# 2007 Audi A4 Build - Getting out of control



## GrandMarkie

Hello all, it's time to start showing my progress of my system cleanup. My original intent was to just do some wire cleanup and build an amp rack, but has now turned into a new system build. A lot of the work has already been completed, but i'm going to start displaying the progress from the start. 

I ended up going for a 3-way front stage, a new amplifier and a processor, all of which were not in my original plan.

These are some of the changes I have made thus far as well as my future goals:

1. *Wiring* - I was using the OEM speaker wire in my doors and also tapping into my OEM amplifier's wiring. All new wiring will be used, wrapped in TechFlex and properly secured to the floor of my car. All wiring behind my headunit will also be cleaned up.
2. *Sound Deaden and Sound Proof* - I had already added a few sheets of Dynamat to my 4 doors and part of my trunk. The new plan was to fully seal my doors, floor, trunk and roof with sound deadener and Dynaliner.
3. *3-way* - I had 2-way components in the front and rear which caused some serious staging issues. I'm now going with a 3-way front stage.
4. *Kickpanels* - Custom kickpanels are to be made for my 4" Utopias.
5. *Tweeter pods* - Custom tweeter pods on my a-pillars are the plan. The stock tweeter location is too harsh for my Focal's. Plus, i'd like to push the tweeters further up.
6. *Trunk space* - A custom fiberglass enclosure and a false floor is to be built to give an OEM look. I'm not a fan of LED's or flashiness.
7. *Sound quality* - Now that I have the bit-one, i'll be able to properly tune my system.

Bear with me as I have a lot of photos to organize and upload. I'm hoping to update this thread frequently. This project really got carried away, but i'm enjoying it so far!

*MY EQUIPMENT:*

*Headunit:* 
Kenwood DNX8120

*Processor:*
Audison Bit-One

*Front Stage:* 
Focal K2P 6 1/2" midbass
Focal TN52 tweeters
Focal 4" Utopia midrange

*Rear Stage:*
None

*Subwoofer:*
JL Audio 12w6v2

*Amplifiers:*
Audison 5.1k for highs, midrange and low end
JL 300/4 bridged for midbass (to be upgraded to an Audison 2.9)

The Car:


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## AccordUno

Subscribing. Getting out of hand? LOL.. That's normal for car audio. Interested on what you did with your kicks..


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## GrandMarkie

*Starting Off*

The first step was ripping apart the interior to start removing the existing wiring and start the sound deadening process. I replaced all RCA cables and wiring.









I'm keeping my existing DNX8120, but a lot of cleaning up needs to be done with the wiring.









The doors already has some Dynamat Extreme, but a lot more will be added

















For the speaker baffles, I used the OEM speaker mounts, cut out the stock speakers and modified the baffles to fit the larger Focal speakers. These will still need to be modified to provide a tighter seal and less vibration.

















Removing the seats and door panels. There is a sheet or two of Dynamat behind the foam cover on the doors, soon to be fully sealed.









Trunk wiring is a mess. 









I previously tapped into the rear amplifier wires instead of running new wiring. This will be put back to normal.


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## GrandMarkie

*Starting Off*

The trunk will also have sound deadener and Dynaliner added. It's pretty bare now.

















The only Dynamat that was added to the trunk was under the spare wheel.









The back deck will also receive treatment









The JL Audio box will be replaced by a custom fiberglass enclosure. I'm doing away with the capacitor. You can see how I previously mounted the amps, this will also be fixed. I had a 500/1 for my sub, which has now been replaced with an Audison 5.1k.









Just the start of things to come


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## scooter99

I'm in!


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## raresvintea

nice car, nice prokect. i'm subscribed!


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## GrandMarkie

*Day 2*

Next up was sound deadening the trunk and trunk lid. I'll be adding the Dynaliner later in the process.

















Isopropyl Alcohol was used to wipe down all areas I was applying the deadening to remove any oils. This will provide a nice bond to the metal. The 120 degree Phoenix heat doesn't hurt either 

























Done with the trunk lid









I also got inside of the lid as much as my hands could fit









And back together


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## GrandMarkie

*Day 2 continued*

Now for the trunk. This Dynamat was already added about a year ago on my first build. Time to add to it









The is the left cubby where my newly constructed subwoofer enclosure will reside

















A few hours later:


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## scooter99

Now that's what I like to see, a couple of deadener pics. Way to not go overboard with 500 pictures of deadener. Job well done too. MORE MORE MORE!


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## quickaudi07

So what's next?


Sent from Verizon Thunderbolt


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## JP Fabrication

I love-getting out of control.

Subscribed.


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## GrandMarkie

scooter99 said:


> Now that's what I like to see, a couple of deadener pics. Way to not go overboard with 500 pictures of deadener. Job well done too. MORE MORE MORE!


Well sorry to say but the next step is...more sound deadener!


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## GrandMarkie

quickaudi07 said:


> So what's next?
> 
> 
> Sent from Verizon Thunderbolt


I'm moving onto the cabin. I have to remove the seats, center console and carpeting, then a lot of prepping for Dynamat on the floor. I also picked up a bunch of Raammat since it seemed to get some good reviews around here.


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## GrandMarkie

1980corvette said:


> i like these chassis more then the new ones.


I think the new chassis has some nice lines to it, but i'm partial to the fenders of this generation, especially the RS4...one of my all-time favorite cars.


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## GrandMarkie

*Pulling Interior*

Next up was pulling out the seats, console and carpet. Radio removed, lots of wiring to clean up









Seats are out









Onto the console


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## GrandMarkie

*Pulling Interior continued*

Now for the carpet

















The remote wire and RCA's will now be run down the center of the floor









You can see all the wires that were previously shoved under the carpet. Gotta clean up this mess!









The 4 gauge power wire is to be replaced by 0 gauge. Also notice the wire harness bracket. This is going to be relocated to fit my custom kickpanels.









RCA's are being replaced by KnuKonceptz


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## GrandMarkie

*More Dynamat*

Moving onto adding sound deadener to the cabin floor









I ran out of Dynamat Extreme, so I went for the cheaper Raammatt. It's much more flexible, but also a lot messier to work with. Not good when working in extreme heat, but the good part is that it sticks to the metal better.

















Dynamat Extreme on top, Raammatt on the bottom


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## GrandMarkie

*Dynamat cont'd*

I love the way Audi keeps their wiring nice and tidy. This make it easy to run new wires under the carpet. Just have to move it out of the way for more sound deadener.









Behind the glovebox

















And the driver's side


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## GrandMarkie

*Speaker grill*

Now that my hands are full of cuts, it's time to take a break. 2 of my door speaker grills were cracked which caused an annoying rattle anytime music was played. The grills are plastic welded on, so I had to first drill out the welds:









Here's the back of the grill after being removed









Door panel sans-grill









I taped on the new grill nice and tight









New plastic pins showing through









I then took a cheap soldering iron to melt the pins onto the door panel

















No more rattles!


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## GrandMarkie

*Door skin*

Back at it. I added more deadener to the rear doors. Since I removed my rear speakers, I just covered over the speaker hole. I previously had Focal 165VR's which I did not care for. I also wanted a front-stage setup anyway. Both the inner and outter door skins were treated.









This is the front door that I 'treated' a year ago.









And after









All doors are finished at this time. 









Since i'm relocating my tweeter from the doors to my a-pillars, the tweeter wires need to be cleaned up.


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## mattyjman

interested in how this turns out... join us for the next meet for sure !


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## dyrtyred

Looks good so far!


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## quality_sound

Looking good.


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## newsqguy

how did you re run your speaker wire? are you doing your own a pillars?


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> how did you re run your speaker wire? are you doing your own a pillars?


Are you talking about the speaker wire back to the trunk or through the doors? I am doing my own a-pillars, but I'm still unsure how to go about it.


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## GrandMarkie

*Sound proofing*

Time to add the Ensolite/Dynaliner. I purchased the Dynaliner for the doors and trunk while the Ensolite was used for everything else. Not much difference from the looks of the two, so I can't say which is 'better'.

Here's the Ensolite









Starting with the back seat

















Make sure to be methodical when doing this. There are a lot of bolts you could cover up by accident, just take it a foot at a time. This is much easier to apply than deadener though!

















Cabin floor complete


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## GrandMarkie

*Wire control*

I previously posted the OEM amplifier wiring in the trunk. Time to clean it up.









I won't be using the OEM amp, but this is just in case I decide to back to 'stock' 









A little better. All wires were soldered and shrinkwrapped for coverage.









Spaghetti wiring! Here is part of the steering control module for my aftermarket headunit along with a crapload of other wires that need some love. 









