# Marc's DLS E36 M3 install



## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Hey guys!

I'm going to start posting a build log for myself and for anyone else that is interested in my little project.

Here is the equipment I'm using:

Sony CDX-GT500 (trying to find another head unit; looking for a Blaupunkt Toronto or Sydney, or I'll settle for a Nak if I can't find those)
DLS Ultimate A7 5 channel amplifier
DLS UP35 3-way components
DLS RW10 10" subwoofers
BSW d210.e36 sealed enclosure
Probably RAAMmat and Ensolite deadening or Cascade at some point in the future, unless I determine I don't need it

Keep in mind while viewing this, that I am working with a complete lack of tools besides a hand crank operated drill and some sockets/screwdrivers.

I'll be adding to this post or making new ones as I go along, feel free to offer tips or criticism. Also, I have to work slow since I'm really busy all summer .

Anyway, to start out, I mounted the crossovers for the components on the bracket for the stock amplifier:



Front



Back



In place

Coming up soon will be tapping the stock wires, and getting the door speakers to fit the stock grills.


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## Dephect (Jun 10, 2008)

did you ever consider using a cleansweep or something instead of a headunit? im curious on how bmw owners upgrade there stereo.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Dephect said:


> did you ever consider using a cleansweep or something instead of a headunit? im curious on how bmw owners upgrade there stereo.


You don't need a Cleansweep unless you have a 5 series with DSP. If you want to keep the stock head unit, a simple LOC will do. I needed to change my head unit because all of my music comes from an AUX-in. The DICE units and other stuff like that which grant an AUX-in for the stock HU tend to suck.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Today, I had some time to fit the UP1C tweeters into the stock housings:

I also bought a Dremel! For anyone interested, Lowe's has the 8000-02 10.8V kit for $50 dollars this week, down from $85. There's a $10 off coupon floating around the internet, and they also give you a free EZ lock mandrel starter kit with purchase. Great buy for $40, IMO. It's already proven itself invaluable.

Onto pictures:



*Before - this is the stock housing*

  

*After - I cut enough of the housing off to remove the tabs, and hollowing out the inside. I also removed the covering for the grill.*

  

*After with UP1C - By lightly bending back the plastic, the tweeters are a perfect pressure fit. As you can see, the back plate still screws on flawlessly.*

Sorry for the ****ty pictures, there are many things I am good at. Photography is not one of them. Although, to be fair, my camera is well outdated .


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

I picked up some more tools.

I got:

- a small Shop-Vac from Lowe's, which is actually awesome, for $15 after abusing their coupon one more time. Great for cleaning up the mess from just about anything I've been working with. Retail value: $40.

- a DeWalt DC728KA cordless drill. This thing is badass, you can tell it is well made. Beats the crap out of my hand-crank one. It was on clearance for $89 after, again, abusing the coupon at Lowe's. While this is a great price for a DeWalt, I might return it and get something more fitting of my n00b skills (and cheaper). Retail value: $170.

I also had time to Dremel out my midranges. Here are the pictures from today:

 

*Before*

 

*After*

Yes, I did do both, even though only one is pictured .

I am not, however, done with midranges, because in order to mount the DLS speakers, I need to do something funky with the stock fastener and make a small baffle. More on this when I have time to do it .


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## FrankstonCarAudio (Feb 2, 2008)

marbat said:


> - a DeWalt DC728KA cordless drill. I might return it and get something more fitting of my n00b skills (and cheaper). Retail value: $170.


Looking good so far, keep the pics coming..

Why return it? You won't be a "noob" forever.. buy right the first time, look after your tools and they will (hopefully) last forever..

Mark


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

FrankstonCarAudio said:


> Looking good so far, keep the pics coming..
> 
> Why return it? You won't be a "noob" forever.. buy right the first time, look after your tools and they will (hopefully) last forever..
> 
> Mark


The only reason I thought about returning it was that it has Ni-Cad batteries. I feel a Li-Ion drill might be better suited for me since the batteries don't wear out so much. Then again, those are pricey, and by the time the Ni-Cads in the DeWalt die, we all might be using hydrogen fuel cells or something


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## FrankstonCarAudio (Feb 2, 2008)

Exactly! 

