# Amp rack 98 Volvo V70R



## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Just wanted to post some pics of my project I'm working on. It's an amp rack for my xd 400/4v2 and xd 1000/1 v2. I'm going to mount the amps with the cases removed so you can see the internals behind the plexiglass.


This is my first time building anything like this so take it easy on me lol. By the way I'd like to thank all of the folks here at diyma for inspiring me to do it myself 

The car









Space I'm working with









Started with a cardboard template(at first I thought I'd do the 1000/1 on the left and 400/4 on the right side of the car but later changed my mind)











Then I recreated the template out of 3/4" MDF and cut holes for both windows.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Used a router and straight edge to create the lip for the windows to sit in. Only did the top and bottom. I left the sides alone









Got the windows cut. For the final install they will pressure fit. 










Next I'll be carpeting the whole thing and installing the amps. Hopefully by next weekend. I need to hit the junkyard to steal some carpet from am old volvo. Best way to make sure it's an exact match 

I would have taken more pics along the way but I didn't think I'd be starting a thread on it

I'm thinking of adding some LEDs as well but I'll decide on that later.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Here is a pic of how my amps are currently installed. The wiring isn't the best(especially the power cable sitting on the RCAs but I haven't had any noise issues) but that's just a motivating factor for getting this thing done and my amps moved.










If anyone has some tips or tricks to make this project better let me know.


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## SQLnovice (Jul 22, 2014)

I always liked that car.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Didn't Bing used to have one of these? I kinda dig the look of these cars.

Jay


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Yeah I really enjoy this car(I love wagons). It doesn't look bad for its age. Need to get a couple of dents removed. I bought it last year and the previous owner had done a lot of performance "upgrades" to it. My dad and I have been slowly returning it to stock and it's running much better. 

Here are some better pics of it 


















Some more info on the setup 

Head unit - pioneer deh-80prs(network mode)
Front speakers - C5 650s in stock locations
No rear fill
Subwoofer - 10W6v3 in the H.O. box
Amps - XD1000/1v2 and XD400/4

I'll be building a custom box for the 10 after the amp rack is done. 

If anyone if wondering what's up with all the JL audio equipment, I get great deals on it through local authorized dealers.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Decided that I will end up adding LEDs but I wanted to be able to turn them on and off. So today I added an on/off toggle switch.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

One nice thing about the car is it has plastic conduits for the stock wiring and there was enough room to get my power wire, speaker wire, and RCAs. It's nice because it goes all the way to the rear seats so the wires aren't in danger of being pinched when you fold the seats down. They're in both sides of the car as well.
In the pic there is 4 gauge power but I've since changed it to 1/0.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Alright, got some work done after work today. Got the amps mounted using t nuts that'll be hidden by the carpet. Also go all the wiring routed. Just need to add carpet and it will be finished until I go back and add the LEDSs.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Going to try and grab some carpet today and finish it up.


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Nice work! 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

teldzc1 said:


> Nice work!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


Thanks! I'm really happy with how it's coming out considering my experience level. I'm having a lot of fun so far though. 
Hope to have it carpeted by late tonight or tomorrow.


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## ZeblodS (Nov 4, 2009)

First, i love that car. Volvo enthusiast spotted.

Second, your work is very clean, can't wait to see it finished.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

ZeblodS said:


> First, i love that car. Volvo enthusiast spotted.
> 
> Second, your work is very clean, can't wait to see it finished.


Thanks a lot! 

Unfortunately my plan to steal carpet from an old volvo failed  The way the carpet is attached the the vehicle made it impossible to get the piece I planned to use. Now the hunt begins for a perfect match for the carpet. I found one place that sells a pretty good match but it comes with a thick backing that'll make the corners not looks so great.


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## tr0y_audi0 (Feb 13, 2007)

maybe use a new style of installation?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N3oT37z1Mc


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

tr0y_audi0 said:


> maybe use a new style of installation?
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N3oT37z1Mc


I was thinking of doing something like that with insert templates in the empty space to the right of the amps. That or emboss a logo there. If anything the sub enclosure will get most of the customization. 