A few of the headunit's wires are lodged into the fuses. I was hoping I could tap directly to the back of the fusebox...









On second thought, I may just leave those 2 wires for now


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## GrandMarkie

*Kickpanel prep*

Both the passenger and driver side kickpanels use these wire harness plug organizers. The passenger side only uses 1 out of 13 slots, so i'm just going to get rid of this plastic piece all together. I'll need as much room behind the kickpanel as possible.









Here I removed the 1 plug being used. Not sure why there is a blank plug in there, but it's being removed.









Tucking in the purple connector with the other wires









And out of the way


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## GrandMarkie

*Yep, back to sound deadening*

The doors needed some attention. Now there's a solid 'thud' when I close the door. Such a nice feeling!

















Doors complete









The b-pillars needed some lovin'. Here's the stock inner pillar.









Deadener applied









Ensolite was put on and then the stock foam was put on top of that









The speaker baffles are made of plastic so I wanted to stiffen them up a bit to reduce vibration.


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## hc_TK

noticed any big difference when adding deadening on the floor?


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## JayinMI

Very thorough, my only worry is how closed off the back of the Focals will be in the factory speaker mount. I went from a relatively simple ring with my PRS components, and they always sounded choked off...my new Dayton RS180's are in new mounting rings which I beveled on the back side and it made a night and day difference.

Very nice work so far.
Going to do MLV too?

Jay


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## newsqguy

yes from the doors to the trunk did you pull apart your molex plugs and run the wires through there or drill a new hole? right now i'm running stock wires as well in my B7 S4 since running the wires into the doors seemed a bit difficult (i was crunched for time when installed my door speakers)


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## GrandMarkie

hc_TK said:


> noticed any big difference when adding deadening on the floor?


Tough to tell if the deadening the floor by itself was a big difference, but after deadening/sound proofing the entire car, it was a huge difference. The cabin is extremely quiet, I love it.


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## GrandMarkie

JayinMI said:


> Very thorough, my only worry is how closed off the back of the Focals will be in the factory speaker mount. I went from a relatively simple ring with my PRS components, and they always sounded choked off...my new Dayton RS180's are in new mounting rings which I beveled on the back side and it made a night and day difference.
> 
> Very nice work so far.
> Going to do MLV too?
> 
> Jay


I was thinking about this too, but I'm concerned about exposing the speaker to moisture. Thoughts?

Sound deadener and Ensolite only, I am not going the MLV route....yet.


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> yes from the doors to the trunk did you pull apart your molex plugs and run the wires through there or drill a new hole? right now i'm running stock wires as well in my B7 S4 since running the wires into the doors seemed a bit difficult (i was crunched for time when installed my door speakers)


I did run all new wire from the speakers through the molex plug. I had to drill a hole under each plug to allow the wire to go through. I'll have pictures of that soon.


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## GrandMarkie

*Rear deck*

Onto deadening the rear deck









I left the OEM subwoofer opening into the cabin for better bass response









Applied deadening to the deck panel as well

















I had to remove my a-pillars to remove my rear deck (pain in the ass). Since I have curtain airbags, i'm not sure how i'm going to create tweeter pods here.









Some deadener behind the b-pillars


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## GrandMarkie

*Wiring*

Now onto one of my original goals...wire cleanup. First was behind the headunit. I added TechFlex to pretty much every wire I have. Here's the remote wire and steering wheel controls all nice and tidy.

























This took a while. Color coded TechFlex...green for speaker wire, red for power, black for ground and signal wire. I prepped the rest of the headunit wiring, tweeter, mid and woofers, power/grounds and RCA's. Wires were labeled and shrink wrapped.


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## GrandMarkie

*More wiring*

I wanted to replace my 4 gauge power wire with 0 gauge. Luckily I had the old wire to attach to my new wire, and then pull it though. Originally having to feed the 4 gauge was not an easy task, so I made sure the 0 gauge went through the firewall with no problems.









Old wire









No problem









Coming through the mystery hole behind my dash









Re-routing and securing









The factory wire collector just unsnaps for easy access. There's a good amount of room for additional wires.


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## GrandMarkie

*Wires wires wires*

Since the tweeters are being relocated from my doors to my a-pillars, new wiring was run behind the dash









Getting wires through the molex plugs won't be easy









The wire barely got through on the passenger door, but a hole was drilled for the driver door. It probably would have been easier if I drilled a hole for both.









Looking from the inside









Success! Thankfully I don't have rear speakers.









Finished the passenger door









Preparing to drill the driver's door. Space is extremely limited. Be absolutely sure all wires are out of the way, drilling through these wires would not end well. I used painter's tape to avoid an scratches. It also provided some contrast since everything is black so it made it a little easier to see where I was drilling.









With the hole drilled.


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## JayinMI

GrandMarkie said:


> I was thinking about this too, but I'm concerned about exposing the speaker to moisture. Thoughts?
> 
> Sound deadener and Ensolite only, I am not going the MLV route....yet.


I usually build my speaker adapter rings out of King Starboard so they don't rot. You could probably fashion a rain shield out of some of that blue low temp plastic that Simplicityinsound uses. He gets it from Select Products. 

Jay


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## scooter99

Nice work on the techflex and wires. I love a nice color coded set up. Just looks so much cleaner to me. I know all one color probably looks better but to be able to identify what is what, basically, is such a nice thing. Nice work!


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## 2167

JayinMI said:


> I usually build my speaker adapter rings out of King Starboard so they don't rot. You could probably fashion a rain shield out of some of that blue low temp plastic that Simplicityinsound uses. He gets it from Select Products.
> 
> Jay


IIRC there is a How To regarding DIY rain shields


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## GrandMarkie

JayinMI said:


> I usually build my speaker adapter rings out of King Starboard so they don't rot. You could probably fashion a rain shield out of some of that blue low temp plastic that Simplicityinsound uses. He gets it from Select Products.
> 
> Jay


I was looking back at my pictures and I totally forgot I already cut out a lot of the baffle to give the magnet some space. I still have to add a rain guard though. Thanks for the info.


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## bmwproboi05

nice dude! Love the car I wanted to get wone but settled on a tsx :/


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## GrandMarkie

*You like wiring?*

Headunit is all ready

















I'm using a ring terminal on the battery until I get some battery terminals









Starting to run the speaker wire to the trunk using the same wire collector

















The speaker wires for the tweeter, midrange and woofer all collect behind each kick panel. If I ever decide to upgrade the speakers, I would just disconnect the connector here instead of running a new wire down the floorboard. More on this later.


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## GrandMarkie

*Wires, wires, wires*

I'm prepping for the RCA's, remote wire, GPS antenna, DRC controller and the bit-one USB wire to run down the center. Might have forgotten some other wires in there...

















Shown are the RCA's run on top









Along with the other wires









Closing up

















RCA's being routed toward the driver's side

















I utilized the OEM wire tie-downs where I could


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## GrandMarkie

*Finishing running the wires*










Now it's time to prep the driver's kickpanel. There are a lot more wires to move out of the way compared to the passenger's side.









I have to remove each connector from the plastic housing and then find room for the damn things!









Disconnected and a mess. I'll get to this later.









The wiring is coming along nicely. I ran the left speaker wire down the driver's side. I get to put back together some of the floor pieces.

























Added some Dynaliner to the doors

















I don't think I forgot any wires


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## scooter99

Killer job on the wiring man. I can't wait to see more. I love this part. It's the hidden beauty that you never get to see when it's all done! Very neat, very meticulous, outstanding! Keep it up!


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## hunter660

Great work. I like where this is going.


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## hugo23

Wow man, that's why Audi is a premium brand, those wiring rails are nice  and your job on that audio wiring is awesome. 

I'm in the beginning of my install, and your's give me some inspiration but at the same time a a little afraid because of the amount of work needed :blush:


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## newsqguy

hey grand i shot you a pm asking about deadening. if you get a minute let me know also how did you pull out your rear seat and center console?


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> hey grand i shot you a pm asking about deadening. if you get a minute let me know also how did you pull out your rear seat and center console?


Let me take a look at my receipts to see how much deadening I ended up using. I also took detailed pictures of the removal of my console if you want me to post them up. Give me a few, i'll get back to you later tonight.


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## GrandMarkie

scooter99 said:


> Killer job on the wiring man. I can't wait to see more. I love this part. It's the hidden beauty that you never get to see when it's all done! Very neat, very meticulous, outstanding! Keep it up!


Thanks for the compliments! It makes you feel good when all is said and done, it just takes time.


