# IS300 install - sub, augmented wideband, active, iPod integration



## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Alright guys I have been slowly been accumulating gear and information to start a build on my GGP 03 Lexus IS300. I just sold my 300zx (went to a good home) but since then I have been yearning to get a competent system back in my daily driver. I spend a lot of time on the road, so I am getting tired of switching between CDs, radio, and an iPod plugged in via a tape adapter (which sounds so bad I would almost rather have silence). I am also tired of the complete lack of bass and midbass with the factory system. 

Some teaser pics of what I'm working with: 

















My goal is to get a lot of the install work done next week while I have a nice heated garage over the holidays (what is family for right?). Priority for time (because I _will _run out) is as follows: 
- power/RCA/speaker wire/remote run (because I will have a ton of good clean space to work in) 
- new head unit (for iPod integration and active control again) 
- amp mounting solution 
- sub baffle fabbed up and sub install 
- complete wiring in doors to make existing front speakers functional 
- tie up loose ends and a VERY rough tune 

Gear list is as follows: 
HU: Clarion 785USB 
Amps: Alpine MRV-F345 and MRD-M605 
sub: Kicker C15D 15" 4-ohm SVC (thanks mless5) 
front stage: stock (for now, looking AW approach in the near future) 

I will be taking pictures throughout the build process, although the first couple sets will probably be large dumps. Feel free to post thoughts, recommendations, etc. I know there are a lot of guys on here with experience in this vehicle, so I know I am traveling a well-trod path. 

Some of the threads I have taken info/inspiration from up to this point: 
IS300 Entire System Overhaul - my.IS - Lexus IS Forum 
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-member-build-logs/77971-is300-build-log.html
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-member-build-logs/80919-first-is300-build.html
HOW TO: Complete!! Guide To A Headunit And Metra Wiring Harness Install - my.IS - Lexus IS Forum
Non-JDM Dash Kits - Info Compilation - my.IS - Lexus IS Forum
2001 IS Metra TYTO-01 harness how to! - my.IS - Lexus IS Forum
2001 Lexus IS300 amplifier
The Augmented Wideband Approach to Car-Fi: What, Why, and How
Tasteful/Mild Audio Upgrade Recommendations - my.IS - Lexus IS Forum

I will probably be posting the build log up on other forums as well, but I think for now this will be the primary one for development purposes. Enjoy.


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## cannan (Jan 19, 2010)

Looks like you have a good plan in place. I've been stocking up on equipment to do an install on my GS430 once I get my wife a new car this spring.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I start disassembly tomorrow. Updates coming shortly


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks for posting all those links. It will come in handy when I help
my bud with his IS. Looking forward to your build, good luck.


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## "that boy asad" (Feb 15, 2008)

my car audio build... MobileMe Gallery


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

Subscribing. This looks like it's going to be nice.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Nice upgrade from the 300zx. I looked for a blue 300is autostick for a while before I gave up and looked at some other cars.

Where are you moving to (or moved to)?

Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

JayinMI said:


> Nice upgrade from the 300zx. I looked for a blue 300is autostick for a while before I gave up and looked at some other cars.
> 
> Where are you moving to (or moved to)?
> 
> Jay


Yeah, I've been happy with it so far. I feel like a ninja now that people can't hear me coming from a mile off  

Moved to Chicago area. I'm downstate on vacation right now to do the install. 


Today was fairly straightforward. Interior is mostly gutted, RCA is run, power is run through the grommet, but I'm waiting on the remote wire before I finish the run to the trunk. Trunk trim is out and I have begun loosely brainstorming on how to make the IB baffle fit this giant 15" sub I have. I only have a couple pics, so I will wait til later tomorrow to post them all in one chunk. Some things I learned today: 

- Be sure to eject all your CDs and tapes BEFORE pulling out the battery. I felt so dumb as soon as I pulled the head out, realizing I have 6 CDs and a tape in there. Battery is already disconnected and seats (airbag included) are pulled. Anyone know if I am ok to plug the OEM HU back in and connect the battery long enough to eject the CDs, without having to plug the seats back in? 

- In taking off the rear seat back, I learned that I had to take the seatbelts from their top loops, and the middle seatbelt had to come loose at the bottom. To loose these plastic loops to move the top of the seatbelts to the side, I used a cotter pin puller from the back, plugged into the small square hole in the back. I will get a picture of this tomorrow. It's not complex, but it does need to be done I think. 

- On the top of the rear deck, after you undo the 3 top plastic clips covering the bolts, there is a pop-clip through the center of the panel. This must be removed before you pull the deck up and out towards the front of the vehicle, being careful to not drag the panel across anything important. Again, a fairly simple step, but one that is missed in the instructions I was following. 

Again, big shout-out to ItalynStylion for writing/compiling this to-do list, as it has been a great help to me all day. I knew exactly what I was getting into from the beginning: IS300 Entire System Overhaul - my.IS - Lexus IS Forum

If all goes well, tomorrow I will be finishing running the power/remote wires, speaker wire, wiring the head unit, and then beginning work on the amp mounting solution. That's where things will probably get creative. Stay tuned tomorrow... Same Bat time, same Bat channel.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Hurry up dude, me wants see


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## dvc (Mar 28, 2009)

Hi!
I have IS200. 
I think you can connect the battery with keys in OFF position, or dont insert them at all, and then connect your head unit. I had bottom-loading head unit which is older than yours, but as soon it was connected to battery it started to eject everything that is iside it.
I not, just throw seats in, connect airbags, head unit and connect battery, and you can turn ACC and eject everything whats inside without triggering Airbag light.
have fun with your build.
I have 12'' IB


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## bikerider (Dec 28, 2008)

I'd just power the HU directly from the disconnected battery before I tried to hook it back up with the airbags disconnected. For what you want to hook it up for this is actually simpler and less risky.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I've posted pictures of a baffle for my IDQ15 and AE IB15 on the various other IS300 threads. It's not that hard to do.




94VG30DE said:


> Yeah, I've been happy with it so far. I feel like a ninja now that people can't hear me coming from a mile off
> 
> Moved to Chicago area. I'm downstate on vacation right now to do the install.
> 
> ...


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Here's some pics from yesterday and today. Power wire/remote wire are run together along the passenger side, RCA and speaker wire are run down the driver side. 
































































Pulling speaker wire into the passenger side door loom did not go as smoothly as it usually does for me. Learning my lesson, I tried Dupont liquid Teflon MultiUse on the driver side. Made things much easier. 


















So I simply tapped into the stock speaker pigtails for right now. I will disconnect them from the amp so that no back-power issues occur, but this is only a temp setup until I pick out my front-stage components. I was a little confused as to how the OEM wiring works. The tweeter has a 3.3 microfarad cap that appears to be in parallel with the tweeter. The input lines (red and white) for both the tweeter and the mid seem to be common. So, I tapped into the red and white wires this way and used a test amp, and both speakers played sound (woofer ~75%, tweeter mostly top-end sparkle). DMM says my impedance on the leg (where I am hooking up the amp) is 3.9 ohms. *Anyone see any issues with the way I am powering this? *


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I don't understand why you ran the wires separate like that. Having your power next to your RCAs isn't going to hurt anything.

However I would have (and did in my IS300) run the wires the opposite sides than you did. It was easier to go straight down the passenger's side with the power wire than fish it behind the console.

You could have just grabbed the speaker wires at the amp rather than fishing through the doors. But the way you have them tapped looks ok with me


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> I don't understand why you ran the wires separate like that. Having your power next to your RCAs isn't going to hurt anything.
> 
> However I would have (and did in my IS300) run the wires the opposite sides than you did. It was easier to go straight down the passenger's side with the power wire than fish it behind the console.
> 
> You could have just grabbed the speaker wires at the amp rather than fishing through the doors. But the way you have them tapped looks ok with me


I did go straight down the passenger side with the power wire and remote wire. It is just a little bit odd to look at b/c my power wire and my 6-channel RCA both look identical, same size and shape. The RCA and speaker wire are run along the driver side from the trunk to the front, and the passenger speaker wire crosses in front under the HVAC. 

