The Automotive Thread

[jeb6294]

Phase 1 of the Hot Rod Powerstroke project is on the way. Found a deal on a tuner and a 5-inch (good lord?!?!) exhaust for the diesel. Surprisingly, most diesel exhausts don't come with mufflers, but just to try and keep the neighbors happy, I went ahead and had them add one. It's a flow-through design so it should still be plenty loud when it needs to be.  The pipe and tuner should be good for another 150hp or so and torque should be well into the 4-figure range.  Next on the agenda is saving up for a new/better turbo...the ones they put in the '11-'14's were a bad experiment by Ford.  Assuming mine doesn't crap out first, a new turbo will cut off any problems down the road and the fact that it'll get me another 100hp is a nice bonus.

 

[Supe]

I'm really hoping the used car bubble pops and all of the restomods and classics plummet in price again like they did a few years ago.  

 

[Road Guy]

any of you guys use crutchfield?

I had a local car audio place put a new radio with all the new features in the Tahoe last year and was really happy with it.  I went back to the same place to get something for the jeep,(stock radio- forgot how much I liked Bluetooth and other newer features)  they either have really low end stuff or high end (like $900 bucks)  so I was looking for something middle of the road and came across crutchfield, they seem to have what I need for what I want to pay, I think all this stuff is pretty much all plug and play these days?

For example I have a sat radio receiver that plugs into the back of the radio on my Tahoe (that works through the radio) that I put in myself after the radio went in, the car audio places want to charge $75 bucks to simply "plug" that receiver into whatever radio that I buy..

Just didn't know if what they send you actually has a history of working well with what you need to do the install?  Some features I would like to keep are being able to change the radio stations and volume from the steering wheel and such..

 

[MetsFan]

I've only installed one radio from Crutchfield.  That was for my '97 Civic.  The install was pretty straight forward and they sent me all the parts I needed to complete the install, minus the wire nuts.  

I feel like newer cars would be a lot more difficult though since most of the time, the electronics are tied to the radio somehow.  I think for my bimmer, I would need to leave the head unit in the car even after installing the new radio.  They are pretty good with tech support though so I'm sure you could call them and find out what it would take.

 

[mudpuppy]

I've used Crutchfield several times over the past 20 years and have been pretty happy with them.  They are pretty good about figuring out what units work in which vehicle.  That being said, I haven't ventured into stock steering wheel controls or navigation systems.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I've had good luck with Crutchfield, but it's been a long time (15+ years) since I've used them. Like Mets said, install really isn't too bad if you get all of the parts for it (harnesses, brackets, etc).  The only challenge of the DIY with newer radios is how much of a pain in the ass some of these newer consoles are to get apart for the install.  Most of the newer cars the stereo is integrated into the dash and almost requires some level of custom work.

 

[Road Guy]

yeah I need to try and measure it, I think the "double din" fits it pretty dead on (from my lurking at a local shop)

They have a "cheap" install kit and a "everything you need' install kit, I would guess I would go with the later

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

Phase 1 of the Hot Rod Powerstroke project is on the way. Found a deal on a tuner and a 5-inch (good lord?!?!) exhaust for the diesel. Surprisingly, most diesel exhausts don't come with mufflers, but just to try and keep the neighbors happy, I went ahead and had them add one. It's a flow-through design so it should still be plenty loud when it needs to be.  The pipe and tuner should be good for another 150hp or so and torque should be well into the 4-figure range.  Next on the agenda is saving up for a new/better turbo...the ones they put in the '11-'14's were a bad experiment by Ford.  Assuming mine doesn't crap out first, a new turbo will cut off any problems down the road and the fact that it'll get me another 100hp is a nice bonus.

I put a minimax tuner on my 6.4 power stroke a few years back. What kind did you get?? I dropped $1,200 on tuner and 4" exhaust.

 

[kevo_55]

Damn, I'm in the club too. I used Crutchfield as well. Granted it was 20 years ago and on my 1st car.

