I'm pretty good with mechanical things, and have installed a stereo or two in my cars in the past, but never anything with this level of complexity.

The car:
2004 G35 Coupe with Nav & Bose. Don't need factory nav voice, but want to keep functionality of original nav

The replacement parts:
JDM DD kit
JDM AC controller (will probably send controller and U.S.D.M. controller to local computer shop to have dual button transferred - I've never been good at soldering)
Alpine INA-w910 (no back up camera)
Metra Axxess SWC
Metra 40-nic antennae adapter
Infinity Kappa 60.9 for front doors
Delete factory 6x9's in rear deck
Kenwood x600f
Alpine SWR 10" sub (will build own enclosure...that time isn't important)

I'm looking for estimates how long I should expect this install to take me? I've removed the center console and back seat in the past to run Nissan's ipod input, so I'm not completely inexperienced.

I've reviewed the conversion video, and will have it available for additional review during the process, if necessary.

Six hours? (seems reasonable)

Eight hours? (still realistic)

Twelve hours? (getting ridiculous)

It's tough for me to find time to do this kind of stuff, but I'm looking forward to the project if/when I can find enough free time. I'm really looking forward to getting rid of the factory Bose-branded system...which has been a thorn in my side since I bought the car 3 1/2 years ago.

I know someone will come along and write "you should have gotten X instead of Y", but I'm happy with achieving my goal of doing a solid DD upgrade on a $2000 budget. I'm pleased with the $1700 acquisition cost for the parts listed above.

Thanks in advance! I'll post photos when finished.

Thanks also to Wrathernaut and Docron, whose threads have helped clear up the confusion regarding DD conversion for this car. I'll never forget driving to a local stereo shop 3 1/2 years ago looking to upgrade the head unit and hearing basically "you're screwed".

 

Is this a joke?

 

Why would it be a joke? I stay very busy, and I'm trying to find a time slot to fit this project into so my car isn't torn apart for several days.

I'm thinking two hours max for speaker replacement.
Two hours for amp/sub/wiring install.
Two to Four hours for conversion/install/wiring of DD head unit.

If all I had to do with my time otherwise was sit around and play videogames on Playstation, then this question would be a joke.

Just looking for a realistic time estimate. Realistically I should just pay someone to do the install, but I've always preferred d.i.y.

 

Headunit install, I'd say about 3-4 hours if you're comfortable removing interior trim.
Front doors, if you're re-using factory wiring (recommended) about 30-60min per door.
Removing the rear 6x9s, 2+ hours, since there's quite a bit to remove to get the rear deck off.
Running the amp wiring, about 2 hours, again, it's more about how comfortable you are at removing interior trim that determines the time for this step.

Basically, if you budget one solid day, you can probably get it done alone, less if you have help, but I'd just expect a weekend to be spent doing it.

Not sure where you're located, but if you're anywhere near Georgia, you can take to me and we'll make a day of it.

 

Thanks for the offer, and thanks for the response Wrathernaut! If I were closer, I'd take you up on the offer, and buy you a case or two of beer for your time.

Looks like most of this is in line with my expectation, except for the removal of the rear 6x9's. Knowing this in advance will save some frustration.

I guess I can scratch this project off the list for a couple of weeks. Will have to pick it up again when I get back to the U.S. next month.

 

There isn't much involved with removing the rear 6x9's that would be duplicated effort by delaying it and doing the rest. I'd get the rest of the stuff done and remove those 6x9's later.

 

Looks like a lot of work.....good luck.

 

Thanks again. I was actually thinking of yanking those out first, seperate from the rest of the install, but your suggestion makes more sense.

I could swap out the door speakers prior to the dd conversion as well. As much as I'd like to knock out the entire install in one sitting, I think it'll have to be done in stages. Just because I have all the stuff sitting in the garage doesn't mean it all has to go in on the same day.

 

I would plan on a full days work with everything you have planned. You don't want to rush anything and risk breaking something...breaks are your friend!

 

Well for anyone reading who is considering doing this themselves, I spent about an hour today removing the Bose head unit and a plethora of interior trim pieces. I pulled the stock circuit board out and hauled it and the JDM AC controller down to a local laptop repair shop to have the dual button swapped from USDM to JDM. I won't be back to work on the car again for two weeks, so I was pleased I was able to get the AC controllers into the shop before I left. They'll have plenty of time to do the swap.

If anyone wonders, the car will run & drive fine with everything unplugged in the dash and center console. I did plug the airbag back in before reconnecting the battery, but I've got a flashing airbag light on the dash now. I'll have to sort that out later.

I was laughing as I was driving to the laptop shop. It looks like a bomb went off inside my car!

There's a lot of parts that have to come off to get the stock head unit out, but everything is simple and straightforward. Now that I've done it once, I could probably do it again in half the time.

I'm sure the more difficult part is yet to come.

 

fitting it all back in with the wires will be your most difficult thing...and really test how well you connected everything.

I still dont like doing even after 40 or so HU installs on G35s.

 

I've got all the basic wiring associated with a Pioneer Z120BT, HD Radio adapter, steering wheel controls adapter, factory navigation unit and all the iPod wiring in there. So long as you bundle wires so the bulk of the wiring reaches to the rather large void beneath the radio, it's not a problem at all.

I think what screws most people up, is when the upper radio bracket arm goes under the objects in the dash, it makes it feel a lot like you've got bundled wires blocking the unit from moving. So long as you hold the tip of that upper bracket arm with your fingertips from above as you put the radio in to prevent it from going underneath anything, it's pretty easy.

 

No navi, took me 2 hours comfortably.

 

i installed a dd w/ navi and steering wheel controls in about 4 hrs. taking everything apart the first time was a pain, but youll get used to it.

 

Update for those contemplating this project...

It cost $30 at the local laptop repair shop to have the dual button swapped from the US AC controller to the JDM controller...well worth it in my opinion.

It took about two hours to assemble the nav, JDM AC controller, and DD head unit into the JDM trim. Most of this time was spent trying to figure out how to get the unit mounted flush...which ultimately required drilling new holes in the factory bracket. Now that I've done it, I could probably do this again in 45 minutes.

I spent about five hours yesterday installing the amp and wiring the head unit and Metra Axxess steering wheel controller. I probably consulted various threads on this site four or five times during the process, and a printed wiring diagram from Crutchfield.com was instrumental for utilizing the existing factory speaker wires...tapped into at the Bose amp connection. I figured since the pervailing wisdom seems to be to use the factory speaker wires inside the door, it doesn't make much sense to run larger gauge wires up to the door exterior because the current is just going to get restricted at that point anyway.

I was able to power the head unit last night, and had static (from the default 87.9 radio channel) coming from the correct speakers, so if I can get the steering wheel control adaptor programmed, it'll be time to cram everything into the space available (I've read Wrathernaut recommends bundling and shoving excess wires under the head unit). Alpine wants me to tap into the brake light wire and parking brake wire to utilize their convoluted system to unlock menus and dvd playback, but there's no way I'm living with that headache for years. I'll install the solution to that Monday.

Hopefully today I'll have time to mount the JDM trim/head unit, replace the front door speakers, and complete and install the subwoofer enclosure I'm building. I'm thinking another three or four hours at this point.

One of the more challenging aspects of this project has been identifying the correct factory wires to splice into, both at the head unit end and at the Bose amp location. The Metra Axxess SWC directions are absolutely useless. The ones I downloaded from their website make no sense because they don't list what wires from the Metra harness get spliced into the factory wires. Fortunately there's a thread here that gives better information.