This has been a pretty basic build so far. Nothing too fancy, as I'm just a beginner when it comes to fabricating. For my next project I may get a little more ambitious and try some advanced techniques.


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## cyantist (Mar 18, 2015)

Looks great! Update us with some pics when you find some carpet.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

One of my all time favorite cars. I like this squared off look 
far better than the more rounded designs. It is a shame its
so hard to find a really clean example of the 85-89 (i think)
Nissan Maxima's. I had a 89se that had this look and loved it.


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## Malv1 (Oct 2, 2010)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> One of my all time favorite cars. I like this squared off look
> far better than the more rounded designs. It is a shame its
> so hard to find a really clean example of the 85-89 (i think)
> Nissan Maxima's. I had a 89se that had this look and loved it.



The 89's were the first year of the rounded style. The 85-88 were the boxy style Maxima. The 89-94 are my favorite Maxima for sure!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

love it, i used to have a 855t5.  almost bought a 99 R  i miss my volvospeed days.

lookin good!!!!


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## cyantist (Mar 18, 2015)

I had a 2004 S60R which was a great car, but I would have much preferred the wagon.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

A little off topic from the amp rack but on Sunday I installed a drive shaft to restore the AWD(removed by previous owner). 

Back on topic, I'm thinking of wrapping the rack in black vinyl. I'd also like to add a "V70R" logo to the rack. Not sure if I'll emboss it or make it out if light grey suede yet though.


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## cyantist (Mar 18, 2015)

hone1er said:


> A little off topic from the amp rack but on Sunday I installed a drive shaft to restore the AWD(removed by previous owner).
> 
> Back on topic, I'm thinking of wrapping the rack in black vinyl. I'd also like to add a "V70R" logo to the rack. Not sure if I'll emboss it or make it out if light grey suede yet though.


Make sure you check the condition of the angle gear. That's usually the reason for disconnecting the rear drive shaft. Either a worn or broken angle gear. If it's ok, make sure you change the fluid in the transfer case, and do it religiously.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

cyantist said:


> Make sure you check the condition of the angle gear. That's usually the reason for disconnecting the rear drive shaft. Either a worn or broken angle gear. If it's ok, make sure you change the fluid in the transfer case, and do it religiously.


Thanks! Everything looked in good shape when I looked it over but I'll keep an eye on it. Much appreciated.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Picked up some black vinyl for the rack today. The blue LED strip I ordered from eBay came today too. 

Tomorrow I should have time to add the LEDs and cover it.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Got it wrapped and lights installed. I really blew it by not counter sinking the t nuts but being my first project I'm pretty happy. I've got a little touching up to do in a few places and I'll slowly improve upon it as time goes on. 

Also it was a lot of fun and I learned quite a bit so I'm looking forward to staring another project(as well as going back to clean this one up). I'm really glad I tried to take this on.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Couple more pics.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

So my next course of action is going to be building a sub enclosure that fits in a little better. I have 14" of height, 12" of depth and 43" of width to play with and 800-1000 watts at 2 ohm from the xd1000/1v2. I was thinking a 12" woofer would be nice. I wanted to add a second 10" w6v3 but I don't have the power for it. 

Was looking at going with a 12 w6v3 but am open to more (less expensive) options, if anyone has some suggestions. Was thinking about the dayton ho 12.


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## toylocost (Jul 4, 2011)

You've got all that space... Sell your current sub and box and get the Dayton HO 15.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

toylocost said:


> You've got all that space... Sell your current sub and box and get the Dayton HO 15.


I guess I could add to the height to make that work but preferably it'd be under 15" to keep it below the backseat headrest


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## toylocost (Jul 4, 2011)

Or go back some more and point it up... Or slant the box a bit to 14 inches...


