Well, I finally got around to installing all of the audio/visual equipment in my 80 that has been sitting around for about a month and a half. The first phase involved the installation of the front and rear speakers, as well as a subwoofer. I am a big fan of Cerwin-Vega and is what I use for my home stereo surround system. So, I opted to go this route due to their nice, tight bass response. I am also running a set in my BMW and think they sound as good as the other MB quarts in the car. The front and rear doors have 6.5” components with passive crossover networks running off of a JL Audio A4300 4-channel amplifier. I also have a 10” JL Audio subwoofer mounted in a Probox subwoofer enclosure powered by a JL Audio 250/1 subwoofer amp. All wiring was upgraded to 12 ga. for the speakers throughout the whole truck. Yes, this involved pulling most of the interior panels out in order to run everything along the factory harnesses in their own looms – everything looks like it came from the factory. The power and ground cables were 4 and 5 ga. wire running off of a distribution block with all of the proper fuses for the system.
The amplifiers were mounted in the rear shelf where the stock subwoofer is located. I also needed to remove the storage in located behind the right jump seat in order to install the A4300 amp. I spaced the amps far enough from each other and side-by-side in order to allow the proper cooling. I could have done it without the removal of the storage bin, but I would rather have proper cooling in place of something I rarely access. I mounted the amps on plywood and reinforced all of the structure with wedges, L-brackets, and screws – the amps are not going anywhere and are mounted to withstand off-rod use. All of the connections in the system were either crimp or solder and then wrapped with electrical tape of heat shrink where appropriate. All wiring between panels of the truck use the factory grommets to insure long-life and eliminate any cut wires. Also, I ran the speaker wire and power wire on opposite sides of the truck in order to decrease the amount of noise in the system – it has no interference at this point.
All of the speakers required the use of spacers which were purchased at Best Buy. I definitely needed them since the Cerwin’s have huge magnets on them. The rear doors required the most work due to the small hole you start out with. I ended up using a set of metal cutters and then just folded back each piece after I made enough cuts. I also had to make sure of the window clearance and the door stop mechanism which retracts in the door while in the closed position. The door panel was initially removed because I needed to cut a hole for the 1” tweeter while also allowing room to work the hole for the 6.5” woofer. The crossovers are mounted at the bottom of the B-pillar for the rear speakers and they are mounted behind the kick panels for the fronts.
I opted to install a separate subwoofer that can be easily relocated at a moment’s notice, or removed from the truck quickly. I just use a bungie cord to hold it in place because I did not want to install a permanent enclosure that will take up volume. Additionally, the subwoofer sounds really good in the box it was designed for.
I was running my system off of a Clarion head unit that was transferred from another car when I acquired my 80. Well, it was not good enough to control the type of functions I wanted to add to my 80. I was looking for a unit to provide front and rear DVD, Navigation, Bluetooth, Satellite capability, rear camera backup, proper rca jacks, etc. So, I decided to purchase the Clarion NX700 which has all of these features but it was not cheap. I purchased the Ipod specific cable which allows me to send audio and video to the head unit, the DVD bypass switch which allows the front passenger to watch video while the truck is moving, a Boyo vision rear Backup camera, and a set of rear LCD screens that come with their own headphones, remote, and control box.
I am not going to lie to you, there was a tremendous amount of wiring involved in phase two of the install. In order to make everything proper and look factory, you will spend a good bit of time removing the panels and routing the wires properly. The rear backup camera took longest in the whole process. I took the panel off the rear gate, as well as other metal panels, in order to route the wiring through the factory grommets and not have the chance of being pinched - this also makes sure it is weatherproof. The center console needed to be removed in order to route the wiring for the headrests. Once the wiring exits the bottom side of the seat, it enters underneath the center console and plugs into a wireless control/transmitter box. This box receives the signal from the head unit and sends it to the rear LCD headrest monitors. It also has another set of inputs I have dedicated as an auxiliary for the Xbox/PS3. The headrest units will also accept an auxiliary source directly and transmit it to the headphones. Additionally, each headrest has its own remote control. The Clarion NX700 has 2-zone capability. So, I can insert a DVD into the main unit and all three monitors will display the same movie. I can also plug in my Video Ipod which stores most of my kids movies into the installed harness and send a separate signal to the rear headrests which will then send an audio signal to their headphones. Or, I can listen to the radio, talk on the phone, use the navigation while they are doing their own thing. If a gaming machine is hooked up to the rear control box, then it will send the audio directly to the rear headphones as well.
I installed the GPS receiver on the front dash in the center where the vents are located. You really cannot tell something is there. The Bluetooth microphone is mounted on my visor directly in front of my head. I will be fixing my visor soon, so I only have it temporarily mounted at this point. I already had my Valentine one hardwired, so that is what you see in the pics and wondering what is next to the rearview mirror. I routed the Ipod specific audio/video/charging cable under the center console and placed it on the top part of the console. This allows me to place the Ipod in position and charge it in the most logical location on the center console.
The rear backup camera is very clear and I am very happy with the results. I really purchased it solely for hooking up my trailer during hunting season. It is hard to get a friend to help at 4:30 in the morning, so the backup camera will be a huge asset when mating up the hitch to the trailer - I have it aimed to where I just barely see the hitch on the monitor. The Clarion NX700 fit perfect in the dash and did not require any modification at all. I have been a big fan of Clarion for years because of the exceptional sound quality and features you get compared to much higher end units (e.g Nakamichi). This system simply sounds amazing – it is extremely clear and no distortion all the way to the point the human ear could not take it anymore.