I liked them quite a bit back then. I'm too old for that stuff now though.

 

[MA_PE]

I've used Crutchfield within the past 5 years, but always on older (late 90's) cars.  Theya re really excellent for the DIYer and they have a pretty extensive database on what materials are needed to mount to specific vehicles.  They include step-by-step instructions on how to take the stock inerior finishes off and access the radios, they include adapters/cables needed to connect aftermaket radios in.

I don't know how they deal with "remote" controls like steering wheel controls etc.  They are really good about tech help when you call them.  I had a tech guy on my cell phone with one install and he hung with me until I got things in correctly.

On one install, I bought some front dash replacement speakers that they siad would fit but when I went to put them in, the new ones were deeper than the stock speakers and wouldn't work.  They exchanged them for different ones with no problems.  For the same job, I very likely would've destroyed the plastic dash pieces if I didn't have the Crutchfield vehicle specific instructions.  There were two screws (shown on the Crutchfield instructions) holding the panel on that I never would've found until the panel was in pieces.  Of course the internet is a good source for that information these days too.

Based on my experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

 

[Road Guy]

cool thanks for all the info, defin makes me feel better ordering from them... I may call and verify the part about making sure the steering wheel controls and such will still work

 

[Flyer_PE]

I've had good luck with Crutchfield also.  I've seen aftermarket radios that stated they were compatible with steering wheel controls but I haven't done an install on a car with one yet.

 

[ptatohed]

I heard on the radio yesterday that the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) will be remaking the DeLorean DMC-12 for 2017. 

[SIZE= 11px]A new law allows the production of replica vehicles that are made to resemble cars that were manufactured at least 25 years ago, and the DeLorean qualifies. Under the new legislation the company will be able to sell as many as 325 replicas each year, however, DeLorean will only make that number over a span of five years.  And even though these will be replicas of the original DeLorean, built with millions of factory parts (and some that have been recreated from the original blueprints), the 2017 DeLorean will have a more powerful engine. A V6 engine will be put in the new replicas giving the car between 350 and 370 horsepower, which is much more than the original 130 horsepower engine, making the car much faster than it was in the 1980s.  Other changes include larger wheels and tires, modern breaks and modern amenities like heated seats, GPS navigation and bluetooth phone connectivity. But the aesthetic of the exterior will be “virtually unchanged” according to DeLorean vice president.[/SIZE]

http://www.slashfilm.com/cool-stuff-a-new-2017-delorean-will-be-manufactured/

 

[MetsFan]

^^ That's pretty cool.  I remember a kid in my HS had one back in the late 90's.

 

[MA_PE]

I always liked the look of the Bricklin better.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/09/bricklin-sv-1-and-delorean-dmc-12-so-alike-yet-so-different/

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

There are a couple in my Movie Car club.

This was the St. Patty's day parade in 2014:

 

[Supe]

I've used Crutchfield in the last few years.  They're pretty sharp, and their install notes with customer service are pretty good.  They have CANBUS adapters to deal with the new stuff.  While the infotainment systems are more complicated, they tend to follow a similar architecture.  

 

[knight1fox3]

I've used Crutchfield several times over the past 20 years and have been pretty happy with them.  They are pretty good about figuring out what units work in which vehicle.  That being said, I haven't ventured into stock steering wheel controls or navigation systems.

Same here.  Their install/support documentation is excellent.  And they generally have everything needed for the retrofit type installations.  I purchased parts from a combination of Crutchfield and Amazon then handed everything over to Best Buy for the warrantied install.

 

[Road Guy]

wheres the fun in that?

 

[knight1fox3]

^ agreed.  "Back in the day" I was a car audio aficionado.  Had a stereo system that was worth more than my car.  And installed the whole thing myself.  Had a 6 AWG power cable running from my battery to my main amp.  LOL

These days, I just don't have the time.  And it's much more difficult (in my opinion) to dismantle the interior and upholstery on newer vehicles to make everything look clean.