Check out the "30 Dollar Stereo" - equipped with 30 heat pounding...glass shattering watts of audio enjoyment.Another weekend was burnt up working on my car, and I made some decent
progress with some high priority fixes/upgrades. So far it seems like
the interior has been my main focus, and I would like to get things
set-up properly before moving on to larger more expensive projects.
Now for those of you that don’t know, I am really into Hip-Hop music.
Nothing makes me happier than listening to Jay-Z or Talib Kweli while
cruisin’ around in my ride, so setting up a simple audio system was a
must.
When I purchased the Corolla it was not equipped with a
stereo, and as much as I love the sound of my Hachi, I was in desperate
need of an audio system. I threw around the idea of picking up a 300
dollar head unit compete with MP3 device control and Bluetooth. I was
almost ready to make the purchase when I began thinking…why spend 200
dollars on a stereo, when I could put that money towards something
else? The more I thought about it the more it made sense, especially
considering all I need is a line-in for the iPhone and I’m good to go.
Notice how the stereo does not stand out too much when compared to the stock styling.So after considering the options I decided to head down to Shucks and
get what has to be one of the cheapest radios on the face of the
earth. This thing cost me 29 bucks, and comes ready to rock with 30
whopping watts of power, a tape deck and a radio. The best part is it
has a line-in right on the front, so hooking up an MP3 player is quick
and painless. In all honesty this deck is definitely not the most
powerful one around, but for the price I can’t complain. Surprisingly
one of the things I like best about this radio is the looks. It’s so
simple and retro that it doesn’t feel out of place when you’re looking
at the interior. A big stereo with 3D graphics and all that jazz works
well in a newer car, but for the Corolla I wanted something a bit more
subtle.
Tony (aka Tatakai) stopped by to help with the wiring,
and after some trial and error we found the wires for the stock
speakers and hooked up the stereo. With zip ties in hand we mounted
the head unit with a simple design that does a great job of keeping the
radio firmly in place. The next step was to build a mount for the
iPhone to sweeten the deal, so after picking up a universal dock and
remote, I put my
MacGyver skills to work after stopping by my local Ace
Hardware. Now I know I may be prone to verbal tangents, but this time
I really mean it.
The sleek mounting position makes for a clean set-up that is very user friendly.Ace Hardware has to be the coolest shop in the
world. Hands down. If you're ever looking for random pieces of
hardware then you can't go wrong with the Ace. I was honestly walking
down the aisles thinking about what I could build if I purchased
everything in the store. All in all Ace Hardware blows away the local
Canadian Tire that I am used to back home, and thats a pretty big
accomplishement. OK Tangent complete...back to business.
So
with some brackets from Ace and a few random pieces of plastic I
salvaged from my apartment I put together a mount for my iPhone. It’s
a simple design that gets the job done, yet it doesn’t attract too much
attention. The white dock does stand out, so painting it black might
be the answer. All in all this system for listening to music is great,
and it’s just one more thing to cross off the list.
Check out the brackets from Ace Hardware and the mounting contraption!Another
thing that was replaced this weekend was the Throttle Position Sensor,
and so far so good! The car idles much lower now, and there is no
hesitation during freeway driving. Additionally my gas mileage seems
to have increased drastically, so overall I am glad to have a working
TPS. Now considering that catalytic converter and the TPS are in
working order, I decided it was time to get an emissions test, and as
with anything there are more hoops to jump through before I can get
this baby to pass.
Me + Jay-Z + Hachi = Danger. Maybe I need a strap to hold my phone in place :SEvidently if your car idles above 1,100 RPM
then you are not allowed to take the test…and this Corolla just happens
to feel comfortable around the 1,150 RPM range. Honestly I was 50 RPM
away from the limit, so determined to pass Adam and I investigated ways
to drop the idle. We started with the idle set screw and soon found
out that it was already maxed out. We then messed around with the TPS
sensor to try and lower the idle, but it was almost like the car didn’t
want to idle any lower than 1,150. After consulting with the subject
matter experts in Adam’s bay, we discovered that the distributor timing
might be slightly off, thus causing the higher idle. We will be
fussing around with this during the week, but if anyone has some ideas
on how to drop the idle make sure to post a comment. Any help is
greatly appreciated!
Check out the throttle position sensor doing what it does best....sensing.So what’s next? Well a nice pair of
reasonably priced racing seats would be a great addition, along with a
few more touch ups to really finish off the interior. Things like
painting the interior black and building a cover for the trunk are
definitely on the radar--it’s just a matter of deciding what needs to
be done first!
The GT-S lays to rest in the underground lot...waiting patiently for a chance to slide.