# Subaru GTB Wagon Build - SQ on a shoestring



## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Have made a good start on this one, so time for another build log! The car is my girlfriend's '00 Subaru GTB wagon.

This build was orignally destined for a '99 B4 Sedan, but thanks to a stupid lady driver ignoring a Give Way sign, we were left with this...








The up-side is insurance came to the party with more than we were expecting to get (how often does that happen!?), so we were able to upgrade slightly. WIN!








2 litres of twin turbo, tiptronic goodness! We have a dog that regularly comes with us and the old sedan's rear interior was starting to reflect it so a wagon was the obvious chioce.

The plan is for a full SQ stealth install (3-way active fronts, a little rear fill and sub stage) yet be able to show it off when needed, spend as little as possible, sound like a high end system, retain the spare, and use as little trunk space as possible...not much to ask right!?

I have to give a big ups to a few guys...Bing, Trevordj, Thunderplains, Handcrafted, Scooter, Customtronic, and a few others I'm forgetting right now. Without your builds to scour through for inspiration, ideas and tips, I wouldn't have the motivation to make this install what it (hopefully) will be!


Source: Alpine CDE-101E

Processing: Lanzar Encore X10 electronic x-over

Speaker amp: Alpine 3566

Tweeters: (for now) some old Fusion's I have lying around to go in the factory sail panels - these will definatley be upgraded in the near future, the Fusions will just get me up and running.

Mid range - Orion XTR 4" in the kicks. Again, these may yet change to some TB 3" in the A-pillars with the new tweets if I'm not happy with the 4's in the kicks.

Mid bass: Alpine Type-R 6.5"

Rear fill: Yet to be decided - powered off the H/U in factory rear door postions

Sub amp: Fusion FP-600D

Subwoofer: IDQ10V2

Wiring: Assorted interconnects, power cable, speaker cable etc.

Power distrobution/fuseblock: Custom made

Sound deadening: Lots of it hopefully! I've used a bit of DMX so far,but hope to place an order with Second Skin shortly.

Through a some good luck on auction sites and a bit of horse trading, I've managed to get everything (except rear speakers, sound deadening, alloy for the distro blocks, and upholstery materials) for under $650.

Any way onto the build...


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Starting in the boot (trunk)...








Here's the proposed layout









The amps:








As you can see, they've both seen better day cosmeticly and not suitable for display the correct way up, especially the 3566 which somone has really butchered...so I will be mounting them upside down with the covers removed to show the internals.
Amp rack framework
















Foiled ready to glass in the base


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

I spent 4 hours down at work over the Xmas break cutting, welding, drilling, counter sinking and tapping some brackets to securely hang the amps in their upside down position.








I drilled and tapped the four corners of the 3566 to mount the brackets using 4mm cap head screws.
















The FP-600D brackets mount using the original screw holes which I drilled out and installed 4mm rivnuts to take the 4mm countersunk cap screws.
























Closeup of one of the bars that the amp brackets will hang off. These are recessed into the amp rack lid and are held in place by 6mm countersunk cap screws and 6mm hurricane nuts








Mounted
















And in the car








The opening it the centre is where the power distrobution/fuse block will be.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Man, your amp rack is giving me all sorts of ideas now... EXCELLENT work!


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## jab4au (May 31, 2010)

Very, very nice work my friend..... I really like the brackets that you fabbed. Well done!


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## yeldak99 (Mar 5, 2008)

Subscribed to see how this turns out.


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## jace314 (Jan 30, 2010)

Looking good so far! As a Subie owner I love checking in on other builds.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

beuaty, i didnt realise fusion was a reputable amp brand, i picked up a fusion amp awhile ago off fleabay for 50$ and when i blew it and tried to return it it ended up coming back to me guess the sellers ran off, but i ended up with a 80 lb paper weight that i sold at a yard sale for peanuts lol but that set was junk, that fusion amp looks solid. how old is it?


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## slater (Nov 21, 2010)

if the rest of the car comes along as nice as your build on your amp racks. your going to have one good looking install. i was thinking about doing an amp rack like that for my car, but i was scared on how it would turn out. you have given me hope.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

sexy car. Those are called "legacy" here correct?


