ok I see this, is this what yours looks like?

 

Check my new pics, I think I posted JUST before you posted that.

 

look under the passenger front seat. Rave says it's not but that would be my first location if I was guessing on a stock amps location!

 

and just for a heads up those twisted black/pink and black/red wires are the RF speaker wire so when you find the amp those will be 2 of the wires you are looking for. and that's how they will be twisted.

now here is why I hate doing this stuff from a different location, I can only see what the rave manual tells me and what you tell me, I want to believe the rave manual so I tell myself that you are looking in the wrong spot, however you were right and the rave manual was wrong.
Now if I was there a 2 second peek and I would have known the amp was not there and looked elsewhere. I apologize for not being able to help you as well as I could if I was there but I have never worked on a 95 so we are kind of learning this one together. If nothing else you will come away from this with a whole lot more knowledge of your audio system as well as the location of some other components (like your electronic fuel control module!)
don't worry, as soon as you find the amp it should be pretty easy after that! (everything else should be the same as they are the same amps)

 

Maybe 1995 didn't come with an amp? Does that sound reasonable? I'm checking RAVE right now, what would it be named?
(I'm checking the COMPONENT LOCATION TABLE section of the RAVE)

 

rave says there is one, and the amp part number I found lists it for 95 models, I found a source somewhere online that said it was under passenger side seat near the diagnostic thing, if it doesn't have one then the twisted wires you found would go to the back of the radio. If I was working on your truck, I would just keep looking all around and see if I could find it.

the component location table in the rave manual will list it as "radio amplifier"

 

Okay will keep looking..

 

I'm also planning to do a stereo at some point. Since we're already discussing aftermarket decks, I was wondering if there's a way to get the dashboard stereo controls to work with an aftermarket unit? Lots of good info in this thread, thanks.

 

absolutely! there is a company called pacific accessories (or PAC) and they offer all kinds of interfacing devices for factory equipment like ipod to factory radio adapters, wiring harness kits for data bus systems (some of the newer vehicles that have the cars computer tied into the radio) and steering wheel interfaces.

the steering wheel remote interfaces will be wired to those dash buttons and programmed to control the desired functions, they are specific to the brand of aftermarket radio (plugs into the back) or they offer a SWIX universal that uses the radios remote control and reproduces it (via a wired IRLED) when you press the dash buttons.

If this doesn't make any since don't worry about it, if you want to do it I can help you when you get ready to do it. Unfortunately these units cost about $50-$60 though so as cool as they are most people pass on them.

 

Chris, I'll shoot you a PM when I get around to it. I'm actually own a small install business (see sig), I've just never worked on the stereo in a Rover before and couldn't find the right part. I hate having buttons on my dash that don't do anything.