~ Using Subimods Bracket and Harness to Install Hella Supertones ~

Although wiring up a relay and fabricating a bracket to install Hella Supertones is a pretty straight forward process, I decided to save myself some time and energy by purchasing a harness and bracket from here. I got a nice "package deal" from Subimods by getting both the harness and bracket, and it definitely made it an easy install.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's what arrived at my door (crappy cell phone pic)

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/60581_553002788048409_1597956287_n.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Because I like mods to be subtle, and because I also don't like the look of bright red on a maroon car, I decided to paint my Supertones a darker red. This pic is after sanding and cleaning.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3594.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

This is after paint, against a red background for comparison.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3596.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Test-fitting the Subimods bracket.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3597.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Jack up passenger front of car and remove 3 pop-its so you can pull this thingy down.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3604.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

This picture is looking straight up at the factory horns from below. The front of the car is to the left.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3605.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

This picture shows the plug removed from the horn and the jacket pulled back to expose the factory + trigger wire (red/white). I circled where the plug came from.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3608.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Once I located that wire, it was time to start running the sections of the harness. This is where I found it best/easiest to run the battery +/- portion of the harness past the radiator and over to the battery.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3609.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

...and where it comes out by the coolant reservoir.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3610.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

This seemed to be the most opportune place to mount the relay.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3611.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

This wasn't the way I would have preferred to run the signal wire down to the horns, but the subimod harness left only enough room to go this way, and even that just barely made it. No biggie, it's just a little tight and you must remove the factory air scoop to go this way.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3620.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Because this area gets wet a lot, I decided to solder my connection instead of using a t-tap (vampire clamp). I quickly regretted that decision because I had forgotten what a PITA it is to solder upside down, so I would suggest just using a clamp and calling it done.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3615.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

This is after taping it off, putting the plug back into the factory horn, and throwing a zip-tie on the loom for good measure.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3616.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

I could still see into the plug, so I put more tape on and around the wire and plug (this is important). It was filled with dielectric grease, but better safe than sorry.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3618.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

I took some time to run the battery wires along the side of the battery (kinda into the fender) and around to the back of the battery to keep it clean. I attached the positive ring-end onto the 12mm nut on the top of the factory post clamp and cut a notch in the terminal cover so that it could come out sideways. Do what you want here...this is just FYI on how mine turned out. The Subimods harness didn't include wire loom from the fuse holder to the ring end (kind of important), so I added my own. I then added a few zip-ties here and there. I love zip-ties.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3623.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the horns attached to the Subimods bracket.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3625.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

The wires that go from the relay to the far horn were a little short, so I had to loosen the relay and tilt it at an angle, then take the horns back off and rotate the far (driver side) horn to help them reach. No biggie, just a minor delay.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3627.jpg

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3626.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

The harness was touching the radiator (gets pretty hot), so I bent the connections away from it (also didn't want the harness rubbing as the car moves and vibrates).

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3631.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the final product.

 

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/Front-1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the Subimods bracket and harness package is a major win! If I hadn't done paint, I could've done the whole thing in under 2 hours easy.

 

My only suggestions for Subimods Hella Supertones Harness v2.0 would be to add another six inches to the trigger wire that goes to the horns, add a piece of loom to the positive wire at the battery (from fuse holder to ring-end) and shorten it a couple inches (fuse holder fits nicely behind battery so I tucked a bit of slack), add a few inches to one of the two horn-wire harnesses (from relay to far horn), and use slightly stiffer/thicker loom because I've never liked the thin stuff.

 

Take this criticism with a grain of salt though, because I was overall very impressed with the quality of the harness (nice shrink wrapping, etc.), and it definitely makes this install pretty much plug and play. The bracket bolted right up and the horns fit absolutely perfect and symmetrically.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-'06GRPLGT

 

 

 

*edit* Subimods should also throw in a small pack of zip ties, IMO.

just did this a few weeks back myself. went 'simple' by getting the bracket and wiring harness as well. was very happy with the ease of connecting it all up and enjoyed getting a bit creative with where to ziptie the wiring etc.

 

sometime soon I'll definitely have to re-paint them from the stock red.

...my camera made the new paint look more orange than red, but they're definitely a dark burgundy in person. Was exactly how I wanted it to turn out.

Great pics, thanks for the writeup! Awesome idea to paint those suckers...

Thx, and no problem. If I'm being honest, I'm definitely not the first to paint them.