I thought about tapping the speaker wires at the amp, but I intend on replacing the OEM speakers in the near future, so I figured I would just leave the full run in place. When I get the new setup the t-taps will come off and I will be going straight from the amp to the speakers. 

Also, anyone have a Kenwood XR5S they want to sell? Today I officially decided that while the sub amp I have will fit under the floor, the 4 channel absolutely will not. So it either means picking up a smaller 5-channel, or a MUCH smaller 4-channel that can stack under the sub amp. I'm thinking a 5-channel is probably the best idea since I probably won't need all the power I have for the sub right now.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

There are two antenna connections, only one fits in my aftermarket head unit (the other is too small). What do you guys do?


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## crx4luke (Aug 9, 2008)

Use the large antenna only. The second one is for the diversity antenna. You will not notice any loss of signal when you only use the one.


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## dvc (Mar 28, 2009)

the small one is for antenna amp. hook it up to +12V if you get bad reception


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Some pics from the work today. Got the amp wired up (although just in a temp spot to test things), got the power/breaker wired to the battery, got the HU in, and tested everything. Sounds like crap  Here's a pic of the battery setup. Knu 4ga power wire under techflex, running to a Monster 100A circuit breaker:









Here's a pic of the Scosche trim plate with the Clarion 785USB. The whole setup doesn't look half bad, I was pleasantly surprised. For a headunit that is basically as classy looking as Lady Gaga, it actually looks quite nice in that dash. I was worried about it sticking out like a sore thumb. 









Here are some test pics, thinking about how I want to mount the sub. Not sure I will have time to mount it this weekend, but I'd at least like to have the baffles made. Anyone have any thoughts? Think there is space to mount it with the magnet facing forward? I haven't run the numbers yet, but just curious if anyone has tried it. Hard to really eyeball stuff when I only have two hands (and a girlfriend taking pictures).


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

So far so good. Yes, the large antenna end is the only one required. The small one is for diversity. (To the guy from Latvia, what he is talking about is a smaller version of a Motorola connector, not the connection for the amped antenna).

Runs look good (better, in fact than the Z, I think). I would run them around the edges of the back seat, tho, instead of through the ski hole.

Looks good on the progress.

Nice job.

Jay


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

When I had the 12 IB in he car, I had the magnet flipped around to the inside. The 15 wouldn't really go as well as the 12 in that regard...so I have it with the cone facing the inside of the car. I would have had to leave the arm rest down or make a grill for it with the magnet facing inside the car...and I didn't want to do either of those. Sounds great that way.

That Scosche kit looks pretty good in there.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

JayinMI said:


> So far so good. Yes, the large antenna end is the only one required. The small one is for diversity. (To the guy from Latvia, what he is talking about is a smaller version of a Motorola connector, not the connection for the amped antenna).
> 
> Runs look good (better, in fact than the Z, I think). I would run them around the edges of the back seat, tho, instead of through the ski hole.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jay, I thought the plastic quick-disconnect was the amp power connection, (which I left connected), but I don't know that it is still getting power right now. If I decide the reception isn't adequate when I get back to the city, I will pull things apart and reevaluate. But since I have my iPod now, the demand for radio is significantly decreased. The Diversity Antenna (sounds like a good name for a punk band) will stay taped off for now. 

The wiring is probably a little cleaner than it was in the Z, although I haven't figured out how to arrange the trunk just yet. But at least this time my RCA and speaker are running together, rather than having one RCA pair run with the power and the other 4 channels running with the speaker wire. Also the last time I ran everything in techflex for the whole length of the run, and I will never do that again. This time I just kept things fairly loose, and then tied it down at specific spots once everything was ran. Went much smoother. 
And yes, everything is run around the outside edges of the back seat into the trunk area already. The reason the wiring is run through the ski-pass in some of the pics is that I ran it back inside from the trunk so that I could have the amp sitting within arms reach on the back seat while I turned things on in the front, while turning everything on for the first time. The wiring will go through the bottom left and right corners as seen in earlier pics, and I will be sealing those holes a little better. 



thehatedguy said:


> When I had the 12 IB in he car, I had the magnet flipped around to the inside. The 15 wouldn't really go as well as the 12 in that regard...so I have it with the cone facing the inside of the car. I would have had to leave the arm rest down or make a grill for it with the magnet facing inside the car...and I didn't want to do either of those. Sounds great that way.
> 
> That Scosche kit looks pretty good in there.


Hmm, ok, that's kind of what I had been hearing. I don't mind making a trunk-side grill for the cone if it means I get that extra 4" or so of trunk space length back. But like you said, I'm not sure I want to have the arm rest down showing off that I have a sub mounted back there. I will have to play with it today, and might just end up mounting it cone-forward, and figuring out a different way to arrange my suitcases when I travel


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Truthfully the space where the magnet is going to overhang is over that hump in the floor, and that is pretty much wasted space anyways. You'll give up a touch of space with the magnet facing there, but realistically in usable space it isn't as much as you think it would be.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

this is my very rough draft of the amp rack design: 









It will be going inside the spare tire. The outside "hoop" lines are just to show boundaries of the inside of the wheel rim, I'm not making a whole basket. I know that the drawing shows an interference with the walls and the corners of the top amp, but it isn't there in real life. The amp's outer profile has a curved shape that isn't captured in the dimensions, hence the drawing looks a little bit off. I have physically set the amp in the tire, and it fits  

Two sheets of 0.25" thick HDPE, with amps stacked on top of one another. All RCA/speaker/power connections will be on one side, and there will be a 40mm fan on each side for push/pull between the top and bottom sections. The sub amp will be on the bottom b/c it is smaller, and probably not working as hard in my install. The plates will be separated by risers that are bound by fender washers everywhere they touch HDPE. The risers will also extend above the top amp to support the factory floor, but I haven't decided how I want to do that just yet. 

I have a pretty good idea what I want to do to make the amp removable as far as quick-disconnects go (Speakon and Powerpole connectors), but drawing them in Sketchup will take longer than actually implementing the design. 

Going to do a test-fit for height (using a DVD box set, which is the same 5-3/8" tall as my amp setup), and then order materials.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Getting back into this project tonight and tomorrow. My goal is to finish the sub baffle, and rough-up the amp rack. The amp rack may or may not get totally finished tomorrow depending on how fast I'm moving. I would at like to at least have both amps and a sub mounted in my trunk before driving back up to CHI tomorrow night, even if only one of those things is connected to anything


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Uh oh, if you're out in the garage, I probably ought to get something done on mine. 


Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Yeah actually seeing your thread moving again is part of what has been driving me to get back downstate to the garage and back into the project. I finally got a free Friday night/Sat, so I pulled the trigger. I figured the swap to the summer tire set would be a good enough excuse to get to work. 

So yeah, get to work Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

ok, so I did get a chance to get some work done that Saturday, although nothing made it _installed_ into the car. Just got all the larger/messier cutting projects done so that I didn't have to do the rest of what I need to do downstate in the garage. I can do it in the parking lot. 

First of all, some install tips for the IS300 guys. In one of the last updates I mentioned the seatbelt retainers for the back seats, and how it took me a second to figure out how to do them. Anyway, here is a pic, viewed from behind. Basically you stick the smallest screwdriver you can find into that little square hole and pry out.