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## Splitf22 (Dec 22, 2010)

Nice skills! looking great!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Thanks fellas.



eviling said:


> beuaty, i didnt realise fusion was a reputable amp brand, i picked up a fusion amp awhile ago off fleabay for 50$ and when i blew it and tried to return it it ended up coming back to me guess the sellers ran off, but i ended up with a 80 lb paper weight that i sold at a yard sale for peanuts lol but that set was junk, that fusion amp looks solid. how old is it?


It's pretty big down here, for the fact Fusion is a New Zealand company. That being said, most of their stuff is pretty entry level gear (borderline junk?). Their high end gear is good stuff though. The tweets I have are just cheapies...not sure how they're going to sound yet. The amp on the other hand is reasonably good. Think it's the '06 'Powerplant' model...the data sheets states it's CEA compliant, so I'm fairly sure it will make the suggested 550watts @ 1Ohm



Brian_smith06 said:


> sexy car. Those are called "legacy" here correct?


Correct, it's a Legacy here also. The sedans were labeled 'B4' and the wagons are GT's - the B stands for Bilstein suspension (as far as I am aware). They are sweet cars!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Here's the sub box build so far...
Originally I wanted to do a bandpass box for a nice smooth response, but didn't quite have enough room for the ports. If the wheel well was 4" to the right I would have been sweet  So have gone for a ported box built to the ID specs of 1 c/ft tuned to 30Hz.
The spare tapped off and the bottom and middle boards in place








Fleece soaked in resin








Sitting in place. I put a layer of duraglass over the resined fleece and rounded the upper and lower transitions to make a nice smooth base for the f'glass.








After about 10 layers of mat...solid as fcuk!








Also got the first part of the false floor layed out


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## SSCustoms (Oct 16, 2008)

Coming along nicely! In for the updates.


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## kenikh (Jan 17, 2011)

Well done - excellent creativity.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Thanks fellas.
> 
> 
> 
> It's pretty big down here, for the fact Fusion is a New Zealand company. That being said, most of their stuff is pretty entry level gear (borderline junk?). Their high end gear is good stuff though. The tweets I have are just cheapies...not sure how they're going to sound yet. The amp on the other hand is reasonably good. Think it's the '06 'Powerplant' model...the data sheets states it's CEA compliant, so I'm fairly sure it will make the suggested 550watts @ 1Ohm


thats interesting because fusion is JUNKKKKKKK over here, we're talking BOSS qulity crap here. just pure junk, in fact, i almost had to pay sombody to take a amp\sub combo pack i had laying around off my hands just for them to take it :mean:


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## FAUEE (Jul 22, 2010)

eviling said:


> thats interesting because fusion is JUNKKKKKKK over here, we're talking BOSS qulity crap here. just pure junk, in fact, i almost had to pay sombody to take a amp\sub combo pack i had laying around off my hands just for them to take it :mean:


Fusion sells a few pieces of stuff here that are rebranded Chinese crap. Fusion also sells some of the best marine audio gear you can get here in the States. You can get some of their higher end stuff here too, but it's hard to find. Once in a while Sonicelectronix will have a closeout on some random Fusion stuff.

Their higher end stuff is nice though. Very old school feeling, pressed paper cones, big rubber surrounds, big meaty magnets... Good stuff really.

Nice wagon. Looking forward to your build.


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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

I have this thing about amps: If they're exposed and being "shown off", I think they should all be from the same manufacturer and series... but I like the "exposed circuitry" look as an alternative. 

Be careful about heat, though. Are you doing something to ventilate that box?


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

Very nice!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Sub box build pics remind me of Chad's box. (A good thing.)
Looks pretty good so far.

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Thanks guys.



JayinMI said:


> Sub box build pics remind me of Chad's box. (A good thing.)
> Looks pretty good so far.
> 
> Jay


Have you got a link to it? I'd love to check it out.



HondAudio said:


> I have this thing about amps: If they're exposed and being "shown off", I think they should all be from the same manufacturer and series... but I like the "exposed circuitry" look as an alternative.
> 
> Be careful about heat, though. Are you doing something to ventilate that box?


