Completed Stereo Install

[Hot*Mk8]

Well, with the cover aside, the stereo install got completed in a record... four-and-a-half days! I repaired the stupid triangle door trim pieces, relocated the air bag module and did a substantially better job on the head unit this time. Soldered the wires to the speakers because I hated the connectors that I got and I ended up soldering all of my crimp stuff, too, because I hate stupid connections. I don't want any of this stuff going anywhere! Also was thrilled to discover that the amps I chose, the Kenwood 8405 4-channel and Kenwood 8105D Monoblock, were plenty small enough to be located in the factory amp tray. I just dremmeled out the clips and extra plastic bits. Yippee!!! The only thing that shows is the JL Sub box. I couldn't use the capacitor, though, because it was too big. Doesn't matter at all even at the loudest volume I can take, so I couldn't be happier. I will NEVER do an install like this EVER again. Wow. The timing is perfect, though, because the 98 is still at the mechanic for the valve cover gaskets awaiting the new powder coated covers which are due today. I had the whole garage to hog up for five days! Oh ya. It sounds absolutely phenominal! Shew. Thanks for all the tips that were given to the other guy during his install. I pity him trying to run zero gauge wire through any openings in the firewall, however. My four gauge went very nicely through the mondo grommet on the passenger side and I ran all of the RCAs and turn-on down the passenger side as well. What was so awesome about using the amp tray was that I was able to create two grounds on the back seat framework that perform flawlessly. The wires are about 11" long.

I wouldn't recommend watching the video unless you're really, really bored either. My iPhone is a tad over-matched with that much input, but you get the idea.

The beginning:

Routing 4 gauge wire in front of radiator and through the Mondo Grommet:

Adding RCAs and remote turn-on and removing the adapter for the factory wire harness:

Command central:

Passenger side speaker re-wire:

My interior pretending to be an exterior:

Backseat out and polishing rag acting as a cushion for the singular plastic screw that sticks up in the most inopportune location:

Cables into the tray:

I made a quiche at the start of the third day:

Wa la:

Lastly, the new battery connections:

VIDEO

 

[chris2523]

excellent.

did you put the amp up in the tray where the old one was?

 

[NoLimit95]

Looks like you attacked it in a clean way and it looks good. How does it sound to you?

 

[Hot*Mk8]

excellent.

did you put the amp up in the tray where the old one was?

Hey, Chris. Yes, I was able to put both amps into the tray with no problems at all.

Looks like you attacked it in a clean way and it looks good. How does it sound to you?

In 2000, I spent about $1800 on a system for my F-150 that came with a Thunderbox sub unit and a very nice Sony XPlod head unit with separates and this system blows that one away!!!!!! That one was on one amp and this one, of course, is on two. The JLs are brilliant and you were totally right about not needing the factory tweets. The Alpines have directional tweeters, so I made sure they were pointing at each seat. I also tried to find the volume max and couldn't. It was too loud for me to bear without distortion. Oh, I am very thrilled. It was worth the effort and I am super pleased that the amps are out of the way.

 

[chris2523]

Nice. I have thought about it before. I'm gonna try it.

 

[unity]

Once thing I liked about the Mark, and dont have in the Benz, were those awesome cable tracks that were already in place making it so easy to install the power on one side, audio on the other without making the carpet bunch up, etc.

Good job. Looks great!

 

[97MarkJA]

Nice job on the install!
Nice job on the quiche too..

 

[Trippen Out]

Hopefully this info isnt taken the wrong way because it is always very very nice to see someone take their time when they do something like this. with that said take this with a grain of salt

I think the soilder is overkill but cool that you took that extra step. hell i dont even really care for butt connects . electical tape or a wirenut is perfect makes it easy for removal and upgrades with out having to chop wires down. (i doubt you do a lot of upgrading tho so no biggie for you)

in regards to the way 0awg its a lot easier then you think. it doesnt go through the firewall at all. it actually best (in my opinion) to run straight down the drivers side and slip it up under the fender but still inside the plastic wheel well. in door crack area there is a rubber plug that you can pop out. you then run the wire into that and straight down into your qtr panel. its kind of a bitch but its worth the effort to get a really nice clean install as well. from there you just hit the channels ont he side and run it straight back.

notice i said run it straight down the drivers side. i think you did some extra work running it over to the passanger side and then into the car. also again just my opinion. when you keep it on the drivers side it makes it easier to segregate things. What i mean by that is im one of those believers that you run your power on one side of the car and you keep them as far way as you can from your rca and speaker wires. im a little nutty tho because i do even when i use the extra shielded stuff too.

when it comes to caps its never to big. im pretty sure you could of easily mounted it on the backside of the box. i took my 25 farad cap and mounted it in side the cab of my car where the middle arm folds down. its always worth it to have the cap installed even if its just 1-3 farads.

