2000 LC Speaker / Aftermarket Head Unit (1 Viewer)

[ZetheGSD]

I eventually want to do this too, it sounds pretty straight forward. However, having just purchased the LC, I'm thinking it might be best (for me) to enjoy it stock before I end up throwing more money into it... unless I can do it for a relatively cheap amount .

I just looked up the JL HD900/5, that is one expensive amp. Do you have any suggestions for something that is decently priced and still built with quality?

Alpine makes a good 5 channel amp that’s really reasonable if you want a 5-channel. Otherwise you can get 4-channel amps pretty cheap as well. I’m just saying with as much issues that you’ve run into your factory amp could be just fried causing all of the interference. I’d just bypass it as it’s super easy on your model and actually take advantage of good sound.

 

[divinealpine]

Ah I see, you make a good point. I'm hoping to dive into it again this weekend when I get some free time. I have bought an amp or even subs to understand the price range. But I'm seeing that for a reputable name, they can cost around $500 +, is my assessment close?

 

[ZetheGSD]

Ah I see, you make a good point. I'm hoping to dive into it again this weekend when I get some free time. I have bought an amp or even subs to understand the price range. But I'm seeing that for a reputable name, they can cost around $500 +, is my assessment close?

$500 for a reputable amp is not bad, but for the ability to not use the factory subwoofer and door speakers=priceless

To each their own. Before I upgraded my Head unit, I replaced all my door speakers. The sound got better (even when my door speakers were not blown). But when I went to wire an aftermarket head unit in, I just decided to delete rear sub and wire high quality RCA's to an amp in place of the factory one under the passenger seat. The difference was incredible. Now I don't care about crappy gas mileage, as I just look for reasons to drive the LC around town with the family to enjoy great music.

 

[divinealpine]

$500 for a reputable amp is not bad, but for the ability to not use the factory subwoofer and door speakers=priceless

The previous owner replaced the speakers in the doors with aftermarket ones so after upgrading my head unit it sounds great. It does sound a little lacking though because I don't get the nice sounds from the lower bass.

If I'm understanding correctly, I should be able to connect the 4 speakers to a new amp. From the same amp I can wire to a sub box. Will I need the stock amp under the seat still in order for anything to work?

I'll do some research and see how much output I need from an amp to power a 10" or 12" box. What size is your sub?


What do you think about this:

Rockford fosgate 12" sub and amp

Single voice coil woofer in a custom box, not a cheap prefab. Amplifier is a 500x1 mono channel. They are a perfect match for each other as far as specifications go. Both are in great shape. See pics

seattle.craigslist.org

Thanks everyone!

 

[NabisOne]

That amp would be fine. You would need to get power back to it though, I ran a new 4 gauge power wire to the back for my sub amp. You have two options for your door speakers. 1. Replace your stock amp with a new 5 channel amp and not have to mess with any wiring. 2. Run new speaker wires from your head unit speaker outputs down to the area under your seat where the stock amp is, disconnect your door speakers from the amp, then connect the speaker wires to the new wires you ran down. This just bypasses your amp and most newer head units have plenty of power.

Once you have that part done you could use your stock amp to power a sub or just remove it. This is what I did for awhile, I was running a dual coil 10" sub in a small box using the original sub wiring and amp. This week I switched over to a two channel amp to run the sub.

Here is a pic of how I wired my head unit up to the Metra 8113 adapter. You should have the same color wires on both the head unit and the adapter. I have a Sony head unit, but they should be the same. Yellow to battery/constant power. Red to accessory/ignition on/off power. Blue white for the amp turn on. Orange is for illumination. You will also probably have to join the two grounds on the metra harness with the ground from your head unit.

 

[ZetheGSD]

My setup is just slightly different. When I installed my new Head unit I only used a few connections from the factory wiring harness to basically power the head unit. I ran RCA's for all 4 speakers and 1 sub through the right side of the center console to my JL amp. This way I had perfectly clean signal inputs to the AMP. It was super easy and good RCA cables are really cheap considering your eliminating all chances for interference through the factory wiring and it only took a few minutes to snake the wiring through. Remove the old amp and use it's wiring harness connector to splice to your AMP output to the factory door speakers. And for my sub I just ran the two wires down my sill plates to the cargo area. I didn't use the factory sub wiring as I have 1,000 watts peak going to my dual T3 12" sub box. As far as installs go it was very easy and the 100 series gives you ample room to do whatever you want for a really clean install without much worry. Once you get to the later years (03 and later) forget about aftermarket solutions as Its been proven to be a difficult path to follow in comparison.

Use this guide:

Stereo Wiring: Land Cruiser / LX 470 (1998-02)

Article by: RobRed Applicable Models: 1998 - 2002 / 100 Series Land Cruiser or Lx 470 Changing your head unit to an aftermarket unit is pretty stra

tlcfaq.com

 

[Pucker5]

This amp is dope and way cheaper than $500. Puts out over rated too.

Amazon product ASIN B07N8KKR6X
If you go aftermarket amp you should just do all new everything from the headunit to amp and new 12 gauge wire to new speakers. Rear door speakers aren’t needed so you could run a good Comp set on the front four channels bridged and a small sun on the fifth channel.

 

[divinealpine]

I spent my spare time reading on amplifiers and subs, and whatever else I could to learn about systems. Cool stuff but a little confusing still. Like when we start talking about bridged channels...

So my headhunt is pretty good already, I don't think I need to upgrade that. The front speakers are aftermarket Pioneers, so I think they'll do just fine.

I found this kit on Amazon, I think similar to what @Pucker5 linked but different brand with all the wires:
Amazon product ASIN B00NXJP5K0
Besides the amp + kit, I think I just need to research for a 12" sub that plays well with the amp above, housing for it, and some more wires?

Thanks for the comments guys!

This amp is dope and way cheaper than $500. Puts out over rated too.

Amazon product ASIN B07N8KKR6X
If you go aftermarket amp you should just do all new everything from the headunit to amp and new 12 gauge wire to new speakers. Rear door speakers aren’t needed so you could run a good Comp set on the front four channels bridged and a small sun on the fifth channel.

Oh this amp is pretty nice and a reputable brand too. What criteria should I consider in choosing an amp?

 

[willoCo]

I just popped in a new radio yesterday.
The metra harness worked for me. I did end up stealing the power antenna wire from the harness and using it on the illumination pin becasuse it wasn't included for some reason.

It sounds like you may have the ignition and power swapped - got a multimeter? you can check it easily enough. Alternatively you may have a stuck relay.

 

[divinealpine]

I just popped in a new radio yesterday.
The metra harness worked for me. I did end up stealing the power antenna wire from the harness and using it on the illumination pin becasuse it wasn't included for some reason.

It sounds like you may have the ignition and power swapped - got a multimeter? you can check it easily enough. Alternatively you may have a stuck relay.

I do have a multimeter! I'm not exactly sure how to use it, but I know that when tapping the red end to all the holes in the harness, the "red" which is labelled ignition is pumping back ~12 back on the device when the key isn't even in... all the others are negatives or 0 in comparison.

 

[NabisOne]

Then use that red for your constant power and use the one that shows zero volts when the ignition is off for your accessory power.

 

[divinealpine]

Then use that red for your constant power and use the one that shows zero volts when the ignition is off for your accessory power.

That's a good point.... I'll try this..

 

[KX450F]

These diagrams helped me get my new head unit and amp installed.

Stereo Wiring: Land Cruiser / LX 470 (1998-02)

Article by: RobRed Applicable Models: 1998 - 2002 / 100 Series Land Cruiser or Lx 470 Changing your head unit to an aftermarket unit is pretty stra

tlcfaq.com