Yea I would have loved to have some nice matching cased amps, but being on a budget, I could be too picky. I have less than $150NZD in both amps so I can't complain!
Don't worry about the cooling...I'm onto that! There will be no less than 8 fans (4 pushing/4 pulling), which should rememdy any overheating issues.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

I've been crazy busy with other things over the last 3 weeks so I havn't been able to get much done on this one, but did manage to spend some time on it yesterday. Any progress is good progress though I guess.
Got the first of the trim panels for the amp rack cut out
















And here's some of the wiring bits that turned up last week 8) 








This is the layout for the custom fused distrobution block. Starting with 25x25mm alloy rod, I'm going to mill it down to 20x25mm then drill and tap it for all the wiring and grub screws etc. One feed of 0guage in for both + and - with 3 feeds of 4 gauge out for all the amps and accessories.








Had a play with my new label printer. This is the fused distro for all the accessory feeds plus power for the fans and lights. It will all be run through a relay switched by the ACC from the headunit


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> 
> 
> Have you got a link to it? I'd love to check it out.


http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-member-build-logs/23845-2007-my-civic-si.html

Starts at around post 15.

Jay


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## TXwrxWagon (Sep 26, 2008)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Here's the sub box build so far...
> Originally I wanted to do a bandpass box for a nice smooth response....



WHAT? I LOVE the build... Even more LOVE the Wagon.... Even more LOVE the fact its a Subaru.... but you're KILLING me with the even remote thought that anything bandpass is "nice", "smooth", or "responsive"... Seriously?

Bandpass... by its name & definition takes a sealed enclosure... shoots the output into another ported/quasi-tuned enclosure to focus on one narrow range of frequencies.

Bandpass enclosures are, by default, one-note, or one-region specific. Yes, I guess they can be "smooth" within the bandpass region, but... REALLY?

Your design would be AMAZINGLY musical & very loud sealed. You are going ported, ok... to each his own, but still... your "compromise" will EAT, digest, poop & walk all over any bandpass design, short of a crazy transmission-line type enclosure... WOW... just wow... there must be something about bandpass south of the equator that changes physics... 

Love the build.. 

Rob


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Wow, I get the impression you don't like bandpass boxes!? 
I'm definatley no expert on the subject, I was just going from the ID spec sheet
http://imagedynamicsusa.com/pdf/iD Discontinued Speakers and Eletronics/iDQ10 D2 V2.pdf
Unless I'm reading it wrong, a bandpass enclosure would give by far a wider frequencey range?


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## TXwrxWagon (Sep 26, 2008)

LOL I am glad you took that with the constructive intent it was given.

If you look at the graph of response for the single-reflex enclosure, YES on paper it is higher, flatter, & more "responsive" on the graph... the GRAPH is assuming you have one HELL of a midbass that can pick up at say 55 or 65Hz to fill in before that brick wall drop starting at about 75-80hz... 

Like I said, Single & dual reflex (single/dual "bandpass") enclosures were the rage in the late 80s through the late 90's for SPL machines looking to make a dedicated shot at a given range of frequencies. They are NOT musical. They are VERY one-sided. They go low, they are VERY efficient in the range, usually 1, maybe 2 octaves. 

If you are aiming for SQ or Even SQ+ type competition or trying to showcase Sound Quality... Sealed is easiest to tune, Ported will get you a lil more depth & impact, but does require, like the bandpass, a VERY strong midbass transition.

From a seamless, Sound quality point of view, your current set up, ported is going to destroy anything the bandpass may have offered and, most importantly be more MUSICAL.

You are an an amazing build journey. Can't wait to see it unfold. Glad that the bandpass wasn't in the cards... you will be too, once its all done... Cheers!

Rob


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## TXwrxWagon (Sep 26, 2008)

taking it one step further.... 

look at the BLUE line (ported) it has a prominent peak, which is fine... but guess what? The natural cabin gain of YOUR car will give you that in a sealed enclosure as well. So now in the ported configuration, you may have a nasty PEAK to deal with transitioning between the sub & the midbass to get the overall SQ balanced.

If you look at the graphs, the SEALED (black line) gives you the smoothest, most consistent response with no peaks, spikes, dips, or sharp roll off. If you are buiilding a Demo car for SPL then the bandpass is the way to go, the ported a close second.

If a SQ car is what you are building, the sealed enclosures "conservative" curve will actually blend better with the rear fill & front stage better.

Not to mention, if you caclulate the 1/4 wave length of the port frequency of the bandpass enclosure it will likely (I didn't run the math) be well outside the car anyway... so the bandpass will definitely likely be a "crowd pleaser" not a car occupant pleaser...

Rob


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

TXwrxWagon said:


> LOL I am glad you took that with the constructive intent it was given.


