TheBri

Finally. I've had all this stuff sitting in my garage for a few months while I've been finishing some major house construction.

The system consists of:

Focal 165 V2 in the rear deck lid
Focal 165 V3E in the front doors
JL Audio 12W6 sub
JL Audio 500/1
JL Audio 300/4
AudioControl LC6

Everything looks stock still from the inside. The trunk obviously does not. I'm not finished with the amp box as I've still got to make the plexiglass lid and wire up the cooling fans.

Pictures:

TheBri

more pictures

TheBri

and still more...

TheBri

last of them

TheBri

To clarify something that is confusing I'm sure: That lone block of wood behind the door panel is where the crossover got mounted. It was a little too big to fit where the Bose amp sits next to the speaker. I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of it mounted before I put the door panels back on. It's not worth the hassle of taking one of them back off to get a picture.

WikkedOne

Let me be the first to say... THAT IS A SWEET INSTALL

I think my favorite part is the bass **** in the oven. Alot of people use the blanks where the DSC button is but I like your idea too.

How long did it actually take you to do the doors? and are those baffles behind the speakers? what kind?

how did you do your power for the amps? capacitor? ground back to the batt?

It looks like it'll rock some freakin socks off.. nice work.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

that's guna look hot. waiting for the finished installs.

forbidden

Get some of those baffles on the rear speakers as well, the sub is going to force the speaker cones to move and all of a sudden one day, blown speakers. Take the door panels back apart and add some black spray paint and resin to those door pods. The doors in this car get nice and wet right there. So, how does it sound?

TheBri

Let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the sticky thread at the top of the Interior, Audio, and Electronics forum. You guys did an excellent job of documenting everything and I used a ton of that information when planning/installing this system. Thank you!!!


Thanks! It's only my second full car install. The last one was my 97 Toyota Tacoma about 7 years ago! It's been a while to say the least.

I wanted to keep the interior looking stock as possible just because I'm into that sort of thing. Hiding the bass control down with the beverage holder was the easy place to do it - plus there is that panel there for some accessory that I don't have that was easy to mount it in.

The doors took forever; total time on them alone was probably close to 8 hours. There was probably 4 hours of screwing around to figure out exactly how big the panel was going to be and how I was going to mount it. Fitting a 6.5" and a 4" speaker where the 9" Bose speaker used to be was a pain. A lot of staring at stuff, moving the speakers around to different configurations, etc... I finally trimmed back that ring inside the door panel and made a paper template that fit in the location. The end shape is all weird because I wanted to keep three of the four original screw mounting positions - the fourth one got cut out to make room for the 6.5" speaker. The other pain in the *** about the doors was figuring out how to run the huge *** speaker wires into them. The stock door wiring goes through a plug and cannot accept any additional wiring. Eventually I found some holes that worked on the passenger side (see pictures in this post). The driver's side I had to drill a hole (scary!) because that same hole I used on the passenger side was occupied by a screw/nut that is holding part of the dashboard to the side of the car. I used the same hole in the door itself and then drilled the new hold just below the screw/nut. (see pictures in this post)
The got the baffles for behind the door speakers from Crutchfield.com. They were really inexpensive and well worth it to keep moisture away from them. I also ordered one of those panel removing tools while I was at it. Probably the best $7 I’ve ever spent on a tool.

I'll post pictures of that in another response to this thread. I ran 1/0 power wire down the left side of the car; through the factory firewall grommet like so many people have done on the forum already. I grounded it at the screw that sits in the bottom of the tool kit tray in the trunk. That’s an excellent ground point if anyone is interested in doing the same. I do have a 1F cap that I’m going to be installing for the sub amp; I just haven’t put it in yet.

I do need to do that to the rear speakers to protect them. Thanks! I neglected to think of that during all my brainstorming of late. I know there is a huge water problem in the doors so I used plywood instead of MDF. Probably a good idea to resin/seal them too.

It sounds awesome. The highs are crisp and defined, there are tons of lows where there used to be none, and overall the quality of sound is just a million times better. It’s not a huge competition system and that’s not what I wanted at all. It’s a “nice basic system” and it’s a huge step up from the Bose turd that it comes with. After years to driving my truck around with a nice system I really noticed the sound quality (or lack there of) of the Bose system.

TheBri

power line/distribution box pictures

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

great job, i am working on a few asthetic and engine perforamces but i want to update the sounds SO BAD. I will take note from this thread

forbidden

Ahhhhh, maybe it is just that I am a custom installer, maybe it is just that I am one picky SOB when it comes to work, so please take it as constructive critism only. Did you measure the ground return resistance. You have nice amplifiers, please keep them that way and verify what is happening on the ground return. Is there a grommet on the speaker wire going to the door? There was a way to run the wires through the door boot on both doors as well. All it would have taken is a little thought or a PM and I would have been able to show you how to have done this task.

