In my recent adventures with the IROC, I decided to replace the speakers. The ones on the passengers side had quit working completely. What’s an 80’s mullet machine without bitchin’ tunes right?
I bought some classic speakers from a classic brand, Pioneer. I had been pretty much frozen in my mind for some reason and decided to finally install them. I started with the rear. I hadn’t been in the back of that car since I was a kid. Wow. I knew the space would be tight, but I didn’t realize how tight it would be.
I installed the drivers side one, and the difference between the OEM speaker and this new one was significant. I went to install the passengers side, but it didn’t go smooth at all. There was zero output from the speaker. I assumed there was an issue with the speaker cable. After testing and attaching jumper cables to the main speaker cable – this told me it was not the speaker but the head unit.
Not that I should have, but I purchased a OEM replacement that had been refurbished with one high tech addition, an AUX port. That’s right, a car stereo from 1988 with a built in AUX port! It works through interfering with the radio input when something is connected to it.
I should receive it tomorrow and plan on installing it then. We will see if it resolves the issue or if I have to dig deeper. I want to keep this car as original as possible. The addition of an aftermarket stereo is not something I want to do, as it changes the character of the interior in a way I’d rather avoid at all costs.