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## newsqguy

yeah man you can either post em up or email them that would be great not too many guys like you and i like to tear up our Audi's (b7 S4) for me


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## GrandMarkie

hugo23 said:


> Wow man, that's why Audi is a premium brand, those wiring rails are nice  and your job on that audio wiring is awesome.
> 
> I'm in the beginning of my install, and your's give me some inspiration but at the same time a a little afraid because of the amount of work needed :blush:


It's a daunting task when you first start but really it's just about patience. Grab a beer, listen to some tunes and have at it!


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> yeah man you can either post em up or email them that would be great not too many guys like you and i like to tear up our Audi's (b7 S4) for me


Yeah, I had a lot of trouble finding DIY's on removing the interior so I took pictures of everything I took apart to share to the world. I'm hoping other people don't have to swear as much as I did. 

I'll post pictures with a how-to hopefully tonight. Let me know if you need help with anything else.


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## scooter99

Yea, time, that! Ha, I get it. I'm about ready to tear into mine soon for the wiring portion. I'm calculating the wiring now, so I can get my colored techflex ordered. Where did you get yours? Ebay?


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## GrandMarkie

scooter99 said:


> Yea, time, that! Ha, I get it. I'm about ready to tear into mine soon for the wiring portion. I'm calculating the wiring now, so I can get my colored techflex ordered. Where did you get yours? Ebay?



Everyone has plenty of time, right...? 

Yes, I did buy mine from Ebay, a well known seller for techflex, i'll have to scrounge up his name. I'll also post of the sizing/lengths I purchased to help calculate the amount needed.


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## scooter99

Oh yea, especially with two kids and a full schedule! LMAO!! But hey, gotta make time for the things we love right!?! I know for me this stuff is like a huge release for me. If I'm stressed out, nothing is more calming that working on my ride! And you've seen my thread now, you know how much work I have to do on that thing! 

Thanks. Looking forward to getting some ordered so I can start on my harnesses.


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## GrandMarkie

*List of items*

Ok, I did some searching and this is what I purchased and the quantity of each. I purchased the TechFlex from the ebay member 'furryletters'.

*TechFlex:*
200ft 1/8" Ogre Green (16awg speaker wire)
50ft 3/8" Ogre Green (3 sets of speaker wire bundled together)

25ft 1/4" Red (4awg power wire)
50ft 3/8" Red (0awg power wire)

25ft 1/4" Black (4awg ground wire)
25ft 3/8" Black (0awg ground wire and I think this is what I used for my RCA's)
10ft 1/4" Black split braided (for headunit wires)

25ft 1/8" Blue (remote wire)

*Sound Proofing:*
(2) Dynaliner #11101 1/8" 
(2) Dynaliner #11102 1/4"
(5)Ensolite IUO Peal and Stick 

*Deadener:*
(2) RAAMmat BXTII (48 total sheets)
(3) Dynamat Extreme #10455


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## GrandMarkie

*Rear Seat Removal*



newsqguy said:


> hey grand i shot you a pm asking about deadening. if you get a minute let me know also how did you pull out your rear seat and center console?


Sorry I don't have any pictures of removing the rear seat, but it's pretty basic once you know what you're doing.

1. Remove the bottom part of the seat by pulling up extremely hard. Don't be afraid to break anything, there are just 2 big plastic clips the bottom seat is held onto. Hold onto the front of the seat on each side when pulling up (where a passenger would sit) The bottom seat can now be removed.

2. Move the seatbelts out of the way and pull down both rear seats.

3. There will be a plastic cover in the middle of both rear seats (on the bottom). Remove this cover to expose a torx bolt which you can then remove.

4. This torx bolt holds down a metal piece which is holding the seats in place. Remove this metal piece. 

5. Now pull up on the narrower seat first, starting where you just removed the torx bolt. The seat will now be un-hinged. Once unhinged, you can slide the seat away from the door (toward the center of the car). 

6. For the wider seat back, the same process applies but you also have to unplug the airbag connector on the bottom corner of the seat (the connector is yellow).

7. You should now be able to remove both seat backs by wiggling them away from the seat belts.

I'm writing this by memory, I hope I didn't forget anything!


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## GrandMarkie

*Center Console Removal part 1*

Lots of pictures for removing the center console, I tried to be as thorough as possible.

First remove your radio using the radio removal keys. Remove the rear ashtray by just opening and then pulling straight out.









You'll now see 3 bolts. 1 holds in the armrest and the other 2 are for the console. 









I used both a 13mm ratchet and open wrench for removing these bolts









Starting with the 2 console bolts









To get access to the armrest bold, I removed the back panel. Be careful when removing this, the tabs on each side can easily break









There's the bolt you need to remove

















Once the bolt is removed, you can now lift up the armrest. You can see you have to angle the armrest a bit to remove it.









Armrest is out


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## GrandMarkie

*Center Console Removal part 2*

Next to the cupholders, you'll need to remove the long plastic piece using a small flathead screwdriver. Start at the front and work your way back









Piece removed









Now remove the metal U-shaped piece held in by 2 torx screws (sorry, I don't remember the size, but they are pretty small)

















Removed









Now unhook the shift boot. The boot and knob don't have to be removed completely. There are 4 tabs the boot is held in place by. Stick your fingers under each corner and pull toward the shift knob.

























Now we start removing a crap load of bolts. The ashtray is held in by these 2 bolts.









2 bolts under the shift boot


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## GrandMarkie

*Center Console Removal part 3*

2 bolts on each side of the console (in the footwell area). Remove the plastic tab to expose the bolt.









4 bolts up top. 2 are right under the ESP button, the other 2 are on the opposite side

















Remove the ashtray. This is kinda tricky, you just have to keep working it slowly. Unplug the wires connecting to the cigarette lighter.









This exposes 2 more bolts. Ugh, let it stop









Now the heater unit can be removed. Just pull this straight out and then remove the connectors.









Oh yeah, 2 more bolts under the heater unit. I hope you're saving these bolts.









Now we can start removing the console. Start at the back and pull up.









You may have to move the e-brake handle up and down to help with the removal.









DONE! Now have a beer.


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## MTopper

wow, thats why i thank god i drive american. it takes 4 bolts and 2 screws to get my whole center console out. looks good man


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## newsqguy

so 5 yards of peel and stick you use it all or have some left over


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> so 5 yards of peel and stick you use it all or have some left over


5 yards was for my cabin floor, trunk floor and roof with none left to spare.


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## brrman

MTopper said:


> wow, thats why i thank god i drive american. it takes 4 bolts and 2 screws to get my whole center console out. looks good man


LOL -that's why i thank god i don't drive american.


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## newsqguy

did you end up cutting metal pieces and attaching the in the doors or did you "seal" them using just the sound deadner?


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## GrandMarkie

*Connectors*

Now that I finished running the wires, I added Power Pole connectors. At first these were a pain to add, but not bad once you get the hang of it. First, I crimped the metal connectors.

















Then soldered









The the plastic connectors were added. Note that I ended up pushing the plastic connectors down further to not allow the wire to be exposed









Now it's time to tackle the roof and headliner. 









Headliner removed. There really isn't too much bare metal that I can add sound deadener to.


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## GrandMarkie

*Headliner*

Starting to add the deadener

















Then I added the Ensolite









Putting the headliner back on

















I had some deadener left over, so I decided to add a little more to the rear deck









While my interior pieces were out of the car, I decided to clean each one with some Einszett Cockpit Cleaner. I cannot get enough of this cleaner, cleans well without leaving any sheen whatsoever.


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## GrandMarkie

*Details*

My cat Norma Jean helping me out









Dynaliner finished up on the front doors









My wires w/ Power Poles will be tucked behind each of the kickpanels for easy access. 









Checking to see how much clearance I have for the 4" Utopia's

















These are how my tweeters are currently mounted until I figure out a permanent solution

















And the passenger side speaker


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## GrandMarkie

*More details*

Admiring all my hard work before it gets covered by the carpet

















And with the carpet back in place. This was snug to begin with, now it's a really tight fit.

















The console goes back in









There were some hot air balloons in the morning









While my seats were out, I gave them a good cleaning. For the leather I used the Leather Master's Trio and for the Alcantara I used water with a Mr. Clean Dry Eraser. That thing works great!


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## newsqguy

what did you use to seal up the doors? just the deadner? or cut something to fit? Trying to find out what i should use


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> what did you use to seal up the doors? just the deadner? or cut something to fit? Trying to find out what i should use


I just used the deadener. Fiberglass would be a good addition, I may go back and add this down the road to seal up the holes.


