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Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:05 pm

I just bought all my components to get some tunes back into my ride but Im wondering if I should get it pro installed or figure out how to do it myself. Im going to start with the Head Unit (Pioneer Deh-p5000ub) and 2 6.5's up front and 2 6x9's in back. Can someone type up a stereo install guide if its not too hard? If it is, just throw out any tips you got. Is the wiring harness it came with gonna do the job? Do I wire to the fuse box? I dont have much experience with electrical stuff... Thanks so much.

Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:06 pm

if you are not comfortable putting in some speakers and head unit, have a friend help you and learn. its not that hard to do, just hard to do on your own.

Tue Sep 02, 2008 9:26 pm

Its not that im not comfortable, I just need a little direction. I cant seem to find many websites with info on how to install stereos to old cars... And I dont have any friends :(

Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:43 am

Go to Crutchfield's web site. You can download any diagram you need for your own application. Yours in particular should be very simple to do.

Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:08 am

If it's a new stereo it should have a wiring diagram with it. It doesn't get much clearer than that. The only wires that will be getting hooked to your bus are the RED for power, the Black for ground and for the sake of simplicity, the Yellow memory wire can be hooked to the same power source as the red wire. You can hook it to a switched power source,(meaning it only comes on when the key is on) and you wont be able to save any station presets, OR, you can hook it to the HOT side of the fuse panel (not recommended) and it will turn on at any time. The correct way is for the red wire to be switched and the yellow to be HOT so the radio doesn't lose station presets and the clock. These wire colors are standardized for all new radios, and that includes the color of the speaker wires. As for mounting it, that where you have to get creative. If you listen carefully, you can probably hear thousands of Samba members screaming "Don't cut!!". Check out the pics in the forum for ideas and step away from the jigsaw. Hope this helps.

Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:39 am

lovebrigade wrote: Its not that im not comfortable, I just need a little direction. I cant seem to find many websites with info on how to install stereos to old cars... And I dont have any friends :(

the words of the post above are dead on.

what, no friends in LA to help with some tunes. get with a local vw club, i know someone will help ya. or go into an non-chain auto sound store when it looks like they are slow. play up the "i ain't got no money but i need some help" look and have a case of beer with ya. it would help if you see a place with a VW in the employee parking area :lol:

Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:17 am

It`s better to install with someone with better experience. especialy with old VW cars Because some of them have 6 volts electric systems (no compatible with new stereos systems).

I'm a eletrician I can help you if you like. my msn is [email protected]

lovebrigade wrote: I just bought all my components to get some tunes back into my ride but Im wondering if I should get it pro installed or figure out how to do it myself. Im going to start with the Head Unit (Pioneer Deh-p5000ub) and 2 6.5's up front and 2 6x9's in back. Can someone type up a stereo install guide if its not too hard? If it is, just throw out any tips you got. Is the wiring harness it came with gonna do the job? Do I wire to the fuse box? I dont have much experience with electrical stuff... Thanks so much.

Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:22 am

or what what i did with the amp and ipod. one hot wire to the amp and one ground, that was it for the hard stuff. 4 wires, 2 per speaker; RCA for the ipod and then the remote swtch - easy. get an player with an FM tuner and you are set.

pics from the cell phone, crappy ones.

The power switch for the amp

The iPod while driving

Amp with wires

Amp test fit, no wires.

Thu Sep 04, 2008 8:20 am

Although a lot of this has been covered in other threads its still really helpful with some great new ideas. I had been wondering how to wire speakers in the front doors properly and the post from Major Woody on page four of this thread is a great idea. Thanks :P

I am pretty new to all of this but I have been doing a lot of research on installing a stereo in my '64 deluxe (bench seat). Here are the first questions I think anyone should ask based on what I have seen. Hope it helps. :D

