Listers-
Sorry for the delay in getting this out. Decided to wait until all the
lucky ones were back from the VTR/SP.
The following is what I learned from installing a new stereo into our low
mileage TR7 Spider. I queried the list some time ago about what others had
done to replace the original radio with a newer unit. Many thanks to (in no
particular order) Terry Collins, Stephen Sanders, MJ Jones, Dave Massey and
Carl McIver for thier input and past experience. All contributed to the final
solution.
My goal was to install a single player CD stereo into our Spider without
having to modify the dash or door panels. By little or no modification, it
would allow me to re-install the original stereo if (and when) I ever wanted
to put the car in concours for judging.
A few things are unique about installation in the wedge, the depth is
shallower than most present applications and the angle in-which it sits is
quite steep. The angle can lend itself well to skipping with certain units.
After hearing from some folks on the lists that had BTDT, I contacted
Crutchfield crutchfield.com on the matter. They (of course) had no listing for
our cars. I asked Michael, one of the tech service reps (very knowledgable
BTW) what the guys who own motorcycles with full fairings were installing. He
said "Blaupunkt Digicievers". Blaupunkt can be installed upwards of 90 degrees
without skipping. There are no other manufacturers that allow for angled
installations over 15 degrees. After some leg work on sizing (any DIN size
works), I opted to order a Blaupunkt Heidelberg CD51reciever.
The speakers in the doors were replaced with Infinity 452i speakers. The
speakers were a direct fit in every sense. The screw holes lined up perfectly
with the factory speaker screw holes and the original fasteners were used.
Bullet connectors were modified to fit the existing factory connectors. A
separate ground wire was run to the speakers from the receiver (see below).
Removing the original cassette deck was pretty straight-forward. The deck
had a sticker attached that identifies the original wiring color codes. Using
the new receiver info the wiring can be matched up with the existing factory
wiring quite easily. The new deck protrudes about 3/8" beyond the dash, this
difference was made up by modifying an aftermarket unit produced by "Scosche"
available at your local Wal-Mart. The model # used was GM1503. The face-plate
fairing is all that was used and is easily cut/ground/sanded or modified. I
created a wedge shaped fairing that fit nicely into the dash and is black in
color as is the Blaupunkt reciever. This fairing was modified to approximately
3/8" (full thickness) at the bottom edge and about 1/16" at the top edge. This
creates the angle in which the unit can fit into the dash at the correct
angle. This fairing fits the width of the dash almost perfectly (slight
grinding required).
The original dash opening had to be filed slightly in the width (about
1/16" per side) to accept the DIN sized Blaupunkt reciever. This modification
is easily covered by the original cassette factory face plate. The height of
the opening required no additional modification. The fairing matches up with
the new receiver and looks like an intregal part of the receiver. This fairing
allows for enough room for all wiring and connectors to fit behind the unit
without impeding on the HVAC levers or cables.
The biggest problem encountered after installation was that the new
reciever was getting very hot. After a call to tech service, at Crutchfield,
it was learned that the factory wiring in the TR7/8's had the speakers
grounded to the body and not back through the receiver. This apparently is
quite common in late 70's-early 80's cars. After running a ground wire going
back to the new receiver from the speakers, the overheating problem has gone
away.
We have done some road testing on our illustrious Maine roads (frost
heaves year round) and have experienced virtually no skipping while playing
CD's. For those that are audio challenged or like thier music really loud, I
would recommend an additional amp with this set up. With the top down and 55
mph, the stereo has to be almost maxed out to hear the low notes well. With
the hood up, it is loud enough for us. We will probably not add the amp. YMMV.
An additional set of speakers could be added to the system as well. We are
running just the 2 door speakers.
Asthetically the unit looks very good in the car, the white features match
the white on the dash knobs. The one thing I do not like is the blue lighting
at night, combined with the green dash lighting of the wedge, it is a little
different. I am getting used to it however, it is a soft blue. All in all I am
very happy with the unit, it looks good in the dash and functions well for the
money.
The usual disclaimers apply, I have no financial interest in Crutchfield,
Wal-Mart, Blaupunkt or Infinity. I am impressed with the vendor I used and was
very impressed with the tech-service folks there. They were extremely helpful
and understanding throughout this ordeal. I was happy enough with the
Blaupunkt unit to purchase another one for my TR6! I hope this helps some of
you pondering a stereo change and I personally thank all who responded and
contributed to this project. I have to apologize to the list for not having
the technical saavy to be able to offer digital photos of the installation.
I know that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thanks again,
Tim Hutchisen
71 TR6
80 TR7 Spider
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