SPF Radio Install

[madmaxx]

I decided to install a radio. The car has been running flawlessly for months now and I am venturing further out. Running down the highway with no radio gets boring at times. I did not want to detract from the appearance of the dash in anyway so I mounted the radio in the trunk. The radio has a wired remote which works flawlessly and is very intuitive. The radio is also set up for Ipod so I have 4K songs at my fingertips. I built the speaker enclosure. Once again I did not want to bring attention to the speakers so i went with some cheap pioneer speakers since they have a plane grill. I have about $220 into the entire system and it sounds pretty darn good. I have little to no bass but I put some Infinities in just to test and they sounded Great. So I am going to put my plane speaker covers on the Infinities and have the best of both worlds. I ran the wires under the car and only had to drill one small hole for the speaker wires. If I brush the carpet you never even know a hole was there if I decide to remove the radio. I got the speaker box carpet at walmart and is designed for trunks, it was $8.88 for 2 yards it matches the carpet in the car PERFECT. I used contact cement to install and I could put my speaker enclosure up against anyones and it looks as good, corners are tight witn no wrinkles etc.

[RedBarchetta]

Clean install! Would love to hear more (i.e. exact components used, part #'s, etc.).
Not on my priority list at the moment, but always want to learn more.

-Dean

[cobras]

me also im looking doing something like this also but looking for places to hide the speakers. under the dash behind the seats so they are out of sight, so any info would be great, as it to the wiring and all, does the alt give of enough power to run the radio? i was told once before there is something needed to be done to the wiring to prevent shorting out.

[VintageUpgrades]

Here is a 6.5" driver in the kick panel of a SPF. The only drawback to this location is that you need about 100w per speaker to hear them.

[madmaxx]

Vintage nice install !!, I was afraid I would loose some leg room and as you suggested you would need at least 100 watts.

The components I used were as followed purchased from Crutchfield:
Sony Xplod CDX-GT62IPW - $129
Sony RM-X4s remote - $35
Universal undersdash kit - $Free with radio purchase of $129 or $24.99
Mini stereo 6' extension cable $3.99 at Fry electronics
Speaker wire 18 gauge $5.49 at Fry electronics
1/2 MDF 2'x4' at Home Depot ( I did not use the 3/4" to thick)
Trunk carpet at Walmart $8.88
Contact Cement $4.99 at Walmart.

[madmaxx]

Sorry my current speakers are Pioneer 6.5" from walmart at $39.88 but like I will upgrade to the Infinities for $99.99.

I have a 6 amp fuse in my power to radio, so absolultely enough power with stock alternator and battery. In fact I but the drain is less than my MSD ignition, It does not even make my amp gauge move when I turn on the radio. The brake lights use more power.

[vegasmike]

Where did you tap into power for the receiver?

I have been thinking about this as well and never even thought about the speaker box, doh.

Does the wired remote go back through the same hole as the speaker wire?

How is the speaker box secured?

Thanks!

[madmaxx]

Since the radio is mounted in the trunk I ran a wire from the battery directly to the radio. This is the way my boat radio has been wired for 12 years. The radio has a 10 amp fuse but I installed a fuse holder ($1.99) and 6 amp fuse at the postive battery terminal. This will protect the battery and wire if somehow the wire gets damaged etc.The radio has an automatic shutoff feature where 30 seconds after you hit the off button, on the radio or remote the radio completely powers down but does not loose programmed stations. In other words I tied the radio power and sensing wires together when connecting to the battery (this is illustrated in the radio instructions)

Yes the wired remote goes back through the same hole for the speaker wires. It is behind the passenger seat and low on the passenger bulkhead so it is not visible. I ran the speaker wires and remote wire under the car following the frame rails and tie wrapping to ensure it was secure. The two speaker wires and remote control wires were all taped together with electrical tape and then inside 3/8" plastic conduit, (sounds like alot but it took me 20 minutes since it is only about 9 feet long). I ran the wires under the car because I did not want to drill the trunk bulkhead, I did not want the hole high in the passenger compartment bulkhead, in case the radio is ever removed I did not want a visible hole left behind, and there is a gap between the trunk bulkhead and passenger compartment bulkhead, which means you would need a long drill bit.

