Installing a stereo with speakers and subwoofer into a Factory Five Cobra is one of those things that many owners scuffle over. Can you hear it? Is it worth it? Why do it? It’s not original… etc. I couldn’t build my roadster without one, why? I’m just used to having one, plus I wanted a screen for navigation, etc.
This somewhat comprehensive guide will walk you through each step of the installation process, ensuring you achieve a great-quality setup that I made to seamlessly with my Cobra’s interior. Hopefully you enjoy this guide, many folks have asked for this for some time. Yes it can be done. Does it add complexity? It sure can! Is it worth it? IMHO – YES!
Let’s start with the layout. Most basic modern cars have a head unit and at least 4 speakers. Two front, left and right, and two rear left and right. This adds to the ‘stereo’ sound of the system and can be tuneable according to the driver’s needs/desires. Of course, with modern music, subwoofers can be a great help for low-end bass. Plus, you need a bit more oomph in a loud car so yes, I added a powered subwoofer. The basic setup is like any car layout, placement isn’t optimal in a Cobra, but you gotta do the best with what you have, without totally blowing the budget. See the speakers placed on the Cobra in the pic below – sorry, very crude.
Here’s a diagram of the setup, and a list of the parts.
- Alpine iLX-W650, 7″ Double Din Digital Media Receiver, CarPlay/Android Auto in lower dash
- KICKER 46CSC44 CSC44 4″ Speakers – front footbox speakers
- Kicker 46CSC654 CSC65 6.5″ Speakers – rear speakers behind the seats
- Kenwood KAC-M3004, 600W 4-Channel Amplifier – delivers 50W x 4 to the speakers
- Sound Ordinance B-8PTD 8″ Powered Subwoofer – in the Breeze Cubby
- 4 Gauge Wire (4 AWG) – main power wire to fuse and fuse block
- 8 Gauge Clear Red Power Wire (8 AWG) – power wire for subwoofer from fuse block (below)
- 16 Gauge Wire (16 AWG) – speaker wires
- 60A Fuse for 4-10 Gauge AWG Wire – safety fuse
- PDM482A Maxi Fuse Distribution Block – from safety fuse to receiver and power for the subwoofer
- Copper Battery Terminal Connectors, AWG 2 4 6 8 10 12 Cable Ends Wire Lugs Assortment Kit, 70pcs Ring Terminal with 80pcs Heat Shrink Tubing – for solid power connections
- Heat Shrink Spade Connector Kit – excellent for solid solutions in wiring connections
- Hydraulic Crimping Tool – for crimping the connectors above – works great!
- iCrimp Ratcheting Crimping Tool – for basic low power wiring, e.g. speakers
Yes, that seems like a lot of stuff to get a receiver and speakers installed, but that’s what we used. Of course, much of this has been purchased over time. With 4 kids driving over the past decade, I think they all have upgraded their own car stereos several times, so this was a fun project!
- Digital media receiver with AM/FM tuner (does not play CDs)
- 7-inch anti-glare WVGA display with a capacitive touchscreen
- Hands-free control lets you access apps using your voice
Let’s first talk about the lower dash component. This was totally custom and took quite a while to design. My son did some crazy measurements and we created the lower dash ourselves. There are 6 functions spaced around the receiver, and the fuse block is behind the receiver as well. This is the central point where all the wiring comes together.
Installing the speakers was fun. The rear speakers were relatively simple, just drill some holes and mount them up. The front ones were a little bigger than expected, even at 4-inches. My son 3D printed some mounts that pulled the speakers out from the footbox just a bit but it gave the space needed behind the speaker. The rear subwoofer is a single unit, and it was mounted on the cubby wall in the mid-trunk.
Here’s a quick video of the receiver setup, obviously this was a while ago, but you get an idea of the sound.
This product presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
