Pete Trasborg
Brand Manager, Jp
A lot of us simply don’t run a stereo in our Jeep. Whether it is because the dirt kills it, the thieves take it, regular radio programming sucks, or we just can’t hear it over the tires, it often doesn’t make sense to have a radio in a Jeep. Let’s not forget the umpteen-million wires that need to be identified on both ends and then correctly connected for the sound to come out.
Before
Well we recently found a low-buck solution to most of the issues with having a radio in a Jeep. Dirt? Check. Thieves? Check. Programming sucks? Check. Wiring problems? Check. The only thing we didn’t totally fix was the noise of the tires. Only a mega-bucks stereo will totally drown out the tires and then you go deaf listening to it. We weren’t going that route again but as it turns out, even with the top down and doors off we can still make out our music over the tires even though it isn’t audiophile quality.
After
We used our ’01 Wrangler as our test mule for this story, but Quadratec has the iVault for other Jeeps as well, and wiring solutions for just about any Wrangler and many Cherokees. We hadn’t had a radio of any kind in this Jeep for over three years so it was nice to be able to finally cruise with tunes again. Got an hour and about $300 to spend? Here’s how to get tunes back in your Jeep again.
While we did have a homemade “radio delete” it didn’t extend to the radio wiring. We wish we could say this photo was staged, but this is how bad it really was. Our harness was a mess of adapters and extra wires. The Quadratec adapter replaced all this and it is unique in that no splicing is needed. Plug one end into the Jeep, the other into the stereo and it is ready to go.
PhotosView Slideshow
Parts and Prices
Tools Needed
Removal:
#2 Phillips Head screwdriver
Installation:
#2 Phillips Head screwdriver
10mm 1⁄4-inch-drive deep socket and ratchet
