cusportsman

A little background: I have a 92 ext cab pickup that the radio occasionally works (I think it has a short bc it cuts in and out), the 4" speakers in the dash do not work, previous owner installed some 6-1/2" (i think) in the doors with half ass wiring and mounting. Tired of riding in silence/road noise.

What I want to do is install a new head unit (cd/radio is fine but ipod hookup a plus), new 4" speakers in dash, new 6-1/2" in door, new wiring, maybe make some new door panels for more secure mounting. I want it to sound good with the windows down while running the interstate, and I don't want to spend more the $3-400 total. Doesn't have to be top of the line components, but more of a quality on a budget approach. Might look at doing it in stages: head unit and 1 set of speakers, then add the other set later. So I would want to keep that in mind when doing my wiring.

What ratings do you look at when picking out a head unit to determine if it will power your speakers adequately? Do you pick a head unit and then select speakers or vise versa? Not putting subs in it, so some speakers that have decent bass would be nice, but I listen to mostly country/southern rock so not a lot is needed.

Please bare with me as I am a hands on guy, but know little about electronic components.

Thanks

Nervo19

I just did this with my '00 and just ordered the same head unit for my '89 4Runner. Go to Crutchfield.com and find a unit that fits you vehicle. If you buy from them they include the wiring harness and the dash pocket, and custom instructions for the vehicle. If you do not solder you will also need some quick connect nuts. If you do not buy from them you can find the model of head unit on eBay and also order the dash pieces and wiring harness. I didn't change the speakers in my '00; the factory speakers sound great with the new unit. Most new units will play an iPod. I chose a Kenwood unit that had selectable backlighting. PO of my '89 had a unit that glowed red and it drove me nuts.

A while back I put 4" Infinity Kappa speakers in the '89. They were cheapest from Amazon. There is a huge thread loving them on toyota4runner.org. They took 20 minutes to install and sound so much better than the Pioneers they replaced. They have a little cross over tail that looks weird but it fits fine in the 4Runner's dash space.

It sounds like you have a good plan. Look around this site. There are a lot of threads on making door panels.

Jkelley429

iTrader: (1)

pretty much any single din radio will work. go to ebay and search for radios and select what options you want. Then look at a wiring diagram for the existing radio and put the labeled wires together. Its not really that difficult if you have some knowledge of it.

irab88

iTrader: (4)

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/

they have a huge selection, cheap prices, and easy-search. i just got a new stereo, and they included the free dash pocket and wiring harness.

for the splices, i used the weather-seal butt connectors from advance auto. they work great.

cusportsman

My main question may have been confusing. What numbers do you look at when selecting your components? Wattage of the speakers, wattage/channels of the head unit?

Also, what type of wire should I use? Doesn't have to be the best, but don't want to get cheap wire that'll burn up.

iselloil

Crutchfield for all the answers.

Nervo, you going to the obx this year?

drpdmazda

i would suggest looking into alpine radios. they are a but more prricey than most, but in my opinion are well worth it. Alpine also has an add on "power pack" that will plug in line with your standard radio harness, and make the radio a true 45x4 stereo. the newer version is here:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500KTP4...-KTP-445U.html


and the older version is model ktp-445. the older model can be found for cheaper than the newer version. If you go that route, you can install the new radio and speakers, and if you desire a little more, you can add the power pack. it doesnt give you as much adjustability as a regular 4 channel amp would as far as crossover, gain etc. but it will still get the job done and sound good. I have installed several myself, they are very easy to install, and do make a decent difference.

hope that helps a little bit

J

cusportsman

What about this setup? About $250 not including any speaker wire or connectors. The door speakers I have now are either 5 or 5-1/4 and I like their size, but they don't have a protective grill like the ones in the link.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500CDE1...ssi=0&tp=13566

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_065SE45...ssi=0&tp=13507

http://outlet.crutchfield.com/p_065S...l?cc=02&tp=105

drpdmazda

look like a decent start to me, and by sticking with the alpine head unit you can add the power pack later if you wanted to

Nervo19

i'd say this is not true due to the number of trimmed dashes, including mine done by a PO. You can get one that fits without trimming. Well, they work but I'd rather not have the dash cut. That's why I recommended Crutchfield to find out what fits. They have installation notes for each model. Irab is right, the sonicelectronix site is cheaper.


Iselloil: I'll be down this weekend. I don't think I'll be getting an ORV pass this year due to all the ramp closings. If we have a need to drive in sand I think we'll go to Corolla. We mostly beach at the life guarded beaches in KDH or Nags Head becasue my young teenagers surf. And scare me. I saw at least 4 rescues last summer due to rip tides. BTW you can drive on the beach in KDH until Memorial Day and after Labor Day. It's not very exciting but it gets your gear to the water.

MortonPhotographic

Yes, any single DIN will fit, and even some double DINs without cutting. The key is to use the factory Toyota brackets to mount the head unit. Granted, there could be some that won't, but typically the brackets put the radio behind the trim bezel. Only radios with oddly-wide face plates won't fit.

I would say go find the best deal on a Pioneer or Alpine single DIN, High Power head unit. I would then get some 6 1/2 coaxials for the doors. I kinda think 4s in the dash are a waste. And High power is typically marketing hype. No, it won't really be 45 watts a channel, but it might be a little more powerful than some "regular" decks.

Honestly, the wire that comes with the speakers is fine. Technically thicker is better, but you don't have to go overboard--we're not talking about a ton of power here.

This would be easy to install and sound fine.

iselloil

Go to the crutchfield site.They have a fit guide on the web page,So you can see all of what will fit in the factory locations. Plus there parts all come with harness's and instuctions on how to install your purchase.