1. How much do you care about sound? If you really dont care that much dont kill yourself with complex solutions. Attach a simple head unit under the parcel tray wired into your fuse box, ground to chassis properly and then add a couple of speakers wherever it works for you. If you do care more and want to do the work yourself go on the car audio forums and ask about your planned install specifically. Although most of the guys there are not running with the same crowd as the Samba folks, they are still pretty helpful in their world. I just asked a lot of questions and they gave me all the info and helpful advice I needed. They were really nice guys and I was able to brush up on my ghetto vocab skills. :wink:

2. How much do I want to spend? Your wallet and your call?
3. What are you willing to do to your bus to make all of it possible? There are structural and electrical issues with any install. You may need to upgrade 6v to 12v, your alternator, or a wiring upgrade of the "Big Three" just to make your desired intall work. FYI-Upgrade big three means improving the current capacity of three cables: 1) alternator positive to battery positive, 2) battery negative to chassis, and 3) engine ground to chassis.

Here is what I am doing so any advice is appreciated:
a. head unit under parcel tray with dual RCA outputs for two amps and remote leads to turn on amps when head unit comes on
b. two Amps will go under rear seat. One 200w amp for a 10"sub woofer behind the front seat in a custom box I made (1" ply, glue, screws, caulk, etc). Other 400w amp for two front door full range speakers and two rear 4x10 low profile full range speakers for rear corners(odd but great size for those rear corners). These amps are more for proper distribution rather than for thumping sound so I am not overly worried about power draw with 600w total.
c. Two tweeters for highs under the dash right behind the grill. These have built in capacitors and will come from the head units bulit in amp since they require very little push.
d. All wiring in done from head unit behind the kick panels, under the front floor mat, under front seats, through a small hole in the bulkhead, in the grooves in the main floor(under a wood floor) to amps and back to speakers and subs as needed.

Whew!! :shock:

Thu Sep 04, 2008 10:03 am

bhayne wrote: Although a lot of this has been covered in other threads its still really helpful with some great new ideas. I had been wondering how to wire speakers in the front doors properly and the post from Major Woody on page four of this thread is a great idea. Thanks :P

I am pretty new to all of this but I have been doing a lot of research on installing a stereo in my '64 deluxe (bench seat). Here are the first questions I think anyone should ask based on what I have seen. Hope it helps. :D

1. How much do you care about sound? If you really dont care that much dont kill yourself with complex solutions. Attach a simple head unit under the parcel tray wired into your fuse box, ground to chassis properly and then add a couple of speakers wherever it works for you. If you do care more and want to do the work yourself go on the car audio forums and ask about your planned install specifically. Although most of the guys there are not running with the same crowd as the Samba folks, they are still pretty helpful in their world. I just asked a lot of questions and they gave me all the info and helpful advice I needed. They were really nice guys and I was able to brush up on my ghetto vocab skills. :wink:

2. How much do I want to spend? Your wallet and your call?
3. What are you willing to do to your bus to make all of it possible? There are structural and electrical issues with any install. You may need to upgrade 6v to 12v, your alternator, or a wiring upgrade of the "Big Three" just to make your desired intall work. FYI-Upgrade big three means improving the current capacity of three cables: 1) alternator positive to battery positive, 2) battery negative to chassis, and 3) engine ground to chassis.

Here is what I am doing so any advice is appreciated:
a. head unit under parcel tray with dual RCA outputs for two amps and remote leads to turn on amps when head unit comes on
b. two Amps will go under rear seat. One 200w amp for a 10"sub woofer behind the front seat in a custom box I made (1" ply, glue, screws, caulk, etc). Other 400w amp for two front door full range speakers and two rear 4x10 low profile full range speakers for rear corners(odd but great size for those rear corners). These amps are more for proper distribution rather than for thumping sound so I am not overly worried about power draw with 600w total.
c. Two tweeters for highs under the dash right behind the grill. These have built in capacitors and will come from the head units bulit in amp since they require very little push.
d. All wiring in done from head unit behind the kick panels, under the front floor mat, under front seats, through a small hole in the bulkhead, in the grooves in the main floor(under a wood floor) to amps and back to speakers and subs as needed.

Whew!! :shock:

I REALLY like everything about this except for the tweeter placement. I don't think you are going to be happy with that. It's really not that much work to pull wires up into the roof panel, and you can get truly tiny flush-mount tweeters.