Look after Ni-Cad's and they will last..
I have an old 14.4V DeWalt that I bought in 1999, and it's still going fine (and it has Ni-Cad's).. just use the battery until the drill stops before charging.. the first 4 or 5 charges are the important ones.. fully charge and discharge before recharging..
Sorry for the battery charging lesson! ( I learn't the hard way!)

Mark


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Nice start 

Every man needs a good cordless drill. Keep the Dewalt. It will last you and youll notice that you use it often.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

My friend came over with a jigsaw today and we got some wood cutting done.



*Safety stuff* - Please, take care of yourselves when working with stuff that can go in your eyes and lungs!

  

*Trunk floor* - The first picture shows the materials from the E36 trunk that were used to make our stencil. The second picture is the stencil. Third picture is the cutout (which is not perfect yet).

      

*Midrange speaker stuff* - Images one and two show the stencils and the cut-outs for the baffles. Image three is the trim piece along with the wood part that it will be Loctited to. Image four is the speaker screwed into the wooden baffle. Image five is the Loctite in action. Images six and seven show the finished "speaker pod" or whatever it is.

My two questions for you guys are:

1. How would you suggest that we cut the trunk floorboard that we're working on? In order for it to fit into the trunk, I figure the best way is 3 parts, like so:



The question is, is there a better way to cut it to minimize rattles? Any tips are appreciated.

2. For the midrange "speaker pods" that I made, in case you can't tell, the DLS speakers sit about 1/2"-3/4" behind the grills. Does this detract from SQ; should they be closer to the grills? If necessary, I can cut some more material off the stock fasteners, but I'd rather not if it won't make a difference.

tyroneshoes: Thanks fellow goon . My friend and I got to use the DeWalt today, and boy was it nice compared to his drill...


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Anyone have anything to say about the floorboard?

Short update for today:

The E36 is not known for sturdy door panels, and so I set out trying to fix this issue. Everyone trying to eliminate rattles should do this before messing with any sort of deadening. Also, when working on immobilizing stuff, be sure to use hot glue and not any sort of epoxy. I tried Loctite epoxy, and it failed spectacularly, so I just borrowed my sister's pathetic little hot glue gun which performed admirably.

On to the images:

 

*Front and back* - Here, you can see what needed to be glued on the front and back side of the door panel.



*Bottom* - Just a quick shot of what needed to be glued on the bottom.



*Top* - The strip on the top (not yet attached in the front and back pictures) often falls off and breaks during removal of the door panels. Glue it tightly!



*Finished* - This is the view we'll be seeing from the car. Not sure why it came out so bright, but you can't see the basketball or the midrange behind the grills unless you're looking for them.

I also went ahead and replaced all of the white door panel clips. They cost 20 cents each, and a few of them broke while removing the door panels. I figured having new, non-brittle plastic was worth some spare change.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Tiny update for today:

I concentrated my efforts on eliminating some rattle sources. Also am thinking about if I should pick up some deadening at this point or not.

Here are some trouble spots on these cars that I fixed today:



*Door handles* - They should have a little gold liner as shown in the picture. Sometimes this falls out into the door skin. Good luck finding it, I was fortunate enough to find mine. Without it, the door handles are loose and wiggle quite a bit.



*Door stuff* - Some more random stuff that breaks and falls off with age. I reattached everything and some other small not pictured things.



*Engine cover mount* - Good lord was this thing a major PITA. I'm still not quite done. The PO overtightened the engine cover, and now the damn mount won't come off and won't properly screw in. There's no way to unscrew it, since the damn thing flexes. I ended up chopping most of the stuck piece off, as I have a replacement mount, but I still can't get the damn thing off. I'm almost done completely cutting through the metal securing part, but wow was this annoying. Without this mount, the engine cover vibrates a bit, although not very audibly (what can I say, I'm a perfectionist).


