Hey Fellas,
What are the two biggest problems with your old car. You envy the guy in the new car. Well for a fraction of the cost of a new car you can make over your car with minimum difficulty and give you a day to yourself or a project with your kids.
Over the years I have found that my car sound sucks after a few months. The reason for this is because the factory addition speakers are made from foam and cardboard. So my tunes sound like shit and sooner or later I'm going to blow them out listening to Wu-Tang Clan.
The solution is very simple. 4 speakers and a deck for your car at a minimum. The question how far you want to go is up to you. You can find these at Wal-Mart or on-line. The key is knowing if what you want will fit into your car. Crutchfield.com is a great site for figuring out if the deck you want will actually fit into your car. Click on this site below and it will get you started. Buying from them is pricy but if your a first timer and want to do it yourself they have excellent support and instructions for your car.
http://www.crutchfield.com/app/car/carselector.aspx?lp=%2fApp%2fCar%2foutfitmycar%2fcar.aspx
How do you want to remake your car. This question has three parts: the first is how much can my wallet afford. The second is what is what is my skill level in doing this project. Third, what is appropriate for my life. I have kids and carry lots of different crap throughout the year. So putting in a box, pull down TV is a waste (even though its what I want). Instead with the age of my kids and my family budget 4 speakers and a deck are all I really need at the moment. But believe me, as soon as I can I'll pimp my ride.
If this is your first time taking on anything like this you are going to need a few tools: wire stripper, wire cutters, electrical tape, soldering iron and solder, Haynes Repair Manual for your Model and Year, 6-in-one screw driver, trim panel tools, computer, ***wiring harness, ***Dash Kit, time and patience.
Now any entertainment project for your home or car the receiver (deck) is the most important. It's the hub and it's abilities will give you options later if you want to upgrade. No with the technology out there there are some questions you need to ask yourself. 1) How much do I use my car: are you in the car for hours or minutes, in and out, etc. 2) what's my tech like: ipod vs. mp3 player, flip vs smart phone, CDs?. If you listen to cds still then you will need a player. If your iphone only than having a blue tooth touch to talk system is handy. 3) Can I handle the technology: This is huge. If you have trouble dealing with your phone then bells and whistles aren't for you. 4) Can I get away with just replacing my deck: some cars have infinity/bose speakers in, the deck just outdated. A good deck can boost your sound quality of decent already install speakers. 5) Will the deck I choose fit my car and style: If you drive a minivan your not gonna want some over the top deck. Sometime less is more.
Personally I have a Pioneer 6200BT deck with 4 - 51/2" Pioneer 3-way speakers in an old Subaru Outback. Let me tell you this slim deck is perfect for me and the kids as I cart them around. Comes with everything to hook up Hands-Free Blue Tooth speaker and synch's with my iphone without any issues. I don't even have to take the phone out of my pocket to listen to music.
Now when you install keep in mind you will have to buy in addition to the deck and speakers a wiring harness for the make and model of your care as well as a dash kit. No one tells you about these, they assume you know. ***MAKE SURE YOU GET THESE"""
The wiring harness should come with a diagram. You will have to splice them together then either A) solder them together or B) use a crimp splice. Twisting and wrapping with electoral tape is passable but I learned the hard way it doesn't last. Once this is done you can just snap it into the harness in the car.
The dash kit can be another headache if you don't prepare. When I did my Subaru I had a combo CD and tape deck. My new deck was a 1/3 of all that factory trash. Leaving me a giant whole when the kit only came with one pocket. I had to order a piece from an actual Subaru dealer to get the right part. Now I have two pockets, one's even got a door. But I had to drive around for 2 weeks with an ugly whole in my dash. Taking sometime during the week to prep will save you hours of frustration later.
Last and not least take your time. An extra hour or two of patience will save the door panel from never fitting right again. My wife still gives me shit when I ripped the speaker cover out all those years ago. If you run into a problem, google it. Someone, somewhere has a video that will teach you how to get the details right.
Good Luck & FUN
-Rudest Dad
No comments:
Post a Comment