CRACKLES-4130
CarAudio.com Newbie
Hi guys, this is my first post so I guess it's my intro thread, too!
Name's, Craig, I'm from Melbourne, Australia and I'm attempting my first "full blown" install without help. Just me. My general approach to all things in life are to measure twice and cut once so as you'd expect I've been using the Google Machine like a madman, soaking up as much knowledge and free info as I can.
I've kinda found myself here by accident, tbh...
It all began with my missus asking me to take a look at the factory head unit in her car - it had apparently eaten a CD and refused to give it up...
One thing led to another and before I knew it the dash was apart and said culprit h/u was in my hands, no CD in it's gob...
Turns out one of those micro ribbon thingys had come a guts, rendering the unit unable to give back any discs that had been swapped in.
Lucky it was empty.
I mentioned to her that aftermarket h/u's are reasonably priced and far better than the factory stock units and that we should look into it. She loves her music (Green Day, U2, Mazzy Star, Pixies etc etc...) so I thought it fitting we get some nicer sounds in her whip!
Oh, it's a 2004 Toyota Celica ZR aka "GTS" to the rest of the world. It's got the horny 2zz 1.8lt 8500rpm 4-pot screamer donk in it...
I temporarily removed a JVC single din h/u from my car to make sure there was no other "surprises" after spending money on a new head unit for her and yup, one of her speakers had a torn rubber surround and another had a loose wire where it attaches to the cone so I recommended that we replace the speakers, too.
She gave me that "ugh-huh" look, which we all know means how much is this going to cost lol
I told her to relax and she'll be right!
One thing led to another and basically here we are...
I've got her interior completely stripped of the front & rear seats and door trims/rear trims and dash panels. I'm going to be adding new wiring.
I found some stuff in my garage from past stereo installs (not by me - I'm new to this) and friends/family pre-loved bits & pieces.
First I found a ported sub box to suit a 12", then I found the sub. Next I came across a Pioneer 2-CH amp followed by an Altec Lansing 2-CH amp followed by yet another amp! A Boss Audio 500w rms 4-CH...
Then I came across a pair of JL AUDIO 5x7" 2-way speakers. Geeze I was starting to build a stereo!!
I took a look at eBay and found a brand new (2004 vintage) Sony X-plod 6.5" co-axials for a great price and now, apart from speaker and hook up wiring, it was looking like the missus was going to have a nice little upgrade stereo system in her pocket rocket for very little outlay! And my garage got some appreciated free space back, too!
Oops, forgot the head unit!
Unfortunately the popular brands of double din head units that were on offer (especially here, in Australia) were just too far out of our price range so I went Chinese. I know, I know...
It's the first thing I'll be replacing after I save the cash!
Then I found out about "THE BIG 3"...
Right, down to the local electronics store...
I got a few meters of each black & red 2-gauge ofc wire cable, a 100A fusable link, some lug things, shrink tube, protective shield stuff and some "decent" battery terminals are in the post...
I think I'm on the right track!
So much for removing a stuck CD...
I'll post pics of everything I've got and my question is, which out of all of it should I use and what size wire should I use for amp hook-up (I'm not very good at working out the amps and limits that will be placed on the system as a whole)
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I've got to throw another fuseable link or two at the system and some bits & pieces in missing I'm sure...
Capacitors??
Anyway, my apologies for the long-winded intro, I tend to ramble on a bit lol...
This is what I thought...
Sony 6.5's - fr. doors - driven by a 2-CH amp
JL AUDIO 5x7's - rear panels - driven by channels 3 & 4 of the 4-CH amp
12" Clarion sub in box - in boot/rear cargo area - driven by bridged channels 1 & 2 of said 4-CH amp...
Am I on the right track??
Also, stupid head unit only has ONE pair of RCA outs...
I've got a couple of "Y" harnesses...
Hmm...
As I said, any guidance on connecting all of this plus what gauge wire I should be using would be most appreciated. I want to do this correctly the first time.
