As I wasn't happy with the Clarion stereo fitted to my newly acquired Capp I decided it just had to go. I also replaced the front speakers and installed rear speakers.
First take out all of the screws securing the centre console. This is in two parts. There is the section around the stereo and heater controls and then the long section over the transmission tunnel. These pieces are secured by 13 cross-head screws 3 of which are hidden.
Remove the transmission tunnel section by first unscrewing two screws from behind the seats.
Then the two screws hidden under the rubber mat in the storage box.
Then there are two screws holding the centre console at the front. These should be covered by a black cap but only one of mine still is.
Unscrew the gear knob and detach the wiring plug for the windows then the centre console can be moved out of the way.
Here's another of those hidden screws, just in front of the gear stick.
Just the final six screws (three each side) to remove from the front section around the stereo and heater controls. This section can now be removed but be careful not to put too much strain on the wires from the cigarette lighter. Detach these if necessary.
You will now see two screws securing the stereo. Remove these and you will be able to withdraw the unit from the dash. You will need to unscrew the two brackets from the side of the old unit and install them on your new one.
If you intend to add rear speakers then you need to tap into the following wires:
Green Rear left + Green/Black Rear left - Violet Rear right + Violet/Black Rear right -
I did this by cutting the wires in the Autoleads PC2-41-4 connector rather than the connector from the stereo.
Refit, as they say, is the reversal of removal, but make sure you test all electrical connections prior to screwing everything back in place to make sure everything works.
The head unit I chose is the Pioneer DEH-P5600MP
This has the advantage of being able to play MP3/WMA/WAV files thus removing the need for an autochanger, with over 20 albums fitting on one cd.
As for speakers I chose some JBL-GTO-626e for the front and I have to say that I am very impressed with them. I was running with just these before installing rear speakers and the quality was excellent. They are perhaps just a little too deep as the panel doesn't go completely back on flush but I simply left one of the trim clips out. The panel is perfectly secure and doesn't interfere with the pedals in the slightest.
16cm (6.25") 2 way speaker Peak power: 180 W RMS power:60W Sensitivity: 90 dB Frequency response: 55 ~ 21 kHz Mounting depth: 54 mm
As for the rear, I was toying with the idea of headrest speakers but didn't really like the thought of possibly destroying the headrest in the process. Instead I bought some surface mount BBG CSB4 Speakers. Perhaps not the best speakers in the world but they do improve things. I have fixed these using Velcro so they can be removed from the car if necessary.
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Last modified Saturday, March 4th, 2006, 7:34:50pm by Andy
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