I know this should probably be a sticky by now =P

I'm looking to swap out the stock stereo and speakers in my '87 GXE with some aftermarket items (probably an Alpine single-din headunit w/Infinity speakers).

What kits/wiring do I need to pick up to get the head unit in?

What size/depth speaker can I get into the front doors, can I go with a 6 1/2" x 2 3/16"? Will I need some new wiring/adaptors?

What size/depth speaker can I use in the rear? Can I drop 4" components in the original housing replacing the tweeters? or can I get away with getting rid of the housing and dropping 6 1/2"s back there too? Will I need wiring/adaptors/new brackets for 6 1/2"s back there?

I don't know if wanna spend too much right now. I just want some decent sound now. I would look into adding a sub and amp later, when the cash flows in.

I guess this would be a good time to poll the board to see what everyone has running in their Maxs.

Me? I got some flappy paper speakers & a Nissan head unit w/non-functioning tape deck.

 

I put some 5 1/4 in the back to replace the stock ones. I used RF in the back. Then I put some JL 6 1/2 in the front. Still had the stock HU in there and these speakers were kickin'. There loud and clear and they all bumped the bass. If it weren't for the crappy install the guys did with the front I would be happy without a CD player.(Okay maybe not)
The front speakers for the after market will protrude. So that grill thats on there will stick out. You can cut a little hole to accomadate or take off the grill.

 

From what I remember, there isn't really a wire harness you can buy that will interface with the headunit and the car, or at least when I was trying to install my stuff. So you'll probably have to hard wire it in....but then again...others may have sources. The 6.5" components I have in my car fit pretty well (and don't make the grill in the door stick out. They are Kenwood Excelon KFC-Xr61p's You can probably find them and get the dimension on them. As for the rears, yes you can fit 6.5" speakers in the back, but there are 2 holes per speaker in the back to accomadate the factory tweeter....and they are pretty good size, so if you ditch the stock housings, you will need to recarpet the back deck to cover up the holes.

S

 

I installed an aftermarket stereo in my car a few days ago. You need the harness adapter, you can get at any car audio place, maybe even evil Wal*Mart. You must then connect the bare wires off the harness to the bare wires on the head unit. That's all, oh, you will also need an antenna adapter since Nissan uses the diversity antenna.

Just snip the wires at the speakers, crimp connectors on and plug into new aftermarket speakers.

I have only done the front speakers with 6.5 audiobahn's.


my 2¢

-Joe

 

I have installed a Alpine MP3 CD deck into my 85 wagon, i was too cheap to go out and buy a harness, so i cut the wires on the original radio harness, and soldered the wires to the Alpine one. I dont remember the specific color codes, but if anybody needs help with that, just ask. I also installed some 6 1/4 Infintiy Kappa's in the front, but i had to modify the grill on the door panels so the speakers would fit. To connect the speakers, just cut off the ends and crimp on some quick connects to go to the speakers. For the back speakers, i intalled some JBL 6 1/2 compnent speakers, i just had to use a single set of the wires from the deck to the crossover that was included with the speakers (the factory system has 2 sets of wires for each back speaker, cause the tweeter and woofer was separate). I had to fab a spacer for the woofers on the speakers i got, cuase the original spacer for the woofer only had 3 screw holes, and it wasn't thick enough to fit the new woofers in ( in a sedan there shouldnt be a problem with the spacer). I also installed 3 Infinity 10" subs with a 500 watt alpine amp. I also put in another Alpine Amp to power all the speakers. To hide the sub box and amps, i built a frame that fits from the back of the seats to the back window, and covered it with that black speaker grill fabric, it looks really nice, and it hides everything in the back. If you have any questions about car audio, just ask and i will be happy to share my knowledge.

 

 

one nice thing I am spoiled on is Crutchfield. I am sure most of you all have heard of it....it was started in charlottesville VA (where I live), and when ever you buy a deck from them they give you the install kit for no charge (new bracket and harness). So you may want to look at them for your needs. Also if you already have the stuff you can always buy the adaptor bracket and or harness from them

 

Okay, it's my 2nd week with the Maxima and I'm still in need of a few things to get the car running efficiently (tune up, O2 sensor, valve check, etc.). I know that these things should take priority over Armor-All and replacing the stereo but I can't help it------1st Car syndrome I suppose.

