# Wife's new system. Old school Rockford Fosgate 1/2 build log.



## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Finally finsished up the new system for wifey. She now drives my old car which has previously had a couple larger systems before. Therefor this is, of sorts, a half build log mostly showing just the new fabrication. Old shcool RF fans like myself may get a kick out of this one


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Here's the amps to be used..... before refinishing!





































*Flock.......... Flock it Real Good!! *


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

The wiring isn't super super neat, but for this one, I pretty much don't care! LOL



















Old school copper chassis Alpine CDA-7944R. Never released in the US if I'm not mistaken.










Tweets molded in the A pillars. (from previous install)


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)




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## underdog (Jul 5, 2011)

That turned out great
Where will she haul your groceries now?


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

underdog said:


> That turned out great
> Where will she haul your groceries now?


LOL.. thanks!

We have an 07' Accord for those duties. The Integra is simply a commuter car for her (great on fuel!!!)


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## circa40 (Jan 20, 2008)

Nice! My favorite line of RF subs and amps back in the day


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## BlueAc (May 19, 2007)

Very nice throwback system...


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

Perfect presentation!
Damn I love every bit of that amp and speaker rack!
She should be beaming everytime she's shows her friends.
Well done.

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## ezarc (Aug 20, 2011)

Very nice, looks like a lot of work went in to it.


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## bmiller1 (Mar 7, 2010)

Yeah, the pictures make it look easy. That's some skill to have a result that clean. Awesome work!!


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

Very nice old school build....


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments guys! Much appreciated!


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

underdog said:


> That turned out great
> Where will she haul your groceries now?


the back seat? :laugh:


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

eviling said:


> the back seat? :laugh:


Well yeah!..... Isn't that what back seats are for??? :laugh:

Well... unless you are still @ high school prom age... then there's other things that a back seat are good for!!  :laugh:


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

WOW..I like alot!!!!!


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Well yeah!..... Isn't that what back seats are for??? :laugh:
> 
> Well... unless you are still @ high school prom age... then there's other things that a back seat are good for!!  :laugh:



The front seat always worked for me back in the day:laugh:


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## Darth SQ (Sep 17, 2010)

trojan fan said:


> The front seat always worked for me back in the day:laugh:


I had a 75 Chevrolet Nova with a factory Hatchback and fold down rear seat making the entire rear area flat bed. 

Bret
PPI-ART COLLECTOR


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

ohhhhhhh snap!


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## bigdwiz (Oct 7, 2010)

Excellent job!

Which mids/tweets are you using? How are the subs and other speakers wired? I'm guessing active buy noticing the JBL X-over?

Your install has me itching to put a Power 650 in my daily driver...


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

i REALLY dig the look of this system, and yeah very throw back...but i think its the kind of system that people of all ages and even in 10 20 years, people will look at and say...that's nice...

awesome job!


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

bigdwiz said:


> Excellent job!
> 
> Which mids/tweets are you using? How are the subs and other speakers wired? I'm guessing active buy noticing the JBL X-over?
> 
> Your install has me itching to put a Power 650 in my daily driver...


Hey Dereck! Thanks man!

Right now we're using a set of Lightning Audio Storm series components. I have to be honest, they sound great! Picked them up for cheap money on Ebay a while ago. 

And yes, it's all active. 1 Punch 100 for the subs @ 2.66 ohms, 1 Punch 100 for mids, and 1 Punch 100 for tweets 

TTYS


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

simplicityinsound said:


> i REALLY dig the look of this system, and yeah very throw back...but i think its the kind of system that people of all ages and even in 10 20 years, people will look at and say...that's nice...
> 
> awesome job!


Thanks bro! I appreciate that!!


I hope you don't forget to look me up next time you head out this way!


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## Nicky Pass (Jul 22, 2008)

I LOVE IT!

I'm thinking about doing an old school set up on my TSX!


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## jab4au (May 31, 2010)

Audiophile subs and DSM amps.....Awesome!! Man, seeing those bring back some memories! Well done!!


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

I really like what you did here. Perfect blend of pizzazz and completely functional.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

I love it! I was hoping you'd stay period-correct and have used DVCs or Power DVCs but I can't argue against the audiophiles. Great install!


