84_Carrera

I'm in need of replacing the speakers in the '84 911.
I've been given conflicting info as to what I can put in there size-wise. I'm also going to be doing a headunit replacement later this winter (Nakamichi CD400, most likely). I am also looking at different ways to get a little bass in there, and a Clarion SRV303 7" powered sub unit (13 5/8" x 9 1/8" x 2 15/16", hoping to go under pass seat or behind rear seatbacks).

I'm told that the rears are 4" rounds, and the fronts are either 5 1/2" or 6 1/2". I've got Infinity Kappa 42.5i's on order, as well as their 62.5i 2-way fronts. Just didn't know if I blew it, or if those will fit in the doors. Did a search, didn't see what I was looking for.

Are there in-dash speakers somewhere as well? Thanks guys.

Peter Zimmermann

Believe it or not, Circuit City and similar places are pretty scary, so we use Crutchfield. Find them at Crutchfield.com, there is an option to receive a free catalog. Everything I've ever bought from them has been as promised (quality, fit, hook-up, etc.). They have an amazing array of products - amps, head units, shuttles, speakers, etc., and they know what fits your car. Have fun with it!
Pete

84_Carrera

Thanks Pete.
Yeah, I've bought from Crutchfield before (long ago) - they're one of the places that says 6 1/2" is a direct bolt-in. I should probably just get off my duff & measure the dang speaker, huh?

I'd NEVER bring the car to an installer I didn't know & trust. A good friend of mine who passed away this Saturday owned his own installer business (www.skitronics.com) is one guy that's done installs for me before on my supercharged Taurus SHO. With Skit's passing, I'd rather blame myself for screwing something up than having a 17 YO punk take the car for a joyride, then bring it back & rip the door panels off & say in his best Bill & Ted voice, "sorry dude, who knew it was gunna bust apart like that?"

I've had the Infinity Kappas before, excellent sounding speakers, IMHO. I tried a new, cheap company with the ones in my current SHO, a company called PowerBass. They sound pretty nice, especially for the money (Although, I picked up the front & rear Kappas for under $150 delivered today, a fair enough deal).

The cheapo deck I had in the SHO died on the way to work (right before I put my fist into the faceplate), and I got the old installer to agree to put in what I wanted, so a Nak CD400's on the way in from him now. That'll be nice to test it before getting another one for the 911. He also says the newer high-end Blau's are pretty nice, too.

Peter Zimmermann

The nice thing about Crutchfield - they have your car's info - you don't have to measure anything before buying...
Pete

84_Carrera

Ok, upon further inspection of the Crutchfield site, it looks like 5 1/4" is the stock door size, and 6 1/2" fits, if you re-drill the mounting screw locations & trim the doorpanels. Not what I wanted to do.

Thanks Pete.

Middlebay

Fred,

I'm wanting to put the CD400 in my car too, but I can't tell from the specs if it has an aux input for my ipod. Do you know if it does? I'm going to have to order it off of the internet because my local dealer quit selling them. Nak is going out of business. Too bad, they made good stuff.

Thanks
Richard

84_Carrera

Specs (Nakamichi.com): http://www.nakamichi.com/auto/CD400/spec.html

On there, they list the "Aux Input Level".

From eBay descriptions:
"Built in Equalizer, Security Features, Aux Input, Remote Control, Subwoofer Output"

and

"Front / Rear / Sub Preouts, +Auxiliary Input for Anything (DVD, MP3, MD, i-Pod)"

Middlebay

Thanks for the info.

77TARGA

Does anyone have any first-hand knowledge about the clarion srv303 sub unit, or anything else along the same lines? I'm getting ready to put some sound into my 1980sc, I want a full sounding bass without a huge speakerbox sitting on the back seat.

madvex

I'd forgo the powered sub and go with a sub enclosure and two 8" subs in a custom enclosure. Audio Innovations makes one that fits perfectly in a 911 on the rear floor and is covered in Porsche Factory carpet to match the interior - It's stealthy and pounds!
For door and deck speakers, Crutchfield is the best bet for perfect fit.

Here's the setup I have in my '85 Targa:

Rear Deck Spkrs: Blaupunkt T-Line 4"x6"/4"x6"m - model PCxt462
Front Door Spkrs: Blaupunkt TS Series 5-1/4" - model TSx542
Front Component Tweeters: Polk Audio, 1" liquid-cooled silk/polymer composite dome w/ 15 degree swivel - model from Polk component system MMC6500
Sub Enclosure: Car Audio Innovations, 84-89 911 enclosure w/ porsche factory black carpet, lined and stuffed. Available online here: http://www.caraudioinnovations.com/porsche8384sub.htm
Subwoofers: Two, 8" SONY XPLOD - model XS-L81P5
Power Amp: Jensen K5 - 5 Channel / 1300 watts / 400 watt separate sub channel (discontinued model - too bad 'cause it pounds! - Yah I know, it's a Jensen.. but it has a ton of power, stays cool, isn't noisy and is reliable - I have 2 and the one in my truck is going on 5 years w/ no issues except blowing up a sub ;-).