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## brendan 67 (Mar 12, 2007)

Nice work.Definitley get the deadening in there now,while the doors are apart.Let me now how they sound.I have the UP 36s.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

World record smallest update coming up. I'm becoming extremely frustrated with the weather around here. It seems that whenever I have free time to work, a thunderstorm immediately rolls in and I can't get anything done. The install is starting to go way over schedule.

Anyway, all I've been able to do is organize my head unit wiring:



I did manage to pick up a nice jigsaw.

The Bosch 1587AVSP was on sale/clearance, and I grabbed the entire set for $79, down from $129.


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

Good work so far, +1 on the deadning... its pretty well much essential in my opinion, so im sure you won't forget it. Keep up the updates, just because we don't comment, don't mean to say we don't look.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

syd-monster said:


> Good work so far, +1 on the deadning... its pretty well much essential in my opinion, so im sure you won't forget it. Keep up the updates, just because we don't comment, don't mean to say we don't look.


Thanks for the kind words!

Got to use the aforementioned jigsaw today .

Sadly, since I was so excited to try it out and play carpenter, I didn't think my cunning plan all the way through.



As you can see, I somehow messed up my measurements and made the inner hole too small for the speaker to fit through, and the baffle itself too small to allow for enlarging the hole. Very poor craftsmanship .

Anyway, I corrected my mistake to come up with this:

  

I purposely left the surrounds big so that I can trim them down to exact fit later. I did make sure the screw fit the stock locations. This baffle will effectively seal the front and back of the speaker away from each other when combined with some deadening.

I also went back and shaved the excess baffle from my midranges today (shown sloppily earlier in this thread), just because I felt like being a perfectionist. No pictures of something so minor .

Two thumbs up for the Bosch saw, by the way.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been tearing out all the stock deadening (not too interesting) and getting set to replace it with some real stuff.

Anyone have any pictures of an E36 door that's been deadened? Also, how much do you guys think I would need to do the entire car? I was thinking 2 rolls of RAAMmat and a corresponding amount of Ensolite.

Finally, does anyone have any tips for getting the carpet out in an E36 so I can deaden the floor?


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

The one and only e36 i worked on required a complete gut-out. Spesh the seats and center console. Just made things so much easier. Plus because of several reasons we didn't remove any of the factory deadning on the floor as it was all still stuck down well and in good overall condition, cleaned it all up with methonlated spirits and we layed over the top. We did however remove the felt deadner from the door cards and used a paste brush on deadner at the time known a Sound-Off (google it) As far as I know, car still sounds great nearly 6 years on, although with another owner now.
Search up about a Jasper jig too, for your circle work, nothing wrong with Jigsaw, but the the jig & router is the next step up. Its a tool you will use time & time again. Good work so far!


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## ianbiz (May 13, 2008)

Nice install.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

ianbiz said:


> Nice install.


Your post reminded me to update and explain... why there are no updates .

I managed to chip my tailbone while playing basketball the other day, and had to have the bits surgically removed. It's been a real pain in the ass (I'll be here all week, folks) to do anything, much less install audio gear. I promise I'll get back to work when I get my stitches out!


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## ianbiz (May 13, 2008)

marbat said:


> Your post reminded me to update and explain... why there are no updates .
> 
> I managed to chip my tailbone while playing basketball the other day, and had to have the bits surgically removed. It's been a real pain in the ass (I'll be here all week, folks) to do anything, much less install audio gear. I promise I'll get back to work when I get my stitches out!


Boo. Hope you get all fixed up. I'd be itching to get back out there.
Are you on BF.c? I lol at the complaints about E36 door panels. sry :blush:


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Okay guys, I'm alive again. Tailbone healed. My friend and I replaced my front swaybar bushings, end links, and supports today. This is another area that can rattle and clunk (which obviously detracts from SQ).

Again, I'm of the belief that fixing anything broken will help much more than any deadening.

