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darkvapor

Car stereo installation help.

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Welp, I've decided to upgrade the stereo in my Jeep GC. My current aftermarket head has stopped accepting CDs, so I thought I might as well upgrade the whole system. I am adding:

a Sony head (cd/mp3),
4 speakers,
1 amp.

I'm not really worried about the head or the speakers, I think I can handle that much. However, I am concerned about wiring the amp correctly. My stuff hasn't arrived yet, but I have some general questions. From the stuff I have read, it seems that most people power their amp straight from the battery. That is going to get ugly and a lot of work, is there another way I can tap into the electrical system without adding another pair of terminals on the battery?

I've found some scattered resources on the net, but nothing really great. If anyone can help, (or better yet, has experience on a 1995 Jeep GC) please let me know.

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if your using a seperate amp i'm asuming your using a fair bit of power. Thus you have to wire it direct to the battery. Make sure you fuse it first.
Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
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Thus you have to wire it direct to the battery.



That's kinda what I was afraid of. I was hoping there might be a way to tap into the electrical system through an already existing fuse box or something...

I was hoping that I could atleast do the speakers and head myself, but just taking a quick look under the dash of my car revealed more wires than I can count... Anyone know of a good place to get it installed professionally? Is it going to be expensive? I got a great deal on the equipment, but I don't wanna pay a lot of money to get it installed...

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but I don't wanna pay a lot of money to get it installed...



And therin lies the catch. I used to be an MECP certified installer. Competed at IASCA, USAC...the whole bit.

You are not going to be able to tap the internal wiring to supply power for that amp. You will need to feed directly from the battery and you will need to have a fuse on that line within one foot of the battery. No exceptions. This will prevent you from catching your car on fire.B|

The internal wiring is nowhere near the gauge you will probably need and the amperage draw will be too great. You will smoke fuses...then you will try to put in bigger fuses. Then you will smoke wiring.

The amplifiers I run in the back of my car have a pretty decent current draw so I run 2-gauge power wire to the distribution block in my hatch and another 2-gauge line for the ground back to the engine block. If possible, run the ground back to the actual engine block and you will never have to worry about noise in your system.

If you want a decent install, expect to pay decent money for it. For an idea of typical pricing, stroll into a Best Buy or Circuit City in your town and they have the prices posted.

You will probably need extra parts for the deck install and those will be the mounting kit and the wiring harness. Don't skimp on the harness, it makes it easy as pie to change decks out.

For the amp, you will need the battery distribution connector, fusing, appropriate gauge power cable, RCA's, and speaker wire.

A great source of information is http://www.teamrocs.com. Check out their technical articles and their links sections.

Kris
Deck: Pioneer Premier DEH-P740MP
Aux: Apple iPod 20GB
Processing: AudioControl Epicenter & AudioControl DQX
Amps: Phoenix Gold Tantrum 300.2 & 400.4
Speakers: Infinity Kappa components (front & rear)
Subs: JL Audio
Phoenix Gold capacitor
Cabling & power distribution: Phoenix Gold, Rockford Fosgate, Monster Cable
Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

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How complicated is the install? I would like to think I am a pretty smart guy that can figure most things out, but am I gonna get in over my head if i try to install it myself? I've read some instructions, and although I understand what I have to do, I don't know if it will get really hard once I get going. Are the pro guys at a store like Best Buy, or a Circuit City gonna do a good enough job to make it worth it?

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For an idea of typical pricing, stroll into a Best Buy or Circuit City in your town and they have the prices posted.



Hacks!!!!

i used to install for a living too. The difference is that I owed the company. Most of my business was fixing the fuck ups those 2 places caused.

Look for an independant shop, then ask to see some of their work, please!
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Kris
Deck: Pioneer Premier DEH-P740MP
Aux: Apple iPod 20GB
Processing: AudioControl Epicenter & AudioControl DQX
Amps: Phoenix Gold Tantrum 300.2 & 400.4
Speakers: Infinity Kappa components (front & rear)
Subs: JL Audio
Phoenix Gold capacitor
Cabling & power distribution: Phoenix Gold, Rockford Fosgate, Monster Cable



Rev
was Kenwood, infinity, and Soundstream, all custom.
Now it's cheap Pioneer and cheaper LA Bolt stuff (amp and sub). I sold the good stuff for, what else, jump money!
It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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Hacks!!!!

i used to install for a living too. The difference is that I owed the company. Most of my business was fixing the fuck ups those 2 places caused.



Granted, I do partially agree with you on the "hacks" part. But it depends on the installer. I know of several chain stores that I would not take my worst enemy's car to, but I know of a couple of installers at Best Buy who could perform a First Place winning install in a vehicle with their eyes closed.

The chain stores pricing on installs is set by area and it is a great indicator of what the going rate in that city is since they also look at the pricing at the custom shops when setting their pricing.

When going to an independant, I do agree on looking at their work. Their installers should have several photo albums full of examples. Also check your local BBB if the shop looks shady.

