The radio is now setup and working
This update covers radio setup and working.
Related notes live on the Factory Five Cobra build hub.
radio setup and working: Hitting the radio milestone
Why the radio mattered
First, wiring has been a total craze!
So we wanted the radio setup and working as a milestone.
Because that would verify the trunk wire bundle.
Then we would know those runs were setup properly.
Also, we could confirm they were working well.
Ron Francis harness notes
However, wiring feels daunting for many builders.
Some folks love it. Meanwhile, others hate it.
Still, I sit somewhat in between.
Next, the Ron Francis harness instructions are ‘good’ but not ‘great’.
For example, you may see notes like the one below.
Pretty descriptive, right? NOT! LOL
Finding wires and testing sound
Labeled harness, tricky routes
Also, the harness is labelled quite well.
However, digging through the cabling can still be fun.
My son and I searched for about 10 minutes.
Then we found the wires dangling into the engine bay.
Because we had tucked them so they would not get in our way.
After that, the rear speakers were mounted.
As a result, they sound great!
Custom radio work
Otherwise, if you add non-kit items, you are on your own.
Therefore, there are no factory directions for every add-on.
Still, the forums are a goldmine for folks who have been there.
Next, adding a radio is not generally hard in a normal car.
For example, teens do it in first cars all the time.
However, a scratch build means you run power, fuses, and safety gear.
So you really have to plan for the end result.
Here’s a short video of the setup.
Obviously, it is not all put together yet.
Still, it is a solid functionality test!
Ultimately, we were stoked that everything worked on the first try!
Why I chose the Alpine ILX-W650
Shallow mount and CarPlay
First, I chose the Alpine ILX-W650 for its shallow mount.
Also, it has Apple CarPlay.
Then I plan to use the screen for mapping and music.
As a result, the system puts out excellent sound.
Besides that, it gets plenty loud enough.
Thanks for reading, and hope you are enjoying the build.
Meanwhile, progress has been slow lately.
