Walter,
It is good you have a late wiring hraness with 2 wires to each speaker,
this means you do not need to run any wires. If you were to have only 5
speaker wires (1 to each speaker and one common ground), you would have to
run new wires to ise most new radios.
The dash mods previously outlined is right, I do cut a 1/2" at each corner
to make bending back the side "ears" easier. Be sure not to use the grey
wire as a ground. It will look like a ground with a meter or test light.
It is the dash illumination feed and it is at ground while the lights are
off. Guess what happens when the lights are turned on, it is now hot and
if you hook up to it, you will loose your dash light fuse at the least and
you might fry the illumination section of the light switch. Most new style
radios control their illumination from within, I would suggest to insulate
the grey wire and tuck it away from harm right away.
As far as speakers go, the 3 1/2" speakers up front are OK for an AM ball
game but bottom out badly on any strong bass content. I like to "cap" them
off and take away the bass from them. Next I add speakers eather to the
bottom of the cabinets behind the front seats or to the side panels. 6
1/2" speakers work well in the cabinets and 5 1/4" thin mount speakers fit
in the side panels.
Another trick I like to do is cross the new speakers in relation to the 3
1/2". You will have left channel content from the left 3 1/2" and from the
right new speaker. This gives you an interesting stereo seperation effect.
If you are in one of the front seats, you hear a stereo effect in the
middle of your head as opposed to getting blasted by left content and
straining to hear right content from the other side of the coach.
Likewise, the passenger in the other seat will also hear a pleasing stereo
effect as opposed to getting double blasted when you turn up the right
speaker to hear it better. Who says center stage has to be on the dash,
imaging can be anywhere you want it to be.
The rear 4x10" locations are very shallow and if you try to shove a speaker
in there with a big magnet, you will have bumps on the outside of the
coach. I use a 4x10" speaker from Radio Shack (their cheapest, small
magnet unit) which fits just fine. Actually, it sounds pretty good too!
If you want to get fancy, there are many other things you can do to "pump
up the volume", but I am not one to load up with amps.
Another suggestion is to power your radio from the living area battery.
Run a 12 or 14 ga. wire out front to the booster solenoid, hook to the rear
circuit through a fuse at the boost solenoid. This does several things, if
you play your radio while dry camping, you will not wipe out your chassis
battery and you will be able to start the coach and go. If you are going
to store your coach for any length of time, you can easily lift the hood
and pull out the radio fuse which will stop the usual 300ma drain from the
clock circuit if the radio. I would also tie power for your CB or other
radio in that many use a memory circuit that will draw down your battery in
time. Finally, you can eliminate much alternator and engine noise if you
bypass the chassis electrical harness and tie your power dirctly to the
primary power wire.
If you have any other questions regarding your sound system, tomorrow is
"Free Friday" on my watts line so give me a call (1-877-275-4462).
Hope this helps,
Jim Bounds
- --------------------------------
>Walter,
>
>For the metal layer, I think we just bent back the sections of the opening
>that had the holes in them for the old style knobs. Once they were bent
>back, I believe the opening was large enough to get the new style radio in.
> If that works, then you don't have to cut it making the job a little
>easier/reversible. You still have to cut out the front plastic panel
>though (hack saw or saber saw with plastic cutting blade).
>
>Zak
>
>>Electronic whiz brother-in-law here for weekend willingly to help with
>>radio replacement. I would like to put a unit with a cd in the dash.
>>Recomendations and what kit did you use? We have taken the old radio
>>out and the hole isn't big enough for even a disc. Then he says to me
>>how good are you with a heacksaw? Then he says why don't you ask you
>>group. Also has anyone replaced the stock speakers and with what? TIA.
>>I have a floating ground system that would facilitate a bridge output cd
>>player.
>>
>>Walter 78 Royale
>>
>
>
Jim Bounds / Co-op Motor Works Orlando
www.gmccoop.com
