Stereo Installation... No previous stereo or speakers.

[TyGuy]

Hi all. This is my first post, but I am a long time site watcher. I purchased
my '81 Vanagon L in late August and I am in love. I should be thankful that I am only the second owner of this vehicle ( the lady couldn't drive it due to arthritis, so it sat in a garage for 12 years) which is great because no one has messed around with the wiring or anything. However it has never had a stereo installed. No Speakers, no wires, not a thing. I was wondering how to go about wiring the receiver. I think i can just wire it straight to the fuse box, but i tried with no success. Do I need a seperate fuse for the receiver or can I use a relay from another fuse? i.e. accessories. I've used the search but only found responses about replacing a stock stereo, not installing one from scratch. I'll try and post some pics soon, so I can show off Wilber to all you kind folks

[airkooledchris]

You just need power. Id run a new wire direct from the battery up front, so you can access it anytime you need power for new accessories, but also so you don't have to worry about messing up the stock wires/etc.

Go to your local car audio shop and ask for a length of power wire with an inline fuse. Run a ground wire and your all set.

As for speakers, dont make the mistake of mounting them lower on the doors. While there is better space down there, it sounds HORRIBE.

Even though you have manual windows, there are tricks to installing the speakers higher up in the doors so you can actually hear them. that you should definately find help with in the archives.

[TyGuy]

If I run a wire directly to the battery won't the stereo always be on? As opposed to being triggered by the ignition. I know i can just push the off button everytime I shut the van off, but that seems kind of a hassle for me.
( I am quite forgetfull)

[wbx]

[TyGuy]

I believe the switched power is what is giving me trouble. Im not sure how to hook up the wiring to be triggered by the ignition.

[airkooledchris]

You would run the hot power direct from the battery, and if you really wanted to be sure you couldn't turn on the radio without the key in the ON position (you sure you wouldnt want to be able to turn it on without the key, like when camping/etc?) - then yes, you need a 'switched' power source as well.

Find something on the fuse panel (check the little glovebox manual) that also turns on only when key is in the ON position and splice into that for your switched source of power.


As for the location of the speakers, yes, in a regular passenger vehicle you could usually put the speakers in the lower door location and have it sound ok.

Unfortunately in these vans you have too much road noise to overcome, which means you CAN install them 4.5 feet away from your ears and still hear them, but you typically have to turn them up so loud that you lose a lot of sound quality.

The distance is so far apart also that it throws the phasing way off it seems. With the speakers higher up in the doors, less distance to reach your ears = better phasing, and at a lower volume (which should reduce distortion.)

[wbx]

[TELEK27]

I used dynamat through out my westy and it works great for sound deading as far as speakers go mine are mounted low on the door and they sound fine but Ialso have a 300 watt amp driving them.as far as wireing you should have a constant power a ground and aswithed power so don't have to remember to turn the raido off all the time

[scottcollins72]

I'm not sure how the PO did it on ours but when you place the key in the ignition our stereo comes on. Pull the key and it's off. One of these days I'll get around to investigating how and why that works. My speakers are also in the lower portion of my doors. I've got a set of newer Blaupunkt speakers in there and it sounds just fine to me. Hardly listen to the radio when I'm driving though. Love the sound of that aircooled engine back there!

[msinabottle]

To put in a fuse as close to the battery as possible on your live wires when you do your new wiring. If you get a short--and it could happen--you want the wire cut off as quickly as possible so that we don't all again have to mourn a Van-be-cue.

NAPA sells various sorts of inline fuse holders.

Best!

[lovedavdubs]

[mysticalclimber]

[GWTWTLW]

There are a couple of topics for wiring relays to the key in (not on) circuit. You can trigger a relay against the door chime pretty easily and have that power on your stereo when the key is in the ignition.
_________________
89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[hiram6]

(1) speaker placement - the problem with putting speakers down low is you will lose high frequencies. High frequency sounds (treble) are highly directional and easily absorbed. So if you are aiming these at your ankles, they are going to be absorbed by the carpeting, the upholstery, your feet, etc. Ideal would be a component system with your bass drivers down low, and a tweeter mounted up high on the door or on the dash. Drawback with a component system is complexity, and you really need an amp to drive them. Shallow door speakers up high are the compromise I went with.

(2) Power wiring. You need two power connections, a switched and a non-switched. Wire ran from the battery will give you a clean non-switched. Wire tapped into the key-in-ignition circuit will give you the best compromise for a non-switched. Radio will stay on until you remove the key. Better than a pure key-off connection because it gives you the option of radio with engine off when camping, sittinging the parking lot tailgating, whatever.
_________________
1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning.

[Wildthings]

Unless you are intending run a mammoth amplifier I wouldn't run a separate wire from the battery forward. The loads on a typical in dash stereo are pretty small and can be easily handled by the original wiring. In fact there is probably a wire running to the stereo slot just for the purpose of wiring a unit in. If you stereo is programed so it can be powered with both its power wires hot all the time then this wire is all you need. A lot of units have a special way to turn them off if both power wires are wired in together and hot the whole time, read the installation and operating manual for your unit to find out how to do this. Both wires on mine are always hot and I just have to hold the off button for two or three seconds to turn off.

[GWTWTLW]

[hiram6]