Thanks for the insight! There is always someone out there more knowledgable than oneself, so I try and keep an open mind. My grandfather always told me 'The day you stop learning, is the day they put you in the ground'.

Now...if you have any words of wisdom on how to cram 10lbs of **** into a 5lb bag, I'm all ears


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## TXwrxWagon (Sep 26, 2008)

nope... LOL... you are on the right track... at least in my feeble opinion.

I would think about building the enclosure ported. Add some dead materials to see how it sounds sealed, then remove & try the ported. Your ears are the most important set. Just Saying.

I would get it all done & do some SERIOUS listening with whatever the main source you will use. If you are an iPod guy... great... set up the system, listen as you will listen.

tune & adjust as you prefer.

Rob


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Yea the thought of doing a removable panel to block/unblock the port had crossed my mind. It won't be hard to do, so I will go ahead with it.

I still prefer to listen to good old CD's (vintage!? :laugh so I will tune as such. Hannah uses MP3's and isn't fussed about recording quality aslong as she can listen to her favorite song whatever it maybe at any given time


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

eviling said:


> thats interesting because fusion is JUNKKKKKKK over here, we're talking BOSS qulity crap here. just pure junk, in fact, i almost had to pay sombody to take a amp\sub combo pack i had laying around off my hands just for them to take it :mean:


BOSS read ZED... 

Fusion, possibly the same... 

Doesn't really matter the name, if ZED built it, it's likely SOLID..


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

LOV the Leggy Waggy BTW... 

That, laid out (even if it's not), on black wheels...Now that's straight Sinister..!!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Finally got some time in on this build over the weekend. This year has been nuts so far!
Trim/insert panel for the amp rack done
















Routered out the back so the insert and 3.5mm acrylic sit flush. I used speaker grill clips to attach the trim panels to the amp rack.
























Just need to source some carbonfibre vinyl for the insert panel and then I can permanently install the acrylic and LED's.

Got the framework that holds up the false floor mostly done. Just got to finish sussing out the hinges to hinge the sub box. I've used 8mm riv nuts and caphead bolts to secure the frame to the floor. Solid as!


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## slpery (Jan 14, 2011)

great work kiwi. Im wanting to do something similar in my Falcon. Cant wait to see more.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Looks great!
What is the angle of the router bit you have used on the cutouts for plexiglass?

Thanks.


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## jackp311 (Jun 7, 2010)

Love the amp rack. Weird how some brands release quality equipment in one part of the world and rebranded stuff in another.


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## AKMetal (Mar 3, 2011)

ahhh.. how much do you have invested making this rack? my subie would love to have its trunk at the end of my build but i dont think i can afford it.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Mless5 said:


> Looks great!
> What is the angle of the router bit you have used on the cutouts for plexiglass?
> 
> Thanks.


Thanks mate. It's 45 degree bit, hope that helps!



AKMetal said:


> ahhh.. how much do you have invested making this rack? my subie would love to have its trunk at the end of my build but i dont think i can afford it.


Um, including the amps, I've got probably around NZD $200 in the rack. I'm guessing I'll have around $5-600 all up in the trunk once it's completed including the equipment (not including sound deadening).


The Subru build is on the backburner untill May. I'm currently working on getting my '58 Volkswagen project done and on the road for an event in April. Keep an eye out for that install in the next few weeks


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## AKMetal (Mar 3, 2011)

wow, not bad considering how well built it is. but, factoring in hours you've spent building its worth considerably more i imagine


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## samos69 (Mar 8, 2011)

Hey man, nice build - should keep the mrs happy! 

I'm not far from you being down in Wellington... what event is on in April you're trying to get the vw to?


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

samos69 said:


> Hey man, nice build - should keep the mrs happy!
> 
> I'm not far from you being down in Wellington... what event is on in April you're trying to get the vw to?


Thanks man. She better be happy, or I'll be getting all Jake the Muss on her :laugh:
Aiming for the VW Nationals in Orewa. The furtherest I've driven it so far is around the block so hopefully the air-cooled gods will be with me


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

AKMetal said:


> wow, not bad considering how well built it is. but, factoring in hours you've spent building its worth considerably more i imagine


Thanks. That's the thing about DIY I guess, you never factor in the (countless) hours you put into projects when it comes to their worth!