On that note, I'm waiting on my order from RAAMaudio:

2 rolls RAAMmat BXT
6 yards of Ensolite
3 cans of spray adhesive for the Ensolite

I'm also waiting on my order from monoprice.com:

1 roll (50") of 16 gauge speaker wire
3 pairs of banana plugs
2 6' RCA "Y" adapters
3 12" RCA cables

Also, ianbiz, I'm on BF.C as "Marc". I'm pretty sure I've seen your signature before over there!


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## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

i love e36 M3s!!! Thats gonna prob be my next car. 
BTW great install.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Finished my subwoofer enclosure off today (not to say that I built it).

It is 1.15 CuFt, and each speaker displaces about .1 CuFt. I have an effective size of .95 CuFt.

Going by this fantastic article about polyester fiberfill, I went ahead and dropped 20 ounces of the stuff into the enclosure. Cost me $4 at a crafts store. I'm hoping to boost my volume up to at least 1.20 CuFt. using this method, which is still slightly less than the optimal 1.28 for two RW10s, but what can you do.

You can also see the (awesome) terminals that I got from monoprice for like a dollar per pair.

    

Wow, my camera sucks.

Before anyone asks, no I was not wearing pants.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Big update today.

My order from RAAMaudio came in:



I got to work on my door panel:

 

I used a layer of BXT and a layer of Ensolite. In general, I will be using one layer of each. If I need more, I'll add more layers later.

Here is my outer door skin:



I didn't use any Ensolite here. Thanks goes out to Tom for answering some noob questions for me.

I tapped my stock speaker wires as shown:



Finally, I got the door panel back on:



The door is ROCK solid. I feel like it is bulletproof when I close it now. Also, you can barely hear the window going up and down, which I thought was amusing considering how loud it was before.

I also prepared the rear deck for when I will put it back in:

 

I already painted the fabric side with fabric spray paint previously, and it has no more purple tinge to it. I suggest you guys do the same .

I also got a little work done on my kick panels:

  

I did not use Ensolite, since it was a total ***** to work in the kick panel area. I did use some Polyfil. I will be deadening the entire area around my baffle to seal everything up (the baffle does take care of most of the part where the wires come out that E36 guys should be familiar with).

Sadly, I was only able to work on one half of the car today. The passenger side got no love. Hopefully, I will be able to finish everything by this time next week.


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## BoostedNihilist (Mar 3, 2008)

Nice work so far

Small nit to pick

ditch those scotchlocks those things suck.

If you MUST use that type of mechanical connection use the t-taps with the insulated spade.. MUCH better but still sucky


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

BoostedNihilist said:


> Nice work so far
> 
> Small nit to pick
> 
> ...


Thanks!

For the record, I've never had any issues with the wire taps I'm using. If I have a problem in the future, I can always replace them. Unless you're offroading or something, they should be fine.


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## ianbiz (May 13, 2008)

Progress looks good!


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Yet again, I find myself extremely busy with only a small update to share:

I tackled my rear side panels:

 

and my license plate (which actually produced a noticeable difference!):

 

More to come soon, hopefully. I need to get this install done within the next week or so.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Well, I think I'm officially out of things to do indoors or on my porch. This almost-daily rain is getting ridiculous.

Today I applied deadening to the A-pillar trim, and the rear seat trim. I have no idea if this will actually do anything, but I need something to occupy myself with while it rains...

  

The only thing I can still do indoors is try to think about how to make my kick panels, but again, I can only do so much without seeing them.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

I am back from the beach, and I have some big update news, but not many pictures.

I ran my wiring (3x RCAs) to the trunk, put my head unit back in, and placed and wired my remote gain/phase controller and AUX cable. I also began to deaden the rear seat area and trunk, and began to wire up the crossovers.

For anyone wondering, 12 foot RCA cables reach the trunk well even if you don't go straight down the middle. Just about perfect in length.

I sent my wires down the middle beneath the console and carpet (this is where the AUX split off from my zip-tied bundle), then under the rear seat diagonally to go into the trunk along with the stock stereo wiring harness on the drivers' side (away from the power wiring on the passengers side).

