dont bother with kenwood, if you dont want an alpine look into eclipse everything else is junk in my opinion. CHris

 

ok, i am goin with alpine...now a question about the 7897...when the face is open, is it larger than a normal din face? Based on pictures it looks bigger, that is one of the things i like about it, is that it has a bigger face with display

brian

 

yes the display is larger then the regular din size. 3/4 of inch bigger somewhere around there. Plus it automatically closes itself when you just the car off and opens when you turn it on. I love it. Its also got bass engine pro so the crossovers on it rocks. I wish it was the color of the 9815 though I like the silver blue combo. Chris

 

Do you know if there is an adapter to hook up the factory speakers? Or am I gonna have to splice the connector wires to hook them up? The reason I am asking this is because I may install the cd player before i get the speakers and amp, so i wanted to get by with the new deck and using the factory speakers...doing this in steps basically...

 

ok ive been doing some typing and ive done alittle work.

go here and then go to head unit should cover everything if i missed anything tell me so I can add it

http://www.clarkson.edu/~calisec/4ru...runner2003.htm

Chris

 

The installation kits from American International...would the kit be the same as the 2002? They have a kit for 84-02, since the wiring harness is the same, would the kit be as well?

 

no they are not the same. You need to call and ask for the kit to order they have it there just alittle slow about updating there page

 

I went ahead and ordered the kit from American International for $24 + shipping...luckily i have the sport edition which is an SR5, because they do not have a kit for Limited's which i am not sure why...got the alpine cda-7897 for $379 +tax Got someone that knows a manager at PC Richards...so that is a sweet deal...thanks for the help

 

wow good deal thats almost cost or is cost Chris

 

"For some head units like alpine they recommend you use a seperate wire directly to the battery to the draw on there head unit (to small of a wire drawing to much power can be bad; fire head unit not working properly). Becuase of this i used the ground supplied by alpine and attached to a ground i found right behind the climate control console. You will find 3-5 black wires going to one point, its a ground. Unscrew the screw and attach it there. It is a rule of thumb for the power and ground wire to be the same size."

I was just reading that...so they recommend not using the power the supplied the factory stereo? and running a line straight to the battery? and in your case you did not do that, you just grounded it behind the climate console?

 

no I ran a 8 guage wire (i think) through the firewall directly to the battery. Ill post some pictures tommorow Ill have some time to take pictures. Sorry if its not clear,i ts all a work in progress till I get all the picuteres and read everything over.

 

http://www.clarkson.edu/~calisec/4ru...runner2003.htm

check it out i did some updateing the page nor the install is done yet. Chris

 

impulsebrklyn,

Nice work on the install. I will be picking up an '03 4runner next week....just still working out the details and trying to get the right combo. Kinda drives me nuts to pay $900 for a stereo that I'm going to yank out day 1....not to mention cutting the dash for the center channel speaker. But until I get my hands on the vehicle, I hoped you would be able to answer some questions for me.

It appears on the Limited that the headunit extends all the way out to the alum. trim surround piece. I noticed on an SR5 that the base stereo is recessed back a bit...more of a flat face versus the Limited's slighlty convex face. I also noticed the setup on any of the JBL upgraded HUs were the same installation as the limited. In your install pics, it looks like once you pull the OEM headunit, the alum. trim bezels are finished on the inside edges (the edges that butt up against the headunit). So, I assume that when you remove the OEM HU, you can create any kind of recessed mounting face plate for an aftermarket HU....kinda like the install of the base OEM HU....without needing to refinish or replace any of the outer alum trim bezels.... Make sense? Comments?

I guess I'm trying to come up with a solution where I can have an aluminum-look trim piece fabricated for just the headunit area and then flush mount an OEM HU and maybe the remote for my Valentine1 in the 2DIN trim piece. Have you seen any other headunit installs?

Also, considering using the area for a 7" monitor...any idea the size of the OEM Navi unit? Maybe even do something like this MDX install I ran across:



Basically, this is an outer trim bezel that is fiberglassed and refinished.....not cheap, but WOW

Any other pics out there of custom headunit installs?

Secondly, Anybody looked at the factory sub location. I lurked around the MDX board and saw where several people were using the factory location for an aftermarket sub. I'm thinking that 1) is it enough volume, 2) can I get a good seal or can you custom build a fiberglass enclosure behind the plastic for say a JL 10W3, and if you can fit it in there, will it rattle like hell and sound like crap? Any thoughts, size of sub, others ever tried this or looked at the space?

I'm thinking that a sub of any quality/size will not go in that space, so I'm thinking also about a low box that will fit under the rear deck. Maybe a couple of 8's or a 10 with a shallow mounting depth that are facing up and ported to the rear. Then build an amp rack in the same space.....kind of a stealth install. Too many thoughts....need the vehicle first...just wanted to see if anyone had some install advice before I take the plunge and start buying gear.

 

ok i think i understand what your saying but if im not just tell me and ill try and figure it out. It sounds like your asking if when the oem hu is removed if there is a finished look to the bezel/trim. Yes there is a finished look, and there is no silver finish that is removed. once you remove the oem hu you will be left with that edge you see around my aftermarket HU. its like a lip that the oem hu sits on. you can see it clearly in the picure below. and the black trim has a sort of wedge shape the closes as you get closer to the headunit. I was orginally thinking of making a fiberglass face that would be a wedge shape that would fit into the bezel/trims shape (on the outside of the lip). but that would have brought the aftermarket headunit out further which i believe would not have looked at good with my headunit of choice. But your idea was what i orginally wanted to do. If i had purchased the alpine cda-9815 i would have done it.



I however have not noticed what you describe here
. But then again i havent taken much notice to the different types of factory headunits since i ripped it out of my truck in the first three weeks.

AS for the sub i really wouldnt bother with the factory space. I dont see it being worth the effort needed. Especially since the direction the sub would be facing would dramatically reduce it performance. For maximum performance you want something that will either hit the back hatch or window. Thats the the best way to get the sound waves bounced at the drivers seat. I have one 10" ported back there and its more then enough. It makes the whole 4runner shake. Though if i face the box up towards the roof in the cargo area the performace of the sub dramatically is reduced.







some other installs ive found around (not many)

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...=&threadid=285

 

oh and about the 7" inch screen if its not a motorized in dash style one there is not room for it. The stock headunit location is the only place that have any space behind it. Even below the climate controls are there is only 2 inches of space behind the factory panel. Also to stick is in the way so i dont know what you would put there. the panel is angled down towards the floor also not good.

 

That headunit pic helps a bunch....looks like the non-JBL and the JBL versions have the same trim bezel. That is nice...gives you more install options.

thanks for the pic....I like the wegde idea...I'm looking at a 9815 as well and am thinking a wedge shape would fill out the area nicely. I'm just trying to find an excuse for a 1/2DIN EQ or a second DIN component for the area.

Thanks also for the sub comments...saves me time, $$$, and frustration to hear others comment first.

I post pics over the coming weeks.

 

if you go to my sig and go to my webpage which is still undercontruction it has alot of info on replacing the factory stereo pictures and everything. Chris