I would cross over those full range speakers in the back corners with a bandpass crossover, too. Don't make them try to reproduce the extreme lows and highs. They'll distort the lows and you don't want your highs coming from behind you.

Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:10 am

Quote: I REALLY like everything about this except for the tweeter placement. I don't think you are going to be happy with that. It's really not that much work to pull wires up into the roof panel, and you can get truly tiny flush-mount tweeters.

I would cross over those full range speakers in the back corners with a bandpass crossover, too. Don't make them try to reproduce the extreme lows and highs. They'll distort the lows and you don't want your highs coming from behind you.

Yeah. I might just do that. I dont have roof panels (standard headliner) but I could mount the flush mount tweeters in the panels behind the visors. Theres a little pocket there that would work. I thought about a crossover for the rears but figured I really wouldn't drive them that hard so full range would be fine. I just wanted to fill in the sound a little. Since my wife doesnt even know I spent all this money yet I should probably just work with what I have right now and sneak the crossover in later.

Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:19 am

Well Ive started installing it and the wirings looking pretty good but I do have a question. Do any of the fuses go off when the car is off? One of the power wires is supposed to stay constant and one is supposed to go to a source connected to the ignition. What source should I use for the ignition one?

Thanks A Bunch

Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:50 am

One of the real experts on bus electrical can probably chime in here but I can't think of any fuse positions that "turn off" except the one connected to ignition and starter. I have an aftermarket ignition switch with an accessory position. You may want to consider putting one in to match your modern stereo. Good luck. :)

Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:33 am

lovebrigade wrote: Well Ive started installing it and the wirings looking pretty good but I do have a question. Do any of the fuses go off when the car is off? One of the power wires is supposed to stay constant and one is supposed to go to a source connected to the ignition. What source should I use for the ignition one?

Thanks A Bunch
You can find the power source you need using your test light. Just test each fuse position while turning the key on and off. It's not a great idea to piggyback your radio and amp, if you're using one, off of a fuse being used for something else. You can always take power off of the ignition switch directly provided you use an in-line fuse. If you want to be able to listen to the radio with the car off just pair the yellow (memory) wire with the red (main power) wire and go to the hot side of the ignition. Buses don't have an "accessory" position so if you want tunes when you're camping or at a car show or just working on the bus then that's the way to go. I mounted a separate switch on the bottom of the case of my radio so I can cut power off when I leave the bus. My radio's an pushbutton so I don't have a memory wire.

Sun Sep 21, 2008 10:11 pm

Here is my low tech system:

I'm not an audiophile, I just wanted a system loud enough to be heard at freeway speed and easy install and removal. There is an additional ugly speaker box (two 6"s & tweeters) in the luggage area. There is a toggle switch to the left of the head unit that acts as an accessory ignition posession.

Mon Jun 08, 2009 4:59 pm

P-Dub wrote: Here is my low tech system:

PDub where did you find the vintage drink holder??

Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:08 pm

sltybus wrote: P-Dub wrote: Here is my low tech system:

PDub where did you find the vintage drink holder??

x2. Me likey.... =P~

Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:52 am

sltybus wrote: P-Dub wrote: Here is my low tech system:

PDub where did you find the vintage drink holder??

Thats great where can I get one, they were never made here???

Dave

Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:45 am

I have been on a mission since first seeing this post. Every Antique store I stop at looking for a similar drink holder! In the meantime this is how I hooked up my stereo.

I know it's fuzzy. The two vertical wood peices actually hold the stereo in place. It sits in real nice and the face can't be detached. I am looking for a knockoff plate that I can modify that would cover the face up. Make it look like it's not even there. If you look below the angle that I have it at you can see the speakers mounted in the front panels.

Tue Jun 09, 2009 8:18 am

I bought this Becker Retro Navigation System:

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3300.asp?id=12924

Head Unit, Navigation, Cell Phone combinated in a Retro designed chassis.

the navigation CD covers Europe.

Fine Thing!