Any Car audio buffs on the forum?

[Jeff]

This 1971 Mustang I acquired has quite the sound system in it, but parts are missing. There are some wires/cables hanging in the trunk. I thought it was just a missing subwoofer, but I think now there may be more to it than that. There is a capacitor and a kenwood amp in the trunk. After replacing the 50 amp fuse under the hood, the stereo plays good, just not much for base. I think the fuse was blown from one of the cables in the trunk touching through the taped off end

Anyone know a lot about putting a system together?

[AZ_builder]

Could just be missing a sub? How many extra wires are there? Any coaxial wires? Might be missing an equalizer too? Not a buff but know vehicle electrics a bit.

[AZ_builder]

And before I get ahead of myself, 71' mustang should have am/fm, 8track at most! Lol keep factory muscle factory.

[Jeff]

This car had long before i got it left being stock. It has a kenwood system. Im thinking there should be maybe another amp for a sub by looking at the size of the unhooked wires.  I have a subwoofer to put in it.

Not stock.


 

[Resonator]

Maybe a 6 or 10 disk CD changer missing? Check for evidence of mounting brackets. The Sony I had years ago had its own remote on a cable, and a round multi-pin plug cable running from the changer to the stereo head unit. 

[AZ_builder]

You say "acquired" makes me think different than what's in the picture ;/). How bigs the wire? 00 size? Or less than 4? If so it'd be another sub or amp for sure.

[Jeff]

Its big wire. Im not sre the guage. Looks like coated wire rope almost. I need a wire size guage.

[Jeff]

Aquired means aquired in a trade. 

Thank you and Farewell Hoopty! in General Board

[AZ_builder]

Just giving you a hard time about the acquired part. If it's that big of wire and braided it's more than likely for another sub/amp. Is it tied into the same wire that blew the fuse?

[Mooseherder]

I just replaced the system in my 15 year old Dodge recently with a new Kenwood unit from Best Buy.  Also new JBL speakers and kicker amp.  Unbelievable difference.   I was down to one working speaker on the original equipment.
Geek squad installed it for me.  Took them 6.5 hours.  Loved dealing with them.  Went in there today to ask a follow up question and they gave me a remote control.
We are gonna rock the road to Maine this year. smiley_fiddler
I used to put my own systems in 40 years ago but youngsters know much more about what you need than old fellers. ;)

[Jeff]

Just giving you a hard time about the acquired part. If it's that big of wire and braided it's more than likely for another sub/amp. Is it tied into the same wire that blew the fuse?

I do not think so. It comes up in the middle of the car. I'll try and get a better picture of the wiring in the trunk tomorrow. I thought I had some good photos but they suck.


 

 

[Jeff]

THis is the sub I have to put in it. I sat it in there to see if it would even fit. ;D



 

[mike_belben]

Youll have a fat positive and a fat negative from the battery and a skinny positive [ called remote power] from the head unit which turns on the amp, just like your ignition switch signal line closes the starter solenoid to crank the starter motor.  Then youll obviously have left and right coax from the head unit for signal to an amp.  These are the inputs, and the outputs are just speaker wires. 

The capacitor stores juice so the headlights dont dim during big base hits that lower the system voltage.  It is wired into the positive battery cable in series, as close to the amp as possible.  Be careful around caps.   Just like arcing a battery. 

[Jeff]

BOOM BOOM POW!

After a bunch of googling and research. I got it all worked out. Jeremy came over this afternoon to crawl in the trunk as I dont fit back there.  I figure this spring, I should be able to park in the middle of the yard, crank the stereo, and drive the night crawlers right up out of the ground.