Notice the past-tense "WAS" in my car, not "IS" in my car. Due to the accident, I am currently in limbo regarding the audio for my new Probe, but this is a description of what was in the '96 PGT that I had.

Since my interests have turned from car audio to performance, the system that was in my Probe was pieced together from components used in previous installs. The important thing is that there was some amount of aftermarket audio gear installed! Once I have finished spending money on performance mods (if that is possible), I will return to working on the stereo system.

This sounds like it would make a good topic for the Tips section when time permits...

The first thing to go was the factory head unit with its measly 12w / channel internal amplifier. The replacement was an Alpine 7524 cassette deck/CD controller which was a high-powered unit and pushed 25w/ channel to the four stock speakers.  Using aftermarket harnesses made it simple and allowed me to keep the factory harnesses intact.

I am being reimbursed for this head unit from the accident. So since this Alpine model is no longer being produced, I will more than likely replace it with an in-dash CD player from Sony Mobile ES or another Alpine.

Anyway, after the head unit was installed , the next order of business was to run the wiring for the amplifier.  After removing the door sills, kickpanels, and front and rear seats, the carpet was easily pushed out of the way to allow for the cable to be run.  At this point in time, I has happy to have an automatic transmission!  The spot on the firewall where the clutch assembly would normally reside was simply covered with a plastic insert.  A little drilling and a grommet and the 4 AWG wiring was safely run through the firewall.

The power cable was fused about 6" from the battery's positive post with a 30 amp fuse in an in-line water-tight fuse holder.  Afterward, the entire cable was loomed for looks and protection.  

The power wire was run from the battery to the hatch along the driver's side of the car. Also, the "Remote turn-on" wire from the head unit was run under the carpet and meets the power cable near the kickpanel; it is then tie-strapped to it in order to keep things neat and in place.  NOTE: it is also common practice to duct tape the wiring to the car's floor. To keep the RCAs away from any possible power wires, they were run from the head unit to the hatch along the passenger's side of the "transmission tunnel".  The ground wire is currently attached to the hatch floor.  Both the power and ground wires are 4 AWG and terminate to fused distribution blocks. From there, the amp is powered via 8 AWG power and ground wires.  By the way, all of the my power, ground, speaker wire, interconnects, distribution blocks, and battery terminals are EFX by Scoshe.  

The amplifier is a Rockford Fosgate Power 650.  I purchased this amp used for $1148.63 on 12/6/90!! (yeah, I have the receipt!)  One of the true pioneers of today's car audio, this amp was one of the first to use a MOSFET power supply (in 1988 when the company was simply Fosgate). The amp's heatsink is covered by a smooth shroud that also doubles as a fan housing. The amp is 2/4 channel switchable and features a two-way 12 dB/octave crossover with user-selectable crossover points...nearly unheard of back then.

I love this amp and will keep it forever!  This amp has been used by me both as a subwoofer amp and also to power entire systems.  The standard power rating is given as 325w x 2 channels @ 4 ohms and is absolutely NO indication of what this amp can do!  The nice thing about the Power 650, is that even in 4 channel mode, it can send a steady 160 or so watts @ 4 ohms stereo (up to 325w/side depending on the load) to the front end and still have 650 (2 channels at 2 ohms each) watts available for the subs!  All of that and it remains clean, non-distorted power....the true sign of a quality amplifier.

Two-channel bridged mode offers a massive output of nearly 1300 real watts that I used to drive a set of Punch Pro 18's (weighed 38 lbs. each!) when I was a basshead!  That system was installed in my old Integra and netted me a solid 141.7dB SPL.  I say "real" watts because unlike today's amps, this one does NOT have the hindrance of protection circuitry that limits the amps output.  Granted it is easier to blow up as it only relies on fuses!

Getting back on track here....

I have since slowly moved to the Audiophile side of the Boomers/Tweakers spectrum and will be looking for a system that produces the maximum sonic quality rather than registering a 7.3 on the Richter Scale!  I still enjoy a little kick now and then so I will probably end up with at least (2) 10's.

For the moment though, I have "survived" with (4) Rockford Fosgate Audiophile 8's.  Although they are not exactly the greatest sounding subs, they add a solid bottom end for everyday listening and still manage to move the air on bass, dance, and hip-hop tracks.

Don't laugh at my sub box!  Like I said before, this system is completely comprised of "hand-me-downs" from other systems.  I originally built this box for a friend's Tercel.  When he had run low on cash and needed to pay his rent, I took the subs/box off his hands at a good price!  

As you know, I am still using the stock speakers for my mids/highs. After I have finished my performance mods or when the factory speakers die (whichever comes first!), I will look into a new set.  I am considering the kickpanels locations as the speakers will be much easier to mount and wire. For those of you who do not know already, the "boot" in the door jamb is actually a wire harness and you can NOT run aftermarket wiring through it. For this reason AND the fact the kickpanel locations produce a MUCH better stereo image, I will more than likely choose this option.

But for now, I will concentrate on performance mods! I am still waiting to take delivery of my new Probe. Since I will need to re-install all of this in it, I will photograph the process in order to show you how it is all done.

Until then.....

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