Thanks so much!
Crackles.
Name's, Craig, I'm from Melbourne, Australia and I'm attempting my first "full blown" install without help. Just me. My general approach to all things in life are to measure twice and cut once so as you'd expect I've been using the Google Machine like a madman, soaking up as much knowledge and free info as I can.
I've kinda found myself here by accident, tbh...
It all began with my missus asking me to take a look at the factory head unit in her car - it had apparently eaten a CD and refused to give it up...
One thing led to another and before I knew it the dash was apart and said culprit h/u was in my hands, no CD in it's gob...
Turns out one of those micro ribbon thingys had come a guts, rendering the unit unable to give back any discs that had been swapped in.
Lucky it was empty.
I mentioned to her that aftermarket h/u's are reasonably priced and far better than the factory stock units and that we should look into it. She loves her music (Green Day, U2, Mazzy Star, Pixies etc etc...) so I thought it fitting we get some nicer sounds in her whip!
Oh, it's a 2004 Toyota Celica ZR aka "GTS" to the rest of the world. It's got the horny 2zz 1.8lt 8500rpm 4-pot screamer donk in it...
I temporarily removed a JVC single din h/u from my car to make sure there was no other "surprises" after spending money on a new head unit for her and yup, one of her speakers had a torn rubber surround and another had a loose wire where it attaches to the cone so I recommended that we replace the speakers, too.
She gave me that "ugh-huh" look, which we all know means how much is this going to cost lol
I told her to relax and she'll be right!
One thing led to another and basically here we are...
I've got her interior completely stripped of the front & rear seats and door trims/rear trims and dash panels. I'm going to be adding new wiring.
I found some stuff in my garage from past stereo installs (not by me - I'm new to this) and friends/family pre-loved bits & pieces.
First I found a ported sub box to suit a 12", then I found the sub. Next I came across a Pioneer 2-CH amp followed by an Altec Lansing 2-CH amp followed by yet another amp! A Boss Audio 500w rms 4-CH...
Then I came across a pair of JL AUDIO 5x7" 2-way speakers. Geeze I was starting to build a stereo!!
I took a look at eBay and found a brand new (2004 vintage) Sony X-plod 6.5" co-axials for a great price and now, apart from speaker and hook up wiring, it was looking like the missus was going to have a nice little upgrade stereo system in her pocket rocket for very little outlay! And my garage got some appreciated free space back, too!
Oops, forgot the head unit!
Unfortunately the popular brands of double din head units that were on offer (especially here, in Australia) were just too far out of our price range so I went Chinese. I know, I know...
It's the first thing I'll be replacing after I save the cash!
Then I found out about "THE BIG 3"...
Right, down to the local electronics store...
I got a few meters of each black & red 2-gauge ofc wire cable, a 100A fusable link, some lug things, shrink tube, protective shield stuff and some "decent" battery terminals are in the post...
I think I'm on the right track!
So much for removing a stuck CD...
I'll post pics of everything I've got and my question is, which out of all of it should I use and what size wire should I use for amp hook-up (I'm not very good at working out the amps and limits that will be placed on the system as a whole)
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I've got to throw another fuseable link or two at the system and some bits & pieces in missing I'm sure...
Capacitors??
Anyway, my apologies for the long-winded intro, I tend to ramble on a bit lol...
This is what I thought...
Sony 6.5's - fr. doors - driven by a 2-CH amp
JL AUDIO 5x7's - rear panels - driven by channels 3 & 4 of the 4-CH amp
12" Clarion sub in box - in boot/rear cargo area - driven by bridged channels 1 & 2 of said 4-CH amp...
Am I on the right track??
Also, stupid head unit only has ONE pair of RCA outs...
I've got a couple of "Y" harnesses...
Hmm...
As I said, any guidance on connecting all of this plus what gauge wire I should be using would be most appreciated. I want to do this correctly the first time.
Thanks so much!
Crackles.