# 1976 BMW 2002 Full Audio Build!



## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

So doing a full audio build in my 76 2002. I just got the Nakamichi CD500 deck installed.....removed the POS Sony that was in it when I bought it. I have some work to do on the speakers. It came with ooooooold Eclipse slim coax door speakers. Real old, and one isnt working. Here are some pics of my setup so far.....

Nakamichi CD500 Deck with hard wired iPod/iPhone interface.

The plan was to have a modern system in a vintage car...so I didnt want something that looked too out of place. The simple styling of the Nak is perfect and the sound quality excellent. It will play MP3 CDs if I wish and it will allow me to use my iPhone for a jukebox, navigation, and stream music from pandora or Sirius/XM....all in one unit that leaves when I get out of the car so no need for a crazy alarm system.




















Nakamichi CD500 with Hard wired iPod/iPhone interface!


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## wheelieking71 (Dec 20, 2006)

COOL! that looks like a fun one.


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

OK...so here is the fun part.....

I go to replace the non working eclipse coax speakers and I decide FINALLY on a set of Hertz HSK165 components. Well wouldnt you know the previous speakers were installed by idiots! I pulled a speaker out just to see its size and I was amazed the DIRECTLY behind the magnet was the door support bar. It was just a 2 inch deep hole. ugh....that wont fit anything. So the plan now is to relocate the hole, replace my near perfect door panels with PERFECT ones and improve the install and quality. One thing that is shown is how the door speakers are mounted in such an odd place as to be blocke perfectly by the drivers and passengers legs. blocking all high end sound! Who thought of that!!???? So I am going to move things 3 inches forward, mount the HSK woofer and flush mount the tweeter in the door in front of the window adjustment knob. First I will begin by marking where I need to cut the door, then cutting just enough for the woofer...then dynamat and seal the door as good as possible. Then install the new door panels and mount he speaker and grill to the door panel and then I will be done with what I thought was a SIMPLE door speaker install. 

original door speaker in a very bad spot. if anyone sits in that seat the speaker is right next to their leg!









speaker removed and support beam exposed!









with door closed...speaker rests right on my leg! again...very bad location for a speaker!









i will cut a section of metal out and move the speaker 3 inches forward









Hertz HSK165 woofer


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

wheelieking71 said:


> COOL! that looks like a fun one.


ITS A BLAST!!!!


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

Wicked!!!
We have 2 2002 Coupe BM's going at the moment! Lorv it!
This one sits nice, with a heap of character. Whats the drive like?


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

sydmonster said:


> Wicked!!!
> We have 2 2002 Coupe BM's going at the moment! Lorv it!
> This one sits nice, with a heap of character. Whats the drive like?


Did a load of suspension work...springs, shocks, strut tubes and it rides great and handles even better. Not harsh at all...firm, but not harsh...my old carrera on coilovers was more harsh than this one is!


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## Tonyguy (Nov 15, 2007)

This car is ****ing Sick! I love 2002s.


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## Serious Sam (Nov 30, 2008)

This is great.
Like said before - 2 at one time. This is awesome.
I love the old 2002, and there's another guy with a Bavaria that wants to get his install going - so get-r-done!

One thing to consider in the door install is that the inside of the door gets pretty wet. So moving them out a little might save the back of the speaker from getting wet.

Also, if you move the speaker forward, I've seen that corner of the door card hard to keep close to the door. It tends to flare out some. 

What about a kick panel install for the midbass, instead of putting another hole in a nice door card?

Keeping the tweeter close to the midbass will give benefits to sound quality.

Looking forward to seeing what you do, and I like the Nakamichi HU


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

Day 2....

So I got one door done...I took it VERY slow....it fits perfect...new door panels come tomorrow so I will finish it all off then. 
I cut as little out of the door as possible...then applied dynamat....then test fit the tweeter which will be flush mounted in the door panel....all sounds awesome! 

cutting out metal










test fitting woofer










dynamat nearly finished










test fitting tweeter location










I just need to do the final wiring, put the crossovers in the glovebox, and seal the small holes with dynamat, and then cut the holes in the new door panels and install is done!!!


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## SSCustoms (Oct 16, 2008)

You have a beautiful car! I can't wait to see more!


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Man, looking good. Way to steal my thunder. J/K. I really like your stance, and I might go with the E30 basket weave's but I'd really like to do some 15" Alpina style turbines.


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

Sorry...I saw your build after I posted! Yeah those 15" Alpinas keep calling my name...I am tempted....I am gonna make that decision when all else is done...so maybe 6 more months....then it'll be hard to resist!


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## kcdonahue (Sep 27, 2008)

What is this the 2002faq???? Pretty cool seeing some 02's from the faq on here! I guess I need to take some pics of the setup for my tii. 

KC


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

Nice work, take your time as you said and results will be worth it.
Let me ask, the hole next to the midbass speaker, did you put something behind the dynamat?