The speaker box is secured with two #8 1/1-1/4" screws. If I were to remove the screws and speaker box and rub the carpet you would never be able to tell a hole was ever there since they are so small and the carpet back fills. The speaker enclosure is mounted very firmly I would have thought more screws would have been necessary but it is not the case.

As far as an antenna I used the same as on fiberglass boats, it was $6.98 at boaters world and just amounts to a wire which lays in the trunk, I have it crammed behind the radio and it has no issues with reception.

[madmaxx]

I got the idea for the speaker box from a ebay auction I lost last year. It was a superformance, problem is the used the wrong carpet, it matched but not perfect. They had mounted the radio between the two dash supports. Problem is they had to move one support out so it would be wide enough between the post to mount the radio, (looked like crap) and the radio was not flush with the dash since it hit the defroster? valve. Glove compartment was another choice but with infered remote am I supposed to ride arond with the glove compartment open, or open the glove compartment up to change stations, since I was forced to use a remote I decided to put it completely out of the way in the trunk and with an ipod, the cd will probably not be used.

[RedBarchetta]

Thanks for the other details.

[Maurice Johnson]

Maxx,

You might keep in mind that the power supply to keep the station memory alive (usually a yellow wire) is drawing current at all times. Even though the amperage is small, it adds up over a period of time in vehicles which don't get daily use, eg, 1/4 amp x 24hrs x 7 days = 42amps. I often find this problem of flat batteries in my marine work on small boats which only get occasional use.

[BlueRooster]

I have custom speakers in the footwell, and an amp enclosure in the trunk of my spf. I have been wanting to remove and sell the whole kit and kaboodle. My stereo is mounted under the dash with a custom swing down that allows you to pull the stereo down to set it then swing it back up under the dash..pretty cool but I cant hear a damn thing when the motors running. If anyone is local and interested, I would be willing to discuss it.

[madmaxx]

Thanks Maurice,

I know about the sensing wire but never had an issue even when my boat has set for 4 or 5 months, cranks everytime. 1/4 amp would have to be the max, luckly where I live I can drive year around. I am going to try to take some pictures of how the wiring is run, this is a very simple project anyone can do that wants a radio. Two pairs of speaker wires, red and yellow to battery, black to ground, antenna plug in, remote plug in and voila it is done.

[madmaxx]

I have to admit even with my $40 speakers I hear the radio very well, maybe it is because they are right next to my ear. Now it does not sound like a Lexus Mark Levinson system but it is functional and works well. Needless to day if you hammer the throttle the engine will drowed it out, but I prefer that. I am most impressed with the remote, I was shifting gears and changing the radio stations with the same hand it is very intuitive.

[cobras]

Originally Posted by BlueRooster

I have custom speakers in the footwell, and an amp enclosure in the trunk of my spf. I have been wanting to remove and sell the whole kit and kaboodle. My stereo is mounted under the dash with a custom swing down that allows you to pull the stereo down to set it then swing it back up under the dash..pretty cool but I cant hear a damn thing when the motors running. If anyone is local and interested, I would be willing to discuss it.

do you have any pics of this swing radio you made up,i would love to see how it looks

[BlueRooster]

I do not have pics. The radio never gets used so I forget it's even there. But if there is genuine interest in it I will take few. But, remember, it all goes together. I do not want to piece it out. It would include the custom footboxes and the speakers, the amp and the stereo.

I can always look at the stereo cradle and see if I can explain how it works.

[cobras]

well if you will ship it to canada i just might buy it, can you post some pictures of the system.

[PANAVIA]

how do you like the sony remote >?

[madmaxx]

The sony remote is the best part of the whole system, incredibly intuitive. I wish I had one on my dailey drivers. This radio sets out little beeps so when you go from tuner to cd to ipod to aux different beeps are heard so when using the remote you know where you are at.

As far as speakers I finally hit the sweet spot, my $40 pioneer were really light on the base so I got some Alpines 6.5/6.75 - SPS600's off the web for $65 including shipping, normally $100 at best buy and you can feel the base in the seat!!! I reran my marine antenna, "just a wire" out an existing grommet and under the rear skirt where the tail lights are, reception was good in the trunk but this made it as good as my Lexus.

[madmaxx]

one thing with the alpines is they have a stainless steel mesh screen which is a little loud in my opinion, I am going to spray them black to better blend in with the carpet.