So I bought the '84 Grand Wagoneer. I love it, although it did need a
new alternator (under warranty) and will need some headlight
tweaking/replacing before long. Anyhoo, what it REALLY needs is a
major stereo upgrade. Soon.

What I'm envisioning is a modular system that can be "snapped" in to
the GW (Genny) for in vehicle use, but can also be taken out and used
as a stereo relatively easily (provided there's a power source - I'm
not doing batteries).

Right now I'm thinking of the following components:

- Two speakers in the back, mounted on shelves
that are capable of swinging out for tailgating,
as well as being portable.

- One subwoofer in the back, also removeable,
that will serve as the "caddy" for the other two
rear speakers - I plan on some sort of connecting
mechanism so that the three can be carried as one.

- Up front, there are small in-door speakers in
place that I'm planning on upgrading, if possible.
(I haven't measured them yet, but they look like
they're around 6 inches or so.) These will be
permanent, although it would be cool if they
weren't so I could have a surround sound set-up
wherever I want. Hmmmmm...

Sound quality is, of course, important - but size matters too. I'd
like to have enough power to drown out the (considerable) road noise,
as well as the myriad squeals and rattles that are my constant
companions.

For the input, I'd like to have access to the following:

- XM and Sirius satellite radio
- AM/FM radio with a strong antenna
- All of my digital music
-All of anyone elses digital music - I want both
FireWire and USB ports and I plan on having an
FM Transmitter standing by to hook to other mp3
players. WiFi would be cool, and of course I'd like
to be able to play CDs and DVDs as well. Which
means a screen I guess...

Given the last 2, I'm thinking I'll need a full-on personal computer.
I'll also want a simple interface, especially for when driving. (I
like knobs, dials and switches.)

Since there's no console at all in there right now, I'm hoping to kill
two birds with one stone. I'll build a removeable console that sits
in the large space between the front middle seat and the bottom of the
dash - right on the hump. In the console I could put the PC, the
receiver, the amp and maybe a few cupholders to boot. Ventilation
might be a small problem, but the truck does have air conditioning.
Jesus, maybe I could build a heat sink and overclock....

Oh yeah - money *is* an object.

JP
******************
Meliora Baby.

Minwax Golden Oak stain with Minwax Wiping Polyurethane for protection.
You never know when Scott Abraham might drool on it.

Jay Pique wrote:

So I bought the '84 Grand Wagoneer. I love it, although it did need a
new alternator (under warranty) and will need some headlight
tweaking/replacing before long. Anyhoo, what it REALLY needs is a
major stereo upgrade. Soon...
intervening audioporn snipped
...In the console I could put the PC, the
receiver, the amp and maybe a few cupholders to boot. Ventilation
might be a small problem, but the truck does have air conditioning.
Jesus, maybe I could build a heat sink and overclock....

Oh yeah - money *is* an object.

Buy a shovel, a roll of toilet paper, one of those big black bags you
use to heat shower water and a 12V microwave oven. Sell your house.
You'll be glad you did.

--
Cheers, Bev
================================================== ==================
"We thought of one of those discount store caskets, but, frankly, we
were worried about the quality." -- mortuary commercial

I recommend triaxials with hickory drivers.
Mark


"Jay Pique" wrote in message
...
So I bought the '84 Grand Wagoneer. I love it, although it did need a
new alternator (under warranty) and will need some headlight
tweaking/replacing before long. Anyhoo, what it REALLY needs is a
major stereo upgrade. Soon.

What I'm envisioning is a modular system that can be "snapped" in to
the GW (Genny) for in vehicle use, but can also be taken out and used
as a stereo relatively easily (provided there's a power source - I'm
not doing batteries).

Right now I'm thinking of the following components:

- Two speakers in the back, mounted on shelves
that are capable of swinging out for tailgating,
as well as being portable.

- One subwoofer in the back, also removeable,
that will serve as the "caddy" for the other two
rear speakers - I plan on some sort of connecting
mechanism so that the three can be carried as one.

- Up front, there are small in-door speakers in
place that I'm planning on upgrading, if possible.
(I haven't measured them yet, but they look like
they're around 6 inches or so.) These will be
permanent, although it would be cool if they
weren't so I could have a surround sound set-up
wherever I want. Hmmmmm...