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## newsqguy

alright thanks man i might use metal might not still debating there isnt a whole lot of room for those 4's in the kicks i'm not comfortable enough with glass to make my own kicks yet so trying to see how ppl do it


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## GrandMarkie

newsqguy said:


> alright thanks man i might use metal might not still debating there isnt a whole lot of room for those 4's in the kicks i'm not comfortable enough with glass to make my own kicks yet so trying to see how ppl do it


I'll have pictures on how I made the kicks in the near future. This project was the first time using glass, it just takes a little practice.


----------



## scooter99

Nice work man. Hey you said you used 1/8" techflex for your 16 ga speaker wire. Was it twisted pair speaker wire and is the flex snug on it or do you have play in the flex? I ask cause I'm getting ready to order, thanks again for the list, and I'm using 16 ga too. I'm wondering if I should go to 3/16 or 1/4" for that. What do you think?


----------



## Mitch

Very nice. I'm starting on a B6 Passat, which is basically the same car. Not much depth for the head unit I'm afraid - the AVIC unit I've got takes quite a bit of work to get seated - I'd guess there's less than 1/8" clearance in the back 

Did you happen to get pics of how to get the glovebox and passenger dash apart? I've apparently not found some bolt(s) or something.


----------



## SAM77H

awesome work and attention to detail. looking forward to the finished product..........


----------



## GrandMarkie

scooter99 said:


> Nice work man. Hey you said you used 1/8" techflex for your 16 ga speaker wire. Was it twisted pair speaker wire and is the flex snug on it or do you have play in the flex? I ask cause I'm getting ready to order, thanks again for the list, and I'm using 16 ga too. I'm wondering if I should go to 3/16 or 1/4" for that. What do you think?


The 16awg speaker wire was purchased from Parts-Express, just basic speaker wire. Here's a picture of the 1/8" techflex with the 16awg, I think it's a perfect fit:


----------



## GrandMarkie

Mitch said:


> Very nice. I'm starting on a B6 Passat, which is basically the same car. Not much depth for the head unit I'm afraid - the AVIC unit I've got takes quite a bit of work to get seated - I'd guess there's less than 1/8" clearance in the back
> 
> Did you happen to get pics of how to get the glovebox and passenger dash apart? I've apparently not found some bolt(s) or something.


I'll get some pictures of that, let me look for them. I believe there are 8 bolts total to take out the glovebox. 1 on the side towards the passenger door, 2 underneath, 2 or 3 under the dash trim and a bunch inside of the glovebox itself.

There's not much room in the back of my headunit either, especially with the steering wheel control unit back there.


----------



## Arclight

Awesome write up! I'm eternally grateful for all the pics you took of the molex plugs (and the wiring through them) as well as the center console removal - you have saved me many hours of research and work.

I have a B6A4 that I'm finally going to add a simple 3 ch SQ system to. I did something similar to you in my previous car (full interior removal w/ about 100lbs of sound damp), however, I won't do that again as the Audi is pretty quiet from the factory. You have taken in to the next level though w/ your sound damp thoroughness...impressive!

I will be checking this thread frequently to see your progress - very inspirational.


----------



## ecbmxer

Man, I'm envious of the Audi wire routing! I Techflexed everything and ran things neatly, but yours just looks cleaner with all those enclosed wire tracks. Everything looks really good. You may want to consider making more rigid baffles for the speakers (though I can't really tell how solid the stock plastic pieces are, just guessing) while the door panels are still off. I only say this since everything is so well done, you may as well have the most rigid speaker mount too. Or you could maybe add Duct seal around/in those plastic ones to add more mass. That stuff works well, I used it in my doors.


----------



## quickaudi07

Holy ****,,,, just wondering is that a RS4 or S4?

Any how, I got a B7 A4,, There are few things that I hate about Audi.

#1 Engine problems, camps, HPFP, **** loads of problems with DV Valave.
#2 trunk is very small, about 38" across, I cant fit my 2 jl amps next to each other!.
#3 To get any bass from the trunk in to the cabin is a *****! Even after taken out OEM sub, it helps a little but not much... once you done putting everything together, and y ou plan on putting a sub in your trunk DUH,, you will see what im talking about, or maybe you know already!.
#4 to take the doors apart in that car is a pain in the ass, the clips brake all the time.. I think i spent over 40$ just in stupid clips.


Over all, **** loads of problems with Audi's.... I will not get another Audi thats for sure,

But over all APR chip little tuning parts and it flys! 


BTW very nice build, I hope it all pays off at the end.
If you don't mind sharing you thoughts on your sub line? 
Also what are you plans on your rear deck?

Thanks


----------



## scooter99

GrandMarkie said:


> The 16awg speaker wire was purchased from Parts-Express, just basic speaker wire. Here's a picture of the 1/8" techflex with the 16awg, I think it's a perfect fit:


Wow, ok thanks. I think I'm gonna go with 1/4" for the twisted pair. I think in all honesty, it's close to the size of a 4 ga cable. So that should get me just fine. I'm gonna be back working on mine, FINALLY, next week. I have a couple projects that I started a while ago and then life got in the way. Gotta finish those and I can start on the audio! I'm excited again!


----------



## thgem72

Echo the base sentiment though removing the stock sub helped A LOT. Apparently the seat backs are metal. I have a B7 S4 that has for the most part been bullet proof, but which is also about to run out of warranty so we'll see.


----------



## Arclight

> Over all, **** loads of problems with Audi's.... I will not get another Audi thats for sure,


Having an Audi is like dating a supermodel...she is beautiful to look at, but, is extremely high maintenance. 

I will buy another one, however, I will probably get the extended service plan this time.

Another question Grandmarkie: What did you do w/ the stock center channel speaker? Did you integrate it into your build somehow or just bypass it?


----------



## CKYMike

I dont understand, ive had 3 audis now and as long as you do the proper preventative maintance they'll give you very little problems. Not to mention with the resale value being very low it would be a great value to get one along with a cpo warranty.

btw nice build! i actually have almost the exact same car and am in the midst of doing an sq build myself


----------



## Arclight

> I dont understand, ive had 3 audis now and as long as you do the proper preventative maintance they'll give you very little problems. Not to mention with the resale value being very low it would be a great value to get one along with a cpo warranty.
> 
> btw nice build! i actually have almost the exact same car and am in the midst of doing an sq build myself


Agreed, maintenance is key...my car runs phenomenal, however, its a labor of love. Beautiful B7 S-line BTW.

I too am doing an SQ build so I'm psyched to see this thread - takes almost all guesswork out of my impending build.


----------



## trojan fan

scooter99 said:


> Now that's what I like to see, a couple of deadener pics. Way to not go overboard with 500 pictures of deadener. Job well done too. MORE MORE MORE!



x2 exactly what I was thinking....very nice build


----------



## quality_sound

quickaudi07 said:


> Holy ****,,,, just wondering is that a RS4 or S4?
> 
> Any how, I got a B7 A4,, There are few things that I hate about Audi.
> 
> #1 Engine problems, camps, HPFP, **** loads of problems with DV Valave.
> #2 trunk is very small, about 38" across, I cant fit my 2 jl amps next to each other!.
> #3 To get any bass from the trunk in to the cabin is a *****! Even after taken out OEM sub, it helps a little but not much... once you done putting everything together, and y ou plan on putting a sub in your trunk DUH,, you will see what im talking about, or maybe you know already!.
> #4 to take the doors apart in that car is a pain in the ass, the clips brake all the time.. I think i spent over 40$ just in stupid clips.
> 
> 
> Over all, **** loads of problems with Audi's.... I will not get another Audi thats for sure,
> 
> But over all APR chip little tuning parts and it flys!
> 
> 
> BTW very nice build, I hope it all pays off at the end.
> If you don't mind sharing you thoughts on your sub line?
> Also what are you plans on your rear deck?
> 
> Thanks


ALL German cars require a level of owner involvement that most people aren't prepared for. I've owned a number of VWs, a BMW, and now an Audi and none have had any problems but I'm fanatical about service and I do it all myself.


----------



## GrandMarkie

ecbmxer said:


> Man, I'm envious of the Audi wire routing! I Techflexed everything and ran things neatly, but yours just looks cleaner with all those enclosed wire tracks. Everything looks really good. You may want to consider making more rigid baffles for the speakers (though I can't really tell how solid the stock plastic pieces are, just guessing) while the door panels are still off. I only say this since everything is so well done, you may as well have the most rigid speaker mount too. Or you could maybe add Duct seal around/in those plastic ones to add more mass. That stuff works well, I used it in my doors.