Also another trick I picked up during the last job but forgot to document. When in the trunk pulling out the plastic Christmas tree clips, do NOT use a screwdriver. I wouldn't even recommend using a panel-clip plier. Instead, take a zip-tie, loop it through the loop in the clip, and pull. Then go to the next one. It is 100% cleaner and faster to do than the other methods, keeps your clips in one place, and runs no risk of collateral damage. Like this: 









Since I am going to be mounting my two pieces of baffle flush to each other, and fasteners will be coming in from the front _and_ back, I needed a way to have my hurricane nuts counter-sunk into the MDF so that I could have the two pieces of wood sandwiched flush together. Using a 13mm socket and my tiny bench vise, I counter sunk the holes. I don't have a plunge router like you fancy folk: 
Before (about 1/8" in the way): 









During: 









Blurry after pic. Due to spring effect of the "wood", when you release pressure the hurricane bounces back out ~0.010". But rest assured when there is tension on those bolts they will be flush:


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

So onto actual work. I cut the sub baffle up according to the plans I'd already drawn, and shaped to get it to fit the way I liked. Once I got the top and bottom shaped to fit properly, I realized I had a slight problem. On the ski pass, there are two folds of steel in the lower section that were protruding trunk-wards, causing my baffle to not sit flush against the wood like I wanted to. This made me do something I promised I wouldn't do: an irreversible change to the stock metal  
On the left you can see where I have already cut out the offending steel, and on the right you can see my problem: 








From there a little hammering to get everything smooth and flush, and it doesn't look as sloppy now, and is no longer in the way. It pained me, but I didn't see a better way around it. This is probably where I will get flamed for being a pansy and not cutting up my car. So be it. 

Here are some pics of fitting up the baffle to get my location for the mounting holes marked and drilled: 
From the front: 









From the back: 









There will be 10-32 screws that go through the factory holes and engage in hurricane nuts in the baffle. They will not engage the OEM welded nuts. 

Here you can see me continuing my theme of using the most awkward not-for-drawing-circles objects to draw circles in 1/4" thick HDPE. The first hole was marked using the sub basket, and this second one is marked using a ceramic plant plate I found with some pretty decorations on it in the living room: 









This new HDPE seems to be way better to deal with than any of the cutting board I have ever used. The melting temp must be much higher b/c it cut much smoother and much faster. It wasn't nearly as picky with scroll-saw speed as previous materials I've used. It can be found here: 
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Sheeting | U.S. Plastic Corp. 

So bottom circle cut, amp sitting on top of it: 









Top circle cut and sitting on bottom amp, with top amp sitting on top of it: 









As you can see here, the straight-edge laying over the amp shows I have a little bit of space. I should be fine once I get my spacers in there: 









Also, here's a night shot after doing a little bit of display tuning with the Clarion. I think I got the colors matching the stock illumination pretty well:









That's all for now. Next step (this Saturday if I don't have to go into work) will be putting together all the hardware to build the amp rack.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Your work from the weekend trumps mine 
I will finish glassing my bases for my a-pillar pods this weekend.

Jay


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## samos69 (Mar 8, 2011)

Nice work so far, I'm just embarking on an install in my wifes Altezza (poor mans IS200 ) and it's good to see how others are doing it. 

I had a right bastard of a time running the new front speaker wires... wish I'd had some of that teflon stuff!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Molex plugs....Booo!

Jay


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2011)

Nice to see a manual trans IS300! Great work so far! I wanted to go through the arm rest of my G35 with an HCCA 10, but until I find a way to defy the laws of physics, that's not going to happen any time soon


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Nice to see a manual trans IS300! Great work so far! I wanted to go through the arm rest of my G35 with an HCCA 10, but until I find a way to defy the laws of physics, that's not going to happen any time soon


Which laws of physics would you be referring to specifically? The material needed to hold that magnet parallel to the ground?


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2011)

94VG30DE said:


> Which laws of physics would you be referring to specifically? The material needed to hold that magnet parallel to the ground?


The one that says two objects can't occupy the same space at the same time :laugh:.

Magnet doesn't fit through the opening.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Yeah...that reminds me, I need to get a pair of those rear seatbelt hoops...lol.

Running wires into those doors was pretty fun too.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Thank goodness the 01 IS300s don't have molex plugs...I would have rather stapled my junk together than run wires in these doors if they had molex plugs.



JayinMI said:


> Molex plugs....Booo!
> 
> Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> The one that says two objects can't occupy the same space at the same time :laugh:.
> 
> Magnet doesn't fit through the opening.


I will be facing the magnet backwards, like a normal person. I decided it would work with the 12", but would be a mess with the 15". I wouldn't actually be gaining any space, because I'd have to step the baffle back so far to make the basket fit into the ski pass. It just didn't make sense. I'll make a metal basket or something around the back of the sub to keep it from getting hit from the back. Maybe a screen in the front to keep my dump passengers from poking at it. 

I spent roughly an hour at Home Depot last night to spend ~$38 on fasteners for the amp rack and sub baffle. I also managed to snake 3 bricks of GB Duct Seal, so that made me feel special. I've been to like 6 hardware stores, and that was the first one that had the stuff. I might have to file down some of the screws b/c they didn't have the exact lengths I needed, but I think I'm close enough. Hopefully I will get a chance to work on it this weekend. The girl has a paper to work on and it will be crappy weather, so all signs point to amp rack construction.


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## Purplehaze (Apr 3, 2011)

nice work man.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Don't worry about the grill in front, just fold the arm rest up. It will still play really really well into the cabin.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Hey I'm in. Good to see your build coming together.


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## upgrayedd (Apr 19, 2011)

Keeping an eye on this. I love IB and I love ISs. Every time I drive an IS300 I ask myself why I bought an e46.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Yo VG,

I remember you saying something about possibly destroying your OE door woofers to do a baffle. If that's still your plan, hope I'm not too late. I found my old baffles while going through storage today. If you want them they're yours. Just PP a couple dollars for shipping. Not the best build quality; the woofer cut-out isn't perfectly centered, but they'll work just fine for the speakers you're using - it's only a serious issue if you're using 7" woofers.

Build looks like it's coming along nicely, BTW.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Knobby Digital said:


> Yo VG,
> 
> I remember you saying something about possibly destroying your OE door woofers to do a baffle. If that's still your plan, hope I'm not too late. I found my old baffles while going through storage today. If you want them they're yours. Just PP a couple dollars for shipping. Not the best build quality; the woofer cut-out isn't perfectly centered, but they'll work just fine for the speakers you're using - it's only a serious issue if you're using 7" woofers.
> 
> Build looks like it's coming along nicely, BTW.


Knobby, you rock my world. Always looking out. I actually haven't torn into my doors yet, but was planning to in the next couple weeks. I would love some free baffles crafted with love! I'll PM you with my details. Thanks.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

That's the hookup right there! 

Why can't I find a deal on a cam gear or sway bars like that?


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

No prob, buddy.

I'll send them tomorrow and tell you what the damage is. Worst case is a $5 flat rate, but we'll probably be able to do better than that.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

FYI for those following along, I've got the amp rack almost built. I've only been getting like an hour here and there to work on it, but arduously slow progress is being made. Power wiring connections are soldered up, speaker wire is about half-way there, fans/remote have to be wired. I don't think I'm going to get the delay relay in place just yet, but the amp rack should be installed by the end of Saturday. Pics will come then. It's ugly as sin, but it is functional as hell


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Ok, so I have been making very slow progress due to only having tiny intermittent snippets of time to work on the build. Finally got a few hours to myself today and got a bunch done. So here are the progress pics from the last couple of weeks. 