A note to all here in the future, you do not need to drill a hole in your 8 like this. The wires will go through the molex. For now here is a link to a new sticky I developed that shows how to do this. In the case of the 8, you have two options, both of which are shown in this sticky (with pics). When faced with a molex that has the pins 100% full in the molex, remove pins that are no longer needed. Like any pins that have to do with the Bose amp in the door for example. Cap off the lines on the inside part of the harness that sits in the door jamb, remove the pins and you now have at least 4 if not more holes to run new wiring through. As you put the crossover on the inside of the doors vapour barrier (a safe thing to do, good job btw), Even if you did not have the Bose system, this would have freed up a minimum of two wires in each door, no drilling the door metal and no visible wires. Well, what's done is done now, at least get some grommets on the wire so that it does not chaff and short to ground, taking your amp to the old amplifiers home in the sky.
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...TID=78731&PN=1

JPotta

Great choice on all of your components and wonderful install. Did you use a line output converter?

FastRX8

That's what the LC6 is.

Nice install. I'm mostly interested in you amps.
I currently have a 500/1 installed, and will be adding the 300/4 in the next couple weeks.
Do you have any more pics of the amps? Wiring?

Astral

Holy ****!!! This is HOT ****!

EXACTLY what I was thinking of! I am so glad it's possible to fit 6.5" and 4" there!!

How did you do the tweeter? I see you kept that little surface mount thing on the bakc.. did that let you angle the tweeters somehow?

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Wow, very SWEET install!!

TheBri

I kept the tweeters exactly as they are seen in that picture of the sail panel. They have effectively the same angle (straight out) as the Blows tweeters did. I imagine that if they were angled slightly more towards the listener the sound stage would be better but I've got no complaints with them as they are.

After living with this setup now I've given into the fact that I need a good multiband EQ solution to get rid of the ridiculous amount of high mids that this car seems to produce. The Blows head unit hardly give you good options for adjusting the sound - the bass and treble. Wow. And those boost points are tuned for the Blows speakers which are nowhere in sight anymore.

If you're at all interested, I still have the template that I made for the speaker mounts in the door. It took some serious playing to get the 6.5" + 4" to fit without making completely custom door pods so I figured it might be worth keeping around if someone else wanted to use it.

This thread getting bumped reminded me that I never took finished photos. Took a few today when it stopped raining.

There is a 1F capacitor underneath the bottom of the amp rack. Sitting in the little alcove that is supposed to be for the jack and accessories. I didn't really feel it was necessary to "show it off". It's there and doing it's job.

TheBri

One last picture of the door. I'm a little irritated with myself for not painting those baffles black (which Forbidden also called me out on). Truth be told you never notice that they aren't. You'd never notice it unless you got down and looked with good light.

The blue led switch next to the DSC is the on/off for the fans. I wanted the ability to turn them on and off just for the simple fact that I do carry stuff in the trunk still. Occasionally things sit on top of the plexiglass and cover up the fans. Instead of potentially burning them out because they can't rotate freely I can just not turn them on. The obnoxious blue LED was to remind me that they are turned on and not to leave them on and kill my battery.

forbidden

hehehe.....good job.

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

I wouddl love to see that template...was there an rubbing on the door panel, do you know what the total top mount depth is for the door speakers?

Astral

would love to see those templates too! i will buy you beers if i'm ever in seattle

the mount depth is very deep, I think 4"+ because the glass doesn't extend down to the speakers.

Monster3.Inc

Great install, WOW (but you already knew that). Question (of course open to anyone), with the components you’re using (speakers, subs, amps), is there any rattling coming from your door or any place. The reason I am asking is that I am in the middle of my own install and really curious if your components up front are causing any rattling your doors of any other problem areas. I could not tell if any sound deadening was installed and the installer I am using (which might change) told me with all plastic on the door it was not necessary to add a great deal of sound deadening and the sound quality should be fine. I added a few pictures of the early stages of my install and some of the components so you know these are serious questions.

Besides the rear deck and some right behind the component woofers in the door no other sound deadening was added. In a few months, before all my money is tied up with my new car and the summer heat is upon us I will do a more thorough job of deadening/insulating my car (Florida summers are crazy). But I want to know is my installer being lazy and feeding me a line of BS. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Items being installed
JL Audio Cleansweep
Diamond Audio D9 doors
Infinity Kappa 6x9 rear deck
JL audio 450x4 (power components)
JL audio 10w7
JL audio 500x1 (power sub)

forbidden

Sound deaden the doors, especially the outer skin that acts as a big gong.

JPotta

Sorry it took me so long here a shitty picture im currently re doing every thing and cutting back to one amp my boxes are now for sale as well.

JPotta

I also am using a JL audio Clean Sweep and I highly recommend it!