The baffles are pretty rigid now that I cut them down and added deadener to them, but I just may replace them with a sturdier material as you mentioned. 

I'm trying to finish up my amp rack this weekend, I have a lot more pictures to upload soon.


----------



## GrandMarkie

quickaudi07 said:


> Holy ****,,,, just wondering is that a RS4 or S4?
> 
> Any how, I got a B7 A4,, There are few things that I hate about Audi.
> 
> #1 Engine problems, camps, HPFP, **** loads of problems with DV Valave.
> #2 trunk is very small, about 38" across, I cant fit my 2 jl amps next to each other!.
> #3 To get any bass from the trunk in to the cabin is a *****! Even after taken out OEM sub, it helps a little but not much... once you done putting everything together, and y ou plan on putting a sub in your trunk DUH,, you will see what im talking about, or maybe you know already!.
> #4 to take the doors apart in that car is a pain in the ass, the clips brake all the time.. I think i spent over 40$ just in stupid clips.
> 
> 
> Over all, **** loads of problems with Audi's.... I will not get another Audi thats for sure,
> 
> But over all APR chip little tuning parts and it flys!
> 
> 
> BTW very nice build, I hope it all pays off at the end.
> If you don't mind sharing you thoughts on your sub line?
> Also what are you plans on your rear deck?
> 
> Thanks


I have an A4, but I wish I had an RS4! 

I agree with what the others have said, as long as you take care of your car, you shouldn't have too many problems unless you run into a lemon. The B7's and B8's have been pretty solid cars, anything older though have had a lot more issues. It seems Audi is getting more reliable.

I have a GIAC tune and love it, such a great improvement. 

Loving my JL sub but I don't have too much to compare it to, this is all i've had. Not sure what you mean by the rear deck, I just added deadener and removed the stock subwoofer, but that's about it.


----------



## GrandMarkie

Arclight said:


> Having an Audi is like dating a supermodel...she is beautiful to look at, but, is extremely high maintenance.
> 
> I will buy another one, however, I will probably get the extended service plan this time.
> 
> Another question Grandmarkie: What did you do w/ the stock center channel speaker? Did you integrate it into your build somehow or just bypass it?


I bypassed the center channel, I don't think i'm going down that road.


----------



## GrandMarkie

CKYMike said:


> I dont understand, ive had 3 audis now and as long as you do the proper preventative maintance they'll give you very little problems. Not to mention with the resale value being very low it would be a great value to get one along with a cpo warranty.
> 
> btw nice build! i actually have almost the exact same car and am in the midst of doing an sq build myself


Great looking car, loving the stance and the AWE intercooler. One day i'll get around to lowering the car...

Any details on your build?


----------



## GrandMarkie

Arclight said:


> Agreed, maintenance is key...my car runs phenomenal, however, its a labor of love. Beautiful B7 S-line BTW.
> 
> I too am doing an SQ build so I'm psyched to see this thread - takes almost all guesswork out of my impending build.


Feel free to ask if you have any questions along the way, anything I can do to help eliminate headaches.


----------



## CKYMike

GrandMarkie said:


> Great looking car, loving the stance and the AWE intercooler. One day i'll get around to lowering the car...
> 
> Any details on your build?


This will probably be a demo car for my shop. The plan is Morel elate 3 way and genesis profile amps running active along with 1 ultimo 10" sub. My mind changes every day on it though....well see when i have time to pull the trigger and get the product.


----------



## Arclight

> Feel free to ask if you have any questions along the way, anything I can do to help eliminate headaches.


Thanks Grandmarkie for the kind offer. I will be hitting you up for advice if I can't find the answer in your photo log.

Any chance you are making the long trip from AZ to Waterfest so I can see/hear your work in person?


----------



## blueatlanta

just fyi, i bought 3/8" fire techflex from furryletters for my power wire and it was a touch too small and ended up buying the 1/2".


----------



## SirLaughsALot

Very inspiring. I still cannot believe you went 16ga speaker wire with the amount of effort you put into this project. I would have at least gone 14ga and starting building a moderately crazy setup. 

Very clean work, and an excellent job. Keep it up, lets see more pics!


----------



## quickaudi07

I'm not hating on Audi I'm just sick of mine!!!! I had put lots of money. Oil changes maintenance was covered at Audi. To many things to list. 


Anyhow very nice build. What are u doing for ur sub line? I know you have idq I just don't know what are you using or how you going to get base in to the cabin? Keep me posted or all of us I should say 


Sent from Verizon Thunderbolt


----------



## quality_sound

SirLaughsALot said:


> Very inspiring. I still cannot believe you went 16ga speaker wire with the amount of effort you put into this project. I would have at least gone 14ga and starting building a moderately crazy setup.
> 
> Very clean work, and an excellent job. Keep it up, lets see more pics!


What makes you think he needs anything more than 16 gauge?


----------



## Arclight

> What makes you think he needs anything more than 16 gauge?


Agreed...I don't think the molex plugs will allow much larger wire without serious modification.


----------



## quickaudi07

To include, its a pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on


----------



## GrandMarkie

SirLaughsALot said:


> Very inspiring. I still cannot believe you went 16ga speaker wire with the amount of effort you put into this project. I would have at least gone 14ga and starting building a moderately crazy setup.
> 
> Very clean work, and an excellent job. Keep it up, lets see more pics!


I really didn't see a need to use anything more than 16ga for the tweeters, mids and midbass. I did use 12ga for the sub though.

Like the others familiar with Audi's mentioned, anything thicker would have been an extreme PIA.


----------



## Arclight

Any further progress on your build, Grandmarkie?

Did you consider going with a vinyl type of sound damp (i.e. Cascade VB2)? I'm thinking of using Cascade instead of Raamat (which I have leftover from my previous build) to save on weight. Thoughts?


----------



## GrandMarkie

Arclight said:


> Any further progress on your build, Grandmarkie?
> 
> Did you consider going with a vinyl type of sound damp (i.e. Cascade VB2)? I'm thinking of using Cascade instead of Raamat (which I have leftover from my previous build) to save on weight. Thoughts?


I wish I could comment on the VB2, but i've never had any experience with it. It looks like a good alternative to Raamat and I'm sure it can't be any more difficult to apply. 

Weight savings is a great selling point, but I really love the 'thud' my door makes with the added mass. Can a product with much less mass produce just as an effective result as Raamat/Dynamat? I'd be curious to see what others think.

I'm just about to post some more pictures in the next few minutes.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It starts*

My trunk was a mess so it's time to clean it up. I was using a JL Audio wedge box which sounded great, but took up too much space. The left cubby was occupied by a plastic storage box which I didn't use for anything, so I got rid of that.

Ok, bear with me on this. I've never dealt with fiberglass before so things were looking a little sloppy along the way. I hadn't seen any tutorials or examples on anybody putting the enclosure behind the cubby door, so a lot was trial and error. I made some mistakes along the way...live and learn.

First was to tape up the cubby:

























A layer of aluminum foil

















Materials are ready. I ordered the resin and fiberglass mat (sheets and chopped) from US Composites. Even though i've never glassed before, it was pretty easy to work with. Unfortunately, I ran out of resin so I had to purchase the Lowe's stuff which was much thicker. US Composites resin seems to need a lot more hardener than the 3M brand.









Safety first









I ended buying about 100 pairs of gloves...


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*

Protect the car









To get my feet wet with glassing, I first started with the chopped mat which is very easy to apply. This absorbs the resin really quick and is great for the first layer.

















The thicker sheets were then applied. This definitely requires a lot more resin.

















Phoenix heat lets this cure super quick

























Since there were only about 3 layers applied at this point, the walls are still a little flexible so I was able to wiggle it out without much trouble. I'll apply the rest of the glass out of the car.









Yup, it's ugly!


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*

I then proceeded to trim some of the corners









Test fitted after trimming

















Onto the speaker ring. I purchased this on ebay for like $10 or $15, it was a perfect fit for the 12w6. Added some t-nuts to the back

























Mounted the ring with some wooden dowels and hot glue. This can be tricky, patience is key


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*










A little more trimming needed

















Test fitted the sub









I wanted to make sure the magnet wasn't touching the walls. Yeah, it's cutting it close, but I don't have much room to work with.









I added more layers of glass along the way. I think there's about 5-6 layers total so far









Test fitted again

















I then applied some cheap fleece from a local fabric store using 3M Super 77 adhesive spray. Try to make this as taut as possible to avoid any wrinkles. Since i'll be carpeting the enclosure, I have some leeway but if you plan on painting it, this is an important step.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*

I then applied some cheap fleece from a local fabric store using 3M Super 77 adhesive spray. Try to make this as taut as possible to avoid any wrinkles. Since i'll be carpeting the enclosure, I have some leeway but if you plan on painting it, this is an important step.

