Build-up pics of the amp rack. I am using 1/4" thick HDPE from USPlastics. There will be two 40mm fans in the back. Why 40mm? Because that was the size that fit that I also happened to have two of in a drawer. Bottom and middle plate shown here: 









Set the amps in place for a sanity check, and fail. The fan hole for the top amp isn't back far enough, which means it blows most of its air onto the underside of the amp (worthless) and is also in the way of the amp below. Huge interference, and huge oversight on my part. Felt real dumb. My solution is here: 









Used duct tape to cover the closer hole, so that the fan was still only blowing through the outer circle. Does it look ghetto? Yes. Is it functional? Well no, but it will be once the fan is wired  

Shots of the amp rack with the amps in place, to double-check spacing on the pedestals: 


















Here you can see what I decided on for the power/ground distribution to both amps. Bolt, lock-washers on both ends, nuts, and cheap 4ga solid copper terminals between. The bolts obviously passes all the way through the middle board. It was the cleanest way I could think to get power/ground to the lower amp, and I am really happy with it. 









Shot of the rack in-place:


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Here's a shot of everything wired up, with a little bit of extra space in so you can see everything. I think after today this is probably how I will have it sitting in my car any time I need to set gains. You'll see why below... 









Pic of everything mounted as it will be in the car: 









Fit-up in the car, no wiring connected: 









This is how I had the amps laying for gain-setting. A mess. I will not do this again. Stupid amps with controls on the top panel. Terrible idea for how I am installing them. Silly Alpine probably didn't intend for them to be stacked  









Full rack in place, everything connected except the tweeter wiring. Speaker wire jacks are all Neutrik Speakon 4-pole, with the sub only being wired for a single pair to the lower amp. This is also missing the top cover, as I have to take it to work on Monday to make some final modifications: 









Factory carpet in place, no high spots. The amp rack is plenty low, and will also be plenty sturdy once I get the top cover in place. The blue wiring you see is the wire I have sloppily dangling from the "subs" in the rear deck while I finish the rest of the install: 









And just in time for today I received Knobby's baffles for the front doors: 









Unfortunately the ID on the top ring is just a little too big for my tiny NS-6 speakers, so I am going to have to make new rings out of leftover HDPE this week. Taking the top rings off these baffles was a pain because they were so solidly built. I ended up cutting through the MDF for most of it, and then shaving little by little to get most of the material off. I will be sanding them up nice before putting the HDPE rings on. Thanks to Knobby Digital for supplying these rings! They fit the bill precisely, and fit in with the rest of my install in the "not the prettiest but work great" theme.  

Things left to do, roughly in order: 
- clearance top cover to aid in air movement and quick RCA/Speakon removal
- cut top rings for front door speakers, assemble Aura NS-6s to baffles 
- make tweeter-balls for 2" Peerless widebanders 
- install mids in doors and extend tweeter wiring out of doors so that I can test multiple locations for widebanders 
- figure out where widebanders sound best and figure out a way to mount them there 
- finish fab on subwoofer baffle and carpet, install, and make look good
- rig up delay module for fan and remote wiring (also prevents turn-on thump)
- make short RCA extensions to aid in speed of removal (as these Monster RCAs are _tight_)


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Very nice use of space.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Nice work. Can't wait to see it done.

Supposed to be nice weather today...just have to decide which car to work on now. 

Jay


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

94VG30DE said:


> And just in time for today I received Knobby's baffles for the front doors:
> 
> Unfortunately the ID on the top ring is just a little too big for my tiny NS-6 speakers, so I am going to have to make new rings out of leftover HDPE this week. Taking the top rings off these baffles was a pain because they were so solidly built. I ended up cutting through the MDF for most of it, and then shaving little by little to get most of the material off. I will be sanding them up nice before putting the HDPE rings on. Thanks to Knobby Digital for supplying these rings! They fit the bill precisely, and fit in with the rest of my install in the "not the prettiest but work great" theme.


Those got there quicker than I thought they would. 

But damn, dogg... I was more focused on depth and forgot those NS6's are wee li'l fellas. Sorry they didn't fit right out the box, but fortunately you'll be able to make them work. Good thing that 1/4" ring was added after the initial construction, otherwise it would have been a serious ***** to remove.

And I agree, excellent use of space. You got a plan on securing that _wedding cake _so it doesn't jump around?


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Knobby Digital said:


> Those got there quicker than I thought they would.
> 
> But damn, dogg... I was more focused on depth and forgot those NS6's are wee li'l fellas. Sorry they didn't fit right out the box, but fortunately you'll be able to make them work. Good thing that 1/4" ring was added after the initial construction, otherwise it would have been a serious ***** to remove.
> 
> And I agree, excellent use of space. You got a plan on securing that _wedding cake _so it doesn't jump around?


Yeah, for sure we can make it work, and I happen to have leftover 1/4" HDPE, so all will be well shortly. 

I actually don't have an idea for securing it yet. You guys are welcome to throw out ideas. I'm going to lightly pad the whole underside so that it isn't rattling, but I don't have any ideas for actually securing the _wedding cake_ yet. 

I didn't realize that it looked exactly like a wedding cake until you said something. I think that will be its name now. Henceforth, the name of the amp rack shall be called "the wedding cake"


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

To recap, this is how the baffles from Knobby looked when I got them in the mail: 










And this is how they are after making myself some rings from the 1/4" HDPE, using 1/8" x 3/8" CCF gasket tape to seal the speaker to the ring and the ring to the baffle: 









And this is how they look with the NS-6 installed: 



























Next up is mixing a light cocktail of white glue and water to brush into those paper surrounds so they don't give me any trouble, then tossing them into the doors. After that is when the real fun begins - fabrication for the little widebanders...


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Now you're just teasing us.

I'm kind of jealous actually, I'm up to my eyeballs in mechanical repairs, and haven't had time for any stereo work yet this year. Although fixing my sunroof required me to strip most of the interior in my Rover, which means that build just might start sooner than planned...


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## blueatlanta (Feb 10, 2011)

where do you get those little copper terminals?


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Are you talking about the threaded inserts for the plastic?
Home Depot has them, Lowes has them, McMaster-Carr has them...

Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Now you're just teasing us.
> 
> I'm kind of jealous actually, I'm up to my eyeballs in mechanical repairs, and haven't had time for any stereo work yet this year. Although fixing my sunroof required me to strip most of the interior in my Rover, which means that build just might start sooner than planned...


Just make sure you bolt down all your equipment better than I do so it doesn't come flying out when you roll the Rover on the dunes  




blueatlanta said:


> where do you get those little copper terminals?


Cheapest I have ever found for a thing that does this. If it stands the test of time I will be super happy: Steel City #4 Stranded to #14 Solid Type L Mechanical Connectors (2-Pack) - L70-B2 at The Home Depot



JayinMI said:


> Are you talking about the threaded inserts for the plastic?
> Home Depot has them, Lowes has them, McMaster-Carr has them...
> 
> Jay


If he is asking about the inserts in the MDF for the sub, they are 10-32 hurricane nuts from PartsExpress.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Finally got some time to myself today. Forgot how much I liked working on audio stuff  

The teaser is that right now I have the NS-6 in the doors and the Peerless widebanders in tennis balls taped to my dash. <1 minute tuning, so I can't give impressions yet. I should be able to get pics up tomorrow, and hopefully more commentary as to where things sit and how they sound.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> Just make sure you bolt down all your equipment better than I do so it doesn't come flying out when you roll the Rover on the dunes


LOL. I'm thinking a 5-channel amp inside the rear seat bottom, two-way front stage, and a stealth subwoofer in the cargo door. So yeah, I've taken off-road hazards and weight distribution into account. I don't imagine things _ever_ get tossed around in the trunk when you drive the Lexus, or do they???