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

quality_sound said:


> I love it! I was hoping you'd stay period-correct and have used DVCs or Power DVCs but I can't argue against the audiophiles. Great install!


Thanks! But in terms of amps & subs, it is period correct..lol

This gen of Audiophiles were released witht the "ix" line. The Punch "DVC's" were released @ the time of the "X2" line of amps


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

shawnk said:


> Thanks! But in terms of amps & subs, it is period correct..lol
> 
> This gen of Audiophiles were released witht the "ix" line. The Punch "DVC's" were released @ the time of the "X2" line of amps


When we had the DSMs in we had the DVCs and Power DVCs. THose subs also carried through the "a" amps as well. Now that I think about it the audiophiles may have caught the tail end of the dsm amps. Hmmmm.... dammit, now I gotta dig out my old training guides. lol


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## bigdwiz (Oct 7, 2010)

No doubt, ShawnK is right on this one...

Here's a RF literature poster from 1995:

Click here to see larger image


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

^^ 

Thanks bro, I was just about to copy the link to that lit. 

It's no biggie though. My intention with this particular one wasn't to necessarily do a "complete" old school RF build. That will come later sometime in another vehicle :surprised: 

I have most of the gear for the next "full" build.

2- bnib RFR-812
2- bnib RFR-1406
2- binb RFR-1404
2- bnib RFR-14x
RFX-8140
Symmetry EPX2... on the hunt for a "mint" one though 
amps?.... tbd

That should be a fun build.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Well don't I feel silly now. lol 

I still like the build though. 

LOVE the 8140 and I swear there was a BNIB Symmetry on here not long ago.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

quality_sound said:


> Well don't I feel silly now. lol
> 
> I still like the build though.
> 
> LOVE the 8140 and I swear there was a BNIB Symmetry on here not long ago.


Thanks bro!

I absolutely LOVE the 8140 as well. Most peeps hate the aesthetics but I'm the complete opposite. I totally hate myself for selling my BNIB 8140 a few months ago


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

Paul just got OWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDD!!! muwuahahahahaha i am not gonna let you forget this one buddy. lol


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## GSlider (Jun 11, 2009)

Awesome work! Love me some old skool RF. Especially in an Integra.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

simplicityinsound said:


> Paul just got OWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDD!!! muwuahahahahaha i am not gonna let you forget this one buddy. lol


Thanks Bing.  

In all fairness, I conceded that I might be wrong.


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## AudioBob (May 21, 2007)

Great looking system. The old waffle iron/DSM series of amps are my favorite from Rockford.


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## neuspeedescort (Feb 23, 2010)

this is more then just an old school build. this is a step back in time! i mean even the car its going in is almost time period correct. its like you scanned a bunch of old 3x5's and posted them up. my hat is off to you fine sir!

its just past being time piece correct but i have a punch x crossover just sitting in my desk drawer that is 100% functional. if your interested.


NEUMAN


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

Awesome work, & sweet equipment. That series of Punch amps is still one of my all-time favorites. Three subs is sort of retro too, I like it - i like it a lot.


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## odj23 (Jul 13, 2010)

Love it


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## groundscr8pr (Nov 28, 2010)

looks great man!!! cant wait to see it in person.


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## Cebby (Jul 7, 2010)

Looks great - that takes me back to a great time in my life... Beautiful execution! Nice design and vinyl work.

Sadly I'm unloading my waffle irons...having kids killed my audio obsession.


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## neuspeedescort (Feb 23, 2010)

Cebby said:


> Looks great - that takes me back to a great time in my life... Beautiful execution! Nice design and vinyl work.
> 
> Sadly I'm unloading my waffle irons...having kids killed my audio obsession.


wait 16 years it will all come back! teach them before their friends can. you will know more then them. my oldest is 12 and he doesn't really like the garage. my youngest is 10 and she will most likely design her own first system. i will just execute the fabrication and install.


NEUMAN


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## nirschl (Apr 30, 2009)

Nice! Really like what you've done here. It's conservative with just a flash of bling. Very well done, sir!