Sound quality is, of course, important - but size matters too. I'd
like to have enough power to drown out the (considerable) road noise,
as well as the myriad squeals and rattles that are my constant
companions.

For the input, I'd like to have access to the following:

- XM and Sirius satellite radio
- AM/FM radio with a strong antenna
- All of my digital music
-All of anyone elses digital music - I want both
FireWire and USB ports and I plan on having an
FM Transmitter standing by to hook to other mp3
players. WiFi would be cool, and of course I'd like
to be able to play CDs and DVDs as well. Which
means a screen I guess...

Given the last 2, I'm thinking I'll need a full-on personal computer.
I'll also want a simple interface, especially for when driving. (I
like knobs, dials and switches.)

Since there's no console at all in there right now, I'm hoping to kill
two birds with one stone. I'll build a removeable console that sits
in the large space between the front middle seat and the bottom of the
dash - right on the hump. In the console I could put the PC, the
receiver, the amp and maybe a few cupholders to boot. Ventilation
might be a small problem, but the truck does have air conditioning.
Jesus, maybe I could build a heat sink and overclock....

Oh yeah - money *is* an object.

JP
******************
Meliora Baby.

I did a tri-amp system in my Blazer a long time ago. It was really more
trouble then it was worth.

Just in case you don't know about it, check out http://www.crutchfield.com.
They have all kinds of adapters and parts for lots of vehicles.

snoig

Jay Pique wrote:

Oh yeah - money *is* an object.

Get a kazoo and learn to play it while driving.

Jay Pique wrote:

So I bought the '84 Grand Wagoneer. I love it, although it did need a
new alternator (under warranty) and will need some headlight
tweaking/replacing before long. Anyhoo, what it REALLY needs is a
major stereo upgrade. Soon.

What I'm envisioning is a modular system that can be "snapped" in to
the GW (Genny) for in vehicle use, but can also be taken out and used
as a stereo relatively easily (provided there's a power source - I'm
not doing batteries).


In another time, they used to make "under dash" car stereos, and two
part slide mounts that would let you take the stereo right out of the
car. Once, when a roommate managed to plug a speaker wire into the wall
outlet, rendering my main stereo inoperative in a dramatic way, I used
my car stereo to fill in. It was an under dash with one of those slide
brackets, I just bought a second slide bracket and a 12V power supply.
At any rate, making the head unit removable and operable while removed
would seem your biggest challenge.

For speakers, I would suggest considering buying or making a couple of
simple box speakers, woofer, mid, tweeter. You could arrange mounting
hardware on the speakers and in the back of the GW to mount them there,
but have them be removable.

Or buy a fancy boombox with a remote and put it in the back

Lisa

Anyone know of an in-dash CD player that has front-panel inputs for an
MP3 player?

In article .com,
wrote:
Anyone know of an in-dash CD player that has front-panel inputs for an
MP3 player?


I think these are coming back into vogue. For example, see:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CVdd8GG...0&I=055CDCX204

cheers,
john

i put a jvc double din radio/cd/tape in my vette that has one.

"Armin" wrote in message
oups.com...
Anyone know of an in-dash CD player that has front-panel inputs for an
MP3 player?

John Red-Horse wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:
Anyone know of an in-dash CD player that has front-panel inputs for
an
MP3 player?


I think these are coming back into vogue. For example, see:


http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CVdd8GG...0&I=055CDCX204

cheers,
john

Cool! Everything I was looking for and more. I see they even have
adapters that will let me plug an MP3 player into my current player.

Thanks.

Armin

Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Armin" wrote

Anyone know of an in-dash CD player that has front-panel inputs for an
MP3 player?

i put a jvc double din radio/cd/tape in my vette that has one.

Cool. Does is really create twice as much din as a single din unit?


--
//-Walt
//
// There is no Völkl Conspiracy

Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Armin" wrote

Anyone know of an in-dash CD player that has front-panel inputs for an
MP3 player?

i put a jvc double din radio/cd/tape in my vette that has one.

Cool. Does it really create twice as much din as a single din unit?

--
//-Walt
//
// There is no Völkl Conspiracy