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## War Bandit (Jan 24, 2011)

Hey, I'm Just on the other side of the hill to you (Upper Hutt). I was just wondering where you picked up you IDQ10 from? I'm dying to get my grubby little hands on one or two =D.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

War Bandit said:


> Hey, I'm Just on the other side of the hill to you (Upper Hutt). I was just wondering where you picked up you IDQ10 from? I'm dying to get my grubby little hands on one or two =D.


Hey mate, check out the classified section on NZ ICE Magazine Rogan on there was importing ID gear for a while so theres a fair bit of stuff floating around. I think he may even have some IDv3's left.


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## samos69 (Mar 8, 2011)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Thanks man. She better be happy, or I'll be getting all Jake the Muss on her :laugh:
> Aiming for the VW Nationals in Orewa. The furtherest I've driven it so far is around the block so hopefully the air-cooled gods will be with me


Yer though they are normally pretty easy to please, components, sub, favorite pop song on the ipod - job done :laugh:

The bug will make it, days are getting cooler so that'll help some


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Being an aircooled VW guy (a couple of times) I'm looking forward to the bug build. What are you doing for charging system upgrades?

Jay


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## memphiskane (Mar 9, 2011)

Really like the amp rack on the subie


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> Being an aircooled VW guy (a couple of times) I'm looking forward to the bug build. What are you doing for charging system upgrades?


I'll just be doing the big 3 upgrade with 4 gauge for now and will look into a HO alt later down the track. I'm quickly running out of time to get the car done for the event, so I'll just be running a temp system to get me by (H/U powered fronts and mabey a small amp & sub) and then do the main system when I get back. I don't want the final install to be rushed!



memphiskane said:


> Really like the amp rack on the subie


Thanks man, I'm itching to get back ito it!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

sinister-kustoms said:


> I'll just be doing the big 3 upgrade with 4 gauge for now and will look into a HO alt later down the track. I'm quickly running out of time to get the car done for the event, so I'll just be running a temp system to get me by (H/U powered fronts and mabey a small amp & sub) and then do the main system when I get back. I don't want the final install to be rushed!


Good call. In my '70 I ran a Pioneer CD Player, Sony XM-4040 (160W 4 channel) and crossover. I had comps in the front doors in my first ever 'glass pods, and a 1.0ft3 box for an Orion XTR 10. This was in '91. The generator held up surprisingly well. 

Good call on not rushing it. Looking forward to more pics of it.

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

So I finally found some time to blow the dust of this project and make some progress.
I fully ran out of time to do anything with the VW project, but did manage to get the interior stripped out and the first bit of sound deadening started over the weekend. I'll start the build log hopefully in the next few weeks once I've made some decent progress.

Some of my original plans have changed. I'm just going to run with a 2-way setup now. Being my first active install, I think it will be a whole lot easier tuning with just the 2-way, not to mention a whole lot less work. I'll use the 2 spare channels on the 3566 to power some Infinity Reference co-axials in the rear doors.
I brought a 3Sixty.2 for the VW a while back, but recently picked up a P80RS so will use that in the dub, and the 3Sixty will go into the Suby. So much for a budget build!
I've also ditched the IDQ for a VDO Dayton HPS12. Hannah listens to a lot of Dubstep/DnB aswell as the usual girly poppy stuff, so I think the 12 will suit her tastes better, plus the IDQ will be safe from any abuse the system will encounter when she and her GF's are doing their thing.

I scrapped the custom distro idea after coming across this honey on the interwebs. The shape suits the trim panel cutout better than the custom one I had planned, plus it has the volt meter and it just looks plain sexy so I had to have it! Tsunami TPFDB-4PG Fused Distribution Block. Positive and negative 0awg in with 4 x 4awg out 
























Got the amp rack trim panel covered in 3M Di-noc. I sprayed it with filler primer and gave it a quick sand to give the vinyl a nice surface to stick to.
















This **** is cool!
















I routered some channels in the back of the panel for the LED's and wiring, glued the acrylic in, then used cloth tape to help 'direct' the light.
















Baseplate for the distro block cut and rabbeted ready to stretch some fleece.








Then postioned and resined in place.


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## War Bandit (Jan 24, 2011)

Where abouts did you pick up that Distro block from?


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

War Bandit said:


> Where abouts did you pick up that Distro block from?