I like how you were able to mount your amps up in the stock amprack. i sadly had to tear that crap out of my trunk. so i sacrafised the spare wheel and installed my amps into the wheel well.

its not easy to tell from the pictures but i do hope you (and im pretty sure you would have with all the time you spent) ran your speaker wires correctly through the rubber in the doors. i can not tell you how crazy it makes me when people open their doors and you see a speaker wire just dangling next to that rubber peice.

the way i installed my system you can not see one wire at all anywhere with two exceptions. you have to open the drivers side door and look through the crack and you will see about an inch of 0awg wire. and the other is in the back seat where the cap is. however the way its run is purdy so it looks good.

I think you did an excellant job on your install. i bet it sounds awesome once you get the amps tuned correctly. and might be as so bold to suggest the big 3 upgrade. granted your using 4awg wire however with the lower out put of these alternators and as much power as our cars like to suck it would be worth it to at least do it with 2awg or better mostly for the grounds.

 

[UltimateSVT]

Nicely done! In fact, SUPER nicely done. 2 years ago I uninstalled my 2 12" PUNCH speakers & my 2000 watt amp from my truck. When I'm done painting the black '97, that system is going in there!

 

[97MarkJA]

Hopefully this info isnt taken the wrong way because it is always very very nice to see someone take their time when they do something like this. with that said take this with a grain of salt

I think the soilder is overkill but cool that you took that extra step. hell i dont even really care for butt connects . electical tape or a wirenut is perfect makes it easy for removal and upgrades with out having to chop wires down. (i doubt you do a lot of upgrading tho so no biggie for you)

in regards to the way 0awg its a lot easier then you think. it doesnt go through the firewall at all. it actually best (in my opinion) to run straight down the drivers side and slip it up under the fender but still inside the plastic wheel well. in door crack area there is a rubber plug that you can pop out. you then run the wire into that and straight down into your qtr panel. its kind of a bitch but its worth the effort to get a really nice clean install as well. from there you just hit the channels ont he side and run it straight back.

notice i said run it straight down the drivers side. i think you did some extra work running it over to the passanger side and then into the car. also again just my opinion. when you keep it on the drivers side it makes it easier to segregate things. What i mean by that is im one of those believers that you run your power on one side of the car and you keep them as far way as you can from your rca and speaker wires. im a little nutty tho because i do even when i use the extra shielded stuff too.

when it comes to caps its never to big. im pretty sure you could of easily mounted it on the backside of the box. i took my 25 farad cap and mounted it in side the cab of my car where the middle arm folds down. its always worth it to have the cap installed even if its just 1-3 farads.

I like how you were able to mount your amps up in the stock amprack. i sadly had to tear that crap out of my trunk. so i sacrafised the spare wheel and installed my amps into the wheel well.

its not easy to tell from the pictures but i do hope you (and im pretty sure you would have with all the time you spent) ran your speaker wires correctly through the rubber in the doors. i can not tell you how crazy it makes me when people open their doors and you see a speaker wire just dangling next to that rubber peice.

the way i installed my system you can not see one wire at all anywhere with two exceptions. you have to open the drivers side door and look through the crack and you will see about an inch of 0awg wire. and the other is in the back seat where the cap is. however the way its run is purdy so it looks good.

I think you did an excellant job on your install. i bet it sounds awesome once you get the amps tuned correctly. and might be as so bold to suggest the big 3 upgrade. granted your using 4awg wire however with the lower out put of these alternators and as much power as our cars like to suck it would be worth it to at least do it with 2awg or better mostly for the grounds.

Dont take this the wrong way wire nuts go in houses.

 

[Hot*Mk8]

Hopefully this info isnt taken the wrong way because it is always very very nice to see someone take their time when they do something like this. with that said take this with a grain of salt

I think the soilder is overkill but cool that you took that extra step. hell i dont even really care for butt connects . electical tape or a wirenut is perfect makes it easy for removal and upgrades with out having to chop wires down. (i doubt you do a lot of upgrading tho so no biggie for you)

in regards to the way 0awg its a lot easier then you think. it doesnt go through the firewall at all. it actually best (in my opinion) to run straight down the drivers side and slip it up under the fender but still inside the plastic wheel well. in door crack area there is a rubber plug that you can pop out. you then run the wire into that and straight down into your qtr panel. its kind of a bitch but its worth the effort to get a really nice clean install as well. from there you just hit the channels ont he side and run it straight back.

notice i said run it straight down the drivers side. i think you did some extra work running it over to the passanger side and then into the car. also again just my opinion. when you keep it on the drivers side it makes it easier to segregate things. What i mean by that is im one of those believers that you run your power on one side of the car and you keep them as far way as you can from your rca and speaker wires. im a little nutty tho because i do even when i use the extra shielded stuff too.

when it comes to caps its never to big. im pretty sure you could of easily mounted it on the backside of the box. i took my 25 farad cap and mounted it in side the cab of my car where the middle arm folds down. its always worth it to have the cap installed even if its just 1-3 farads.

