Bigpete123

Hey guys. Just thought I'd share the progress of my stereo installation.

Up to this point, I have stripped the interior, run my cables, installed at least 2 layers of Damplifier Pro sound deadener and a layer of closed-cell foam matting, and put my interior back together. I have a Nakamichi CD-400 head unit installed from my previous system (which I love).

I also have spent considerable time sealing the trunk off from the cabin with caulk, expanding foam, metal sheeting, and self-tapping sheet metal screws. I'm doing this because I sub is installed via infinite baffle (or "free air" for you non-formal types). Here are some pics for you. Comments and questions are welcome. I still have a lot of work to do before it's done, this is just an update.

Here's one of the subwoofer mounted in part of the baffle that will attach to the rear deck:




Another:




Just a shot of the trunk. Those ugly boxes are my solution to sealing the headrest mechanisms. Unfortunately, now the headrests are stuck in the up position permenantly. Also, the really white thing (sorry, I'm a bad photographer) is the "permanent" part of the subwoofer baffle. It's screwed into the rear deck and sealed using expanding foam and caulk:



A pic of the enclosure that seals up the trunk hinges:



A pic of the baffle with non-hardening rope caulk on it (to seal it to the rear deck):



A pic of the baffle in the previous picture installed in the trunk. It's held in place using bolts that screw into T-nuts in the "permanent" baffle discussed above. That way I can remove it repeatedly without the risk of stripping the MDF.



A pic from the top/outside of the sub. Yeah, I know it's mounted sideways. I did that so that the terminals on the bottom are easily accessible. It will all be hidden later, so I figured I'd err on the side of convenience.



A pic of the test-fit of my future amp rack, which will be attached to the gas tank (method is discussed more below):



The amp rack with the amps on it and the holes for cabling:



A pic of my shop in disarray:



This part of the project was fun, but a bit of a b*tch. Although the amp rack was carefully cut to size such that it would wedge into place and would utilize gravity to bear the weight of the components, I needed to come up with a solution that would keep it from falling over. In other words, I just needed to stabilize it, not support its weight.

So the gas tank is right there, and unless I have a death wish, it's not smart to go drilling into it. The tank has grooves on it (which you can see in the 3rd pic of this post). So I made some 1/4" thick slats that will fit inside the recessed parts of this groove. I used some closed-cell foam on the parts of the grooves that stick out so that the amp rack wouldn't vibrate against the gas tank.

I took some more T-nuts and affixed them to the back of the slats. And I carefully measured and lined up the holes on the amp rack so that I could bolt into the slats.

Then I used 2-part epoxy and glued the slats onto the gas tank. In order to make sure they were precisely in the right place, I had to screw the slats onto the back of the amp rack, spread the epoxy on the slats (and only the slats so that the amp rack could be removed after the epoxy cured), and wedged it into place. I let it dry for a couple of hours, carefully unscrewed the amp rack, and prayed that it worked. I was very happy when it did! Here are some pics:

The slats screwed into the back of the amp rack, before epoxy:



Taped up the back of the amp rack and the backs of the t-nuts so that the epoxy didn't get on anything it shouldn't:



I then spread the epoxy, carefully pressed the amp rack into place, making sure everything lined up perfectly, and used some scrap to wedge the assembly into place for curing. I didn't feel like sitting in my trunk for 2 hours holding it in place. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work (and it did, thank God):



Pic of the slats attached to the gas tank after the epoxy somewhat dried:



And that's all the pics I have for you. I still need to spend some time finishing up the amp rack so that I can mount the omnifi harddrive and the Audiocontrol 6ch EQ. there isn't enough space for the EQ to be on the rack next to the amps, so I will have to "stack" the small rear channel amp and the EQ on top of each other.

Then I need to make this look a little more presentable. But I will probably wait until I get the system up and running before I do anything like that. Chances are, I will conclude that it's just the trunk and I don't care how it looks.

Oh, and one last thing. When I shut the trunk, the sub jumps up and down considerably. I did a few fist pumps when I saw that, because it was a good sign that I had done at least a decent job of sealing the trunk from the cabin. The same goes for when I shut one of the car doors with the windows closed.

Things are finally taking shape!

crr1612

that is one crazy project man. good luck with it, i cant wait to see how it turns out

Bigpete123

yeah, neither can I man. This is a LOT of work. But it's in the fun phases right now.

YNVDIZW124

Should buy yourself a can of insulation foam. I always use it to seal trunks and specially on tight spaces like the truck lid braces. To attach the amp rack couldn't you just use some L brackets and covered them with the carpet? I don't have pics of systems i've installed ( i know i should for future jobs ) but here is a pic of a console i made for a 66 mustang to keep the original radio. I would also use plywood in some areas because MDF is really heavy. Well those are just some ideas but it looks like it's gonna turn out nice. I like those amps too.

Bigpete123

Yeah, I used expanding foam all over the place. I didn't use L-brackets because I didn't want to drill into the floor of my trunk. I have no idea what's on the other side of the floor (i.e. the outside of the car, etc) so it wasn't worth the risk to me. I didn't want to puncture the exterior sheet metal.