Is my sub even going to fit in there? We'll see









Applied the resin and then test fit...again.

























Turns out the sub didn't fit so I needed to do a little modifying


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*










This opening actually gave me a better angle to apply some more layers of glass on the inside.

















I had to create a new structure to allow the fleece to form around the magnet while still fitting inside of the cubby

























Re-fleeced

















Doing a little sanding. It's starting to weigh quite a bit now.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*

More trimming in order for it to fit inside of the trunk. I can't count how many times I had to test fit this thing









Now that all the fiberglass has been added and everything is trimmed up, it's time to add the binding posts









Sealed up from the inside using silicone glue









Time to carpet









































Preparing the wire


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom sub enclosure - It continues*


















After using packing peanuts to determine the volume of the enclosure (about 1.10), JL recommends at least 1.25 cubic feet, I added some fiberfill to compensate for the other .15 of space needed.

















Finally!


----------



## strong*I*bumpin

Kudos on FG enclosure,came out really great ,Cant wait to do mine in my Accord.


----------



## Buzzman

Looking good.  Perhaps you could bring your ride to the get together we are having at Handcrafted Car Audio in Mesa on June 4. Check out the thread in the 12 Volt section.


----------



## Arclight

Nice job on the sub box...very impressed, especially for a first effort


----------



## GrandMarkie

Buzzman said:


> Looking good.  Perhaps you could bring your ride to the get together we are having at Handcrafted Car Audio in Mesa on June 4. Check out the thread in the 12 Volt section.


Thanks for the invite Buzzman, but i'll be busy packing this weekend


----------



## Buzzman

GrandMarkie said:


> Thanks for the invite Buzzman, but i'll be busy packing this weekend


Hopefully, you are going someplace fun, and we will plan on seeing you at the next GTG. Looks like it will be in late September.


----------



## GrandMarkie

Buzzman said:


> Hopefully, you are going someplace fun, and we will plan on seeing you at the next GTG. Looks like it will be in late September.


I'm actually moving out to Boston next month so I won't be able to attend any future meets  How did June 4th turn out?


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Speaker Baffle rebuild*

So I took everyone's advice and not use the OEM plastic speaker baffles to house my K2P's. I had some spare plywood from my amp build and decided to make sturdier baffles. The results are great, i'm definitely getting more punch!

I first needed to create a template from the stock speaker housings

















Outlined the pattern









This turned out to be perfect for the inner diameter









I needed 3 rings on top of the bottom template for a total of 4 layers for each baffle









I don't have a router so I made do with a jigsaw. A little crude, but it gets the job done









Test fit









I first glued the 3 rings together with wood glue then glued that to the base









I then added 3 coats of resin. This soaked right into the plywood.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Speaker Baffle rebuild cont'd*

I then spray painted each with some wrinkle paint I had lying around

















Got some threaded inserts from Lowe's. *I advise against these brass inserts*, they will break without much effort at all. There are some higher quality versions out there









Inserts installed









A layer of deadener added









And then some Ensolite









Foam added to the bottom of the baffle for a better seal









While my door panels were off, I was able to add some more deadener and Ensolite to some other areas. I was getting a few rattles, but now it's rattle free.









Baffle installed


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Speaker Baffle rebuild cont'd*

A nice tight seal









A layer of foam was also added between the speaker and the baffle


----------



## MTopper

For only using a jig saw, those baffles are very impressive. great FG box also. the w6 looks to be happy in its new home haha. keep it up man


----------



## Arclight

Awesome baffles...that's about what I had in mind (maybe w/ MDF instead). They look very sturdy and rigid. 

Again, this thread is going to get heavily researched before I start my build, especially the details w/ the doors and speaker wires.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom Kick Panels*

Next up are my custom kick panels to house the 4" Utopia's. 

I had originally started to create sealed enclosures but then thought there was no need with a 4" driver. I am pretty limited with the space behind each kickpanel and my goal of the project was to keep everything stock looking as possible so I wasn't about to have my kickpanels stick out much further than stock.

Starting to modify my original kick panels.









I needed a temporary backing plate to attach my speaker ring.









The speakers are placed in a recessed ring

















Positioned the ring into place

























Then wrapped with a t-shirt









Tapped up the parts I didn't want resin applied









Resin applied. I ran out of my US Composites resin so I had to settle with the Bondo brand. It's not bad if you're just using resin without the fiberglass, it's just a lot thicker.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom Kick Panels cont'd*










After multiple coats of resin

















I then added a bunch of resin to the backside to stiffen up the kick panel









With the speaker









Started to sand 









And primer. My original plan was to vinyl wrap only the part that resin was applied to. This didn't look good at all, so I ended up vinyling the entire kickpanel. 









Since the kick panel is so flexible, adding only filler to smooth out the 'ledge' will end up cracking. I used resin and bondo which provided a flexible solution.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom Kick Panels cont'd*

The guinea pig is on the right









Now I started to wrap them in black vinyl. This proved to be the most difficult because of the steep curves. I used contact cement to apply the vinyl.

















The 'L' curve was very difficult to work with. I had to do a lot of stretching of the vinyl. I ended up re-doing this after this picture was taken.


----------



## GrandMarkie

*Custom Kick Panels cont'd*

Comparison with the stock kick panel. I have an extra set in case I wanted to go back to stock









And installed. I have to take better pictures at some point.









Hardly any obstruction with the foot pedal

























Since these pictures were taken, the vinyl has started to separate from that 'L' curve. Any ideas of a stronger adhesive? Super glue even?


----------



## mattyjman

great wrapping job! where did you get the vinyl from? 

are you happy with the strength of the kickpanel? normally resin doesn't add any strength without fiberglass material, but if it's hard enough for you and doesn't flex then you should be good. I would recommend adding some sort of vibration dampener on the inside of the kick to reduce any resonances that will come up in the midrange... just a thought

great job though


----------



## scooter99

Nicely done!


----------



## boogeyman

Nice job. Eagerly awaiting more.


----------



## quickaudi07

Man, I got a audi, can you make them for me too ??? 

I was looking though the pics,,, man that's some unreal work!


----------



## Jaredturp

Amazing install so far. I really appreciate the attention to detail on the wiring.


----------



## Arclight

Impressive work... looks factory


----------



## GrandMarkie

mattyjman said:


> great wrapping job! where did you get the vinyl from?
> 
> are you happy with the strength of the kickpanel? normally resin doesn't add any strength without fiberglass material, but if it's hard enough for you and doesn't flex then you should be good. I would recommend adding some sort of vibration dampener on the inside of the kick to reduce any resonances that will come up in the midrange... just a thought
> 
> great job though


These are pretty solid, but I agree, adding some deadener would help.

Thanks everyone for the compliments! I just finished my amp rack yesterday so I have plenty of pictures to upload shortly.


----------



## trojan fan

The kicks came out really nice.....very factory looking....good luck with the rest of the build


----------



## GrandMarkie

*DRC mount*

Since i'm not a smoker there is no need for my ash tray or cigarette lighter. There's another outlet next to my cup holder just in case I need to charge something. This is a perfect location for my DRC, I just needed to do a little modification.

First, I taped where I planned to cut

























With the tray cut out

















I then needed a mold to house the DRC. I taped up the DRC itself and prepped for a small fiberglass mold.

















I used chopped mat for this mold since it was the thinnest I had. I used about 2-3 layers.









I then put the mold into place and started for add body filler. Sorry, there are some missing photos up to this point...









As you can see I filled in the cigarette lighter hole as well


----------



## GrandMarkie

*DRC mount cont'd*

Lots of sanding









Primered

















I first used the same vinyl as my kick panels, but this turned out to be too thick, so I went back and painted it flat black to match my console trim. Here's the vinyl though

















I needed to trim some high spots under the lid to allow the device to work properly. There is about a millimeter between the DRC and lid when closed. This was later sanded and painted flat black.

















And installed

















The lid still closes to keep it out of sight


----------



## quality_sound

outstanding work!


----------



## coffee_junkee

Beautiful car!

The attention to detail and great photos make this thread a must read.


----------



## sydmonster

great, beautifull work on the kickpanel pods.

Can I suggest something??
Rebate the back of the MDF baffle, the imediatte area behind the cone/above the spider can suffer some compression, so let it breathe as much as possible. I've modded one of your picks to try an explain what I mean.








The red bits are the bits you need to carefully digg out/cut out.
Purely a suggestion, I had improvements with a friends set...