Kris
Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

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How complicated is the install? I would like to think I am a pretty smart guy that can figure most things out, but am I gonna get in over my head if i try to install it myself? I've read some instructions, and although I understand what I have to do, I don't know if it will get really hard once I get going. Are the pro guys at a store like Best Buy, or a Circuit City gonna do a good enough job to make it worth it?



If it was just a Deck & 4 speakers I would say that you could probably tackle it yourself with the info from the links I provided or with the instructions that comes with the mounting kit & wiring harness.

The amp is the sticking point...you can do a lot of electrical system damage if you don't know what you are doing. Read through the TeamROCS website I posted and then decide.

The benefit of going to a shop is they have the experience and insurance. What will take you all day will take them 2-3 hours. If you mess up, you pay for it. If they mess up, they pay for it.

Kris
Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

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hmmmm... i've been here before. I went to install myself a new stereo/cd player in my Jeep Wrangler, took the whole dashboard apart and found all the necessary wires and figured out what was supposed to connect to what, not hard. then i was sure how to connect the wires... I figured you just cut them, stripped them and twisted together with tape or something. but there were these extra connectors that came with the stereo and i wasn't sure what to do with those, like have half of a puzzle piece. I decided instead of chancing it by cutting anything, i'd just take it to a Best Buy and have some 15 yr old do it. When i got there, he laughed and said, "well you've done all the hard stuff, taking the dash off..." and he would let me watch (punkassmofo) becuase he wasn't "allowed" to let anyone else back there. But he said basically you do just that i thought, cut, strip and twist wires together. oh well, $25 later, i knew it was done right, and i learned a little somethin.

peace
http://www.exitshot.com

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cut, strip and twist



Arrrggghhh......Noooooooooo!

chit, too late.



that's what i thought dude, I didn't do it though... i still don't know exactly how it was done.
it's all good. everything works just fine.

try to remain calm

peace
http://www.exitshot.com

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Anyone, and I do mean ANYONE that needs a stereo installed, LET ME KNOW!

If I can get to the area, here's the cost, to have it done right:
Basic installs, you provide the parts needed:
Head unit-1 jump ticket.
Head unit and 2-4 speakers-2 jump tickets.
Amp and sub on prefab box-2 jump tickets.
Custom work-number of jump tickets varies with what you want done.

B|

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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I don't have any of the photos left of the installs I've done, but the 2 I was most pleased with were waaay cool.

4 MTX Black Gold 4 ohm 12" Subs.
1 Soundstream Reference 500 Amp.
Custom trunk box/amp rack, under plexi, bandpass system (amp was inside the bandpass section under the plexi), port was through the back seat, All this in the trunk of a Chevy Beretta. Never fully tested, so I have no idea of it's max SPL ratings.

4 MTX Black Gold 4 ohm 12" subs.
1 Soundstream Reference 405.
2 sealed boxes and a shit load of Dynamat in the trunk of a Grand Am.
This guy didn't even want the boxes finished. He was looking for maximum volume, not eye candy.
The day after it was done he entered it in a local novice class iasca event in SPL, and hit 145, good enough for 1st place.

I miss the hands on enjoyment I got doing that stuff, but the most people want to pay best buy prices for custom work. The money just isn't there anymore.

EDIT to add: I'm also a bit of an audiophile. I get sick of doing nothing but "Boom" systems. I want a soundstage, not a tin can with big drums.
It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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Ugh. Strip & Twist. That's worthy of an ass-kicking if it's done by someone who is getting paid to put it in. I use heavy-duty crimp connectors for the light stuff and I use solder and heat-shrink tubing for the important / heavier gauge connections.

The chain stores have pretty much ruined the art of a good install. Walk into a Best Buy or Circuit City and mention fiberglass or wood shaping to 99.5% of their installers and you'll make their heads explode. The other .5% will tell you that they wished they could show you their skills but the store loses money when they aren't slamming in decks all day.

My personal best record is a 1995 Honda Accord. I did a deck & 4 speakers in 38 minutes.

I also have to agree on the audiophile end. It makes me cringe when I hear a case of "boom trunk". That's the car that goes by the block with muddy bass and vibrating body panels. No mids, no highs.

My personal vehicle was a work of mania. I installed 4 different brands of speakers and played with positioning for 4 days before going with my Infinity's. I like having balanced imaging. My single JL 10" sub is more than enough of a monster with the power I have running through it to hang with most shoddily installed 12" or 15" subs but it reacts faster and has a much cleaner / warmer sound.

That's important to me because I listen to everything from rap to rock to alternative to techno to classical. When I listen to rap, I want to be able to feel my hair move. When I listen to classical, I want to be able to pick out that one violin in the middle of the orchestra.

The purity of perfection in the install industry just isn't there the way it used to be.

Kris
Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

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The purity of perfection in the install industry just isn't there the way it used to be.



Amen brutha.

I do one high end install about every year or so now. I don't look for these customers, they look for me. It's all word of mouth, and I get alot for these ones. The customers can also afford to go without their cars for up to 2 weeks.
It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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