upgrading head unit questions

[novadmc]

I'm looking to upgrade the current head unit/radio in my car with something more modern. I currently have an older Kenwood Excelon that only plays CDs (no mp3 support) that the previous owner had installed. I want to upgrade to something that can do USB since i don't think ive burned or used a CD in years. I want something with decent sound quality but it does not have to be audiophile quality by any means. the speakers have already been upgraded in the car with Kenwood speakers (again by the previous owner).

I'm currently looking at this: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020FZ150/Clarion-FZ150.html?tp=5684
http://www.crutchfield.com.edgesuite.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ImageHandler/fixedscale/400/300/products/2014/1/202/x202FZ150-f.jpg

FM/AM tuner, USB/SD aux support (mp3 and wma files). and cheap! (only $60 right now on crutchfield), plus it give (to me at least) a similar look to that of the original factory Craig unit with knobs on either side.

question is, any gotchas i should be aware of if i get this and attempt to install it? I know that crutchfield probably doesn't have a wire harness, so ill probably have to cut out the old head unit and solder in the new one directly. that's no big deal though. what about mounting it? will it be able to simply screw into the DIN cavity once i pull out the old unit or will i need to customize its install?

thanks for any help you can provide before i click "buy"

[LordFly]

If you're already got something in there, replacing it should be pretty straightforward. Assuming the PO didn't do some terrible hack job to get it in there. As far as wiring harness goes, I can't remember exactly what I did on mine, but I know with previous cars that weren't meant for aftermarket units, I've gone to the wreckers and cut out a stereo hardness from a Civic. Solder that in permanently. Any headunit you buy in the future will have an option for a Civic harness.

Edit: Not to dis your stereo choice, but if it's only $60, it's because it's only worth $60.

[novadmc]

If you're already got something in there, replacing it should be pretty straightforward. Assuming the PO didn't do some terrible hack job to get it in there. As far as wiring harness goes, I can't remember exactly what I did on mine, but I know with previous cars that weren't meant for aftermarket units, I've gone to the wreckers and cut out a stereo hardness from a Civic. Solder that in permanently. Any headunit you buy in the future will have an option for a Civic harness.

Edit: Not to dis your stereo choice, but if it's only $60, it's because it's only worth $60.

thanks for the info regarding the harness!
to be honest, i haven't bothered to pull the current unit to see how its wired in there yet. as for the head unit quality and price. Yea. im aware that it wont be the best. my daily has a nice kenwood unit in there and i was thinking of getting a similar unit as that for the DeLorean, but the delorean doesn't need a great unit to satisfy my needs since it's not a daily driver. given that, i don't want to dump too much money into the stereo system for small updates to meet my needs.

[David T]

If you're already got something in there, replacing it should be pretty straightforward. Assuming the PO didn't do some terrible hack job to get it in there. As far as wiring harness goes, I can't remember exactly what I did on mine, but I know with previous cars that weren't meant for aftermarket units, I've gone to the wreckers and cut out a stereo hardness from a Civic. Solder that in permanently. Any headunit you buy in the future will have an option for a Civic harness.

Edit: Not to dis your stereo choice, but if it's only $60, it's because it's only worth $60.

Not knowing what the PO did to get the present unit to fit, the only recommendation that can be made is if you have to, you can get a DIN conversion from DMCH. As for wiring, again, not knowing what kind of hack job you will find, you might have to rewire the whole thing. Not the worst thing in the world. Don't forget, if the speakers are no good it won't matter what head you put in. As for what head, there are SO many choices, satellite radio, navigation, bluetooth, CD's, etc. Unless you are on a strict budget and are looking for the cheapest unit, decide what functions you want and then look for a unit that has the features you desire. Crutchfield is a good place to start but once you figure out what you want go to amazon.com.

[dmruschell]

I've put either a Kenwood X-996 or BT-952HD in almost every car I own (Excelon and non-excelon versions of the same head unit). They're available on eBay, or newer units are available at retail stores. They have USB, Bluetooth, HD radio, and all sorts of EQ options (which can be nice). I like the older models I mentioned because the aux and usb inputs are behind the unit and can be routed elsewhere (like the glove box) for a clean look. The newer models have rear USB as well as front USB and aux (no rear aux input) and the display is not quite as nice. But, all of the nice features are still there.

[novadmc]

I've put either a Kenwood X-996 or BT-952HD in almost every car I own (Excelon and non-excelon versions of the same head unit). They're available on eBay, or newer units are available at retail stores. They have USB, Bluetooth, HD radio, and all sorts of EQ options (which can be nice). I like the older models I mentioned because the aux and usb inputs are behind the unit and can be routed elsewhere (like the glove box) for a clean look. The newer models have rear USB as well as front USB and aux (no rear aux input) and the display is not quite as nice. But, all of the nice features are still there.

I've the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X995 in my daily driver and love it. i just don't feel i need as many features in the DeLorean for my usage. I'm really looking for something that just does FM/USB hence what drew me to the clarion.

I should see how the current unit is wired in first. just havent felt the urge to rip out the center console yet to take it all apart and inspect.

[dmruschell]

I've the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X995 in my daily driver and love it. i just don't feel i need as many features in the DeLorean for my usage. I'm really looking for something that just does FM/USB hence what drew me to the clarion.

I should see how the current unit is wired in first. just havent felt the urge to rip out the center console yet to take it all apart and inspect.

Yeah, those units do have a lot of extra features. One good thing about replacing a Kenwood with another Kenwood is that you may be able to reuse the wiring harness that's already installed in your DeLorean. Kenwood's parts website is useful since it lists the part and all of the units that it works with :)

The BT-952HD I mentioned earlier was available used on eBay for $90, but the seller (who has a bunch) raised the price to $190 after I had bought a few. The point being, they're sometimes available for not a whole lot of money :)

[TTait]

I've put either a Kenwood X-996 or BT-952HD in almost every car I own (Excelon and non-excelon versions of the same head unit). They're available on eBay, or newer units are available at retail stores. They have USB, Bluetooth, HD radio, and all sorts of EQ options (which can be nice). I like the older models I mentioned because the aux and usb inputs are behind the unit and can be routed elsewhere (like the glove box) for a clean look. The newer models have rear USB as well as front USB and aux (no rear aux input) and the display is not quite as nice. But, all of the nice features are still there.


Yep, the Kenwood units are a great way to go. I suggest you pick one with Bluetooth, both for music streaming and for taking calls in the car. My kenwood has an external mic that I routed up inside the A pillar and under the headliner, and it attaches to the headliner near the sun visor.

Don't overlook the speaker wires - highly recommend you upgrade to a #14 wire.

For the "rear" USB - I got a spare charging cable for my phone on ebay, and drilled a small hole in the ashtray to pass the small end of the cable through. When I want to plug my phone in to charge or to use the USB interface I open the ashtray and pull out the coiled charging cable. When I don't need it it stays in the closed ashtray and is invisible. I wish proclip (proclipusa.com) did a custom mount for the Delorean as that would make it all perfect...