hey guys Im thinking of gettin a HU soon and attempting to install it myelf as well. The DIY shows how to take out the OEM HU but not installing a new one. What materials would I need and how difficult would it be? I also wouldnt mind suggestions on some HU around 200-250. I see alot of u guys have Pioneer and Alpine. Is there any HU with front inputs so that you can hook something like a Ipod up to it?

Alpine headunits can control the ipod, you'll have to buy this adapter thing that cost $100 extra. But after that, you can control your ipod from your headunit. www.alpine-usa.com for more information.

P.S.
My recommendation apline 9831

i have the same question yea i know how to take out the center consol and everything that will need to be done, but when it comes to putting in the headunit, i keep hearing things like you have to crimp the wires, but i thought that was the point of a wire harness so all you had to do was plug and play, or is it more to then that? i guess ill see when i install it

You will need to get a wireing harness (I think this http://www.accelerator-pedal.com/store.asp?prod=163 is the right one but I'm not 100% sure) that connects to the factory harness and one that connects to the radio (should be in the box with the radio). you then have to wire them together correctly. You will also need an installation kit with trim to go around your radio. Either this kit http://www.accelerator-pedal.com/store.asp?prod=109 or if you have a door under your radio I recommend http://www.audiooutfitter.com/store/99-7897.htm you may be able to find these cheaper some where else.

thanks for that info..anyone with more info or maybe a in depth step by step would be awesome

to install the new HU in to the install kit all you need is a screw driver, and electrical supplies to do the wiring (stripper, electrical tape.....just stuff to connect all the wires).

when you say you have to wire them together, do you mean just remove the extra seal on the wire then twist it with side on the car, or do you have to solder or do something else?

you can do it either way, solder, twist and elctrical tape, or those little metal clamps that you pinch the wire with. almost anything to get the wires to stay connected will work. be sure to wrap it good with electrical tape though so other wires don't touch each other.

Your best option is to solder the wires.

would a crimp tool be the best thing for this, i dont really have a soldering kit and this is turning into something more complicated then i thought, the only thing i know about electricity is v= I* R

yeah, get one of those crimp tools that have a stripper on it also.

if you don't have any wiring supplies, just go to kragen and get on of their kits. it comes with crimper/stripper and ALL the accessories you need. its about $25.

so is this one no good, http://www.crutchfield.com/S-NCKJtGi...rch=crimp+tool

^^thats the EXACT one that comes in the kit from kragen.

ill take the 3 dollar one iwth 6 bucks shipping since its still cheaper then 25, but still that ends up like 30 bucks to install it yourself which isnt that bad, im suprised no one did this considering most people change there headunits

^^yeah, but you still have to buy all the accessories.
i bought mine two years ago and haven't had to buy anything else...
i'll take a picture 2morow so you can see what kinda kit i'm talking about...

damn maybe i will just have someone install it no one mentioned this much work

^^ we got that far, but all the questions i seem to have as well as others is the actual install of the headunit , about connecting the harness with the wires in the car and so forth

How hard it is? You get a wiring harness, and one comes with the radio. You hook up the wires by color, plug one end into the HU, and one to the stock radio plug. You have several options as to how you hook them up. The best would be to solder. You can also use closed enc crimp on connectors, butt connectors, the screw on connectors, whatever (as long as you don't tape them together, sure, it'll work, but don't do it...). It's not really that hard after you get the dash out.

the wiring harness bridges the connection between the stock factory harness and the wiring harness you connect to the back of the aftermarket receiver. You need it because you don't want to go cutting into the stock wiring.

The only struggle I had with getting the front dash area apart were the two screws on the underside holding the cage to the car assembly. There's very little room to leverage torque, even with a tiny Phillips screwdriver. Luckily the screw heads are cut such that you can get them loose with a socket set.

the only hard part is the hooking up the wires, im not an electrician, all i know is what ive had in physics and how circuits look and so forth, so im not even really sure where to get the tools to do it or whatever, yea i can match up colors im not color blind but as to crimping or connecting them i would like to see it done rather then guess myself and screw it up

can someone just post a link or a list of what you would need to install it, like say i walked into kragen what would i look for or ask for?

List of things needed (possibly the second easiest method):

Tools:
Wire Crimps
Wire Strippers
(The above two can usually be bought as a combination tool at most places)

Materials:
(Other than the aftermarket radio's harness, and the stock-aftermarket harness (made by metra, whomever))
Close end connectors (gold plated)
-OR-
Butt Connectors (gold plated)
Zip Ties (smallest size possible)

That's your materials list. From there, you'll match up the wires by colors on the two harnesses. Once they are matched up (depending on which crimp on connectors you buy) put the connectors on them and crimp them on (crimping means you bend the metal around the wire to secure it in place in case you didn't know). If you have the butt connectors, you'll put one of the colors of wire into one side of the connector and crimp it on, and the other wire from the other harness in the opposite end of the butt connector and crimp it on. Voila', you now have two wires attached at each end of a butt connector completing a circuit. If you used closed end connectors, you should have twisted the two wires together, put the connector on, and crimped it on, both wires coming out of a single connector crimped together. Once they are crimped together, gather all of the connected wires up together, and wrap a zip tie around them in order to bunch them up. (You may want to put one above and below the connectors). Once they are bunched up, you plug the two connections into their respective plugs. Reinstall the dash. If that is still over your head, take it to a shop.

on the butt connectors, waht is the gauge of the wire and how many are needed? which one of these would be best http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectPa...%2D+Butt+Style ??

i wish i new damn

anyone?

Jesus Christ... if mine wasn't plain enough, pay someone to do it.

it was generic then i looked online and i dont know what the hell im buying somone said there was a kit at kragen so why should i spend 30 bucks when im buyin the wrong things, well some of us arent as smart as you, so maybe someone should make a diy and make everyone happy, show us exactly what we need to buy then give us pics and have that be that

i was looking at this site to be helpful and allow me to do my own work on my car, but if im gonna hear is pay someont to do it maybe i just will so much for helping a guy out i guess

We explained it several times in detail. We told you what to buy, what tools you'd need and how to do it. You still couldn't figure it out, with pictures even (hell, Crutchfield's master sheet is on here somewhere as a PDF). If that's too difficult, I was saying to pay someone because with even simple instructions you don't know what you're doing. Better to pay someone a little than to screw something up yourself and have to end up paying to have it rewired again, not to mention possibly messing something up, rendering it useless.