You're right, plywood holds screws better and is lighter than MDF. But I had a full sheet of 3/4 MDF in my shop already, so I just figured I'd utilize that. Also, MDF machines much better than plywood, so cutting dados with my plunge router and rounding over the edges looks much nicer.

Thanks for the input.

Makahveli

Looks like it will be a kick A$$ system, Thats alot of work you gotta do there.

YNVDIZW124

I think it depends on the quality of plywood your using. I'm also using pine wood on some areas that i need nice round edges. I basically use what i can too but i try to keep my trunk as light as possible so my trunk won't drag my car down and waste more gas. One trick i use it's to cover the panels with old sweaters but i leave the furry side up and when i cover it with fabric since it makes it look nicer on the edges. Also I've look and there are no major lines running where you would screw your panels in. You can attach it to the sides of the wheel well by the shock tower.

Bigpete123

yeah, weight is definitely an issue. Unfortunately, my car is feeling a little weighted down in the back right now... Well, I made the observation last night when I had a car full of people, so that was probably mostly the reason...

But I'm concerned that once I get my 2 amps, omnifi harddrive, sub, equalizer, and MDF in there, it will get too heavy back there. We'll see though.

YNVDIZW124

Sorry for the spelling on that other one..lol..It was late at night.

Anyways, I have a 2 year old son and a wife that likes to put crap in my trunk. I can't really go all out with mdf and all kinds of panels in the trunk because she does what she does best, Take over my space!!!... It started with the house, then the garage, and now my trunk.. Yes, It happends.

I'm pretty sure your not going to have major problems if you drive by yourself most of the time. I'm just saying because sometimes with 3-4 passangers you will give those rear shocks a workout. I had to replace mine after 8k miles..

Bigpete123

jeeze, that sucks!

I'm getting married in September, and my fiance and I just bought a condo. When we were looking for places, she was obsessed with storage... My thing was that if you have to store lots of stuff, then you don't need it! ha ha

We are gonna hold off for a long time (or maybe even forever) on the kids. I'll prolly sell my car and get something more spaceous if I have kids though...

The real problem with weight for me is my components. All of the MDF may add around 10-15lbs, but my components will definitely add at least 60... Oh well, hopefully it doesn't effect my ride quality too much. My bilstein sports are guaranteed for life, so I'm not too worried about them wearing out.

Bigpete123

This thread is back from the dead, lol! I've been updating some other forums on my project regularly, and I don't know why I've never bothered to keep you guys in the loop.

Btw, sorry about the pics that don't work in my first post. I lost my old server space from my old university without warning, and I can no longer edit that post. I have the pics on my computer at home, so I will repost them when I get home tonight. I got married and bought a condo this summer, so I have not had as much time to work on this as I would have hoped. I took a 2-3 month "sabatical" from this project in the middle.

I still have a long way to go- I will be building custom fiberglass speaker enclosures on the front doors and custom fiberglass tweeter pods for my A-pillars sometime soon. Then I need to install the amps and eq, and tune the system carefully. So don't expect this project to be finished anytime in the very near future.

The pics below show you what I've done. I had to make fiberglass enclosures for the rear speakers since I sealed off the factory holes for my infinite baffle subwoofer installation. In retrospect, I should've just left the rears out since I will hardly be powering them at all. You live you learn.

I also rebuild the first aid kit cover out of 3/4" MDF to make sure it won't rattle. I upholstered it with color-matched vinyl from Germany. I also had to make some crazy-looking baffles for the front speakers. Here are the pics, let me know what you guys think.

Fiberglass before trimming:





One of the fiberglass pieces after trimming and in place in the dash:



A pic of my first attempt at rebuilding the first aid kit compartment. I scrapped this one and started over because it didnt fit perfectly. Looking back, it was definitely the right decision, but it took a long time to rebuild.



Gluing the wood side to the fiberglass after it's been trimmed:



A pic of the new med kit cover with the vinyl applied, but no grille yet:



The installed first aid kit cover with the grille:









A pic of the rear speaker enclosure baffles being attached. I had to use expansion foam to fill a large gap in the back of the enclosure. If this doesn't work well, I will have to cover it with wood. I'd rather not have to bother with that cuz it's a pretty tricky angle.







A pic demonstrating that my front speakers won't fit properly without a baffle. Those gaps around the speaker would make it sound crappy. The speaker should be sealed to the dash.



Passenger side baffle. This took a lot of guess-and-check work.










That's it for now. I'll re-post pics of the sub installation and amp rack tonight.

Bigpete123

Oh, and to give you guys an idea of what I will be doing on my doors, here are pics of what a guy in the UK did. This is exactly what I want mine to look like:

Makahveli

Wow, I want your front doors. Looking awesome

Bigpete123

ha ha, I want those front doors too! But I don't have them yet. That's just a pic of somebody else's car. Mine currently looks like this:

Bigpete123

btw, my car is a coupe so I only have front doors!

bjay51d

What size speakers are those in the front and are you gonna be able to use your stock grills?

