V8 Supra Builder

iTrader: (37)

I recently put my 1995 TA back on the road after some demodding. I found the stock radio and the aftermarket speakers left a lot to be desired.

Here's what I did (not posting links since I don't know if any of my sources are vendors):

Head unit:
This is a double din unit and I won't go into details about installing such a unit since the topic is covered elsewhere. The bezel did need a good bit of trimming, and the unit was a tight fit on top of the AC controls.

The unit is a Pumpkin (China) Android 11c-0255. This was about $270 shipped and has the better resolution 1024x600 pixel screen and a quad core processor. The unit has a 7" screen and features built-in navigation and FM radio. It also has a default music player that can play MP3 files either from the internal SD card or an external USB stick. It can add nearly any Android app via wifi. The wifi antenna is really short so you'll need a strong signal to use it. It works with our steering wheel controls with only a minor mod to the factory wiring (you replace the +12V input at the column with the +5V "Key 1" from the unit). It does not have a DVD drive. I also installed a rear view camera and connected it to the unit. It comes on when the car is in reverse. I have updated the post in March 2017 with the wiring diagram I drew.

It uses common iGo maps so it can be kept up to date. You can also use another nav system if you add the files to the SD card. I used a larger SD card and installed another nav system and several hundred music files.

I have not tried the Bluetooth function other than to pair a phone.

The radio reception even with the "booster" they sell is pretty poor.

The main drawback I found with it was that it outputs very little power. This was partly due to the 16+ year old speakers in the car, some brand X components front & rear. I could not hear my rear speakers when driving with the windows down.

Amp
I went with a 5 channel Soundstream PN5.640D. It has 4x60 watts and 1x200 watts at 4 ohms and is stable at 2 ohms. It cost about $140. I calibrated it using a multimeter.

I mounted the amp on its side (vertical) where my CD changer had been in the left rear corner using a 2"x2" piece of 1/8" aluminum.

I do not like the power input terminals. I used a 4 gauge ring terminal for both and flattened it in a vice, then cut it down to fit inside the opening. The problem is the ground screw comes very close to the power feed wire. The inputs should have been offset. Since my terminal used heavy insulation I don't think it will short out.

Electronic crossover
I used a Cadence CXR-7, about $40, since it allowed 4 channel input and 6 channel output. I wired it so the 5th channel on the amp powered the sail panel speakers. It features a lot of adjustability for low and high pass filters and gain.

I mounted the crossover to the amp bracket using a piece of 90 degree scrap aluminum, some L-brackets would work for this as well. The crossover fits into the space behind the left wheel opening.

Wiring
I bought a Pyle PLAM40 4 gauge amp install kit, about $20. It only has a 2-conductor RCA cable, so I used a generic 17 foot long 6 conductor RCA cable that was about $20. I got two 1.5 foot long RCA cables to connect the crossover to the amp (about $7). I connected the fuse holder to the existing power box under the hood and mounted the fuse holder to the inner fender in front of the strut. I ran the 4 gauge wire under the PCM and into the passenger compartment, then down the passenger side of the car to keep it away from the speaker wires. I crossed it over behind the back seat.

I used 50 feet of all new 18 gauge speaker (about $5) wire except for the sail panels, where I used the 12 gauge wire that came with the install kit.

Front speakers
After reading a lot of reviews, I went with Soundstream PF.6 6.5" components up front, about $45. The tweeters were not a good fit in the OEM openings, so I used my old parts to make 1 out of 2. While I was there with the door panel off, I added some sound deadening material to the doors. Side note- I used a small bend of 5/16" aluminum fuel line to run the new speaker wires into the doors. I ran 2 sets of wires, so I could keep the crossovers inside the car. I mounted the crossovers under the trim panels on each side.

Sail panel speakers
I found a set of 6.5" Altec Lansing speakers on a site called Electro Mavin for $30/pair. They are oddball 6 ohm speakers, but since my amp can drive a 2 ohm load wiring them in parallel gave me a 3 ohm load. They are a basic woofer, which is fine with me since I find thumping music obnoxious. They are rated for 125w RMS.

Rear speakers
This was the true gem of the setup. When I'd drive the car with the windows down I could never hear the rear speakers. On the Mavin site, I found a pair of 4.5" Boston Acoustics (PN# 304-115001-00) 4 ohm speakers for $15. I reused my old tweeters since I already had them in the panels. I had to ream out the main speaker hole since these are a little larger than OEM speakers. They are a lot heavier.

I took it for a test drive at 70 MPH with the windows down and was able to hear the back speakers for the first time. With some fine tuning, I have a very nice sounding system.

Total costs:
Head unit: $270
Amp: $140
Crossover: $40
Front speakers: $45
Sail speakers: $30
Rear speakers: $15
Wires, terminals, shipping, misc.: $70
Total: $610

EDIT
Added Android wiring diagram for clarity. Amp wiring not shown.

black02-z28

iTrader: (8)

great job man! Nice setup.