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

very clean install, nice to see such old school gear in such good condition


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## Cebby (Jul 7, 2010)

neuspeedescort said:


> wait 16 years it will all come back! teach them before their friends can. you will know more then them. my oldest is 12 and he doesn't really like the garage. my youngest is 10 and she will most likely design her own first system. i will just execute the fabrication and install.
> 
> NEUMAN


Now you've got me thinking...my oldest is also 12 with an 11 and a 10 for good measure (all boys). My 10 is affectionately referred to as "wrench" - he likes to help me work on things in the garage (even a motor swap - didn't teach him to weld yet though ). They all like to help - varying degrees of dedication/skill/attention span though. They all play multiple sports year round - part of my time problem... 

I need to dig out my old pics from when I was competing in the early 90's.

Sorry for the O/T.


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## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

Amazing work! I'd love to have such a well crafted old school system. I literally wore out the RF brochure when I was a sophomore in HS looking through it (the Soundstream one too) so thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Mark


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## Old Skewl (May 30, 2011)

Nicely done! The wife has got to be enjoying that system. 

I bought a new '94 Integra GS-R bcak in the day. Really brings back the memories.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

neuspeedescort said:


> this is more then just an old school build. this is a step back in time! i mean even the car its going in is almost time period correct. its like you scanned a bunch of old 3x5's and posted them up. my hat is off to you fine sir!
> 
> its just past being time piece correct but i have a punch x crossover just sitting in my desk drawer that is 100% functional. if your interested.
> 
> ...


Thanks bro!! You see exactly what I was going for and I'm thankfull for that! 

This is a 2000 Teg, but this gen ran from 94-01'. So you could essentially see this car back in 1995 with this particular gear. I was also trying to use period correct install techniques to give it a certain 90's install feel 




Thanks for all of the compliments guys!!! I'm glad some of you could take a trip down memory lane with me!


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## angelspeedfreak (Oct 5, 2009)

Awsome build. You should be proud, I would love to have a system like this one. The components used are top notch as well.


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## julez007 (Aug 2, 2011)

Love it.......

Very nice work, beutiful install.

its nice to see these older amps, put to good use, rather than seeing them
on the "for sale" section...

something to wet the appetite
also has the 128 EQ card fitted


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## hybridspl (May 9, 2008)

Nice install! Brings back so many memories since this stuff was new when I used to install and I miss my Integra too.


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## slowsedan01 (May 4, 2008)

Love the 'teggy's. Any more pics of the rest of the car and front stage?


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## English audiophile (Sep 25, 2010)

Brings back so many great memories for me seeing this legendary equipment, love it!


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## mears (Jul 27, 2009)

Very impressive wood work!


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## whitenerj (Sep 18, 2011)

2.66 ohms?? Isn't that a little low for the Punch 100 pushing those subs?


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

whitenerj said:


> 2.66 ohms?? Isn't that a little low for the Punch 100 pushing those subs?




Short answer: No


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## whitenerj (Sep 18, 2011)

shawnk said:


> Short answer: No


Put some videos up of that thing pounding, I wanna see it in action!!


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

nice build. I had a 95 gs-r that I had all old RF stuff in, no pictures though and yours looks way better than mine did.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

whitenerj said:


> Put some videos up of that thing pounding, I wanna see it in action!!


LOL... well I appreciate your enthusiasm! But she's no ground pounder by any means 

Funny thing is, my wife will never even drive this system to full output. I just installed all of it because I was sick of seeing all of that gear (and more) just sitting and collecting dust :blush:


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Mrnurse said:


> nice build. I had a 95 gs-r that I had all old RF stuff in, no pictures though and yours looks way better than mine did.


Thanks... too bad no pics though. I love old school installs, especially with the old school RF gear


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## GavGT (Sep 5, 2011)

Dude, that's such a sweet install! Reminds me of the RF demo cars we had in the uk back then, and was about the time i started getting interested in audio.

Gav


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## neuspeedescort (Feb 23, 2010)

shawnk said:


> Short answer: No


good man. i have run the old dsm stuff at 2 ohms daily for years. im about to do it again in a 66 bug im building for a guy.


NEUMAN


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

neuspeedescort said:


> good man. i have run the old dsm stuff at 2 ohms daily for years. im about to do it again in a 66 bug im building for a guy.
> 
> 
> NEUMAN


Which I will absolutely NEED to see pics of


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## neuspeedescort (Feb 23, 2010)

the amps are not in as pristine condition as yours. i will have to start a little build thread once more of the parts get here. and stop thread jacking you. lol


NEUMAN


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## radwilsons5803 (Dec 2, 2010)

shawnk said:


> Thanks... too bad no pics though. I love old school installs, especially with the old school RF gear


X2. I also want to add that this install is as good as it gets, has my fav amps and subs all in one, very nice!