:laugh:

PS, good call on the tennis balls. Upholster your dash and a-pillars in hook-side velcro and you can move the speakers around as needed.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

So pics from yesterday: 

Factory drivers out, gasket tape down on door skin: 









NS-6 baffle mounted, surrounded by 1 brick of GB duct seal and about 750 .177 BB's for weight:









uh-oh - the inner trim ring on the door card interferes with the paper gasket:









The door still goes on just fine, so it is only light deformation. That piece is super thin. If it causes trouble, I will take the doors back off and clearance it. Probably take me 30 min for both sides total. 

The only useful shape for a tennis ball: 









widebander test-fit in tennis ball: 



























Speaker wire run into tennis ball: 









Pressure-fit mounted in factory location in door, on-axis: 









Haven't really had a chance to do any listening yet, and the tune is pretty awful. So far 100Hz-400Hz seems to be a lot more solid than the factory drivers, and vocals are _much _more coherent due to the point-source. Crossovers are 80/620 @ 12dB all around. Definitely going to have to re-set my gains though, and find a better way to secure the drivers for the test listening. They lost the tape within first 10 min of my commute today, so I need a new non-invasive method. Thinking stapling sheet of anti-slip mat to the bottom of the tennis ball so that they don't fly around the dash when I'm not static tuning.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I'm telling you, hook side velcro. The little spots of it I think you'll be able to clean of as long as you don't let it sit and gum for weeks on end.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I'm posting this here b/c I realized I never actually listed specifically what equipment I went with... 
Sub: Kicker C15D 
Mid: Aura MS6-255-8A 
High: Peerless 830983 2" Full Range Woofer


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

This is a pretty slick idea. Will give you a huge advantage and head start on tuning. I've got a buddy with an IS that we are working on a 4 way system. I passed this along to him I hope he follows your lead. He's using VIFA (I think) wide banders, I've been telling him how much diff using a mid is going to make. He did buy the speakers, they are just laying in wait. I would do what you've done because I wanna hear stuff and this is such a simple solution that works. I think his hang up is the need for another 2chan amp to run them, but I've told him I have loads of amps he can borrow to get it going. I think its more an issue of not wanting to borrow equipment. The simularities in the system I'm building for him and yours are so very much alike. Reason for my following yours so close. 

THIS IS GOOD STUFF! KEEP IT UP.... Though I may not post often to your thread I am watching (see screen name! Really want to get some good feed back on your sub solution. We are leaning towards something along the lines of a TC 10 in the spare tire with a slightly raised floor to also include his amps or ES processors......

CHEERS,
SCOTT


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> This is a pretty slick idea. Will give you a huge advantage and head start on tuning. I've got a buddy with an IS that we are working on a 4 way system. I passed this along to him I hope he follows your lead. He's using VIFA (I think) wide banders, I've been telling him how much diff using a mid is going to make. He did buy the speakers, they are just laying in wait. I would do what you've done because I wanna hear stuff and this is such a simple solution that works. I think his hang up is the need for another 2chan amp to run them, but I've told him I have loads of amps he can borrow to get it going. I think its more an issue of not wanting to borrow equipment. The similarities in the system I'm building for him and yours are so very much alike. Reason for my following yours so close.
> 
> THIS IS GOOD STUFF! KEEP IT UP.... Though I may not post often to your thread I am watching (see screen name! Really want to get some good feed back on your sub solution. We are leaning towards something along the lines of a TC 10 in the spare tire with a slightly raised floor to also include his amps or ES processors......
> 
> ...


Thanks for following Scott. If it's an IS I would definitely recommend going IB with the sub, it's almost like cheating. Tiny power, tiny footprint, lows into the 20s


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Ok all, I got some more work done this weekend, but hadn't had a chance to post. Pictures and standard explanations first, then tasty listening impressions that all you greedy technical folks have been itching for. 

The main task this weekend was finally finishing that pesky sub baffle and getting it installed. 

First order of business was to seal up the large holes. I used what I call the Hanes Method (TM), which is to say that I cut up old undershirts, stuffed them tightly into the holes, and then taped over them with 3M Electrician's Bundling Tape 2000. This tape is awesome, like gaffers tape but way cheaper and even easier to bend to contours. Supposed to be low residue too, super easy to use. If it actually stays put, which I imagine it will, I would wager that this is the best non-OEM-specific tape that can be used for tasks like this. And I'm picky about tape. http://www.galesburgelectric.com/files/images/large/d_626.jpg

You can see some of this technique here and in some of the other pics: 

















Found some pipe insulating foam at Home Depot. Lined the metal ski pass that I had already flattened out, so I knew there would be a nice cushy sealed surface that would not leak air while experiencing hot/cold cycles. Fluffy surround here: 









This stuff is super dense CCF, very hard to fully compress. I didn't realize how much of an issue this was before, but I actually cut my baffle and drilled my holes on the bare MDF to metal, without figuring in the thickness of the foam. Thought I had more space than I actually had at that mating surface, which meant lots of levering and pressing and pushing and cursing my idiocy under my breath. Luckily I'm a tech by trade, so "make it work" is my specialty  

Heres the baffle. Two sheets of 3/4" MDF with 10-32 hurricane nuts to secure the sub-to-baffle and baffle-to-car. Silicone between the two halves, and then deck screws all over the place. I promise you it's sealed. 


















Here how it looks after I got the baffle in and the sub in: 

















^Yes I zip-tied the speaker wire to the motor after this picture was taken, my ugly solder job will not have to face a tensile test. 










And here's how it looks from the front seat.. Ghetto, but it works. After I get married and actually have time on my hands again, I will pull it out and carpet it all pretty to match:


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

So some thoughts on the build to this point: 

- Man it is good to have bass again. That sub sounds about 3dB down @ 25Hz on tones. Talk about low end. I need better music on my iPod. 

- This big relatively old-school driver in IB alignment seems pretty sweet on the low-end, but around 63-80 Hz it starts losing steam. This might be the sub, this might be the alignment, this might be cabin gain. I had to pull a peak down @ 40Hz, but I could use two or three bands in this range to be happy. That weirds me out a little. Surely it is an install issue. Going to have to take some more looking to figure out. The Dayton 10HO could play whatever crazy high crossover frequency I wanted and just rock it all day, but I think this one is going to take some figuring out. 

- Up front bass via time alignment and solid install. Kick drum sounds like it is coming from my dash clock. If I crank the volume obviously stuff starts moving around eventually, but at normal to moderately elevated listening levels that sucker is planted. Did NOT have that in the Z, and I forgot how pleasant it is. 

- Tennis balls are cool, but don't leave them unrestrained. They are like tiny expensive tether-balls. 100% certain I ruined at least one of the WB's because it swung and hit my shift knob, and makes an angry noise at a certain freq in the midrange after that. $12 mistake. 

- Blue painters tape, while having less risk of leaving nasty residue on a nice dash, does not keep anything held to anything in a car. See previous point. 

- Tennis balls have a diameter of ~2.63". This means that at a crossover point of 630Hz, they are _easily _pinpointed. If they are in the stock spots in the door corner, there is no center. Only left and right. It's gross. 

- Moving the balls around, just sitting or wedged into a place in daily driving (non-critical listening) has taught me some interesting things about placement. There are spots wide that just make a giant hole in the center, and make pinpoint time alignment a necessity. Closer to the center is more forgiving. I think I higher crossover point and a smoother integration into boundary surfaces will go a long way in this regard. 

- Raising crossover point to 1600Hz (roughly where we start to transition from width to height perception) can help or create problems depending on where the WB's are placed. More on this as I have more time to play. 

To summarize, this system has the strong potential to be far and away the best system I have put in one of my cars. I am hearing new things in the music that I didn't hear in the stock system, and probably not in my other car. The coherence from having so much content coming from one driver is astounding, and provides so many advantages. I am just going to have to play with crossover points and placement and tuning some more to see what is the most feasible situation given the parts, and then move forward from there.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> After I get married and actually have time on my hands again...




