SP Stereo Install, long post, just data on my setup for those interested

[Velox]

PLEASE ignore this post if your accelerator pedal is your stereo volume control and side pipes=speakers. Few want/need stereos in their SF Cobra but for those that are interested, I came up with a setup I am very happy with, is easily removed, very little access required through panels, gives great sound and I can easily hear my tunes driving the Cobra around. Sometimes I just have to have tunes in the car! I thought I’d post what components I used since there is little found with the search function on this topic. I did not want the head unit hanging below the dash or hidden in the glove box and I was hoping to come up with a hidden system without need for a wireless remote. I also did not want kick panel or under dash speakers but I did want full sound (bass) available, meaning would need a sub somewhere, not for thumping or vibration of others at stop lights but for just fullness of frequencies. I was hoping to keep as much trunk space open for storing the top, side curtains, tonneau, tools etc. I did not want an iPod deal or any headphone or earpiece system. So this is my setup completed this weekend:

The head unit is a Kenwood KTS-MP400MR mounted (Velcro’d) in the trunk on the little shelf in front of the right rear tail light area. There is already a wiring hole/rubber grommet there for the tail light, and with the grommet removed there was plenty of room for all wiring needed. RTV sealant seals the area after wires placed. The Kenwood is a marine system – weatherproof supposedly –but I mainly wanted this for availability of a wired remote system with most functions available on the remote as opposed to other units, like the Sony ones. It has all the usual bells and whistles, but I was interested in MP3 function. I have over a hundred favorite tunes on a CD and this unit plays them all perfectly with no need for any disc changes. Velcro (one-half of a Velcro set – the loop side) adheres very well to the standard SF carpet, in all areas – behind the seats, trunk, trans tunnel etc. Velcro made for very secure installs of most components but I did hardware attach amps. The radio antenna is a hidden antenna (eBay street rod hidden antenna) Velcro’d to the trunk side wall, works perfectly, no need for any external antenna.

Speakers were a challenge. There is very little room in the SF for main speakers. I decided on trying to use the space behind the seats, so looked everywhere for decent quality thin speaker systems. I finally found the Pioneer Ultra-Thin S-LF3-F speakers, they are sold in two-piece or three-piece sets, usually for surround systems, Crutchfield, eBay etc. These are only 2 inches thick, perfect for limited spaces, rated at “max 130 watts” with 3 drivers each panel, so I assume probably 65W RMS power handling. They are only 5.5 inches wide, easily mount behind the seats, and are almost 16 inches tall, so initially were a bit too much in height. These speakers have aluminum designer surrounds not needed for function, so I removed (Dremel) the top and bottom pieces, reducing height by nearly 3 inches. 1 cm holes were big enough for wire exits to under the car, and Velcro strips nearly cement these in place.

I wanted a sub for full sound, a small one hopefully self-powered to avoid any more than one additional separate amp. I found the Infinity BassLink 10 inch driver unit, 200W RMS amplifier contained in the unit, and small enough to easily fit on the shelf in the trunk, single 1 cm hole needed through the trunk for some wiring, other wiring to the head unit fit under the carpet edges, mounted to the back of the trunk with cloth straps and a small piece of firm foam used in front of the sub to prevent it from vibrating on the fiberglass panel behind the seats. The main amp for the Pioneer speakers was necessary as the max output from most head units is 25-50W RMS each channel, not nearly enough to provide volume adequate for a side pipe open car like the Cobra. The Pyle PLAD213 was small enough to mount in the trunk above the battery compartment, and has 2x150W RMS output at 4 ohms, plenty for the Pioneer speakers which are rated at 8 ohms, so effectively provides them 75W RMS each. The overall sound is amazing to me.

Finally, the wired remote is a Kenwood KCA-RC100MR unit, and comes with plenty of cable to run the length of the car underneath. I wanted it mostly out of sight, so placed it high up on the trans tunnel, easily reached while driving to adjust volume, change to CD, power on-off etc, but not obviously visible on casual inspection of the car. It is brightly lit for night driving. A single 1.5cm hole was needed through the tunnel fiberglass, for the cable and mount hardware, and if this is removed the hole is well hidden and can be easily closed with a rubber grommet or plug. The head unit retains memory of station presets etc when power supply is removed, so all of this was wired past the battery cut off switch but I wired it unswitched to the ignition, so it could be on at any time. So if left on it could drain the battery but when leaving the car for any time I usually disconnect the battery via the main cut off switch.

Pictures of the amp, sub, head unit, speakers and remote are posted in my gallery for those interested.