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

These shots are something you would see in any audio mag from back in the day! Very nice work and nice camera angles. Really like throw back systems and yours is top notch. 

http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx181/shawnkRFnutcase/Candys car/102_3102.jpg

http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx181/shawnkRFnutcase/Candys car/102_3103.jpg

http://i754.photobucket.com/albums/xx181/shawnkRFnutcase/Candys car/102_3106.jpg

Cheers,
Scott


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## oldturd (Oct 31, 2009)

I absolutely love the install. Definitely takes me back.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Thanks for the comps guys!! Always appreciated!


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## funkalicious (Oct 8, 2007)

Ahhh. A life partner who understands and supports our obsession. Aren't they priceless? I knew I made the right choice when I asked my wife if she minded me leaving out the back seats for my install and her basic reply was, "I don't care as long as I can cruise in it with you." Great skill shown in your install!


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## DR OBLIVION (Jun 16, 2009)

bigdwiz said:


> Here's a RF literature poster from 1995:
> 
> Click here to see larger image


Oh wow. I had all my books covered with these when I was in high school. Nostalgia.


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## Matt R (Aug 29, 2007)

I love it man, great job!!!!!!! I'm working on moding these amps right now.


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Matt R said:


> I love it man, great job!!!!!!! I'm working on moding these amps right now.


Thanks man! I admire your work as well :rockon:

Can you fill us in on what exactly you are modding in these little guys?


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## TRD07 (Oct 13, 2009)

shawnk said:


> Thanks man! I admire your work as well :rockon:
> 
> Can you fill us in on what exactly you are modding in these little guys?


now you can install the 8140 to complete the old school setup


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## VWGuy (Apr 30, 2011)

Amazing. That seriously looks fantastic.


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## Matt R (Aug 29, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Thanks man! I admire your work as well :rockon:
> 
> Can you fill us in on what exactly you are modding in these little guys?


I'm just at the begining stages of testing and they sound great. I've removed the bass, trebel and xover card on the IX and replaced the gain stage with an all discrete class A gain stage. Hand matched all the output mosfets on a curve tracer and increased the class A bias to draw a constant 460ma through each mosfet. I'm going to be working on converting the bigger amps into single ended class A. Thats going to be a pretty big undertaking. 

Matt


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Matt R said:


> I'm just at the begining stages of testing and they sound great. I've removed the bass, trebel and xover card on the IX and replaced the gain stage with an all discrete class A gain stage. Hand matched all the output mosfets on a curve tracer and increased the class A bias to draw a constant 460ma through each mosfet. I'm going to be working on converting the bigger amps into single ended class A. Thats going to be a pretty big undertaking.
> 
> Matt


Freakn' sweet!!!

That sounds like a lot of work, especially for these amps with surface mount components :surprised: Converting them to "single ended" should be awesome too! Are you planning on adding any extra cooling? 

I'ts funny you mention this though. I'm in the early stages of converting a Phoenix Gold ZPA0.3 into Class A as well. Although I think my project is going to be less of a headache than yours   I'm still going to keep it a "push pull" configuration and the input stage is all discrete already so that's a plus. I havn't done the math yet, but I'm hoping to pull anywhere from 25-50w of pure class A ouptput from her. These amps are just begging for this mod. They run 12 (per channel) TO263 BJT's rated @ 15amps each. The amp is already fan cooled (another plus!) and I'm planning on adding exhaust fans to aid in cooling. The only problem I'm forcasting is that the power supply isn't regulated so this will probably be the limiting factor in just how much "usable" Class A output she'll provide. I am going to beef it up a bit though by swapping the IRFZ44 power supply fets with IRF3205's (3200w power supply ftw ). Finally, all input and power supply caps will be replaced with modern "beefy" caps. I have two of these amps, so it should be interesting to compare them side by side once it's done 

I'ld love to see some pics of your mods if you wouldn't mind sharing! I'll alway have an affinity for the old school RF amps and gear. Modded ones are even better!!!


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## OldskoolRockford (Nov 6, 2010)

It's absolutely beautiful! Great job!