----------



## GrandMarkie

sydmonster said:


> great, beautifull work on the kickpanel pods.
> 
> Can I suggest something??
> Rebate the back of the MDF baffle, the imediatte area behind the cone/above the spider can suffer some compression, so let it breathe as much as possible. I've modded one of your picks to try an explain what I mean.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The red bits are the bits you need to carefully digg out/cut out.
> Purely a suggestion, I had improvements with a friends set...


Thanks syd, that's a great idea, I think i'll have to go for it! I have to take out my kickpanels anyways to re-wrap them so it can't hurt.


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## GrandMarkie

*Trunk cleanup*

Moving onto the trunk, I placed the sub enclosure snugly into place. And when I mean snug, I mean there's a chance it might not be coming out...ever 

I also added Dynaliner to the trunk

















































Just making sure everything fits. The door does close over the subwoofer, but there is a slight gap. I may eventually make a custom grill instead of the stock door, we'll see.


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## strong*I*bumpin

Are u planning on still using the cubby cover or are u making a grill?


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## GrandMarkie

*Custom amp mount*

So I procrastinated for a while on mounting my amps since I really didn't know which direction I wanted to go in. I know I wanted something OEM looking, not flashy, but more importantly, efficient enough to still have trunk space, access to my spare tire and hopefully access to the pass-thru area when my rear seats are folded down.

I originally wanted to mount them to my rear deck but realized it would be difficult to access the amps if I ever wanted to re-tune. They would also get in the way of my rear seat access. I then thought about mounting them behind the side panels, but again, access to them would be difficult, plus, there's not much space behind them.

I finally decided on a false floor. This will still give me plenty of space in my trunk but the tricky part is still being able to access my spare tire. I hadn't seen any other designs out there to suit my needs, so just came up with ideas as I went along. There are 2 'levels' of the floor. The bottom floor which holds the amps and then the top cover. There's a lot of photos for this part, I hope I don't bore everyone.

For the wood, I went with a birch plywood which is much lighter than MDF and still very sturdy. Since i'll be lifting the floor to access my spare, weight was important.

The floor is split into 2 sections: the rear which will stay in place and the front which will lift up to access the spare. I'll start with the rear piece.









The amps will be mounted on top of this with the wiring underneath









I glued and screwed down the pieces I wasn't planning on removing









For the front piece, I used my trunk lining as a template









At this point, I had no idea where I was going to mount each of my 2 amps, bit-one, and 2 distribution blocks.









Getting ready to use the jigsaw









The front piece was then cut into 3 pieces. This is going to be used to cover the amps.

























The top piece will fold in order for the piece to lift up. If it didn't fold, the sides of the trunk would hinder this from lifting up. The final pictures should clear everything up.


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## GrandMarkie

*Custom amp mount cont'd*

Making sure it fits

















I then needed to make the bottom piece for the amps to rest on, so I used the top as a template. The bottom piece will also be split into 3 pieces, but cut into different sizes.









Here are the outer pieces

















And into place. I also added a few more pieces to the back part to allow the main board to rest on.

















Main board in place


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## GrandMarkie

*Custom amp mount cont'd*

Both the middle section and the 2 side sections will be able to lift up. 









Door hinges are used. I wanted to use hinges with removable pins so I can easily take apart the floor. A heavy duty handle was also added to lift the floor board.

















The side pieces were also given hinges.









The bottom section is about complete so I wanted to get a feel for where to mount the amps









Since I can fit all my electronics on the main board, nothing will be mounted on the rear board. I figured i'd use this as some hidden storage space

















Hinges can be removed without a problem


















Painted the underside of the rear panel, even though this will never be seen.


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## GrandMarkie

*Custom amp mount cont'd*

I purchased 5 yards of charcoal fleece from Joanne Fabrics. This matched my trunk lining surprisingly well.

















I then unscrewed the pieces I wanted to wrap in fleece, which ended up being about everything. 









Super 77 was used to attach the fleece

















One down, many more to go


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## GrandMarkie

*Custom amp mount cont'd*










Fit into place. The storage trays will be accessible when you fold down the rear seats


















Moving onto the side pieces

















I added some more support to the underside of the main amp board









Now back to the top beauty board. This is cut into 6 pieces which will all be attached with fleece only, no hinges.









I cut out a hole for the OEM latch that was on the stock trunk liner. This will latch the beauty board to the top of my trunk.

















Each of the 6 pieces were then individually fleeced on the bottom only.


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## GrandMarkie

*Custom amp mount cont'd*










Stock latch going into place


















One large piece was then used to connect all 6 pieces

















Weights were added and then let sit overnight









Now the panels can be folded in many directions without hinges


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## scooter99

Beautiful work. A quick question, is there a specific reason that you would need to remove the hinges? Once done you should only need to lift it up to access the spare right? Or did you remove that, I didn't see or remember seeing that you did. A piano hinge is a good way to go cause it will take the weight, it will be much lower profile, and you can cover over the top of it and it can be hidden instead of the way your hinges are standing out now. Just a suggestion, that's all. 

Overall you've done great work. I like it a lot!


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## garrett2r2taz

love the focals good choice


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## MTopper

hey, how much did the fabric cost you? i have a Joanne fabrics right by me but they never have anything of the sort it seems. they can order it for me and i just wanted to know about what it should cost


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## GrandMarkie

MTopper said:


> hey, how much did the fabric cost you? i have a Joanne fabrics right by me but they never have anything of the sort it seems. they can order it for me and i just wanted to know about what it should cost


I think it was about $4-5/yd.


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## Schneiderd

I am simply astonished. Great work!


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## MTopper

awesome, and amazing job on the floor man. looks factory


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## hc_TK

where did you get the remote turn on, on the cd-player?


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## Xeonnemesis

Amazing build! Well thought out and nicely executed.

I'm thinking of picking up a late model A4 in the next year or two and after seeing your build, I'm even more interested. 

I used to have a B5 A4 back in the day and that was one of my favorite cars, however an extended warranty is a must 

Thanks for sharing your build with us, it has been very enlightening!

J


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## eighty5iv

Wow. Amazing build. The attention to detail is just outstanding. Great work. I am subscribed.


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## GrandMarkie

Sorry for the lack of updates, my fiancee and I had just moved back to the east coast and things are finally settling down. I will post pictures of the final trunk installation shortly.

Just as I was about finished with the project, it's time to move on to a different car. I love the final product and everything about upgrading the sound system in a car but I can't pass up my dream car. 

I'll be selling everything from the install, hopefully another Audi member could make use of the items I constructed.


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## chevyrider96

nice friggin work man, keep it up


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## Arclight

GrandMarkie said:


> Sorry for the lack of updates, my fiancee and I had just moved back to the east coast and things are finally settling down. I will post pictures of the final trunk installation shortly.
> 
> Just as I was about finished with the project, it's time to move on to a different car. I love the final product and everything about upgrading the sound system in a car but I can't pass up my dream car.
> 
> I'll be selling everything from the install, hopefully another Audi member could make use of the items I constructed.


Are you kidding me? After all that work you are going to sell the car... I gotta know what your dream car is now!

For record, I did the same thing after a 2+ year build. Sold almost all the electronics and picked up a set of wheels for a new car. That's how it goes I guess. 

What kind of build are you going to do in the "dream car"?


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## req

coming along very nice!

i used the same carpet for my VW GTi and it is a great match for your vw... er i mean audi as well ^_~

//edit

just read you are selling it LOL.

well. im glad you had fun haha.


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## madmaxz

X2 what is this dream car after all that.. Man..


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## GrandMarkie

Yeah, it's tough to sell the car after all that work, but i'll be happier in my next car, which will be an RS4. It has the same exact interior so I _could_ technically use all of the components in the next car, but I really don't want to mess with it.


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## madmaxz

GrandMarkie said:


> but I really don't want to mess with it.


Leave NOW!  J/k Gl man..


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## hc_TK

RS4:heart::heart::heart::heart:
I can fix you some kick ass dashboard midrange/tweeter mounts that are going to be awesome. These will be machined out of aluminum. 
Im going to make a pair for my A4. 
Only thing to do is to cut a hole in the dash and to angle the tweeters and make a "mold" between the tweeter and insert(to fill in the baffle)


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## HondAudio

GrandMarkie said:


> I think it was about $4-5/yd.


Excellent. That fleece looks great, and it's far more economical than unbacked auto carpeting


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## sebberry

Great looking install so far! 

How many layers of Dynamat and Dynaliner are you using? 