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Good ideas. I'll make some templates out if cardboard and see what I like best. Depth was limited to keep from obstructing the amp window. A slant may work though. My original plan was 2 10w6v3s firing up with the port facing the rear but I don't want to under power them.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Now the rack is done I've decided to go back and add more dynamat. I only did the doors previously so now I'll be doing the rest of the car (or as much as I can with 1 bulk pack of dynamat. 

Got the passenger seat, rear seats, and spare tire out before having to run off to work. Tomorrow I'll be doing the bulk of the work.


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## jb4674 (Jan 29, 2015)

Nice build man. I wouldn't shy away from adding a second 10w6. With the 1000 watt amp you currently have, it should be more than sufficient to run both subs.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

jb4674 said:


> Nice build man. I wouldn't shy away from adding a second 10w6. With the 1000 watt amp you currently have, it should be more than sufficient to run both subs.


Thanks!

But as far as adding a second 10 that would put me at 1 ohm (amp says not stable at 1 ohm) or 4 ohm, which I don't think would be enough.

I'll probably end up getting a 12 w6v3 and build a custom enclosure to fit the rear better. Gotta sell my xd200/2v2 and 10" tw3 first. The 10w6 will go in my girlfriends car.


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

I had an 01 C70 that had the same front end as yours.
You can fit a 4" coax under the factory openings if you remove the Dyn tweeter and its house with very little modifications.
Fantastic SQ cars, I did VERY well with mine.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

chefhow said:


> I had an 01 C70 that had the same front end as yours.
> You can fit a 4" coax under the factory openings if you remove the Dyn tweeter and its house with very little modifications.
> Fantastic SQ cars, I did VERY well with mine.


Nice! That sounds like a good idea to try out. Maybe if I do that I'll install my xd200/2 under the passenger seat to run them and bridge the 400/4 for the mids. I do really like the c5 tweeters but that sounds like it'd be a cool setup.


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

hone1er said:


> Nice! That sounds like a good idea to try out. Maybe if I do that I'll install my xd200/2 under the passenger seat to run them and bridge the 400/4 for the mids. I do really like the c5 tweeters but that sounds like it'd be a cool setup.


I had the Xtant/Morel 4" coax in mine firing straight up into the windshield.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

The morel look very nice. I've never been able to demo any. There is a dealer in SF so maybe I'll see what they have. 


Now I need to do some measuring.........




It never ends lol


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

hone1er said:


> The morel look very nice. I've never been able to demo any. There is a dealer in SF so maybe I'll see what they have.
> 
> 
> Now I need to do some measuring.........
> ...


You wont find them retail, these are the older ones that are still available via eBay on a fairly regular basis.
With NO modification and just a removal of the entire tweeter housing you can shoe horn a 3" wide bander up there.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

chefhow said:


> You wont find them retail, these are the older ones that are still available via eBay on a fairly regular basis.
> With NO modification and just a removal of the entire tweeter housing you can shoe horn a 3" wide bander up there.


Awesome, thanks for the info. I don't mind cutting a little but did the stock speaker grill fit back over the 4" coax?


Reading a review on the audible physics nz3a. Those may fit nicely.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

I decided to re cover the rack tonight. Added the v70r logo to the right, countersunk the tnuts, and did a cleaner job overall this time. 

Tomorrow I plan to add a relay and some cooling fans if I get a chance.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Flush mounting the tnuts added one problem. The screws for the amps are a now a bit too long. If you look close in the pics they look like nipples lol. Going to add some washers so they aren't popping up beneath the vinyl.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Today I installed a relay to turn on the 2 amps, LEDs, and the fan that I installed today. No pics of that but not much to see. It's all hidden behind the rack.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

I was driving around today listening to music from my phone when I needed to charge it. The original owner had run a usb to the glove box when he installed a dd pioneer head unit. This meant to use my phone I would have to leave the glove compartment open, close it and crush the cord, or put my phone in the glove compartment and just pull it out to change playlist.








I didn't like any of this options so I added another usb in the compartment below the head unit. 
















There were already holes in the back of the compartment so the usb just slid through.
























