Car audio help!

cobrarwanab

cobrarwanab

Club Member
I am planning on installing a car audio system in my 85 gt today but don't really have strong knowledge in this field. Wondering if some one has a link to a generic wiring diagram (W/ wire gage sizes listed) or if someone could crudely draw one up using the components i have? Also, is it better to wire the speakers is series or parallel?

List of what i have.

JVC Arsenal KD-AR960
2 Kenwood 3-1/2 dash speakers
2 Lightning Audio 6 x 9" 3 Way Full Range Speakers
2 Pioneer TS-A1670R, 6-1/2" 3-Way 180W Car Speakers

I am getting an amp and sub from a buddy later today i think it is a 1000 watt amp and a 10in sub.
 
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www.crutchfield.com has installation tips and any adapters you'll need for the wiring harnesses.

If you get an adapter harness it should be plug and play as far as the head unit. Use the stock wiring to the speakers if you're running them off the head unit.
 
BigWheelinBubba said:
www.crutchfield.com has installation tips and any adapters you'll need for the wiring harnesses.

If you get an adapter harness it should be plug and play as far as the head unit. Use the stock wiring to the speakers if you're running them off the head unit.
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Thanks a ton! I was on the web site earlier but couldn't find the correct aria. With the help of the pdf help files i should have no problem. The guy who had the car before me had hard wired the head unit in and removed all the stock speaker wire. I will have to run new wire to all speakers and hard wire the head unit in.
 
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Ok, I wired it up and it all works. I didn't get ahold of my buddy for the amp or sub so i am running speakers through radio. I have good highs but very week lows. I don't listen to trunk thumping music but i to crank my rock up quite loud! And i want it to sound good and powerful. What size amp and sub should i be looking for?
 
Amp size depends on sub size and power...sub size depends on what you want out of it. For me I have a 10" sub in a sealed box. I like to crank up the rock as well and i's works great. The sealed box offers tight bass ans being that it's a 10 it's in a relatively small box. The bigger you go on the sub size the bigger the box is going to be. Go with a good name brand sub and amp combo. I spent a good chunk of change on just my sub and amp setup but it has paid off in the end and has lasted me 5 years and counting. I'm running a JL audio W7 10" connected to an Alpine Mono block 500W amp.

What brand sub and amp are you getting from your buddy? The amp may say 1000W but most likely if it's a cheapo you will get maybe 200W out of it continuious...push it too hard and it will last about a month.
 
hey you were looking for help on cl the other day make sure you have 8 seperate wires for the speakers 86 might still be a common ground system if so you need to run new wires for all the speakers
 
cobrarwanab said:
Ok, I wired it up and it all works. I didn't get ahold of my buddy for the amp or sub so i am running speakers through radio. I have good highs but very week lows. I don't listen to trunk thumping music but i to crank my rock up quite loud! And i want it to sound good and powerful. What size amp and sub should i be looking for?
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You have many options here. Realistically, you won't need much power, as your virgin ears (to loud in-car bass) should be relatively pleased with any entry-level subwoofer setup. First off, judging by your music taste, I recommend a simple sealed enclosure. Avoid ported and especially bandpass enclosures, as they peak the subwoofer's output at a certain frequency, which really has no place in the realm of rock; it would just result in a muddy sound.

I don't see you needing to go beyond the ~400RMS range to be pleased. Some really good (and easily obtainable) subwoofer lines are the Alpine Type S,R, Kicker L7 (L5 in your case, perhaps) etc. I don't see you needing more than one sub. Just PM me if you need to know more of the specifics. Be aware of the myths that enshroud car audio, I can help you cut through the bullcrap.
 
BigWheelinBubba said:
Connect the orange illum wire to the blue wire with red stripe. Its the Ford illum. source and it'll come on with the dash lights.
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Thank you for all the help sir, it worked great!

glh_turbo22 said:
Amp size depends on sub size and power...sub size depends on what you want out of it. For me I have a 10" sub in a sealed box. I like to crank up the rock as well and i's works great. The sealed box offers tight bass ans being that it's a 10 it's in a relatively small box. The bigger you go on the sub size the bigger the box is going to be. Go with a good name brand sub and amp combo. I spent a good chunk of change on just my sub and amp setup but it has paid off in the end and has lasted me 5 years and counting. I'm running a JL audio W7 10" connected to an Alpine Mono block 500W amp.

What brand sub and amp are you getting from your buddy? The amp may say 1000W but most likely if it's a cheapo you will get maybe 200W out of it continuious...push it too hard and it will last about a month.
Click to expand...

I was thinking a 10 would do it for me and i will be making a sealed fiberglass enclosure. My buddy is not sure if he wants to sell his stuff so i have no amp or sub as of now.

moneypit said:
hey you were looking for help on cl the other day make sure you have 8 seperate wires for the speakers 86 might still be a common ground system if so you need to run new wires for all the speakers
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Yea, I had to run new wire to all the speakers. wasn't hard, just time consuming getting them all hidden correctly.

Raditz said:
You have many options here. Realistically, you won't need much power, as your virgin ears (to loud in-car bass) should be relatively pleased with any entry-level subwoofer setup. First off, judging by your music taste, I recommend a simple sealed enclosure. Avoid ported and especially bandpass enclosures, as they peak the subwoofer's output at a certain frequency, which really has no place in the realm of rock; it would just result in a muddy sound.

I don't see you needing to go beyond the ~400RMS range to be pleased. Some really good (and easily obtainable) subwoofer lines are the Alpine Type S,R, Kicker L7 (L5 in your case, perhaps) etc. I don't see you needing more than one sub. Just PM me if you need to know more of the specifics. Be aware of the myths that enshroud car audio, I can help you cut through the bullcrap.
Click to expand...

You will soon have a pm im sure.





Thank you everyone for the help. We covered none of this in collage and i am for the most part in the dark.
 
ive recently hooked up this system for my buddy. hes got an 03 quad cab cummins.

kenwood excellon flip out
alpine type r componets with tweets in the dash
polk db series 6.5's in the rear doors
alpine 4 channel amp for the componets and rear doors
rockford t1 12" sub in a slot port box
rockford amp matched to the t1.

i used 0 gauge from the battery to a distrobution block then 2 gauge from that to the sub amp and 8 gauge to the 4 channel. ran 14 gauge from the 4 channel to all speakers and 10 gauge sub wire to the t1. he listens to eveything from rap to hard rock to country. its pounds hard and is extremely crisp and clean. you can hear the highs and mids perfect.
 
watch ebay for used older stuff You can usually gra some 2-3 year old morels or diamond audio stuff for 20-30 cents on the dollar heck my image dynamics horns first went into a car in 1995 , the rockford components are from the mid 90s I have a set of JL 6.5s pretty much brand new ill sell ya cheap I had them hooked up for like 20 minutes they are to bright for me
 
Alright, I traded my buddy a 6a ignition for a Cerwin-Vega Vmax 12in sub and a Lanzar Vibe 500watt amp. I plan on attempting to make a fiberglass sealed enclosure. Can i fab a skeleton out of wood then rap it with felt an cover it with resin, Sand then paint to finish? Would that work? Also is there a certain amount of volume aria i would have to factor in when sizing the enclosure?
 
yes you can do that after the resin you need 2-3 layers of mat then filler if you are painting also the enclosure needs to be sized for the woofer
 
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