I like how you were able to mount your amps up in the stock amprack. i sadly had to tear that crap out of my trunk. so i sacrafised the spare wheel and installed my amps into the wheel well.

its not easy to tell from the pictures but i do hope you (and im pretty sure you would have with all the time you spent) ran your speaker wires correctly through the rubber in the doors. i can not tell you how crazy it makes me when people open their doors and you see a speaker wire just dangling next to that rubber peice.

the way i installed my system you can not see one wire at all anywhere with two exceptions. you have to open the drivers side door and look through the crack and you will see about an inch of 0awg wire. and the other is in the back seat where the cap is. however the way its run is purdy so it looks good.

I think you did an excellant job on your install. i bet it sounds awesome once you get the amps tuned correctly. and might be as so bold to suggest the big 3 upgrade. granted your using 4awg wire however with the lower out put of these alternators and as much power as our cars like to suck it would be worth it to at least do it with 2awg or better mostly for the grounds.

I appreciate all of your time and interesting thoughts. I will definitely do the Big 3 upgrade as soon as my finger tips heal from this install. As I have a degree in electrical engineering, I tend to do these sorts of things correctly or not at all. I absolutely pulled those speaker wires through each rubber join between the door and body and appropriately through the larger one in the engine bay. The only part of this install that you can see is the head unit and the sub box in the trunk. I don't intend to ever take the door panels off again unless a repair is warranted, so soldering for me is a fool proof connection. Besides, it's good to keep up the skill. Also, I do agree with you on separating the power from signal whenever possible. The Cadence cables that I used are very nicely shielded though, and I did run them in separate channels. At this point it is immeasurably quieter than with the factory wires and amp and is obviously pushing substantially more.

 

[LowLincoln]

me gusta!

Maybe I missed it in the description but what 5x8's did you go with?

 

[chris2523]

the x brace behind my seat is cracked...

 

[Hot*Mk8]

me gusta!

Maybe I missed it in the description but what 5x8's did you go with?

I used the Alpine-SPR68. They really sound excellent, even with the factory wiring and JBL amp. They are certainly much better now, however.

And, Chris. Wow, that sucks. I wonder how the heck that happened. I never use my back seat, so it wouldn't bother me that much. I also deleted the seatbelts on the lower cushion while I was there so I don't have to mess with trying to tidy the long belt under the armrest.

 

[SwedishMark]

Looking good!
Just wait a while and then you want more
Are you running front system off the stock JBL amp? Hmm, I belive the amp inside the aftermarket stereo is better than the JBL amp... :/ Screw that, get a tube amp

 

[Hot*Mk8]

Looking good!
Just wait a while and then you want more
Are you running front system off the stock JBL amp? Hmm, I belive the amp inside the aftermarket stereo is better than the JBL amp... :/ Screw that, get a tube amp

No, man. I'm running a Kenwood 8405 for the fronts and an 8105D monoblock for the subs. Ha ha!!! Tube amp. Sound awesome though. You're right!!! Just not sure about where to get them tubes to fit

 

[izackary]

Dont take this the wrong way wire nuts go in houses.

Hah...I agree. I don't even like using wire nuts in home A/V and other low voltage. Butt crimps are often (not always) the best choice IMO.

 

[NoLimit95]

I also deleted the seat belts on the lower cushion while I was there so I don't have to mess with trying to tidy the long belt under the armrest.

I don't have the rear arm rest but there are no arms in my back seat either and I removed my belts too. I only left the stubs where the belt clips in but I got rid of all that other back there.

 

[izackary]

I don't have the rear arm rest but there are no arms in my back seat either and I removed my belts too. I only left the stubs where the belt clips in but I got rid of all that other back there.

Your back seat needs more subs.

 

[Stack]

Looks like a nice and well thought out install!

Cap's are bandaids for systems... Upgrade the root cause of the problem.

So did you just disconnect the factory tweeter in the doors?

 

[Hot*Mk8]

Looks like a nice and well thought out install!

Cap's are bandaids for systems... Upgrade the root cause of the problem.

So did you just disconnect the factory tweeter in the doors?

I did disconnect the factory tweets. I MAY add some down the road just because I don't like my leg blocking the flow from the left front. It sounds excellent, though. So I'll be rockin' some long nails for a while and not working on my lovely. Oh, aside from adding my sought after Optima battery and tray. Pictures tomorrow... And I'm having zero issue with the draw from the units I chose. It's all GOOD!!!

 

[KStromberg]

Well done Laurie!

I watched your youtube video and I approve the heavy dubstep.

I also subscribed to your channel because I'm cool like that.

 

[Trippen Out]

did someone say dubstep im a dubstep dj im always willing to share free mixes too

 

[Hot*Mk8]

did someone say dubstep im a dubstep dj im always willing to share free mixes too

Really???!!! Excellent! Love to hear some of your stuff. I love Dubstep ALOT. I'm kinda new to it but have been a techno/electronica fan for, well, a long time. It sounds the best on my new stereo

Do tell where I can get your music, please

-Laurie

 

[Hot*Mk8]

Well done Laurie!

I watched your youtube video and I approve the heavy dubstep.

I also subscribed to your channel because I'm cool like that.

You RAWK, Mr. Stromberg! My hero in more ways than one.

Cheers!