I ordered it from Sonic Electronix. That distro, another one for the VW, some 0awg ring terminals, 0awg grounding block and shipping to NZ set me back just over $200 NZD.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I gotta say I'm glad I don't have to endure all the crazy taxes and fees you guys outside the U.S. do...I would never be able to afford half the crap I do now! 

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

It's not that bad really, the total with freight was $160USD, the only other fee I had to pay was some stupid credit card charge of about $10. The rest is just the exchange rate.
It's a small price to pay for quality install gear, since we have such a small variety available here


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Progress at long last!

Got sub enclosure mocked together with brad nails enough to get the trim panel started.
There's a piece of 6mm acrylic sandwiched between the top of the enclosure and the trim panel which will get some leds for that illuminated edge effect. Using the router to cut the hole was nerve-racking to say the least!








Here is how the whole sub box and trim panel assembly is attached. I've used 5mm t-nuts with cap-head screws that do up from the underside of the sub baffle.








In place with the inner and outer parts of the trim panel rabbeted ready for fleece








Then resined and trimmed up 

















While that was drying I got started on the trim panels for the 360.2 and control switches.
The amps will be able to be switched off separatley for tuning, along with the LED's and cooling fans.
I had this panel engraved for all the switches
























The 360.2 will sit behind some acrylic with lighting as well.


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## JP Fabrication (Feb 20, 2008)

Great work


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## hybridspl (May 9, 2008)

Looks great. I love wagons and wish we got that one!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

I need to make a cradle for the 360 to sit in so made a pattern from card to make sure it will work. Looks like it will 
















I'm hoping to get the rest of the fabrication for this part finished over the weekend. Wish me luck!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

So here's this weekends project.
The RF360 and switch panel will be mounted in the right hand side interior panel where the factory McIntosh sub used to be.








Here's the factory 6x9 style sub and awesome 'baffle'








I know the guy who owns the local auto wreckers and happens to specialize in Subarus so managed to pick up another interior panel for nada. There was no way to separate the carpet from the panel, so I used the butane torch to melt it all down so I had a solid base to work from.
















I cut what I needed to out of the panel and attached the outer part of the display panel using staples and duraglass, then added fiberglass on the back for reinforcement. The face of the display panel is attched using t-nuts and cap-head screws.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Here's the 360 cradle in steel which is screwed onto the back of the display panel
















Didn't quite get it finished as I ran out of filler, but a little more filler and some sanding and it's ready for carpet


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I did a set of Porsche 911 door panels, and when I went to pull the carpet off, the mesh base came up, but all the strands stayed glued to the base. I melted it with a butane torch and then scraped/sanded it off. Same deal?

Jay


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## PaSHOKC (Jun 28, 2011)

Great job! I'm just shocked! Respect for the people can do that!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> I did a set of Porsche 911 door panels, and when I went to pull the carpet off, the mesh base came up, but all the strands stayed glued to the base. I melted it with a butane torch and then scraped/sanded it off. Same deal?
> 
> Jay


Sounds similar, although the carpet on the Subaru seems to be actually molded into the panel. PITA really, but the torch made short work of it!
Whats left of the carpet has dried rock hard so I havn't even bothered trying to scrape the remains off, just gave it a quick rough up with some 40grit and then the skim coat of filler.



PaSHOKC said:


> Great job! I'm just shocked! Respect for the people can do that!


Thanks mate, it's a lot of work, but it's going to pay off once it's all in and running


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Got a new battery clamp/fuse holder fabbed up over the weekend.
I made a template from 5mm MDF then transferred it to some 10mm black acrylic with the flush-trim bit on the router.
























I heart routering acrylic :lol: 








Epoxied some rivnuts in and it's done 8)


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

My other little project was modding the fused distro for the amp acc and fan/LED feeds.








5 outputs (main amp acc, sub amp acc, 360.2 acc, fans and LED's) will be powered via a relay switched 
by the headunit acc feed, leaving one unused fuse. I still need a constant 12v+ for the 360.2 so decided the use the remaining feed. 
I cut down an M5 bolt to fit and epoxied it and the separated tab to the base and insulated them with some liquid tape, then drilled a hole in the casing for the new ring terminal.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

That's a cool idea. I like it.

Jay


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## Arthrogrian19 (Sep 28, 2011)

Sweet build and nice Subaru!!! Any performance mods??


