers four channels.

There are a lot of ways to accomplish this, and some of the coolest and more efficient ways would require a ton of relays and wiring. You could theoretically flip a switch and have the music flip from the inside speakers to the outside speakers with surround sound if you really wanted to, but if thats what you were in to we wouldnt have this thread now would we? lol
Find an amp you like and match some speakers or vice versa find some speakers and match an amp. The rest is very easy.

 

Well it would be ideal to have the music only play outside the truck rather than all the speakers in the truck playing. How would you achieve this? I know anything about trucks, but audio; except for CB's, audio is not my forte lol. Not really wanting to spend a whole lot on this.

These are the speakers
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...5&classNum=435

Or

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...5&classNum=435

 

The best and simplest way to do that would be to run TWO amps, one to the interior speakers and one to the exterior speakers and a single pole double pole (SPDT) switch inline with your radio as described before except it would go to the interior amp and when switched it would run the exterior amp.

the "cheapest" route, and what i think you are wanting to do would involve two double pole double throw switches (DPDT)
this would effectively switch your headunit's internal amp to power the interior, then when both switches are flipped, your external speakers.

This should work just fine for what you want to do with only two sets of external speakers. Im going to get a wiring diagram made for you in just a bit.

 

ok it was late and these were FAST diagrams so please excuse the sloppy lines.
First is an overview of the full wiring.

All grounds would be common grounded to both interior and exterior speakers.
In other words the ground would go to the factory harness (out to the OEM speaks inside) and also to the REAR EXTERIOR speakers. The Power for each speaker is going to go to a switch. I is interior and E is Exterior in the first drawing.
Its a DPDT switch meaning that it makes two things turn on when it flips one way and two other things turn on when its flipped the other way.
In this case when the FRONT switch is up it makes both FRONT right and left INTERIOR speakers receive power up front and when the REAR is up it makes both REAR right and left INTERIOR speakers receive power. Likewise when the front is flipped DOWN it makes both front EXTERIOR speakers reciever power as well as when the rear is flipped DOWN it makes the REAR Exterior speakers receive power. The green are the outside mounted speakers and I is INSIDE speakers and O is OUTSIDE speakers. Sorry for the lack of continuity on my diagrams, it has been a long day.

So your switches are an inside and outside switch one controlling the front and the other the rear and when swapped it will make the radio either play inside or outside. So I hope that makes sense... its easy in my head but its hard to explain it sometimes.
Just PM, message, or email me and i can explain it better in person.