964 Audio System Updgrade - Guidance Please!

[indigowhale]

I am tearing out the factory toy head unit with French AMP and planning a real audio installation in my 1990 C4. I am using a large Alpine 5 channel amp (15 5/8 x 10 x 2 1/16).

I need guidance on the following:


1. Battery drain from the alarm missing the factory radio, does this apply to my model year?

2. Passthrough options between cabin and trunk, none seem easy

3. Amp location, can't screw to gas tank, drill bit broke ;-)


TIA

[craig001]

I have seen where the owner has cut a piece of plywood out, covered in with black carpet and mount the units to that with enough slack in the cabling to lift the assembly up to access the battery & spare tire. I can not address how to get the cable through the firewall. Could you put the amp in the stock location (under the passenger seat?

[indigowhale]

The amp is too big for under the seat.

I think the only passthrough is behind the instrument cluster and under the wiper mechanism.

Still have a big Q about the alarm. I don't think I have the infamous green wire, which may mean no alarm tricks. Not sure though.

Whatever I do, I will try to document since there is so little DIY stuff out there.

Thanks.

[stevepaa]

So why the big amp? Are you planning on big woofers?

I used an Audison two channel for the front, connected the rears to the head unit.

The Audison fits under the pax seat.

[indigowhale]

Well, counting tweeters, I am driving 9 speakers.

The sound is so dismal now with the tiny factory amp that the big amp is warranted.

It is only a five channel alpnine, don't know why they make them so big. Stay tuned, I will try to post pictures.

Someone please speak up about the alarm.

[bstrutton]

Hi there. I feel your pain. I lived with the terrible becker factory unit for a year on my 96 C4 Cab. I decided to upgrade & here's what I found:

1) First, my car is a daily driver for summer. It's there for my enjoyment plain & simple (so don't gasp at the rest of this). Just me.

2) There ARE a few firewall passthrus that exist, noted in many other posts. I wanted to replace the factory speaker wire to all 4 + 2 sub tho & what I found, was that with that volume of wire, plus the RCAs it was going to be very difficult to reuse any of the small existing openings.

3) I went to home depot & found a metal hole saw of just over 1". I then obtained an assortment of heavy duty gromets. Get a few as it's a bit difficult to match up exactly what you'll need by looking at the bit in the package.

I found another post that had some pictures of where exacty to drill the hole. On the 993 there is a cable just above the brake / clutch that runs thru the firewall. I made the new hole in that same area, just to the top, right of the existing cable as memory serves. If you're concerned you might clean up the rough edges a bit & maybe even apply a bit of primer. Passage problem solved in < 10 minutes. I know, the purists of the bunch are forming a lynch mob as I type...

4) Luckily a PO HAD previously had a HU & probably amp in there. No more. Fortunately, they did leave behind some very nice sounding (post amp) Boston Acoustic's pro series 6.5 separates in the doors and some smaller rear fill BA pros in the L & R panels behind the seats.

5) I chose an alpine head unit as (IMO) it was the least "technobabble" looking of the bunch. I ended up with the one w/ the glide-touch controls & let me say that I've found it (the glide-touch control in particular) to be VERY difficult to use even while not in motion & downright dangerous to use when moving, which is neccessary to adjust even the smallest sound setting. Considering selling it & going for another Alpine minus the glide touch crap.

6) I used one of the (few years old, great deal) Alpine higher end 75x4 amps to drive the front & rears and another of their higher end mono amps to drive my 2 8" subs. I haven't installed the subs yet as I've got to find the time to build & carpet the right boxes.

All in all, sounds pretty good. May live with them this summer & then try some Focal speakers in the doors / rear side panels along w/ new Alpine HU next season.

I would also try to think ahead to what you might want. For example, if you have or might want an I-pod, get a HU that has an I-pod ready interface & run that interface / wiring while you're doing the HU so that you don't have to go back in. It's no fun trying to get the wiring to all fit behind the HU & get the HU inserted fully. Minimize it's repetition.

Last comment. There's a great website to check out for Porsche installs. He also makes some pretty highly regarded sub enclosures. It's www.caraudioinnovations.com .

Good luck & most of all have FUN with it.

[plain fan]

bstrutton, do you have pictures of your install? I've got a 90 cab that I'm planning on doing the same setup as yours.

[stevepaa]

I used infinity flatplate 4x6s in the rears powered just by the 19rms from the head unit and they are more than loud enough. I installed Focal 130KP component speakers in front doors and just used the audison 80 watt per channel 2 channel amp and wow what good sound. I really don't see the need to get a subwoofer, but I could always do that and feed off the nonamplified outputs fromt he audison amp.

good luck

[indigowhale]

I took out the Porsche CD-2 and Blaupunkt amp and installed a Sony head unit, 5-channel Alpine amp, and a Rockford 8" bass tube.

The most time consuming thing was finding a passthrough from cabin to trunk. I first tried behind the gauges but that led nowhere.

The amp is under the passenger seat, take the seat out first, it will help you. Also, take everything out of the trunk for easy access.

I found a good passthrough for my 90 C4 in the passenger footwell, right in the middle where the vertical wall meets horizontal. The grommet is large and you can remove it, so I pushed it up and out of the way.



Made a handy tool out of string and a coat hanger:



Fed cable through, used a long screwdriver to hold grommet out of the way:



They come out between the firewall and the blower housing. Put the wire hook through first, tie the string on it and pull it to the other side. Pull enought to have several feet on either the trunk or the cabin. Tape the cable on to it and pull the string from the trunk. You may need to wiggle the cable as the connectors will probably get stuck somewhere between the blower and the firewall.



Took amp out, marked cables per color:



Had to cut through firewall, but not body metal



Once you have your cables through, sort them out, adjust them to proper length, and label them. I used 9 ft RCA cables, 3 pairs, a monster cable for the woofer, 4 pairs of speaker wite, and the single lead amp remote on/off. The speaker wires were soldered were the connectors were cut.

[indigowhale]

[91C2]

Originally Posted by indigowhale

What are the other wires four which was ignition power and constant power etc.

[gbc]

re amp location....i preferred to go with trunk install in last car (weight in the front of these cars is a positive thing & while new amps are efficient they still do generate heat).....so better heat in the trunk than in the interior.

thin plywood was "silconed" to fender wall & amp mounted to that in order to maximize trunk space & allow access to spare tire (never considered using it....always carried tire goo & pressure inflator but did not want to effect my insurance as front spare is considered part of crash protection in the 964).

turned out well imo......