Bigpete123

They're 4" Focal Polyglass v-slims. I have test-fitted the factory grilles and they JUST BARELY clear. A better choice for me would've been to use some 1/8" hardboard (and I suppose I could still do it fairly easily now that I have good templates), but the 1/4" MDF was already laying around my shop. You can see that I had to do some sanding right around where the grill clips slide in... that's because it was difficult (although possible) to get the grilles on and off before.

I had to do a bit more sanding after I took these pics to round off the edges like that. I should also mention that I had to cut away some plastic in the underside of the drivers' side grille to get it to clear. But it does. I didn't take any pics of the drivers' side.

I painted the baffles black also, just so that they wont' be visible in direct sunlight.

JrJammin

hey im about to undertake the installation of my stereo system also.. what size aftermarket speakers are you using for the dash speakers? you may have stated and i didnt read it right.

JrJammin

from the picture it looks like you went with smaller than the stock which is 4 5/8?? also, i havent got to take mine out yet ive been really busy but how deep is the space for the magnet? thanks.

bjay51d

I wish I were as methodical as you.You most have boat loads of patience.Anyhow,I've been hearing people mention these focal speaker alot lately.How are mb quarts in comparison? acoustically & price /wise

Bigpete123

Look one post above yours, first sentence.

Bigpete123

Thanks man, it definitely tries my patience. I had NO IDEA this project would string out for as many months as it has. I really love working with my hands, and I have a well-equipped woodshop... Working on my own creative projects is, as cheesy as it sounds, very therepuedic for me. I look forward to going out to my shop all week. I usually spend 7 hours out there on Saturdays. Anyway, I'm rambling.

To answer your question about MB Quart vs. Focal... Focal has gotten very very popular over the last 5 years or so. I have had both MB Quarts and Focals, and to be frankly honest with you, I tend to prefer MB Quarts. The problem is, they also have a few product lines that are competitively priced, but really don't blow your socks off at all compared to others in the same price range. So you have to get their mid-to-upper tier products before you really fall in love with them.

So for the price, I would choose MB Quart over Focal. The only reason I started with Focal is that I blew some MB Quarts and was talked into giving Focal a try. Then, when I decided to redo my system, I wanted to use the same speakers so that the sound matched. Long story short, I stuck with Focal so I didn't have to replace as many components.

Don't get me wrong, Focals sound great. But I think that MB Quarts are more rich and full. hope that helps.

Bigpete123

Next wave of updates... I sanded that expansion foam down to match the profile of the enclosures, upholstered them, and mounted the enclosures. I still have to add the wiring, but that won't take too long. Other than that, my rear deck is finished (finally).

Stretching the vinyl was tough as expected. I ended up using hot glue to tack it down on the back side of the enclosures, and 3M Super 77 spray glue on the flat surfaces.

It didn't turn out perfect... but good enough for me. Unforunately, the hot glue and the vinyl added some thickness, so my enclosures didn't fit the deck quite as well as I would've liked. But I'd say it's pretty good for my first time ever doing anything like this...

I also glued those baffles into the front speaker locations using liquid nails and some little spring clamps. Those clamps were only like $.35 each! I painted the baffles flat black to make sure they're not going to be visible behind the grilles.

Here are the pics. Once again, I apologize for the poor quality. I spend so much time being meticulous while I work that once it comes time to take pics, I rush it!

The sanded enclosure. The foam turned out alright, actually! I can't believe how handy my bench-top belt sander is. I've used that thing a ton.





Sorry, I didn't take any pics while I was upholstering the enclosures. But here's the finished/installed product. Like I said, the fitment isn't 100% perfect, but it's about as close as I could've hoped as a noob.







And a pic of one of the front baffles getting glued into place.



That's it for now, friends. Merry Christmas!

myfirstbenz

Pete, that looks awesome. Few things in a car are more satisfying to mod than the stereo. This is quite involved, I take it you have done this before?

Great work.

I do have one concern, there are vents in the trunk, behind the wheel wells that allow the air in the cabin to vent out the rear of the car by the rear window.... you haven't sealed the car so well that air won't pass into the trunk any longer? In the moist air of the great NW this could cause a defrost/defog issue.

Bigpete123

Hey man.

Well, this is my second installation in this car, but this version is much much more complicated. I'm using fiberglass and more complex wiring, etc. So I definitely learned a few things about how the car comes apart, but most of this stuff is new to me. It's amazing what you can learn just surfing the net.

Regarding your concern about the vents in the trunk... I guess I didn't realize that air was supposed to flow from the cabin into the trunk, and out those vents. I basically sealed the rear deck as well as I possibly could.

I guess I assumed those vents were for fumes to escape or something... and since they are hidden behind the carpeted panelling in the trunk, I assumed they weren't terribly vital... hmm. Maybe you could elaborate more on how they work. I've had my trunk sealed off from the cabin for around 5 or 6 months now and haven't had any defrost issues so far, at least nothing out of the ordinary. I sure hope this won't cause problems in the future!