I'm planning on doing something similar. I don't need my car to be a bank vault, but I'm not sure what results I will get with one layer of each.

Thanks.


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## Arclight

GrandMarkie said:


> Yeah, it's tough to sell the car after all that work, but i'll be happier in my next car, which will be an RS4. It has the same exact interior so I _could_ technically use all of the components in the next car, but I really don't want to mess with it.


Nice! RS4's are very cool and fast. I don't think I would mess too much with it either. I seem to remember seeing a built RS4 in Eurotuner (or European Car...can't remember) recently with a full audio system, supercharger, etc. 

Are you bringing it to H2Oi next month...I realize you are quite a distance away but it's a very good show.


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## GrandMarkie

sebberry said:


> Great looking install so far!
> 
> How many layers of Dynamat and Dynaliner are you using?
> 
> I'm planning on doing something similar. I don't need my car to be a bank vault, but I'm not sure what results I will get with one layer of each.
> 
> Thanks.


I 'only' used 1 layer of each. The results are night and day!


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## GrandMarkie

Arclight said:


> Nice! RS4's are very cool and fast. I don't think I would mess too much with it either. I seem to remember seeing a built RS4 in Eurotuner (or European Car...can't remember) recently with a full audio system, supercharger, etc.
> 
> Are you bringing it to H2Oi next month...I realize you are quite a distance away but it's a very good show.


I'm in the process of parting out the A4, so I haven't bought the RS4 yet. It may take me months to find the right one, i'm not in any rush.

I heard great things about H2Oi, maybe i'll take the A4 if I don't find an RS4 by then!


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## Arclight

GrandMarkie said:


> I'm in the process of parting out the A4, so I haven't bought the RS4 yet. It may take me months to find the right one, i'm not in any rush.
> 
> I heard great things about H2Oi, maybe i'll take the A4 if I don't find an RS4 by then!


Yeah, H2Oi would be a bit of distance for you, however, there are always people from FL and Canada so you would be in good company. Parting out is always fun...

Hopefully you can make it - PM me if you decide to make the drive!

GL w/ finding your perfect RS4


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## sebberry

GrandMarkie said:


> I 'only' used 1 layer of each. The results are night and day!


Thank you 

Sorry to pester you, but do you recall hoa many sq-ft of Dynaliner you went through?

Thanks!


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## mears

Looking good.


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## blackknight87

Some really cool work here. I like how you put the Bit one controller in your ashtray spot and it can be hidden if needed. Very cool.

*edit* and after I finished looking thru the first pages of the thread. I am blown away. You put a lot of effort and hard work into this. kudos my friend. Very nice.


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## Arclight

blackknight87 said:


> Some really cool work here. I like how you put the Bit one controller in your ashtray spot and it can be hidden if needed. Very cool.


I agree...makes me want to go get a Bit One to put in there.

I've also seen people put turbo timers and other Apexi goodies in that space as well


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## cerspace

Great work. Can't wait to see the trunk finish.


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## cerspace

By the way, Love your car carbon fiber interior trims as well, did you wrapped them with carbon fiber wrap? would you mind let me know what brand? Are they Gloss Black-3M Scotchprint Wrap Film Series 1080?

Thanks in advance


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## UrbanAssaultJeep

Where can one buy the techflex sleeving you used? I checked their website and so many styles not sure which would be best.


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## Kenreau

GrandMarkie said:


> Sorry for the lack of updates, my fiancee and I had just moved back to the east coast and things are finally settling down. I will post pictures of the final trunk installation shortly.
> 
> Just as I was about finished with the project, it's time to move on to a different car. I love the final product and everything about upgrading the sound system in a car but I can't pass up my dream car.
> 
> I'll be selling everything from the install, hopefully another Audi member could make use of the items I constructed.


Oh, nuts. I was really looking forward to see what/how you tackled the tweeter mounts in the A-pillars. I recently got a 2009 A6 that needs the same extreme make over. 

Fantastic job on the build log, photos and quality craftsmanship. Many thanks! 

Kenreau


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## sq_guru

*jealous*

I love your choice in car, audio equipment, and install functionality. Beautiful kicks, and impressive vinyl wrapping! Oh, I miss my Focals!


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## Jonreedy

Hi,

Love your build. Great call on moving to an RS. I have an 08 RS as well. It's a total dream car. You will love it.

Do you still have everything? Are you still interested in selling it? If so, what do you want to sell it for?

I'm interested if you are still selling.

Jon


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## GrandMarkie

I was thinking of installing into the RS4, but if the price is right, i'm willing to sell.


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## SuMb0dY

Just started catching up on all the good A4 Threads so I can make a nice build of my own. Great work Grand Markie! I love your sub enclosure, I am going to try to make one of my own to house a 12w6. 

A few questions if you don't mind - Did you notice if the sub was pressing against or hitting the stock cubby door? I know that sub has around 1.7" of peak to peak excursion, was wondering if this was enough to have it slapping against the cubby door. 

How did you like the bass response? Did you have any problems getting the bass into the cabin? I'm gunna start glassing as soon as my respirator and fabric comes in the mail  - Super excited for this!

And where did you get that vinyl you used on the kick panels?? I've been looking for just that so I can make my amp rack look good, your kicks came out awesome, really great stuff. Although seeing the bare speaker so close to where your feet go makes me a little nervous - any chance of feet accidentally stepping on those Focal's? If I did that I would probably have put a super sturdy grill over it so some buffoons don't step on them - myself included lol


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## GrandMarkie

SuMb0dY said:


> Just started catching up on all the good A4 Threads so I can make a nice build of my own. Great work Grand Markie! I love your sub enclosure, I am going to try to make one of my own to house a 12w6.
> 
> A few questions if you don't mind - Did you notice if the sub was pressing against or hitting the stock cubby door? I know that sub has around 1.7" of peak to peak excursion, was wondering if this was enough to have it slapping against the cubby door.
> 
> How did you like the bass response? Did you have any problems getting the bass into the cabin? I'm gunna start glassing as soon as my respirator and fabric comes in the mail  - Super excited for this!
> 
> And where did you get that vinyl you used on the kick panels?? I've been looking for just that so I can make my amp rack look good, your kicks came out awesome, really great stuff. Although seeing the bare speaker so close to where your feet go makes me a little nervous - any chance of feet accidentally stepping on those Focal's? If I did that I would probably have put a super sturdy grill over it so some buffoons don't step on them - myself included lol


There could have been some contact with the door, but nothing audible. I was going to make a custom door, but never got around to it. There was probably a half-inch between the woofer and the door when closed.

The bass response was fantastic, no complaints. I originally had the 12w6 in the JL wedgebox and the custom box performed as good, if not better.

I'll have to see where I purchased the vinyl, I know it was somewhere online. I was also worried about my feet touching the speakers, but it never was a problem. 

BTW, all of my equipment is out of the car and possibly for sale if the price is right! I'm still debating on putting it in the RS4.


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## SuMb0dY

Bummer I already bought all my stuff but I'm sure someone would be super happy to snag that fiberglass box off of you and your other stuff. Theres still plenty of B7's out there in need of a good bass solution like that.

Personally after all the $$ I dropped on my equipment - I really hope to see it last as long as possible - and I'm fully expecting to remove it from my B7 when I sell the car in the future and reinstall it into whatever my next car might be. I even salvaged the 4AWG Kicker amp install kit I got from my old car - signal wires/power wires fuse and everything haha. That install kit was like 60$ and I didn't see the need to purchase a new one for my B7. Unless you decided that you really didn't like your stuff anymore- pop it on into the RS4! I'm sure it'll fit great and shouldn't give you hardly any challenges since your definitely familiar with the B7 inside and out =D If you don't put it in the RS4, what would you consider to put into it?

I had 2 12" W3's in a sealed box in the trunk for a few months. They gave great bass, ton's of power which is nice to have for when I have my moments occasionally I like to really turn it up. I'm ditching this huge box (my sister has been begging for it - Christmas is coming) and going with the stealth box like you. I like to drive up to VT to hit the slopes in the winter and want my bass to come with me for the long ass drive for a change. Had to take out these dual 12's every time to get the boards in and it was a pain. I am worried about switching to a single 12" and losing some of the power - but a W6 > W3 so I'm excited to hear how that compares. 

I started getting ready to glass my box, I cut out some of that secondary body panel behind the cubby with my tin snips to give me a couple extra inches because I was worried about hiding the woofer without it slapping the door. Should be fine though seeing as you pulled it off without a problem.

Did you find an RS4 yet? I know you mentioned you were spending some time looking for the right one. Definitely post your RS4 build when you get around to it!


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