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## GlasSman (Nov 14, 2006)

Nice install.

The gear might be old school but the techniques you used are very modern.

And as SIS pointed out.....this install will be complimented today and in 10 or 20 years....


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## cgm246 (Jun 27, 2011)

very nice install.....good work!


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## NucFusion (Nov 28, 2010)

Excellent install and gear. These old school rf builds are making me kick myself for going with new jl xd amps instead of the dsm fosgates I have sitting on my shelf.


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## Matt R (Aug 29, 2007)

shawnk said:


> Freakn' sweet!!!
> 
> That sounds like a lot of work, especially for these amps with surface mount components :surprised: Converting them to "single ended" should be awesome too! Are you planning on adding any extra cooling?
> 
> ...


Yeah, we'll see about the single ended amp. I'm hoping I can get some decent useable power before the temps get too high. I have figured a way to do some liquid cooling on them. I'm not to big on fans because I have amps in the cab of my truck, cant do the noise. It will have to be a pretty special thing to do the extra work of liquid cooling though.

Sounds cool, with the Pheonix gold amp. I would like to see updates on that one!!!!!!

Matt


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Matt R said:


> Yeah, we'll see about the single ended amp. I'm hoping I can get some decent useable power before the temps get too high. I have figured a way to do some liquid cooling on them. I'm not to big on fans because I have amps in the cab of my truck, cant do the noise. It will have to be a pretty special thing to do the extra work of liquid cooling though.
> 
> Sounds cool, with the Pheonix gold amp. I would like to see updates on that one!!!!!!
> 
> Matt


I don't blame you with the fan noise nuisance. I'm fortunate to have a sedan (07 Accord) so it shouldn't be an issue for me 

I'll definitely make some sort of thread when I finally get to work on it. Probably not going to tackle it real heavy until sometime this winter. Perfect project for that time of year being up hear in Maine :blush:


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## OldskoolRockford (Nov 6, 2010)

Shawnk, do you have any pictures of restoring those amps of yours? I've got a couple amps laying here which are also a bit scratched...


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## jhin68 (Apr 6, 2011)

i realy like this install. nice and simple


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

OldskoolRockford said:


> Shawnk, do you have any pictures of restoring those amps of yours? I've got a couple amps laying here which are also a bit scratched...


Sorry, I didn't take any pics of that process. It's pretty straight forward though. 

Here's how I like to do it:

Use a medium to coarse scuff pad and sand the the heatsink. Getting in between the fins is a pain, but you got to do it 

After sanding, use a paint prep/degreaser (Prepsol for example) Wipe it down well and allow to dry.

Next, I like to use a few light coats of "self etching" primer since some aluminum is likely to be exposed

After primer, I prefer SEM texture black (part no. 39853) from the rattle can. The trick with this is to do several light coats while holding the nozzle about 1/2 meter away from the amp.

For final coat, I use SEM Landau black (part no. 15013)

That's pretty much it bro. I had all three amps done in a little over an hour. 

Hope that helps man... good luck!


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

jhin68 said:


> i realy like this install. nice and simple


Thanks!


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## sq_guru (Oct 1, 2011)

You're not kidding old-school! Those things are pristine! Nice install!


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## OldskoolRockford (Nov 6, 2010)

shawnk said:


> Sorry, I didn't take any pics of that process. It's pretty straight forward though.
> 
> Here's how I like to do it:
> 
> ...


Thanx man! I'm gonna try it soon!


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## OldskoolRockford (Nov 6, 2010)

Shawnk, wich texture coat did you used for your amps? Fine, medium or coarse?


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

Part no. 39853

This: SEM Products - Catalog - TEXTURE COATING


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## OldskoolRockford (Nov 6, 2010)

Ahhh, found the number. It's the coarse one...

Thanx bro! I'm gonna order some


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## shawnk (Jan 11, 2010)

OldskoolRockford said:


> Ahhh, found the number. It's the coarse one...
> 
> Thanx bro! I'm gonna order some


No prob.. 

Good luck! :thumbsup:


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## milburyl (Feb 23, 2014)

I shared your pics here on Rockford showoff on FB. Keep dropping your name and business card too. The JL 450/4 you rebuilt for me is going strong. Love it. Love this install too. You are THE MAN. Incredible work. Your other work is freaking awesome too.


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