Anyway, I just bought an 8" Powered Bazooka on-line and I'm really unsure of what to do about replacing the stock speakers in the cabin. I'd like to make the install as simple as possible while still accomplishing an impressively full sound. Can you seasoned 2nd Gen owners help me out?

HEAD UNIT: I plan on getting either the Pioneer DEH-P4600MP or spending a little bit more for the Alpine CDA-9827, anything to look out for here?

REAR SPEAKERS: Would 4" 2-ways fit right into the stock rear deck housings---I'm looking at the Kappa 42.5i---are these strong enough to fill out the sound from the rear deck w/ an 8" Bazooka in the trunk?

FRONT SPEAKERS: From the responses in the thread it looks like 6 1/2" 3-ways would fit with some minor modification to the stock grill. Are 3-ways in the front necessary for bass purposes with the Bazooka sub in the trunk? Can I downgrade to 5 1/2" 2-ways, would this make the install much simpler? I admit I haven't figured out what size the stock door speakers are, though I read that they were 5 1/2".

As always, thanks for helping an automobile/car audio/2nd Gen noob out!

 

Alright. I would either get 6.5" two ways for the front speakers, or components. You should have the 6.5" speakers to produce adequate mid-range bass.....which sub usually doesn't do. 4" speakers will fit in the back. I myself would get rid of the stock housings, and go with 5.25" or 6.5" two way's myself....but what you have will work.

S

 

I have done business with Crutchfield before. Those folks are preeeemo! I installed a Kenwood deck in my daughter's '90 and they provided the mounting instructions, wiring diagram, adapters for both the head unit and the speakers, all without addtional cost!! They don't rip you off on shipping/handling either. I probably could have gotten around it all without the instructions, but hey, it sure made finding that hidden door panel screw a lot easier to find! TIP!! Look online for their clearance/returned units. Same warranty as new, but greatly reduced!

 

HEAD UNIT: I plan on getting either the Pioneer DEH-P4600MP or spending a little bit more for the Alpine CDA-9827, anything to look out for here?

I have the 4600 in my 84 Jaguar XJ6.... It is a great unit and comes with a remote (good if you hate looking for "micro" buttons in the dark). I bought mine off eBay for $113 plus shipping. It was a refurbished unit with 90 day warranty. The one thing I don't like is that it had no dimmer wire to attach your driving light switch to. Therefore, it is bright all the time, even at night. To me, the spatial settings are hard to decipher (sort of like the ones on your home "surround sound" system) and tailor. My friend has an Alpine in his car (I don't know which model), but it CRANKS compared to mine. My opinion?; save your lunch money a little longer and get the Alpine!

 

when I replaced mine i got all the stuff I needed from crutchfield.they have the wire harness, mounting plate,antenna adaptor and anything else you need.If you go with cutting the wires and puting it in that way I can get you the info on what wires go where

 

Thanks guys, I've checked out crutchfield. according to the website the 6 1/2" infinity 63.5i won't fit in an 87' GXE Sedan?? I'm looking to put 2 in the front door and 2 in the rear deck, does anyone have any experience with installing these?

 

They can be made to fit. You may deal with a bulge in the speaker grill, which can be fixed by grinding it down, or cutting it out (that might not look so good). Either way, what I'm getting at is anything can be made to fit really.

S

 

The 6.5's should work in the front with modification to the speaker grill, i just grinded the inside of the grille down on my 85 wagon to make them fit right. Im not sure about the rear speakers on a sedan, cause on my wagon, it had 6.5 woofers, and a 3" tweeter stock, i just replaced the rears with a set of JBL 6 1/2 component speakers in the back. If you order from crutchfield, they should include the right adapter harness for the deck. BTW, the Infinity Kappa's sound kick a$$ in my maxima, and if i were you i would go with the Alpine deck, mine is great, no problems with it at all, and it sounds great. The speaker fit guide on crutchfield isnt always true, it said the same thing about the infinity's i put in the front of my maxima, same speakers infact as the ones your looking at. If you have a 6 1/2 opening in the back of your maxima, i would get another pair of the same speakers in the front, for the rear. (also, if your using a sub, its a good idea to get a set of crossovers for all of your speakers, so you dont blow them when you crank up the bass and volume).
Hey, 86Wagon, once i get my digital camera back i will get some pics of my car, so you can see the system.

