chunky
12-01-2002, 11:50 PM
So I finally got around to installing my eclipse headunit - 8501 or 8051 whatever it is. I'd been putting it off b/c it's a dead head, and I only have one amp right now that's powering my sub. I got tired of watching it collecting dust, and I decided to hi-jack my sub amp to power the interior speakers (i only have the front two installed - i hate the reflected sound that having rear speakers creates).
Anyhow, I bought the metra trim kit from circuit city, they had it in stock, it's the black one though. I was really disappointed with the kit, the fit is TERRIBLE, it's lose as hell, and barely stays in there. Theres a huge gap around the head unit, i could stick easily two quarters stacked together into the gap. Unfortunately, it's my only option. :P
I already had a scoshe wiring harness, so I attached it to the eclipse harness with no problems. I decided to use some round disconnect terminals so that I can separate the two harnesses easily if I ever need to do that. Then I taped the wires into a fat bundle to help cut down on any noise due to vibration as well as to keep things neat.
After the head unit was in, I ran the speaker wire to the doors. I was going to buy some fancy speaker wire online, woulda came out to be like 25-30 bucks for 12 gauge, but I dropped by the home depot and found some 12 gauge thickly insulated wire for 1/2 the price. And on top of that, there was some pre-cut wire, and since the guy was lazy, he gave me the pre-cut bundle for the cost of 50ft even though it was 95ft. I ran the wire pretty easily. It's actually VERY easy to get wire through the rubber hose between the door and the kick panel. I was concerned about the thickness of the wire, but there's plenty of room inside that hose.
So, all the rest of the install went smoothly, and then I got to listen to it all.
damn. the head unit made such a huge difference over my previous sony head unit. Maybe it's that I also have a separate amplifier powering the speakers instead of the headunit's internal amp, but it felt like I was hearing some of the tracks for the first time.
Lessons learned:
1) eclipse kicks major ass
2) if you can afford it, amp your interior speakers. your ears will thank you
3) wiring is cheap as hell at home depot
4) don't pull plastic panels in the cold, you break 2x as many tabs as when it's warm outside. :(
btw, i'll try to get some pics tomorrow.
Anyhow, I bought the metra trim kit from circuit city, they had it in stock, it's the black one though. I was really disappointed with the kit, the fit is TERRIBLE, it's lose as hell, and barely stays in there. Theres a huge gap around the head unit, i could stick easily two quarters stacked together into the gap. Unfortunately, it's my only option. :P
I already had a scoshe wiring harness, so I attached it to the eclipse harness with no problems. I decided to use some round disconnect terminals so that I can separate the two harnesses easily if I ever need to do that. Then I taped the wires into a fat bundle to help cut down on any noise due to vibration as well as to keep things neat.
After the head unit was in, I ran the speaker wire to the doors. I was going to buy some fancy speaker wire online, woulda came out to be like 25-30 bucks for 12 gauge, but I dropped by the home depot and found some 12 gauge thickly insulated wire for 1/2 the price. And on top of that, there was some pre-cut wire, and since the guy was lazy, he gave me the pre-cut bundle for the cost of 50ft even though it was 95ft. I ran the wire pretty easily. It's actually VERY easy to get wire through the rubber hose between the door and the kick panel. I was concerned about the thickness of the wire, but there's plenty of room inside that hose.
So, all the rest of the install went smoothly, and then I got to listen to it all.
damn. the head unit made such a huge difference over my previous sony head unit. Maybe it's that I also have a separate amplifier powering the speakers instead of the headunit's internal amp, but it felt like I was hearing some of the tracks for the first time.
Lessons learned:
1) eclipse kicks major ass
2) if you can afford it, amp your interior speakers. your ears will thank you
3) wiring is cheap as hell at home depot
4) don't pull plastic panels in the cold, you break 2x as many tabs as when it's warm outside. :(
btw, i'll try to get some pics tomorrow.