The back also has an RCA AUX in so I'm going to order up an RCA to mini cable so I can use an AUX cable without having anything hanging out of the front of the head unit.


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## cyantist (Mar 18, 2015)

Looking good. Maybe add some body filler over those mounting screws to get it completely smooth. Also, I went a step further with my USB cable and mounted it in one of the extra accessory switch dummy plates. A friend was in my car yesterday and asked what year my car was. After I told him, he said he didn't think they came with factory USB ports in the dash... 

That's when you know you are doing it right.


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## gckless (Oct 11, 2012)

Nice work!


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

cyantist said:


> Looking good. Maybe add some body filler over those mounting screws to get it completely smooth. Also, I went a step further with my USB cable and mounted it in one of the extra accessory switch dummy plates. A friend was in my car yesterday and asked what year my car was. After I told him, he said he didn't think they came with factory USB ports in the dash...
> 
> That's when you know you are doing it right.


Yeah I'll probably end up using some body filler for the screws. I think if I uncover it I'll end up making some kind of insert template that will cover them anyways though. 


gckless said:


> Nice work!


Thanks. This is all a learning process for me so it's far from perfect but I like it.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Started working on a new box for the 10" w6v3. Going to be ported, tuned to 35hz, with the sub firing upward.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Need to cut some 45s, a brace, and cut the second baffle. Then I'll be ready to cut the hole for the sub and glue it up. 

I was just using some MDF I had laying around from the amp rack so I ran out halfway through. Another reason I love the V70 is the awesome cargo space. With the seats folded down I've got as much room as any truck bed.


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

Excellent work done specially with the amp rack.. this thread is well SUBSCRIBED


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Vacas said:


> Excellent work done specially with the amp rack.. this thread is well SUBSCRIBED


Much appreciated.


Forgot to mention the new box is 1.25 cu ft. I also need to go back and round over the port pieces. Not sure if it'll be any better than the H.O. box though.


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

In that case please shed some review on 10w6v3 performance... how low does tht go .. ??


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Vacas said:


> In that case please shed some review on 10w6v3 performance... how low does tht go .. ??


I'll definitely let you know what I think of the difference between the H.O. box and my new custom one. I don't have an spl meter or RTA so any review would be really subjective. 

Got some stuff done today. Made a brace and rounded all the edges for the port.















I also got everything glued up except the top baffles. I glued the port together outside of the rest of the enclosure then glued it in.
I made another mistake and didn't staple or screw my box together when I clamped it and I ended up with a few areas not being perfectly lined up. I'm going to have to do quite a bit of filling and sanding to make it right. Another lesson learned. 














I've got to cut 3 more 45s and the subwoofer cutout in the baffles tomorrow. 
This is the new box. I'd love to see what the graph of the H.O. box is supposed to look like.








I'll probably end up building another box later on. Especially since I'm looking at getting a 12.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Got work today but I'm planning on finishing up the baffles when I get off. Hoping to test bump this new box by tomorrow.
I don't have a circle jig for my router though. Any recommendations on how to make the best circle without one?


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Tapatalk hasn't been working for me for a few days but I got the sub in the new box. 
I was a little disappointed to see there was glue on the sub when I took it out if the H.O. box. It appears they dropped it in the box before the glue dried. Not a huge deal but also not what I expected. It won't let me post pics from my phone right now cause I'm not using tapatalk but I'll post some up later.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Oh great now I get it to work. Had to unfollow diyma and re sign in to get tapatalk to work. 

Sub out of the H.O. box. You can see some of the glue








And how JL wires it up
























And a shot of the new box. Still needs to be wrapped.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

This morning I noticed there are 2 factory holes in the plastic panel above my amp rack.








I didn't install the switch on the face of the rack to keep it clean but I need to be able to turn off the lights occasionally. So I test fit the switch and it fit perfect with no modification needed. I'm going to add some shielding for the wire before I hook it up.
