Here are the day/night pictures of my HU:

 

I assure you guys that it is a very very good match. The gunmetal part looks darker in person than in the day picture. I am, however, still looking for a Blaupunkt Toronto/Sydney or a Nakamichi CD40/45Z.

This is the DLS amplifier remote control wired in my glovebox:



Here is how the wires for the crossovers will look:



I also snagged a replacement sunroof cartridge from BF.C member Bill, of the Bimmer Clinic in Elizabeth, NJ. He is a great guy, and I encourage you all the do business with him for non-audio BMW things. Hopefully this will allow me to finally put my headliner and trim pieces back.


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

My sunroof is absolutely dominating me. Too much sun, not enough roof . I should be done with it tomorrow, though.

Here is all I've achieved that isn't sunroof related - the wiring harness in the back is now together:


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

So my sunroof is still in shambles, but that didn't stop me from deadening it!

 

I also did a lot of work in the trunk:



Factory ground point:



Taillight covers:



Wiring for the fuse holder:



Phew. I'm almost done, but I really need to get that sunroof fixed...


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

Only one picture tonight because it got dark:



I managed to finish the entire trunk. It got a layer of ensolite, all the trim pieces are back in, and the amplifier wiring is all connected. I couldn't help myself and wanted to test it.

All of my wiring is correct . The system needs to be tuned quite a bit (aside from not having a passenger side midbass installed yet). However, the output is loud and clear! If anything, the bass is a little overpowering, which is surprising. I'll take a look at my gains tomorrow.

The trunk treatment did it's job! The only vibrations are now coming from the trunk lid, which I won't be deadening this summer (I have to go back to school, sadly). Also, the vibrations only occur when the bass is up to "deafening roar" volume, and is intolerable inside the cabin. MAJOR improvement.

I am very excited to finish .

Here is what I have left to do:

-Put back headliner and deadened trim pieces (after deciding if I should leave the sunroof or try to ghetto-fix it quickly)
-Put back the rear deck, possibly stuff it with Polyfil if it rattles
-Deaden rear side panels with BXT and Ensolite
-Put a layer of Ensolite under the rear seats
-Finish kick panel install
-Tune
-Clean

Most, if not all of this will be done tomorrow, since I leave for school on the 31st!

Things I'll do in the future:

-Get a better head unit
-Deaden trunk lid
-Finish maintenance repairs on actual car parts that are rattling


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## marbat (Mar 16, 2008)

I'm finished!

Well, besides the cleaning and tuning.

Here are some pictures of how I ended up doing my kick panels. They are almost completely sealed, do not rattle at all, and fit wonderfully. I had to chop my baffles up a bit in order to get the trim piece to fit again, though.

  

Now, for the finished product:

     

Here is my interface, as shot by an epileptic Michael J. Fox:



What you see at the bottom is my ultimate source, a Rockbox iPod (supports lossless codecs).

As of right now, I am very pleased. With some tuning, I will only be more pleased.

Thank you to everyone that helped me out in my threads, Don from Unexpected Creations, and Rick from RAAMaudio.

I am extremely impressed with all the products I used. The speakers and amplifier sound great and the deadening completely cured my rattling issues up to listenable volume levels.


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## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

good job,

you have done A LOT, sit back enjoy your music and iron out the wrinkles over the next







10 years


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## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

id prolly run some caulk around the baffles for the midbass to completely seal them.

but it can wait......


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Congrats on gettin it done. You did a great job. Now just relax and enjoy the music for a while.

Then find a reason to upgrade.

Do you feel the dso in the sony raises the soundstage like it claims?

Edit: Since youre using passive crossovers and due to the speaker locations, I think youll see a big improvement upgrading to a headunit with time alignment. Id recommend the eclipse cd7200. It will match the red lighting well and do all you need.


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## customstevo (Aug 17, 2008)

looks good from what I can see, did you use MDF wood? i think thats best. The first thing I do with any system is take out the flimsy rear floor board and trace a new one with 3/4 mdf.


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## katarakt (Jul 10, 2009)

Nice install!


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