Super Unknown -- stereo system

[85crownHPP]

they make lots of install kits, if you find one at walmart for our application it should work.
You dont HAVE to use one, but if you want it secire, use one.

I suggest buying a head unit from crutchfield.com, they give free install kits and wiring harnesses (you wont need the harness if you hard wire it)

do you have door speakers allready?? the holes in my doors are for 5 1/4", but they can be enlarged.
if you mount them directly to the metal inner door panel, then you'll certainly get rattles.
Also Im not sure about this, but if you dont have vent windows, the window rolling down my interfere with the speaker sticking out, if its a deep speaker.

The way I did mine, I used stock angled speaker baffles from newer boxes with premium sound and attached them to the outer door panel (the carpet and cardbaord part) and then put the speaker in the baffles. no rattles!

[Jackup460]

Sorry, but that's poor information. Make the poor guy waste money. It's as secure as it gets. It uses the same two brackets as the old unit plus the clip in the rear. As in the ford factory unit.




Any name brand reciever has a universal frame with the holes for many vehicles. Ours is one of them.

Bizrate.com lists the cheapest recivers, electronics for that matter. Name brand to off brand. I'd suggest checking it out.

[monterey1962]

Stupid question:

How does the trim around the stereo come off? I took two screws off the bottom. The long trim peice on the pass. side has a row of screws on top and two in the glove box area. Still, nothing comes out. What am I missing?



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Justin

[85crownHPP]

hhmmm.... sorry, but mine didnt have those ???

once you get that upper dash trim off, pull out on the lower end of the radio trim piece and pull down... mine had tabs on the upper part that just popped out.

[GrandmasCar]

Circular speakers sound better than eliptical speakers (ie 6x9s). I put 6.5"ers in the 6x9 holes in the rear deck by buying some adapters from Crutchfield. They are only a couple of bucks.

BITE ME!!! 6x9's can handle far more power than any 6 1/2. The sound differental is only noticable if you are seting right next to the damn speaker, and then it is negligable! I have had this conversation before, DON'T MAKE ME GO THERE!!!!! :asshat:

Welcome to GMN GrandmasCar!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the welcome blazingstang.
As for sound difference between 6.5 and 6x9, in and of its self may not make much of a difference, especially in a low budget system. Yet, when you are putting in time, effort, and money to put together a kick ass system, these small differences add up, and make all the difference. In one of your other posts you mentioned routing your wiring away from anything else that might cause interference (and using the stock wiring at that). Talk about a small difference. Any audio wiring (except maybe stock Ford stuff) is going to have shielding to eliminate any electrical interference. Plus, I doubt most people have any high amperage stuff in the back of their car (except for say a high powered amp) that is going to create any noticable interference. If you do have a high powered amp in the trunk (like me), thats when you route the power wires down one side of the car, and the signal wires down the other (and if you really want to get picky, you can twist the wires together so that the electrical fields they create will cancel themselves out).
Lastly, going back to speakers, higher power handling does not necessarily make a better speaker. The higher the speaker's efficiency, the less power it needs to create the same amount of sound. Take Infinity for example. Their speakers, on average, have higher efficiencies and lower power handling than most of their direct competitiors, yet, as most people will agree, they are some of the best speakers out there.
The guy who originally posted this thread looks like he just wants to put together a modest system to play CDs and have something a little better (and louder) than stock. This being the case, he can get away with using the deck's built in amp, using the car's stock wiring, and using 6x9s without any noticable difference.
I'll have to take some pictures of my system so you guys can see where I'm coming from.

[GrandmasCar]

I agree with Jackup460's advice on the deck install. I have mine installed the exact same way. Depending on the deck, though, you still might need to buy a trim kit to cover any gaps around the edges of the face plate. Like 85crownLX, I too have 6 1/2" speakers in my front doors. Like he said, use waterproof foam baffles, so that the speakers will be protected from any water that enters the door, and so that the speakers will sound better from being in a small enclosure (versus the big enclosure of the door, which will rattle). Don't be one of those guys with the system blaring and the doors and trunk rattling like crazy.

[RugerP97DC]

OK 12-ga is the best choice IMHO but the 14-ga stuff you can get a Radio Shack works well too. Unless you are gonna be competing go with what sound good to you ears.

My Ranger has 4 JLAudio Evoulution TR570-CX 5x7's and they sound excellent 4 years after they were installed. JLAudio is a little more $$$ than say Pioneer, but only be about 15-30 a pair.

Anywhoo, look for a sesetivity rating of 90 or higher in your speakers, and keep them the same make and series if possible. This is for better imaging and matched sound. This is a very overlooked point in car audio, but then again I am an audiophile!

This means I a VERY PICKY about audio equipment.

[Grand Marquis GT]

And the system in his truck sounds AWESOME! :rock:

[Jackup460]

I gotcha 85, that's because your radio was the oldschool.

[monterey1962]

I'll give it a shot on a day that's warmer. Went to Walmart today and picked up a Pioneer Stereo DEH-16, a pair of 240W 4-way 6x9's and an intallation kit (just in case). I'll re-use the 5 1/4" Pioneers in the doors for now.

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Justin

[85crownHPP]

i got my speaker wire at teh dollar store. 50 feet for a buck! woo! (18ga)

my reasoning is - if the speakers come with 18 ga wire, 18 ga wire will be enough to carry what the speakers can handle.

[Paul_]

if you're not entering competitions and shit then, 18ga should suffice

[Jackup460]

Agreed, Don't you need some resistance? I see people break the bank for too thick of wiring for the little power they're pushing.

[monterey1962]

Anyone have any tips on how to get the new wire into the doors? Is there a trick to working it through that rubber deal? How about running it to the trunk? It seems as though I'll have to loosen the rear seat-back so I can get through. Any tips and info is appreciated.

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Justin

[85crownHPP]

the rubber channel for wires going into the doors pops out - that will help. i actually got pissed and poked holes in each side of it, running the actual wires on the ouside of the boot in the middle part.

you dont need the take loose the back seat to run little speaker wire - just run it up along the seat, tuck it in, and from either the trunk or the inside fish it in and around... it will eventially find its way through enough to get a finger on it and get it through.

good luck!