Little do you know...

J/K. Good to see things coming together.


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## dvc (Mar 28, 2009)

Hi, I have infinite baffle woofer too. how do you fight with rattles? mine rattles a lot. 1. the middle brake light is hitting rear window at some frequency, then there are the seatbelts... seatbelt spools to be precise... and everything else in the rear....


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

94VG30DE said:


> After I get married and actually have time on my hands again,


:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Oh wait......you're serious??? :faint::biggrinflip::speechless:

Let me know how that turns out. :blush:


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Little do you know...
> 
> J/K. Good to see things coming together.





Notloudenuf said:


> :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Oh wait......you're serious??? :faint::biggrinflip::speechless:
> 
> Let me know how that turns out. :blush:


Let me keep my delusions guys. I just want to have time, and getting married takes so MUCH. 



dvc said:


> Hi, I have infinite baffle woofer too. how do you fight with rattles? mine rattles a lot. 1. the middle brake light is hitting rear window at some frequency, then there are the seatbelts... seatbelt spools to be precise... and everything else in the rear....


I have no obvious rattles. A strong baffle and a solid-ly built car helps a little. Sounds like you have to treat one problem at a time though. Fix the brake light, fix the seatbelt, etc one by one.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Looks great, VG. Nice to see the progress.



94VG30DE said:


> - This big relatively old-school driver in IB alignment seems pretty sweet on the low-end, but around 63-80 Hz it starts losing steam. This might be the sub, this might be the alignment, this might be cabin gain. I had to pull a peak down @ 40Hz, but I could use two or three bands in this range to be happy. That weirds me out a little. Surely it is an install issue. Going to have to take some more looking to figure out. The Dayton 10HO could play whatever crazy high crossover frequency I wanted and just rock it all day, but I think this one is going to take some figuring out.


This car has a huge suckout at 60hz.



94VG30DE said:


> - Moving the balls around, just sitting or wedged into a place in daily driving (non-critical listening) has taught me some interesting things about placement.


Taking them out the purse so they can breathe does that. 




dvc said:


> Hi, I have infinite baffle woofer too. how do you fight with rattles? mine rattles a lot. 1. the middle brake light is hitting rear window at some frequency, then there are the seatbelts... seatbelt spools to be precise... and everything else in the rear....


My brake light rattles too. I've also got a weird one in the pass door, and I can hear the door handle linkage in the driver's side. I really gotta handle that ****.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Knobby Digital said:


> Looks great, VG. Nice to see the progress.
> 
> This car has a huge suckout at 60hz.
> 
> ...


Good to hear my car isn't the only one that has a suckout there. I feel a lot better now about just bumping the gain button, pulling that cabin gain hump down further, and calling it good  I don't really have any significant rattles yet, but I still have a pretty sloppy tune. Once I start really playing I'm sure some of those problems will show up. I think part of the deal is that this car is in such nice condition, everything is still tight like Lexus intended is, so I don't have too many NVH issues. 

Pssh, you are just jealous of my purse


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

94VG30DE said:


> Pssh, you are just jealous of my purse


Probably last year's Prada. 

Nice to see things are coming together. I'm going the other way...sold my HD900/5. Looking like it will be replaced by 2 Arc KS300.4's and a KS1200.1.
Looking to do either 2 AE IB12's (if they'll fit) or 3 Arc 10's IB to get my trunk space. Getting sick of going to the grocery store (Don't shop hungry!) and after leaving checkout realizing I don't have room for our purchases in my trunk because of my sub box. LOL.

What are your future plans for the tennis balls? Gonna make new pieces once you get the aiming and stuff down?

Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

JayinMI said:


> Probably last year's Prada.
> 
> Nice to see things are coming together. I'm going the other way...sold my HD900/5. Looking like it will be replaced by 2 Arc KS300.4's and a KS1200.1.
> Looking to do either 2 AE IB12's (if they'll fit) or 3 Arc 10's IB to get my trunk space. Getting sick of going to the grocery store (Don't shop hungry!) and after leaving checkout realizing I don't have room for our purchases in my trunk because of my sub box. LOL.
> ...


This year's Coach actually. Chicks ain't cheap  

Yeah I'm happy to see things finally coming together too. I can totally understand the drive to have your trunk back though. Once I went to a false floor in the Z I never went back. Then IB in this car is a cinch, and I get to keep all my trunk space. Mounting a 15" in the ski pass and losing zero usable floor space was pretty sweet. It stays right over the fuel bump. 

Yes, the tennis balls will go away once I get the aiming down. They look super ghetto and are too small for any crossover point I plan on running. I'm not sure what I will be replacing them with yet, as that solution will have to come from whether they are getting placed. Each spot (windshield-a-pillar-hood junction, stock door location, center dash above clock) has unique challenges.


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Sweet IB sub install! I wish I could try one, but doesn't really work with a hatchback. Carpet up that baffle and it'll look super clean.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Thanks for the kind words ecbmxer. IB is just another way to get bass, if I had a hatchback again I would go right back to a ported box and not lose sleep over it. It's just nice to have the space back without having to build a crazy enclosure like last time. 

Also something I forgot to mention in my previous posts about listening impressions on the sub. It definitely makes a difference whether I have the arm rest up or down. I originally set the gains with the arm rest up, and then realized what I did and opened it. Noticeable difference. Could the sub be tuned to either arm rest position? Sure. But it definitely made an impact, which I kind of wasn't expecting given the frequencies we are talking about here. Definitely more effect in the upper regions (50-100Hz). 

Also, bass goes _away _when I open the trunk. The Vas is so huge I honestly think it is seeing the trunk as a leaky box rather than true IB. I was kind of expecting this though, and I'm still not too upset at the results.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

94VG30DE said:


> Definitely more effect in the upper regions (50-100Hz).


Nice to hear that! How is it overall though with the armrest down? I never had a chance to install these .

Build looks good. DIY spirit for sure.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Overall with the armrest down it's pretty good. I am very happy with it, and can't wait to build a HT enclosure for the other one  There's a suckout in car around 60Hz so that's a little annoying, and I haven't had a chance to do much critical listening. But they definitely blend very well with the front stage and create no obnoxious noises or unnecessary attention to themselves. They have just enough clean output for me I think in the install, and with a little tuning/EQ I think they will be perfect for my needs. Thanks again


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Any updates since June? Or is it still on hold pending the wedding?


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Any updates since June? Or is it still on hold pending the wedding?


No new updates, other than the fact that the tennis balls have flown all around so many places at this point that the 2" WBs in there are totally worthless except from a "generic impressions" standpoint. I think I can still use them to figure out my intended mounting location, but they will be swapped out as soon as I have a location picked. They both have odd noises at certain frequencies, and I am certain that both VC's are out of whack with regards to the motor/frame. I hear buzzing. 

Between work, moving to a new place, and unpacking, I have yet to have any free time for stereo work since roughly early June. The new place needs a healthy amount of work, so that stuff has to get done before stereo will. Luckily I have a garage now (albeit a tiny, poorly-lit one) so I am a little more flexible on the weather I can work in. That means late summer/early fall I will hopefully be able to completely button up the install and not have to mess with it anymore. Also won't have my girl dodging a mini tether ball every time I take a corner hard


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Alright you nerds, I'm back in business.  Got married, got moved, got garage, etc etc etc. FYI, Greece is pretty awesome. You should go there if you get a chance. 