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## Maceo23 (May 25, 2009)

Were slowly taking over


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

sydmonster said:


> Nice work, take your time as you said and results will be worth it.
> Let me ask, the hole next to the midbass speaker, did you put something behind the dynamat?


Nope....you could, but structurally the door is ok, and sonically there probably wont be any difference because there will be a door panel and plywood on top of the dynamat...


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

OK..day 3...just a small update...but ALOT of work got done.....I was hoping to be TOTALLY finished with the install but ran into a hitch...my door panels came and one was black and one was blue....plus the blue one is alot darker than my interior...so they are sending me a new set of panels....the new backing boards are in so in the meantime, I will probably just hack my old door panels and drive around for a week with an extra big whole for the speaker....its that or drive with the dynamat on the interior. The good part is its all wired and working perfectly...sounds amazing. I REALLY like the Hertz HSK 165 system. ALOT of mid-bass....more than I was expecting. I am used to Focal and these have more low end...the Focals may be just a tad smoother on the high end...just a tad, but I really like the warmth and overall sound of the Hertz. I am now ready to install my rears so I think I will be going with the HSK690 3 way 6x9s...oh and its all running ff the head unit alone at this point...cant wait to get a real amp installed....looking at Audison....and then something for the low end...I think a small sealed box mounted underneath the rear deck in between the 6x9s. Here is a pic of the car in COMPLETE disarray....


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

dang! nice! 
Sometimes I wish cars overhear were LHD.


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## honza440 (Aug 22, 2009)

lovely car


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

this is a really cool build! A little jealous of your lineup, especially the 09 supercharged range


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## boulderbobo (Oct 6, 2009)

I owned a 1976 2002. One of the coolest cars on the planet!

Cheers,

Bob-


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## Silver Supra (Feb 15, 2008)

Love it!


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

Todays update.....

Stuck the old door panels back on...Waiting on the new panels so I decided to practice with the old ones....also I wont have to drive with dynamat silver interior....here is a pic of the door with the speakers bolted in.....please ignore the original hole....


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## threepointo (Apr 17, 2009)

nice car! I have a 1973 datsun 510 all fixed up with audio install just waiting on the center frame for the stereo...


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

I have been slacking a bit on the updates...so today was my day off so I decided to spend a few hours on the car. I left off with the speakers fitted to the doors. The door panels and new wood vinyl were yet to be installed. So today I put the new plywood I got that was perfectly cut for my doors. Whats nice about this is the plywood wont deform when it gets wet...so my door panels should retain their shape for years to come! I removed the speakers from the door, then installed the wood with a few new clips. Then I cut out the holes for the woofer and the tweeter in the appropriate spots, installed the speakers in the wood and installed the window crank and door lever. So again, I am one step closer. Now what I need to do is remove the new vinyl panels from their old cardboard backing. Place them on the new plywood door panel, cut homes for the woofer and tweeter in the vinyl, then mount it all to the door, and I am done! Thats a VERY simplified explanation but in theory thats what will happen. Maybe Saturday morning will be the day I can actually MOVE ON to the next stage which will either be rear deck 6x9s or an amp, or both! Eventually I plan on rear decjk speakers, an amp, and a sub....so there will be plenty of work to come, but I imagine this is by far the most difficult part of the install. Ok Pics....

Brand new wood panel installed on the door.




















Hertz tweeter flush mounted...this will look nice with the vinyl.









Hertz mid bass driver with the grill installed. (can I make custom grills? Not exactly overjoyed by these)









Buttoned up...for now...


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## munkeeboi83 (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi there. 

Nice looking 2002 you have there. I recently got my old 1980 BMW 528i running again. I need to redo a hack-job system that was put in when my cousin had the car. Pretty tough doing an audio system in old cars such as ours. 

Are you going to SoCal Vintage BMW meet this coming Saturday out in the Valley? I would love to check out your 2002 and your sound system. 

SoCal Vintage BMW Meet - The Premier Vintage BMW Meet in SoCal!
Oct 24th, 2009 at Woodley Park


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## Nkec (May 7, 2009)

awesome car


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## Irishfocus06 (Sep 11, 2008)

I am jealous of your car. Very nice piece of vintage you have there........is a good year too as it was the year I was born, lol! Good luck with the rest of the build. Looks like it is coming along.


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## newport2002 (Oct 7, 2009)

Speakers are now installed! So this concludes part 1 of the build. New door speakers, New door backing, dynamat the doors, new door Vinyl.

Here is the finished product....I am VERY happy with the install, its now got some very nice speakers and a very nice head unit. I am powering the speakers from the head unit currently so I am definitely going to add an amp. The question now is which one? Here is a pic of the finished door.


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

I think a german car deserves a german amp? no? Blaupunkt make some seriously underated gear.
Blau velocity series amps are fantastic!

http://www.blaupunkt.com/us/amplifiers_91.asp


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## osiris (Mar 21, 2008)

I can't believe I missed another show(1st was last week's Iasca).


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