2013 Chevrolet Malibu Install

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SlipNutz15

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I recently bought a 2013 Malibu and after a few weeks of not having any radios or scanners in my car and it driving me nuts, I took the plunge.

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I don't have pictures of the trunk lid liner removal but it was simply removing the plastic rivets and the plastic handle used to close the trunk. After finding an open area between the cross members, I found the center and made my mark and then used the 3/4" NMO hole drill bit and made my hole.

Then I installed the NMO mount and secured it across the inside of the trunk then ran the end of the coax down the right side trunk tube which I was lucky to be hollow. The wire then came out along the right side of the trunk and fished towards the rear seat. The trunk lid liner was reattached.

The rear seat was lifted to gain access to the wire.

I then removed the two bolts holding the back of the center console and the two screws from inside the console to give me a little bit of wiggle room if needed. I then removed the back of the center console which was held on by snaps. Then, after much cursing and bloodshed, I fished the coax under the carpet to the center console.

I located a free area inside the console where I wanted the coax, future coaxes if needed and a power cable to be ran and used a 1" step bit and made my hole. I then applied a 1" plastic grommet and cleaned up the plastic shavings. The center console screws and bolts were reinstalled. The coax was fished through the grommet.

The rear seat was reinstalled. The antenna, Larsen Special (150/450/800 MHz) installed and open trunk clearance verified.

I currently have a GRE PSR500 connected to the coax so I can set it in the cup holder and then put it in the center console when not in use. I am still deciding if I want to try to install my PSR600 or keep the PSR500 and run an audio cable from the scanner to the Aux In port of the Malibu.

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bear780ks

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Cool Beans there install looks great. when you hook your Radio hooked up give us a peek.! :) shot of it.. Ra
 

bear780ks

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Cool Beans there install looks great. when you hook your Radio hooked up give us a peek.! :) shot of it.. Ra

I messed up my post a bit had just woke up.. Sorry :( It should of said Cool Beans there, Install looks Great & when you get your Radio hooked up.! give us a peek shot of it.. But again install looks Great
 

W9WSS

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Congrats on doing everything the right way. No lost signals or poor performance because you permanently mounted your antenna how it should be, using an NMO mount. I'd also be interested in seeing the radio once you get it installed.
 

SlipNutz15

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I'm still on the fence. I plan on measuring and whatnot in the very near future and seeing what options I have. Unfortunately because the center console is so tight I think I may just be doing the portable style scanner with power ran to it in the console and then either audio from the scanner to a remote speaker under the dash or into the aux audio port for the car's radio.
 

N1SQB

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I'm still on the fence. I plan on measuring and whatnot in the very near future and seeing what options I have. Unfortunately because the center console is so tight I think I may just be doing the portable style scanner with power ran to it in the console and then either audio from the scanner to a remote speaker under the dash or into the aux audio port for the car's radio.

I went through the same thing with my Expedition Eddie Bauer. Could not get a single radio installed without blocking something. I just used portables until I purchased my Crown Vic. To the OP, nice choice in color. I love silver.

Manny
 

mmckenna

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Thanks for posting this. My dad just purchased a 2013 Malibu and asked me to help him install a radio in it. We are going to do the antenna install on the trunk lid similar to yours, so this is quite handy reference.

Bonus is that his has the start/stop engine feature (stops at red lights, etc) and that includes an auxiliary 12v battery in the trunk compartment. His will be a remote head radio so we can install the RF deck in the back and wire it to the battery easily. Routing the control head cable to the front will likely follow the path you took with your coaxial cable.

Good looking install. Nice to see when someone does it right. Magnets belong on refrigerators, not your antennas.
 

SlipNutz15

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Since I did not want to take up the cigarette plug in the console for my scanner, I decided to run a power to the console from the fuse panel. I used a stranded 3-wire cable. I used a mini-fuse fuse tap and then ran a common ground to the console. The other wire is spare if I need to power something else in the future.

A 90* BNC adaptor was used on the coax so it did not pinch while the scanner was sitting inside the console.

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