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Another nice Subaru is Simplicityinsound's car.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-member-build-logs/40722-abbreviated-install-log-my-own-car.html

Sorry for the thread hijack.

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Arthrogrian19 said:


> Sweet build and nice Subaru!!! Any performance mods??


Thanks man. No perfomance mods as of yet other than a sports muffler and the front being slightly lowered. It's got enough poke to put a grin on my face and more than enough for the 'missus, so we'll leave it stock (for now). 



JayinMI said:


> Another nice Subaru is Simplicityinsound's car.
> 
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-member-build-logs/40722-abbreviated-install-log-my-own-car.html
> 
> ...


All good man. You're preaching to the converted though. I've been through all of Bing's builds with a fine-tooth comb


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Thanks man. No perfomance mods as of yet other than a sports muffler and the front being slightly lowered. It's got enough poke to put a grin on my face and more than enough for the 'missus, so we'll leave it stock (for now).
> 
> 
> 
> All good man. You're preaching to the converted though. I've been through all of Bing's builds with a fine-tooth comb


The note about Bings install was for the guy above me. But yeah, I've read all of his threads and always look forward to the next ones.

Jay


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## indytrucks (Apr 5, 2009)

Any updates? The wife and I are looking into getting a GT-B while we're in Japan.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

No sorry mate, I've been slacking on this one TBH. With my VW project, a few customer jobs and Xmas/New Years celebrations, I just haven't had any spare time!


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Well it's been a long time coming, but between perk jobs, wedding planning, making home brew and doing work around the house, I've finally squeezed in some time to work on the Suby!
Got the final piece to the sub-box jigsaw hammered into place. This has to be the ugliest box I've ever built, but fortunatley it's all hidden under the trim panels 








False floor grill is all done. I missed getting build pics, but basicly started but tracing the perimeter of the sub trim panel onto 12mm ply with the flush-trim bit on the router then cut the grill holes using the Jasper jig and the flush-trim bit and guides. I used a rabbeter to sink the grill mesh in 2-3mm so the carpet sits flat. It's a bit overkill, but I covered the bottom with vinyl to hide the bare ply. 








Filler work all done on the distro holder. I'll be painting this the same silver as the body colour. Same goes with the outer ring of the subwoofer frame. The grey paint was starting to flake off in one spot, so I've sanded it back and primed it. Will spray the silver next weekend.
















And finally, got the side panel carpeted and the 360.2 window installed.








Should get started on wiring next weekend.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Nice. I like where this is going.

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Well I didn't get the distro holder and sub painted, but made a start on the wiring.
Wiring up and testing the LED's around the sub trim, then blacked out the acrylic.
























And then bolted to the sub box for the last time.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Moving onto the power feed. I decided to run the 0 gauge cable under the car, so ran it through some 25mm electric conduit for safety. After removing the inner plastic guard from the front left fender, I found a big open grommet with more than enough room for the 0 gauge to pass through. This comes out right underneath the OEM fuse box.
















To bring the cable back in the car I found a spot under the rear seat riser that wasn't double skinned metal or obscured by cables and pipes.
I used a 1" sheet metal hole-punch. If you're going to be doing a lot of installs, these are a necessity! So much cleaner than a hole saw!








































Then secured with some cable ties and insulated p-clips.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

And finished it all off with some techflex and heatshrink.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Nice. Coming along nicely, now. Can't wait to see it done.

Jay


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## vwjmkv (Apr 23, 2011)

sub'ed!


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## BakedCookies (Sep 6, 2011)

now that's some nice neat work!


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## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

Very nice. Like where this is heading.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Update (finally!!)  
Got the distro cradle painted and cleared. I got the sub done also, but had a reaction in the paint so will need to do that again later on once the weather has warmed up again.

















I've run the speaker wiring front to back, just need to put terminals on both ends. The single RCA from the H/U is also run. Since the 101E only has one line out, I'll be using the 'summing' feature on the 3Sixty. I won't have any fader ability, but I can live with that for now.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Cover panels for the side panel and amp rack are done. Also had some decals cut from frosted crystal vinyl for the windows.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Then started the arduous task of wiring up the switch panel and amp rack. To make install/removal a bit easier, I've used 6 & 4 pin plugs for the wiring between them.
















I've used heavy duty battery connectors for the main power feed into the amp rack.
















Here you can see the wiring for the LED lights and fans and also the barrier strips for the speaker wiring to connect to the amp rack.








