Just installed a new head unit!, a few problems

[Rein]

Hi guys, i'm a long time reader, first time poster on these forums, and finally did some hands-on work with my car^^ I have an '89 240sx coupe which i've owned for about 3 years now and finally decided to upgrade the sound system a bit. I put in some new speakers when I first got it (stock ones were blown to crap) but finally decided to fork over the cast for a decent head unit this week.

Well, after a few hours of work, I finally got the thing working alright^^ It's a simple Pioneer unit, nothing too fancy, but it sounds alot better than what I had before. I ran into some issues at first with the ground. I didn't properly ground the wire from the head unit to a bolt on my car at first, and when I tried to start my car it just choked o.o. Nearly had a heart attack right there! Thankfully after properly fixing the wire to a bolt (attached it to one near my shifter), it started working ok.

Second problem I had, though, was that for some reason I was only getting sound out of my back speakers. This really puzzled me for awhile because I had bought a simple wiring harness and matched up all the wires up properly, but just couldn't get any sound out of my front speakers. Well, after staring at the wiring for awhile, I finally figured out that I forgot to hook up the line for the stock amp to the head unit (apparently my car has that 'active speaker' amp, I think its in the door or something?) and after doing a little extra wiring, I was playing up my first cd just fine^^

Unfortunately, after I finally got my head unit up and running, I ran into 'another' problem... I couldn't get my stock unit off of the mount! Every single screw was on super glue tight and couldn't get a single one loose. I ended up settling on putting my new unit in the lower spart, underneath my stock unit. Its not exactly the best looking setup, but at least its running^^

Oh, and for some reason the stock antenna plug wouldn't fit into my new head unit. It had 2 prongs while the new unit only had a port for 1 prong. I assume I'll need to get an adapter of some sort for it.

So I guess my situation right now is this:

1.) Is there any way to get some new brackets to mount my new head unit? If so, where should I look and how much would they cost?

2.) I've heard that getting an adapter for my antenna plug would work, but I might not be able to pick up stations as clearly if I do? Would it be a noticable difference, or should I really try investing in a whole new antenna?

3.) I've heard that its possible to get better sound out of my speakers if I try re-wiring around the stock amps in my car. I'm not sure exactly where they are for my model of car though. I've heard that they can be either in the front or in the back. Could someone help clarify for me where I should look for my stock amps and if this is a good mod for me to attempt?

Any help with my questions would be much appreciated^^ sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm still a little excited after finally doing something for my car and am pretty happy with its success (well, success in that its working now and my car still runs). Thanks for reading!

[Fenvy]

1) you need a bigger screw driver to unscrew the stock unit, you don't need an addition bracket purchase

2) you shouldn't have an antenna issue. It's the a standarized size, shoudl plug right in

3) correct, if you want more info: zerothread?id=52883

I am in rowland heights, pretty close to you. If you can't figure it out yourself, let me know and I'll find the time to look at it for you

[stev0]

Yeah, use a longer screwdriver to get more torque. You should be able to get it... maybe heat up the glue with a soldering iron or someting.

My head unit required an extra adapter for the antenna, you can probably find it at an electronics or car audio store.

[PoorManQ45]

Yeah, use a longer screwdriver to get more torque. You should be able to get it... maybe heat up the glue with a soldering iron or someting.

A longer screwdriver won't give you a greater torque multiplier. One with a larger radius handle will. I personally prefer to use a breaker bar with a screw bit attachment to break loose those really tight screws/bolts

2.) I've heard that getting an adapter for my antenna plug would work, but I might not be able to pick up stations as clearly if I do? Would it be a noticable difference, or should I really try investing in a whole new antenna?

Nah, as long as there is metal to metal contact in the adaptor reception should be as good as it was before. BUT, another thing to consider is that you are using a completely different HU, which in turn has a different tuner. It's possible that the tuner in the new HU isn't as sensitive as the OEM HU was. Or it could be just the opposite, it all depends on the HU.

[Rein]

Hey guys, thanks for the help^^

So yea, went searching around for an antenna adapter tonight. The stock plug had these two prongs and my pioneer HU had a plug for only one -.-;; Was looking around for awhile, tried Radio shack (you'd think they'd have an adapter, radio is in their name after all) and autozone, but finally found what I needed at my local walmart o.ob The adapter I got was this weird universal one (kinda looks like a squid with all sorts of wires coming out of a little center piece), hooked it up and got some reception. Didn't do any thorough tests (car was in the garage and i'm in a hilly area), but I'll see how it works on tomorrows commute o.ob

About the mounting brackets. When I tried to unscrew the stock unit last night, I kinda stripped the screws a bit. Considering how tight the're in already, I'm not sure if it'll be possible to get it off at all anymore... Thats why I was asking about where I could maybe get another set of brackets? I found this mounting kit while I was at walmart, but all it ended up being was just a replacement for that empty compartment under the HU -.-. Someone mentioned loosening the glue on the bracket? Didn't realize the screws might be glued in, that would explain why the're so impossible to get out o.o

[Fenvy]

you can still get them off

get friends to drill out the screw for you

[PoorManQ45]

like loveless said, when you're screwing and it gets stuck, you need lubrication... Oh wait, he didn't say that.

LOL, seriously though, drilling is the way to go. I recommend that you use a Cobalt bit as they are actually harder then titanium bits and usually have a better blade pitch(depends on the brand)