Hope this helps a bit - good luck with your project!

Dan Cobb

Make certain that the 4x6 rears that you choose have the european (metric spaced I presume) mounting holes, or else the speakers will not lay flat on the rear deck once installed. (Unless you either re-drill the deck or the new speaker frames).
Ask me how I know.
Another thing to make certain of is the thickness of the front speakers. If the magnet is too large or the cones are too deep, then the speaker will interfere with the window track/mechanism.
Again, ask me how I know.
The biggest hassle in this mod is the careful removal and re-installation of the door pockets and associated hardware.
Yet a third time, ask me how I know.
I ended up with Polk speakers. Apparently they only make one set that will fit the front and back in the 911.
Yes, ask me how I know....
Believe it or not, I was drawn towards a Panasonic head unit. It was the only one that wasn't too complicated or gimmik-filled that would fit the 911 dash. I like the flip-up face, but they will not work.
I spent almost $450 for my setup earlier this summer from Circuit City.
My only complaint was that they didn't follow my explicit instructions to swap the power leads for the cigarette lighter and the radio.
I wanted to be able to keep my cell phone charging with the ignition off. This will now become a Sunday project.

84_Carrera

Hey Dan, how do you know?

Sorry to hear about the struggle. It sounds like there may be more speakers or setups out there than I thought. I have 4" round in the back seat area, and looks like 5 1/4" in the front doors.

Are there anymore speakers in the car that I'm not aware of right now in my 84 Cab?

Also, I actually USE the back seats on mine (have a 6 year old), so the floor-mounted subs are not going to work for me (hence the Clarion SRV303 idea). I'd seen those enclosures when I first got the car & went looking - thanks for the suggestion though!

Peter Zimmermann

Dan C.: I'm curious about your power wire comment (cig. lighter/radio). Your radio has two power wires, one that is switched (for user operation), and one that is full-time 12V (for presets/memory functions). If you take away the power wire and move it to the lighter you will lose all memory when you shut off the car. If you must convert your lighter housing to a power point you should pick up unswitched 12V from the headlight switch, or the battery, and install an in-line fuse. I would not pull full time power at the lighter's fuse box terminal because that would also provide unswitched 12V to your heater blower (you don't want to do that!). An easy way to do the conversion is to find the lighter's power wire at the fuse box (it should be the 9th fuse counting from the windshield end of the fuse box). Loosen the bottom screw and remove just the lighter wire and re-tighten the screw against the blower wire. Disconnect the battery ground strap and create a new wire, fused and properly shrink-tubed, between the + terminal and the fuse box. Using appropriate skills attach the new power wire to the lighter wire (this should be a solder joint or done with a splice connector), hook up the battery and test your work. I strongly suggest that you do not put the lighter in its socket, instead leave the socket open or fashion a decorative, non-conductive plug for it. These directions assume that whoever uses them is capable of performing electrical tasks correctly and has the appropriate tools and parts to carry out the task. Good luck!
Pete

Dan Cobb

Seeral good points Pete. IIRC, when I was finally fed up with the static-master Blaupunkt system that was original to the car, I thought for some reason that the radio not only retained presets, it actually worked with the ignition off, and the lighter outlet did not. Since I keep the lighter element in the glovebox for a future owner to "discover", I figured it was no big deal to make it a constant power source for my cell phone, etc. so the phone could charge without the ignition on.
I'm beginning to see that my frustration was leading me down a radically bad path. Imagine if I did the conversion and then sold the car w/o either telling them or putting it back to stock...
as soon as they "discovered" the lighter int he glovebox, bad things would be in their future.
I think I'll go ahead and wire up an auxillary plug and conceal it either inside the center console or up under the dash.
An in-line fuse will be a necessity AFAIAC.
Thanks for rattling my head a bit Pete, sometimes the air in there gets a bit stale.
+++

wrandyh

I ordered the Clarion unit. After hooking it up in my car ('88 911 Targa) and listening to it for five minutes in the garage, I unhooked it and returned it! I don't want to rattle windows or anything but this unit just doesn't have enough power to warrant spending even the $200 or so for it.
I've ordered an Infinity Basslink that I plan on placing behind the passenger seat on the floorboard. It will be removeable as necessary but usually I only have one rear seat passenger - my seven year old son.
Should be getting the unit tomorrow or Monday - I'll let you know how I like it.
Car Audio Innovations is fantastic if you don't need to use the rear seats for people. I sat in a friends couple to listen and it was awesome.

wrandyh