I may try and find a black switch so it doesn't stick out so much. Another option I was thinking of was installing the switch under the panel that hides the spare. Then I'd have a stealth switch.
New box sounds great too and I enjoyed the build but knowing how critical a good box is I purchased a box from a builder in southern California. Great price and he even did a plexiglass window. I'll have it on Friday







it's slightly bigger at 1.5 cu ft, tuned to 35hz. For what he charged it wasn't even worth it for me to pull out the table saw lol.


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

Btw i have a silly question here.. what about the heat sink of amps... !!! Besides the new box looks intimidating but isnt it big enough for 10w6v3.. ??


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Vacas said:


> Btw i have a silly question here.. what about the heat sink of amps... !!! Besides the new box looks intimidating but isnt it big enough for 10w6v3.. ??


Heat sinks are still attached to the amps. The part that's removed is the bottom of the amp.









The box I built is 1.25 but the new one will be 1.5 cu ft. Supposedly I'll have it Friday. If I feel it's too big I can always add some blocks of wood to make the internal volume smaller. The 1.25 sounds good though. I was listening to it today and it sounds really good. Overall I like it better than the H.O. box but that's just my opinion. Also I think the sub up, port to the rear is a better configuration for my car.


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

Thumbs up bro


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

So here is the setup as it currently sits.









The switch is hooked up to the LEDs and works great for when I need them off.


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

Those amps look sexy!


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

carlr said:


> Those amps look sexy!


Thank you 
The sub enclosure will either be covered in vinyl like the rack or stained a darker color. If I stain it I'll reinstall some woodgrain trim pieces the previous owner replaced with black trim pieces to match.


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## ANS (Sep 23, 2011)

Great work, looking forward to seeing more!


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Short video  https://youtu.be/sjkkRpzfjz4


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## Vacas (Oct 15, 2014)

Nice description here


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Doing the big 3 upgrade tomorrow, as well as installing a new bigger(AGM)battery under the hood. 

I've decided to remove my spare tire since I will never use it. If I get a flat AAA will give me a tow. Now with all that extra room I'm thinking a battery in the back may be a good idea as well. That'll get me ready for when I finally decide to go bigger


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

This big 3 is a little more involved than the average. To get to the alternator a few things needed to be removed















New battery next to the old








Crimping and heat shrinking the new cable















New cable next to the old


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Used a few brackets in different places to hold the power and ground. 4 total. The wires were covered in loom after the picture.








Complete






















I decided to replace all the original cable instead of just piggybacking them. The stock wiring configuration goes from the alternator to the starter then to the battery. There is no direct wire from the alternator to the battery. Since I was replacing the alternator to starter cable the intake manifold had to be removed. Good thing is everything is hidden nicely. 

Voltage went from 13.3 to 14.1 at the battery. Alternator doesn't put out 14.4(checked with dmm)


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Just for fun I'm going to build a new rack now. Here is the template for the beauty panel. Going to put it in the spare tire well. 

















Also I ended up getting a 12w6 and giving my girlfriend the 10. Here is the 12 in its box next to the current rack.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Here is what's going under the panel. Angled mount for the amps. 400/4 on top 1000/1 will be on bottom.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Went to pick and pull today and found the last wood trim piece I needed to install them up from.


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

My girlfriend needed a new amp and I found a good deal on this DD M3C so a new rack needed to be built. I knocked this one out pretty quick as it is pretty basic. I'll be redoing it next weekend when I get a DD ss4a to match the m3c but here are some pictures of it.























This rack is in the spare tire well and is completely hidden. The black suede is on a 1/4" piece of birch ply it's just used as a beauty panel. The amp is on 3/4" mdf, the jl xd400/4 is on the new rack too but I did not cut a window for it. 
I'll get some pics of whats going on under the panel later.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

The ss4a arrived yesterday and I went to work getting it installed this morning. So far it's coming together nicely. 
















Next I need to upgrade the alternator and get a second battery. I dont have any more room in the spare tire well for another battery though so I'll need to find another place to put it. 

Going to cover the beauty panel in suede and add lights after a little meal break.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk


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## hone1er (Feb 17, 2015)

Covered and lit























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