 

neo_densetsu---the Apline head-unit I ordered (from Crutchfield) has a separate subwoofer preamp outputs with separate level control. This should just send a signal to the amp on the powered Ba***ka, right? Will I still need an additional crossover to the crossovers included with the Kappas?

Thanks for all you help, you suggestions have been invaluable to me as a first time car owner.

 

Alright friends.

1) I got the Alpine (CDA-9827) headunit in--- it's a bit wide for the stock Maxima molding, so I had to go without the plastic trim edge around the face--ah well, that was a cheap plastic trim anyways-----it still looks amazing.

2) I put the Kappa 63.5i in the front door panels---these are a touch too deep, so I 've got a bulge and 2 or 3 door panel clips aren't fastened in the lower corners.

3) I routed the Bazooka (EL8A-HP) amp cables and rcas on opposite sides of the car floor underneath the moldings and carpet to the battery and headunit----but, I forgot to run the turn-on lead wire with the rcas to the headunit-----SO, everything will have to be taken apart again, gahhhhhhh!

4) I still have yet to install the Kappa 63.5i in the rear deck and am concerned about the carpeting.

So far? It sounds blinking amazing compared to the rotted factory system I took out.

Now I need some advice...how have you guys dealt with the bulge in the front door panel? The Kappa's tweeter assemblys give the entire loudspeaker about a 1/3" more depth than the door panel will allow---I know someone has mentioned sanding out the inside of the door panel grill, what should i use----any thoughts??

and for the rear deck, should I pay for someone to recarpet this panel after I ditch the factory housings and install the Kappas, is this something that can be done myself?

as always thanks a million folks!!!

 

I have infinity 6 X 9's in the rear. I had to cut out a bit of metal to make them fit but definitely worth it. I have infinity 6 1/2's in the front but it comes with a price. You can not roll the windows down all the way as the glass will hit the speakers and you have to take off the door panels and shave the inside down. You dont have to take off that much. When the speaker hits the outer cone hits it just slightly. I put up with not being able to roll down my windows but thats me but one thing for sure is my sound is loud and very clear. Jose

 

Can you post some pics of the 6x9's in the rear...both above the deck and below?

Thanx

 

turbo
go to my cardomain site and I believe I have a picture from above there. I just checked and its picture #9. I will have to take one from below. Jose

www.cardomain.com/id/maximumrideus

 

Aiight I was hoping to get a look at the underside as well, so I could see better what needed to be done to make them fit. I was thinking about doing 6x9's but I'm not quite sure how to do it.
BTW, that car is sick

 

I got no problems with the windows going down with 6 1/2"s in front door panels. Just some bulging that I'm hoping to deal with by sanding out the obstructive section on the inside of the door panel grill. Hopefully this will work.

As for the rears, I got the other pair of 6 1/2"s in this weekend and wired up the Bazooka. I've still got to notch out an appropriate sized speaker opening in the rear deck cover, and then re-carpet, but I must say everything's fairly tidy and sounding very sweet.

For the re-carpeting, have you guys done this yourself, if so what brands should I be looking to, dashmat.com, coverking.com?

 

Dust
What I did was go to home depot and bought a sheet of (I call it particle board, not sure if its correct) anyway you can tell its the right one cause it sort of looks like the factory stuff. I took out the rear deck and it was so old and the board was super flimsy. I laid it on the new board and traced the pattern. You will have to remove the 2 vent plastic things in order to trace them out as well. once you pull it out, you will see what you need to trace. I got a dremel tool and cut it out. prior to this I had already cut the metal for the 6x9's. I laid the new board back in place and then cut out the holes to match the 6x9's. I went to Walmart and bought the black carpet they sell there. I was surprised that it matched my black carpet kit to the tee. Once the new pattern is cut out, you get some spray adhesive and coat the particle board, lay the carpet on it and smooth it all out. Give it time to dry and with a good razor start cutting around and do the 2 plastic vent things and I believe the hole for the break light. Something else I did with the carpet from Walmart was the carpet pieces on all 4 doors!!! hope it helped. Jose