I have included a link to more pictures but have added a few below.
Stereo Install Pictures - Clarion NX700, JLAudio A4300 & 250/1, Boyo Vision Rear Camera, Cerwin-Vega 6.5" Compnent speakers F & R, JL Audio 10" subwoofer in enclosed Box
On with the pics:
The amplifiers were mounted in the rear shelf where the stock subwoofer is located. I also needed to remove the storage in located behind the right jump seat in order to install the A4300 amp. I spaced the amps far enough from each other and side-by-side in order to allow the proper cooling. I could have done it without the removal of the storage bin, but I would rather have proper cooling in place of something I rarely access. I mounted the amps on plywood and reinforced all of the structure with wedges, L-brackets, and screws – the amps are not going anywhere and are mounted to withstand off-rod use. All of the connections in the system were either crimp or solder and then wrapped with electrical tape of heat shrink where appropriate. All wiring between panels of the truck use the factory grommets to insure long-life and eliminate any cut wires. Also, I ran the speaker wire and power wire on opposite sides of the truck in order to decrease the amount of noise in the system – it has no interference at this point.
All of the speakers required the use of spacers which were purchased at Best Buy. I definitely needed them since the Cerwin’s have huge magnets on them. The rear doors required the most work due to the small hole you start out with. I ended up using a set of metal cutters and then just folded back each piece after I made enough cuts. I also had to make sure of the window clearance and the door stop mechanism which retracts in the door while in the closed position. The door panel was initially removed because I needed to cut a hole for the 1” tweeter while also allowing room to work the hole for the 6.5” woofer. The crossovers are mounted at the bottom of the B-pillar for the rear speakers and they are mounted behind the kick panels for the fronts.
I opted to install a separate subwoofer that can be easily relocated at a moment’s notice, or removed from the truck quickly. I just use a bungie cord to hold it in place because I did not want to install a permanent enclosure that will take up volume. Additionally, the subwoofer sounds really good in the box it was designed for.
I was running my system off of a Clarion head unit that was transferred from another car when I acquired my 80. Well, it was not good enough to control the type of functions I wanted to add to my 80. I was looking for a unit to provide front and rear DVD, Navigation, Bluetooth, Satellite capability, rear camera backup, proper rca jacks, etc. So, I decided to purchase the Clarion NX700 which has all of these features but it was not cheap. I purchased the Ipod specific cable which allows me to send audio and video to the head unit, the DVD bypass switch which allows the front passenger to watch video while the truck is moving, a Boyo vision rear Backup camera, and a set of rear LCD screens that come with their own headphones, remote, and control box.
I am not going to lie to you, there was a tremendous amount of wiring involved in phase two of the install. In order to make everything proper and look factory, you will spend a good bit of time removing the panels and routing the wires properly. The rear backup camera took longest in the whole process. I took the panel off the rear gate, as well as other metal panels, in order to route the wiring through the factory grommets and not have the chance of being pinched - this also makes sure it is weatherproof. The center console needed to be removed in order to route the wiring for the headrests. Once the wiring exits the bottom side of the seat, it enters underneath the center console and plugs into a wireless control/transmitter box. This box receives the signal from the head unit and sends it to the rear LCD headrest monitors. It also has another set of inputs I have dedicated as an auxiliary for the Xbox/PS3. The headrest units will also accept an auxiliary source directly and transmit it to the headphones. Additionally, each headrest has its own remote control. The Clarion NX700 has 2-zone capability. So, I can insert a DVD into the main unit and all three monitors will display the same movie. I can also plug in my Video Ipod which stores most of my kids movies into the installed harness and send a separate signal to the rear headrests which will then send an audio signal to their headphones. Or, I can listen to the radio, talk on the phone, use the navigation while they are doing their own thing. If a gaming machine is hooked up to the rear control box, then it will send the audio directly to the rear headphones as well.
I installed the GPS receiver on the front dash in the center where the vents are located. You really cannot tell something is there. The Bluetooth microphone is mounted on my visor directly in front of my head. I will be fixing my visor soon, so I only have it temporarily mounted at this point. I already had my Valentine one hardwired, so that is what you see in the pics and wondering what is next to the rearview mirror. I routed the Ipod specific audio/video/charging cable under the center console and placed it on the top part of the console. This allows me to place the Ipod in position and charge it in the most logical location on the center console.
The rear backup camera is very clear and I am very happy with the results. I really purchased it solely for hooking up my trailer during hunting season. It is hard to get a friend to help at 4:30 in the morning, so the backup camera will be a huge asset when mating up the hitch to the trailer - I have it aimed to where I just barely see the hitch on the monitor. The Clarion NX700 fit perfect in the dash and did not require any modification at all. I have been a big fan of Clarion for years because of the exceptional sound quality and features you get compared to much higher end units (e.g Nakamichi). This system simply sounds amazing – it is extremely clear and no distortion all the way to the point the human ear could not take it anymore.
I have included a link to more pictures but have added a few below.
Stereo Install Pictures - Clarion NX700, JLAudio A4300 & 250/1, Boyo Vision Rear Camera, Cerwin-Vega 6.5" Compnent speakers F & R, JL Audio 10" subwoofer in enclosed Box
On with the pics:
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