My New(at Least To Me) 1999 Sc400 And A Few Modifications.

[Scotty6486]

After a loooong search for a newer SC400 I finally found a 1999 Silver on Black with 60k miles. The first thing I did right off the bat was replace the factory rims with chrome 17" GS350 wheels. Next it was time for an upgrade of the audio system.

The equipment to be installed.

I chose the AVN5510 as my source unit for it's excellent sound quality and 5 volt preouts. I chose the Alpine MRP-F300 and MRP-M500 amplifiers for their size as they are mounted under the parcel shelf. For speakers I upgraded the factory 4" speakers to Infinty Kappa 6.5" components up front and Kappa 6.5" speakers in the rear. For some nice sounding low end I chose a single Alpine 12" Type R subwoofer and it works very nicely with the MRP-M500 amp.

I had done a few installations of the Viper 5701 and really liked the range and the way remote works and functions, so to protect and warm up my SC400 the Viper was the way to go. Also, the new integrated remote start relay pack and on-board shock sensor made installation a breeze and allows for a nice clean install. Along with the Viper 5701 I added the Viper SmartStart for infinite range for the Remote start with the iPhone application, it's also a simple single connection add on to most newer Viper remote starts.

I used the new Metra 95-8157B dash kit for a nice clean factory look. I also decided to remove the factory volume knob and after hours of sanding, filling, and painting I was able to get a nice factory paint and texture match.

For the Alpine Type R I used a sealed custom box designed to fit nicely in the left corner corner of the trunk, it provides .75 cubic feet of airspace and also is a good match for the Alpine sub.

Finally for multimedia integration I chose to install an Apple TV for it's nice clean interface and simple to use remote control. The installation of the Apple TV was fairly straightforward. The components used for the install were an Apple TV, power inverter, Jobsite IR repeater(operates off 12 volts DC), component to composite video adapter(from svideo.com), ground loop isolator, and several sets of well shielded RCAs for audio and video to the Eclipse Navigation unit. The Apple TV is installed in the location of the factory amplifier and cd changer. To mount the equipment I cut a piece of 3/4" MDF to fit the corner of the trunk and used wire ties for the Apple TV for easy removal in the future. The install turned out pretty clean considering the amount of components that needed to be installed. The IR receiver is mounted to the right of the navigation unit just below the glove compartment.

To cover the factory changer opening I fabricated a matching cover for the opening that can be removed for easy access to the Apple TV. Here's a picture with the trunk still partially disassembled.

Here's a picture of the Apple TV booting.

And a picture in the song selection menu.

The Apple TV works really well, the only downside is my Eclipse Nav unit's low resolution display that can make some small text hard to read. It also is currently set to boot when the car is on and takes about 20 seconds to start up which is pretty reasonable and Apple remote works great with the Jobsite repeater.

Anyways, there's a current list of modifications I've done to my vehicle so far. As a long time reader of the forums thanks for all the inspiration!

[eatingupblacktop]

Congrats on the new ride! That's the SC I was looking for! lol. Nice work all around. Always good to see a well planned build! Too bad about the screen res but nice touch with the apple tv! Good to see that kind of attention to detail. Good post. Enjoy! I know you will.

[jamesbondsc300]

After a loooong search for a newer SC400 I finally found a 1999 Silver on Black with 60k miles. The first thing I did right off the bat was replace the factory rims with chrome 17" GS350 wheels. Next it was time for an upgrade of the audio system.

The equipment to be installed.

I chose the AVN5510 as my source unit for it's excellent sound quality and 5 volt preouts. I chose the Alpine MRP-F300 and MRP-M500 amplifiers for their size as they are mounted under the parcel shelf. For speakers I upgraded the factory 4" speakers to Infinty Kappa 6.5" components up front and Kappa 6.5" speakers in the rear. For some nice sounding low end I chose a single Alpine 12" Type R subwoofer and it works very nicely with the MRP-M500 amp.

I had done a few installations of the Viper 5701 and really liked the range and the way remote works and functions, so to protect and warm up my SC400 the Viper was the way to go. Also, the new integrated remote start relay pack and on-board shock sensor made installation a breeze and allows for a nice clean install. Along with the Viper 5701 I added the Viper SmartStart for infinite range for the Remote start with the iPhone application, it's also a simple single connection add on to most newer Viper remote starts.

I used the new Metra 95-8157B dash kit for a nice clean factory look. I also decided to remove the factory volume knob and after hours of sanding, filling, and painting I was able to get a nice factory paint and texture match.

For the Alpine Type R I used a sealed custom box designed to fit nicely in the left corner corner of the trunk, it provides .75 cubic feet of airspace and also is a good match for the Alpine sub.

Finally for multimedia integration I chose to install an Apple TV for it's nice clean interface and simple to use remote control. The installation of the Apple TV was fairly straightforward. The components used for the install were an Apple TV, power inverter, Jobsite IR repeater(operates off 12 volts DC), component to composite video adapter(from svideo.com), ground loop isolator, and several sets of well shielded RCAs for audio and video to the Eclipse Navigation unit. The Apple TV is installed in the location of the factory amplifier and cd changer. To mount the equipment I cut a piece of 3/4" MDF to fit the corner of the trunk and used wire ties for the Apple TV for easy removal in the future. The install turned out pretty clean considering the amount of components that needed to be installed. The IR receiver is mounted to the right of the navigation unit just below the glove compartment.

To cover the factory changer opening I fabricated a matching cover for the opening that can be removed for easy access to the Apple TV. Here's a picture with the trunk still partially disassembled.

Here's a picture of the Apple TV booting.

And a picture in the song selection menu.

The Apple TV works really well, the only downside is my Eclipse Nav unit's low resolution display that can make some small text hard to read. It also is currently set to boot when the car is on and takes about 20 seconds to start up which is pretty reasonable and Apple remote works great with the Jobsite repeater.

Anyways, there's a current list of modifications I've done to my vehicle so far. As a long time reader of the forums thanks for all the inspiration!

Very very classy! Thats a cool ride my man:)

[stcist2]

nice work. very talented..

[Scotty6486]

Thanks for all the compliments, much appreciated.

Looks like this Friday I'll be installing an AVIC-Z110BT to replace the Eclipse unit, I'll post a few more pics then.

[Scotty6486]

Here's a couple of videos of the Apple TV in action. Not finished yet, still need to install a web browser and Boxee for better streaming video support.

Booting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lPq7iUrqPA

In action showing song search function:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNHEGuTrtYY