I'm lookin' to do a moderate sound upgrade for my '97 200SX (CD player, four speakers). Before I shell out money to have someone else do the install, I thought I'd ask around to see if anyone has had any luck/problems doing the stereo/speakers themselves. Is there a thread or url on doing a stereo/speaker install?
Its pretty easy...just dont rush
As far as the door and rear speaker, you have to get 6.5s or 6 1/2 slims
I have Infinity Kappa all the way around.
(just a hint....look at the different areas on this forum before posting to make sure you post in the correct place)
PM me if you have any problems
Dude, don't pay for someone to install it for you, it's HELLA EASY to install buy yourself. Just look up some of the threads in the Audio forum and you'll have all of the info you need to know
Originally posted by rbloedow Dude, don't pay for someone to install it for you, it's HELLA EASY to install buy yourself.
Agreed! My sentra has a kenwood that was installed ?professionaly?. While I am impressed that their wiring harnis they pluged in has clearly written on the wires them selves what each wire does, the physical mounting was was done by cloth tape and over sized screws wedging the kenwood to the mounting bracket.
While this "works" I wouldn't pay someone money personaly for a cloth tape install.
Electrical help?
Volt meter helpful. In a early sentra I snipped the old wiring adapter, stripped the ends in the wires and used the old volt meter while the key was in ACC to find all the +12 lines. I then turned the car off and found which one was Battery (as in, 12 volts always on).
But just attach the negative to the car body and test each wire one at a time till you get voltage. Also they make a nice probe thats nothing more then a pen like device with a aligator clip for and a pointy metal tip that makes life easy. I just attach the clip to the body, and test each lead till I get light.
For speakers, I used a AA battery and the similary colored wires (white, white with stripe for example) and and attached the battery to each wire, and took note of which wires go to which speaker). Alternativly if you have a walkman, you can cut a phono cable and use those leeds to test each speaker.
For each solution, I just did a temporary twist of the wires together. Later on, well eventually probally this weekend, I plan to pull out this make shift solution as the harnis detaches completely, and use solder on each joint and heat shrink tubing.
Mounting help?
Depends on the radio and the bracket you have. Double stick tape can be your friend if you are lazy.
Speaker Help?
I had a pair of Boston Acustics that were much smaller then the 6 3/4 inch holes in my 1998 sentra. Much much smaller. I don't know the exact size, but for the door mounts I just made a simple outline of the large speaker hole, and an outline of the smaller speaker, and used a simple dremmel cutoff wheel to make circle brackets that mounted in the old holes.
My brackets are not pretty, but they are inbehind the door where no one can see them. I must admit, they sound a heck of alot better mounted in circular wood brackets then they ever did in the old car they were installed in the first place
Radio removal. There was a single screw located between the hazzard and defrost lights, with a retangular cover. Removal of this cover shows the screw. Once that screw is removed, it removes the cover to the cover giving you access to the 4 radio screws.
The radio was mounted in a bracket, and the bracket attached to the car. removal of the 4 screws allows the radio to come out.
I've noted the mounting was similar on a 1988 sentra, as well as a number of import vehicels. Makes life easy really having the radio mounted in a bracket, and removal from the car means removing 4 screws.
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Doors...
In my case, there were a series of mounting plugs that had to be removed with elbow grease, as well as one plastic phillups screw. On the lower side of the door were a series of 3 or 4 true phillups screws. removal of these is easy.
After that, I removed the window crank with a flathead screw driver, just durning the knob till I could see the open end of the bracket and just pushed it free allowing the door handle to be removed. Two flatheads might be required, one small one to wedge into the window crack so you can see the open side of the bracket, and another to push the bracket free. Once you can see the round end of the bracket, you may wish to extract it with one of your flatheads, otherwise it will spring free... somewhere... never to be found again.
There was also a screw located in the door handel it self. Just a #2 phillups if i'm not mistaken
Once all those things were removed, I had to lift the door panel out of the window jam.
Now I'm not too sure about the proper way to install speakers in the rear truck area. I had no problem removing this pannel, it was just mounted in with plastic thingies that required pliers to compress and push up. I believe in my case there were only 4, and once pushed free I was able to remove this panel. However, I was thinking that it was easy tnough to install speakers under this panel, making it's removal unlessicary, but one would run the risk of having pointy screw bits poking holes in your panel.
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I don't have general nissan experence to beable to offer specific help for specific years / models.
So the brief
1. Radio panel, find the screw / screws.
2. Radio... 4 screws removes bracket that is attached to radio
3. Doors, pop mounting plugs, remove screws, crack (flathead), and handle
4. Truck... remove panel with plyers, pushing the clips out of the hole to make for easy removal.
MAKE SURE YOU GET GOOD QUALITY SPEAKERS THOUGH...YOU DONT WANT TO HAVE YOUR STEREO SOUNDLING LIKE ASS,..I GOT ME 4 KENWOOD XCELONS FOR 45 AND 2 SONY XPLODS FOR MY TRUNK FOR 65..ALL BRAND NEW....I
dude..... it was easy for the front doors .... you just have to watch the lip between the window and the inside of the car.... there is a little lip that you have to latch on when your puttin the covers back on ....
the back deck is easy
you remove the back seatbelt ....... then you remove the back cover ..... on the sides covering the window..... then you get in your trunk and remove the little plastic thingies....... you know what im talkin bout.... the fasteners....... and lift up the back plastic deck ...... ...... www.onlinecarstereo.com has rockin prices..... there is a set of clairion 6 and a halfs on there that areaout of the world if you dont want to power them...... i install shit on the side and i know a ton of companies that are decent....... that one i follow.. ..... jl ...... and pioneer... also panasonic....... everything else is straight forward......
good luck.. by the way...... the head deck is easy as shit also 5 bolts to remove but just becareful of your antenni ... thats the ground for your system....... if you have to run another ground run the black wire from your harness to your bottm left screw with a eyelet that clamps on the wire...... so that can ground... NO WHERE ELSE...!!!!!!!!!!!
good luck dude
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but.............
then again ........ thats just me
but trust me .... its so frkin' real and its wacked out
Actually... I've been really happy with my Boston Acustics RX47's. Though this model isn't ideal for a Nissan install, it being 4 inches.
I have kenwoods in the rear presently.. KFC S164 to be exact. Together I find the combo most pleasent.
But I'm not a refined audiophile. The Kenwoods came with the car, the Boston's were my choice in my old car. If I had to choose between the two, i'd go with the bostons personaly.
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