And the rest of the amp rack wiring done (thank god!). I've probably got close to 10 hours in the wiring alone!









Here's the windows with the LED's on.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

And last but not least, I got the RCA's for the mids & tweets done. I used Cat6 network cable for 4x twisted pairs.
First, strip the sheathing off the cable








Then solder the +v end, followed by some heatshrink
















Then the earth, more heatshink and a good crimp
















And finally, some techflex and labels
















Ran out of heatshrink so couldn't get the sub leads done, but will do so next weekend.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Looking good!


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## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

Loving the progress.


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

evangojason said:


> Looking good!


Thanks man!


metalball said:


> Loving the progress.


I'd be loving it more if happened a bit quicker!:laugh:


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Sub RCA's are done








0 gauge ground made up, techflexed, heat shrinked, etc and bolted down to one of the rear strut bolts.
















Amp rack bolted in place and RCA's run to the side panel








And speaker wiring labeled, heat shrinked, terminated and connected to the barrier strips

















I have my bachelor party on Saturday, so there won't be any progress this weekend, but hope to have at least the sub in and playing before our wedding in 2-1/2 weeks


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

sinister-kustoms said:


> And finished it all off with some techflex and heatshrink.


What diameter conduit did you use? What brand was it? I will probably be doing something similar so I can come in through the spare tire well w/o having to raise the floor in the back.

Thanks,

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> What diameter conduit did you use? What brand was it? I will probably be doing something similar so I can come in through the spare tire well w/o having to raise the floor in the back.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jay


Sorry about the slack reply mate! It's 30mm diameter conduit made by 'Marley', which is a kiwi manufacturer, so you'll have trouble locating it in the US I'd imagine! Shouldn't be too hard to find a similar product over there though.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks for the reply.

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

JayinMI said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> Jay


No problem


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Well, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is, after a few teething problems getting the 3Sixty to connect to the laptop via Bluetooth, I finally got the pretty blue light to work  








The bad news is my sub amp is fuxored  Even with no RCA's, it's putting out a high pitched noise through the sub. I'll send it up to Dee to see if it's worth fixing, but I may be on the look out for another amp.

In other news, I've got the tweets mounted in the factory sail panels. I ended up using the Dayton ND20's I had aside for my VW project, they were the only tweets in my stash that would fit behind the grills.
































Mounting rings for the DLS MS6 mids are also done and have the first coat of epoxy resin on them.








I'll have it all done someday!


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## War Bandit NZL (Jun 10, 2011)

Hey man if your sub amp ends up being worth to much to repair I've got a 1000d or a caliber i can hook you up with

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Sweet, thanks man. I'll be in touch!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I found a similar flexible conduit over here (at Home Depot). I believe it's called ENT. Having a hard time finding similar ends to yours for ENT. I found some that would work if I was using a non-flexible tubing, but that won't work...guess I'll keep looking. Do you know if those ends were specifically for the flexible stuff?


Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Yea the ends are designed so the conduit locks in to place when you push it in. I'd be happy to pick a couple up for you but I suspect shipping would be more than the parts are worth!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I figured something out. I got a piece that snaps on the ENT and gives me a male threaded end...then I used a PVC coupler followed by a PVC 90 degree end. Whole thing was about $4...and then I'll just need the tubing (which is about $14).

I just spent like 15 minutes in the aisle at home depot looking at my options.

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Bump from the dead!

We decided to put the car up for sale, so I removed the Alpine 6-channel, front speakers and 3Sixty.2, leaving the sub and Fusion mono amp.
I replaced the front speakers with some old 8ohm Sanyo home audio units and re-installed the factory 'McIntosh' (Clarion?) tweeters, all running off the Alpine H/U. I was actually quite impressed with the results after a bit of tuning time on the H/U and swapping phase on the sub. I also modded the amp rack to centre the mono amp. 


With the LED's on (hard to catch them around the sub in daylight)


Sadly this will be the last update for anyone still watching. As of yesterday, this is all that is left of the Suby.

Onwards and upwards!


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Congrats on the sale and I for one am looking forward to the next phase of car that you will acquire build wise.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

More money for the Bug, then? lol

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Lol, I wish! We've cleared a couple of bills and the rest is going towards paying off the new car. Started the new build today, I'll start a build log as soon as I've got to a stage worth showing!


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