Should be FC convertible pick-up time on Saturday so naturally I\'m starting to think about replacing the original 1980s radio and speakers with something a bit more useable these days.
Which basically means an MP3 headunit that\'s not too nickable and some decent speakers. And because I don\'t like things easy :Hammer it all has to fit into the original holes provided. The car is so original that cutting up the door panels would be a sacrilege...
So my current thoughts run along these lines:
- Headunit - the Sony CDX GT-300 looks reasonable to me. Does MP3s, not too expensive in case some scrote thinks it\'ll look better in his/her car and it\'s got an AUX connector for my non-IPod MP3 player.
- A set of decent two-way speakers to fit the doors
- A compact self-powered woofer that\'s small enough to fit under the passenger set. Like a Kenwood KSC SW1.
I don\'t need a system that\'s brutally loud and has enough bass to set of car alarms (I\'ve got an old Ducati for that :D) but would want a nice sounding system that (a) doesn\'t break the bank and (b) doesn\'t attract thieving fingers...
Anybody got and experience to share and/or further suggestions? I\'d prefer to build this whole thing in accordance with the KISS principle so I think I can do without additional complications like separate amps etc...
The thing i noticed when i put the speakers in my vert is there is no good places behind you to fit the rears?
I had a very Simple set up, I had a set of 6" Alpine Components in the Doors with the tweeters in on the Mirror Finishers (the A shaped things on the inside covering the mirror screws) i found even though they sounded ok it was missing somthing in the back. I did think about cutting holes in my parcel shelf but i know they are realy rare so i ended up putting a Sub in a custom box under the shelf (in the rear wells where the seats would be in a Coupe) i then decided to run the Components and Sub off an Amp which sounded suprisingly good.
I am like you i am not into setting car alarms off but i found my set up worked realy well, the sound quality was good but i did spend alot of time wiring it up and getting rid of ratles etc.
Yes, I pretty much gave up on the idea of fitting rears. Unfortunately for an audio install, it doesn\'t have the Noddy Big Ears seats with the built-in speakers...
So there is actually enough space for a decentish sub + enclosure under the shelf? I was kinda wondering if the roof mechanism filled the whole thing...
I\'d expect that some de-rattleing will have to take place but I was hoping that as long as I put 5.25" speakers in the doors (I think that\'s the original size, correct?) there shouldn\'t be enough bass to originate from them to make the doors rattle. I guess I\'ll find out pretty soon...
The idea with components and putting up the tweeters on the mirror plates is quite neat. I was thinking of putting them fairly high up on the \'A\' pillars but that would mean I\'d need a second set as they\'d require some drilling...
OTOH I could try my hand at laying CF and make duplicates of the ones on the car and then create a mold for pillar covers that can incorporate both tweeters and a couple of gauges. As if I had the time for something like this :)
Well, a little update - got the ICE update completed today.
No major obstacles if you discount stuffing this major knot of spaghetti wiring into the non-existing space behind the HU:
(http://www.bsdninjas.co.uk/car/rx-7-ice-2.jpg)
Also managed to hide the line-in box for the HU above the dash speaker grille for the passenger. Only clue that it\'s there is the line-in wire hanging down from there at the moment:
(http://www.bsdninjas.co.uk/car/rx-7-ice-1.jpg)
And after I managed to shove the HU back in the mess disappeared as well ;)
(http://www.bsdninjas.co.uk/car/rx-7-ice-5.jpg)
Currently running a self-powered sub hidden under the spare wheel. As I didn\'t know if I would want to keep it there I "made" the mounts from some mattress-type foam I lying around. If you look closely you can see that it\'s wedged in all around:
(http://www.bsdninjas.co.uk/car/rx-7-ice-3.jpg)
Not that happy with it, it mainly produces flatulenty boom-boom noises that may satisfy the reverse baseball cap crowd but not myself. I picked up a couple of ideas on TalkAudio about building a fibreglass sub enclosure in this space instead but that has to wait until the wallet refills.
Oh, and the front speakers turned into a stealth install - the supplied grille & surround wouldn\'t fit in the available space so I used a couple of washers as shims and mounted the new speakers using the original grilles from the crappy Clarions that were in the car:
(http://www.bsdninjas.co.uk/car/rx-7-ice-4.jpg)
Of course I had to take it for a test drive afterwards. Still trying to work out why the direct way back to Ashford from Hythe goes via Hastings and Battle :rollin