So I got a chance to do about 1.5 hours of listening today, moving the tennis balls around my dash and listening to the same tracks over and over. Mostly, the Focal JMLab Tools CD, specifically listening for stage height and width, and center. I also was able to make another run of speaker wire, so that the wire for the WB was coming out of the dash, rather than out of the doors. This means the speaker wire is no longer bridging the gap between my door and my dash, and I don't have to move the speakers every time I get in the car. This is HUGE for daily-driver convenience. During the listening, I tried the following positions: 

Sail Panel (stock location): This is where I've had the balls jammed during most of my driving for the past 6 months, b/c they stay snug there. The stage at this spot is fairly wide, but kind of "close" to you. Seems like you are kind of sitting on the stage, or maybe like front couple of rows. It's a little too "near" for my taste, and the center is kind of weak because the left WB is mostly behind the gauge cluster bump-out. 

Center pocket above HVAC: Narrow stage obviously because I refuse to drop my crossover points far enough to make the door speakers handle width cues. I love the coherence of >630Hz coming from one set of speakers, so this location is a no-go for right now. 

Dash corner (where the windshield, a-pillar, and dash meet): I like this location because it gives me good width, a decent center, and the stage is more in front of me. It's about the furthest I can get the WB away from my head, so this is good. The speakers are roughly on-axis, with the left speaker cheating in a little bit. The gauge cluster is still an obstruction, but it's as good as it's going to get. Center is a little bit weaker than I would hope, but I'm not sure what to do about that just yet. If I cheat the left speaker in more, my width on that side just falls apart. Maybe I will find a happy spot in some later listening. 

The other reason I like this spot is that it is pretty unobtrusive visually, both from inside and outside the car. It blocks 0% of my road vision, and hopefully I can blend it well enough that you won't notice it from outside of the car. This brings me to my next task.... 

I have to find a way to make an enclosure that shapes to the corner of the dash, while also providing a small sealed "enclosure" for my WB. This means that I need to either A. learn to fiberglass in-car (scary), B. make a foam mold and glass outside of the car (less scary), or C. find some other cool way to create the correct mold shape of that corner, while preserving my aiming needs. The transition from the enclosure to the boundary panels (windshield/a-pillar/dash) needs to be smooth to prevent early reflections. It also needs to be smooth-looking from the outside so it doesn't attract extra theft-attention in this city. So anyone have any suggestions for options A, B, or C? I have done a ton of searching and reading today, but still haven't found someone that is doing what I am doing (or at least haven't found a thread that was _completed_).


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

As you know, life gets in the way. LOL

Jay


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Fiberglassing in-car is not as scary as you might think, so long as you lay down plenty of plastic. I managed to not get fiberglass on anything when I did the floor-mounted box in my previous F150. The only thing is the smell soaks into everything and may not go away for about a week or more.

If you'd like to make a mold of that corner, I'm _sure_ you can come up with a solution with Great Stuff expanding foam and a few grocery bags...

PS, glad to see you back, and to hear that everything went well.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Oh yeah and that box I mentioned was the full width of the vehicle, so it was fairly extensive. For fiberglassing in a little corner spot it should be even easier to mask things off.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

How far down do you side currant airbags go? You might could cut the bottom off of the trim and get the speakers a bit wider. My 01 doesn't have airbags there so I was able to go inside of the pillar post without any trouble.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Oh yeah and that box I mentioned was the full width of the vehicle, so it was fairly extensive. For fiberglassing in a little corner spot it should be even easier to mask things off.


Thanks for the welcome  



thehatedguy said:


> How far down do you side currant airbags go? You might could cut the bottom off of the trim and get the speakers a bit wider. My 01 doesn't have airbags there so I was able to go inside of the pillar post without any trouble.


I was actually looking at your pics of your A-pillars before I did this job, then removed mine to be dismayed by the wonderful safety feature seen before me. I have a 03, and the airbags run the full length of the A-pillar. There's no way to get anything behind that panel without removing the airbag. You can install something ON the panel maybe, but not behind it. Since that's no more stealth than the corner piece, and the corner spot will hopefully sound better, that's what I'm leaning towards. 

FYI, this is what my dash looks like right now:


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> TJ Mobile Audio said:
> 
> 
> > Oh yeah and that box I mentioned was the full width of the vehicle, so it was fairly extensive. For fiberglassing in a little corner spot it should be even easier to mask things off.
> ...


I wasn't meaning to downplay your concern or overstate my very minimal fiberglass experience. However, if everything is covered in plastic it shouldn't be a problem. This is admittedly easier to convince yourself of in a grungy old truck than a shiny Lexus. My main concern was finding a secure spot to place the bowl I was using for resin so it wouldn't flip over and destroy the carpet...

PS those are the same spots I'm considering for my mids in the Rover, dash actually has a few similarities.


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## dvc (Mar 28, 2009)

mount them in dash. in corners, there is lots of space under the dashboard.reflection from glass will give very nice, wide sound stage.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

dvc said:


> mount them in dash. in corners, there is lots of space under the dashboard.reflection from glass will give very nice, wide sound stage.


Sorry to contradict you, but I hope no one would take this approach without at least considering the inherent problem of comb filtering first.

Read: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-advanced/108737-why-pillars-not-up-dash.html
Also: DIYMA.com - Scientific Car Audio - Truth in Sound Quality - Search Results

If you mount them that way you will probably have problems with comb filtering. In certain contexts it can be highly objectionable, and *cannot* be EQ'd out. Essentially the speaker's reflections will can cancel nearly the entire signal at intermittent frequencies, so your response graph will look like a comb. Boosting power in the dead spots would only fry the speaker in question and reduce your headroom.

More reading: Moulton Laboratories :: About Comb Filtering, Phase Shift and Polarity Reversal
Also: Comb Filtering

While the effect is not always horrible, you are opening yourself up for a slue of problems when you aim a driver, especially a high frequency one (widebander or tweeter) at a _nearby_ solid object such as your windshield. I have mounted tweeters this way before for a customer too cheap to listen to my suggestions. He was satisfied, but it truly sounded like an out-of-phase speaker with dead spots when I listened to a classical demo track.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> Sorry to contradict you, but I hope no one would take this approach without at least considering the inherent problem of comb filtering first.
> 
> Read: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-advanced/108737-why-pillars-not-up-dash.html


Thanks Tyler, that's a better answer than the one I had prepared. Funny that you mention that thread, as I actually just read that thread this week.  

Another reason I'm not mounting them in the dash is that there is no _way_ I'm hole-sawing my dash. Anyone reading the rest of my build would be able to extrapolate this, based on my whiny-ness and utter refusal to drill non-OEM holes for the install.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

I hadn't even thought of the concern of damaging OEM parts, but that is also a very valid point.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Congrats on the marriage and all the other life changes.

I've no advice on your build, but in regards to your weak center, you're just gonna have to EQ that thing to suit the location.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

94VG30DE said:


>


My dash still looks like this. I would show the pictures of the bad-idea moldable plastic, the boltched expanding foam jobs, the pieces of Greatstuff stuck to my dash, but I'm too frustrated by all of it to show right now. Maybe later. 

Long story short, I am looking for a local (Chicagoland) shop or individual to take on the task of making these pods for me. Basically, I want the wideband driver recessed into the corner in a pseudo-waveguide, that blends into the edges of the A-pillar, dash, and windscreen with smooth transitions. I don't care if they get made of ABS, or fiberglass, or whatever, but I think I have wasted enough time on this portion of the project, exploring the limits of my fabrication ability/attention-span. I just want to write a check and have it all be over at this point. Anyone looking for a side-job? It doesn't have to be fantastically show-quality, but I really want the correct orientation on the drivers.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Dang, sorry to hear of the frustration, and sorry I planted the bug by mentioning Great Stuff. I've had successes with it before but it can be problematic at times. Anyway, I wish I were local, I'd love to help if I could.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

So I went to get the car estimated to have the WB's in pods on the dash. Found a great shop, they quoted a little more than I could afford... Then this happened: 









Everyone was OK, but it set off a really rough couple of weeks. I was able to pull out my amp package and sub/baffle, and those will be FS here shortly I think. To keep the insurance company happy, a vintage V12 amp went in so that the vehicle sound "still works". It sounds terrible b/c the gains are all wrong, but it's going to get immediately gutted anyway I think. You are welcome salvage company. Enjoy the Clarion HU. So this is what the trunk look like now: 









All's well that ends well, so I can't complain too much. I found the exact right replacement car at the exact right time(last minute), and was able to borrow some quick cash to make up the difference between the insurance check and the new car price. Overall I feel incredibly blessed that what could have been a tremendous disaster ended up being a cool opportunity. Look towards seeing some work done on this vehicle in the future: 









If the Lexus does end up getting rebuilt and sold by the salvage company, the VIN is JTHBD192X30080093. The new owner can feel free to join here and PM me. After 50 contributing posts on the forum, I will send him/her the maintenance records and original vehicle window sticker


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Oh no! Sad day for Isabelle. I'm glad to hear everyone's okay, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the G35. Story time?


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Isabelle, is that VG's wife? Was she harmed in the accident?

At any rate, glad it's worked out w/ the new car and all that. That thing looks nice.

Looking back at the pics, I see shifty buttons on the steering wheel. I thought that car was standard for some reason. If you can get the hoops for the rear seatbelts hook me up!


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Knobby Digital said:


> Isabelle, is that VG's wife?


Not quite, Isabelle was just the name his car IIRC.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Rick Ross has a Maybach named "Beiber" IIRC.

Only car I've ever named was my first, a Nissan Hardbody that I called "The Jolly Green Love Machine".


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Knobby Digital said:


> Rick Ross has a Maybach named "Beiber" IIRC.
> 
> Only car I've ever named was my first, a Nissan Hardbody that I called "The Jolly Green Love Machine".


I've named all of mine, with the exception of my Ranger which I haven't had for very long. Cars have to have a name so you can direct epithets at them when you're working on them, or encourage them to keep running when you're not.

First car (still lives, still owned by me) was an '89 Nissan Sentra named the Red Flame. First truck was a beastly 1997 F-250 with a 460 V8, named Great White. Beater 1988 Dodge Shadow was named alternately the Shadow of Death or the Fourth Horse of the Apocalypse (the ghastly horse that Death rode). My second truck was Larry the Lariat, or just Larry for short.

My off-road rig, a lifted white 1996 Land Rover Discovery is named Mountain Goat. I have another '89 Sentra I'm working on now that will supplant the Red Flame's name when I sell the original, but for now is just "car two". My 1992 Ranger that I drive every day is still nameless. Working on that.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Any difficulties I face when fixing anything, be they automotive or not, usually get called one or more of three things: you bleeding ****, you dirty *****, or you punk motherfucker.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Your cars might have an identity crisis. LOL.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

It's more like this. 






But honestly, at normal conversation level rather than exclaimed.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Knobby Digital said:


> Any difficulties I face when fixing anything, be they automotive or not, usually get called one or more of three things: you bleeding ****, you dirty *****, or you punk motherfucker.


Knobby, glad to know your vocab is so concise when facing adversity . 

Isabelle was indeed the name of the car. The new one does not have a name as of yet. Everything I have come up with so far is too much ghetto, not enough ethnic. This car has me thinking I'm a closet racist or something


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Had a freak who called her black Jetta "Wesley", as in Wesley Snipes' black ass.

The silly, cute nicknames kinda thing can be fun, but the European stripper names and referring to a car as "baby" is crossing a line, IMHO. :undecided:


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I'm trying really hard to think of a European stripper name right now, but having a lot of trouble. I guess I need to expand my horizons. 

No stripper names though, I was thinking of something classy, like "Beyonce"


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Sasha


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

thehatedguy said:


> Sasha


Maybe... if your car is silver or grey, needs a wash, and makes a lot of noise ;D


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

Monique? Ramona? Gladys?


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Beyonce' is way too light-skinned to name that car after her.

If that was my car and I was forced to name it, I'd prolly go with Caviar.


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## TRD07 (Oct 13, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> Some pics from the work today. Got the amp wired up (although just in a temp spot to test things), got the power/breaker wired to the battery, got the HU in, and tested everything. Sounds like crap  Here's a pic of the battery setup. Knu 4ga power wire under techflex, running to a Monster 100A circuit breaker:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


love the old school kicker!!!!!


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

TRD07 said:


> love the old school kicker!!!!!


Too bad the car is gone, isn't it?


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TRD07 said:


> love the old school kicker!!!!!


There is about a 90% chance that old-school Kicker will be up for sale again pretty soon. I love them, but I have to go back to a ported box in the new car, and I don't have enough space in my living room to use them for HT like I want to.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

How similar is the hatch space to your old Z? I'd be glad to help again designing the enclosure or at least helping flesh out a concept if you'd like.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> There is about a 90% chance that old-school Kicker will be up for sale again pretty soon. I love them, but I have to go back to a ported box in the new car, and I don't have enough space in my living room to use them for HT like I want to.


They just need to be mounted IB into the next room!

:laugh:


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

TJ Mobile Audio said:


> How similar is the hatch space to your old Z? I'd be glad to help again designing the enclosure or at least helping flesh out a concept if you'd like.


It is actually kind of similar from what I have seen. I need to actually pull the carpet out and stare at it for a minute. I saw a picture of a false-floor sub in one that looked almost identical to what you designed for the 300zx. Might be able to go with something similar this time. 



TJ Mobile Audio said:


> They just need to be mounted IB into the next room!
> 
> :laugh:


<< renter


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## KyleMDunn (Jan 27, 2009)

More info on the G? I am a G owner myself - so I am curious as to what direction you are planning on.

Sorry to hear about the accident, not too sure what happened. I can say however, that my G has been a beast. I have taken out two deer in two years!


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Direction is a funny thing right now. I don't know 100% what I want to do, because I don't know how much effort/cost I want to put into it just yet. It's looking like Christmas break is going to be less "project time" and more "driving all over the midwest", so I don't think I'm even going to get time to look into it before next calendar year. 

As of right now, just seat of the pants guessing, priority is as follows: 
1. 3.5mm aux input 
2. subwoofer(s)/amp 
3. full-range amp, amp wiring 
4. front stage 
5. upgrade stock wiring as needed.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> << renter


That's what all-purpose joint compound is for, fixing holes before you move out.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Bumping my own dead thread because I am trying to remember my own install. Bought another IS300 for my wife and it has a broken CD player and in-op FM radio. Can't remember what I did with the radio harness... Incredibly stupid feeling :/


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

01 or 02+?


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> 01 or 02+?


01  
Probably going to build my own jumper harnesses from male/female pins and a lot of tape. I am not using t-taps this time


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I used a tyto-01 in my 01 when I had the factory amp in there.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Necro-Bumping my own dang thread so that I can stop manually searching for it... I bought another IS300 for my wife again, MSM this time. I'm trying out all of the colors to see which one I like best. 

If I have the time, the build log of this one is going to turn into v2 of the GGP build (including the same 15" IB sub and baffle), except this time I'm going to stop whining and glass the WB/tweet into the corner of the dash. Now I just have to fit this in between and internship, finishing MBA, and (hopefully) consulting travel.


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## TJ Mobile Audio (May 6, 2009)

94VG30DE said:


> If I have the time, the build log of this one is going to turn into v2 of the GGP build (including the same 15" IB sub and baffle), except this time I'm going to stop whining and glass the WB/tweet into the corner of the dash. Now I just have to fit this in between and internship, finishing MBA, and (hopefully) consulting travel.


I feel your pain. I still have factory sound in my Focus two years after I drove it off the lot. Will watch for the new build, I hope you find time.


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