# 2015 Toyota Camry V6 Build Log



## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Hello All,

My name is Chris and I’m from the Bay Area. I figured that I’d start a log after mulling around the site for a few months. I’m preparing to start my most in depth build since 2Pac was on the radio. I’m confident in my 12v skills, but this will be my first time using a DSP. I must admit that I’m apprehensive about tuning it, but I really enjoy learning and projects - so here I am.

I have a 2015 Toyota Camry XSE V6 and I’m hoping to keep a mostly stock stereo appearance. With that in mind, I plan on doing something that (as far as my research has shown) has not been documented before. 

I’ve purchased an OEM JBL Entune headunit and amp to replace my non-JBL Entune headunit. The two should be a direct swap, but I haven’t seen this verified yet.

I plan on using a PAC AmpPro as a pre-amp for a miniDSP c-DSP 6x8. 

From PAC’s user manual:

“The PAC AP4-TY12 provides a 6-channel pre-amp output for use with aftermarket audio equipment. Using the full range, fixed level head unit output, in conjunction with data bus messages, the AP4-TY12 delivers a variable 5v RMS pre- amp output with fading, balance, equalization, and level control capabilities. The module also retains audio from other vehicle features such as factory navigation prompts, Bluetooth and Voice Activation.”

I plan on using two JL audio amplifiers, one HX280/4 (which I purchased previously) and one XD400/4v2. I’m hoping to mount these discreetly under the drivers seat in the stock JBL amps location on a piece of moldable abs. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58-861C6b2c&t=259s

The OEM JBL amp must remain hooked up for the AmpPro to work properly, so I plan on relocating this behind the head-unit.

I bought a compliment of Audiofrog Speakers including GS690’s (6x9”’s) for the front doors, GS40’s (4”) mids which hopefully will work in the stock corner dash locations, and GS10’s (1”) which I may flush mount in the “A” pillars. 



















I also have a previously installed set of Alpine 6x9”s in the rear deck. I plan on keeping these for rear fill, but I’ll need to see how things go.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I typed up an excel spreadsheet of all my costs so far. I didn’t plan on spending this much, but I can see how it would be easy to spend much more:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

The factory JBL amp and harness arrived today. For those that didn’t read my first post, in order for me to get a clean pre-amp signal out of the OEM JBL HU via the PAC AmpPro, I had to install the factory JBL amp too.

Here are some photos to help others considering this upgrade:









To the OEM JBL HU









I bought this harness and the amp from infotainment.com. It has a composite video out tied into the harness:









Here’s what I think the OEM location would be under the drivers seat. I plan on mounting my JL Amps in this spot, so this probably won’t end up here:


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Subscribed and watching intently 

BTW, may want to check the build log link you have in your signature... it brought me to the homepage instead of here.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Subscribed and watching intently
> 
> BTW, may want to check the build log link you have in your signature... it brought me to the homepage instead of here.


Thanks for the heads up Ryan, I corrected the signature link.

I had a chance to put the JBL headunit in yesterday and our suspicions were correct - it’s plug n’ play with full functionality. I’ll update with installation pictures and more information regarding the installation either today or tomorrow.

Thanks for leading me in this direction!


Notice “JBL” just below the lower left of the screen


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> Thanks for the heads up Ryan, I corrected the signature link.
> 
> I had a chance to put the JBL headunit in yesterday and our suspicions were correct - it’s plug n’ play with full functionality. I’ll update with installation pictures and more information regarding the installation either today or tomorrow.
> 
> Thanks for leading me in this direction!


Very Cool! I'm glad it's working out so far.

So does the JBL head-unit power the speakers directly without the JBL amp installed?... meaning it has a built in amplifier with speaker level outputs and fixed level pre-amp outputs to feed the JBL amp too?

Also, no special "programming" needed so the vehicle and the head-unit recognize each other?

Very interested to see how the PAC AMPro integration goes... :snacks:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

So, as I said in my last post, the JBL Entune Head unit went in without a hitch. To answer Ryan’s (truthunter) question, the amp does need to be plugged in for any sound to come out of the speakers. The unit will function without it, just void of any sound.

The JBL HU was 100% plug and play. No programming of any sort was necessary. 

The part number of the HU I purchased was 86100-06341. The interchange part numbers are 86100-06501, 86804-06110, and 86100-06502.

Here’s a comparison of the rear connections on the JBL (right) and non-JBL Entune Head Units. They’re identical:









I didn’t realize it until I started removing the HVAC controls from my original HU to swap to the JBL, but this is the navigation unit:









Here’s the video I followed for installation:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YIRj4eEgqpk&t=311s

There ends up being an empty socket on the HU after everything is plugged in. Here is a photo I found on the internet of a similar unit. I couldn’t take a picture of mine as I only found the out after I gave up looking for the missing plug and mounted the unit:









I tried mounting the JBL amp behind the radio, but it just wouldn’t fit and ended up under the drivers seat. Here’s a few shots of spots I tried:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I bought the JBL Amp and harness from infotainment here: https://www.infotainment.com/products/toyota-jbl-amplifier-kit

The description on infotainment’s website gave me the impression that:

1. The amp was new

2. The amp was the OEM part for my 2015 Camry. I had entered my cars make/model into the website’s drop down menus which led me to the JBL amp page.

Unfortunately, I was wrong with both of my assumptions. It seems that infotainment.com makes the harness for the feed between the JBL HU and the JBL AMP, then pairs their harness to a salvaged amp. 

The amp that I was sent was pulled from another vehicle which was likely either a Toyota Venza (part number: 86280-0T010) or a Toyota Sienna (part number: 86280-08031).









Here’s what actually comes with the ‘15 Camry 
OEM 2015 TOYOTA Camry JBL GreenEDGE Radio Amplifier 86100-0w280









With under seat brackets installed:









I’m just mentioning all this to assure that anyone considering this install has all the facts. I probably wouldn’t have purchased a different Oem amp if I knew all this ahead of time. 

I emailed Infotainment over the weekend regarding my concerns. I’ll update with their response when/if they respond.
Here’s a shot of the amp/ harness listing:









On the plus side, the harness infotainment provides has composite video inputs which allows the passenger to mirror their phone on the navigation screen and allow video in motion. This unit is pretty slick as most other phone mirroring options involve a physical switch to change input sources and the navigation stops working when the input is used.










Here’s a video showing how this AV input works. It’s actually pretty slick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VDcPkX4bbo


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## Hubbard 0 (Jun 20, 2018)

Looking forward to seeing the rest of this build. I'm going to be doing a very similar setup with the C-DSP and AudioFrog speakers.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Quite a few things arrived today that I was waiting on.

I already had the GS690’s, but the other two pairs got here today:









Most importantly, the pre-amp got here today. This thing is tiny, I’ll definitely be able to tuck it somewhere behind the hvac controls or center console. I get to pull the HU back out, yay. 









I’ve been thinking about how to deal with the usb inputs on the minidsp c-DSP and the PAC AMPPRO. I’ll need to connect the the minidsp a lot and I’d like to be able to easily connect to the AmpPro if I need to also. 

Well, I have a 12v cigarette lighter outlet in my glovebox that I’ll never use. So, I’m going to remove it and mount this dual usb input in the hole it leaves:


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> Most importantly, the pre-amp got here today. This thing is tiny, I’ll definitely be able to tuck it somewhere behind the hvac controls or center console. I get to pull the HU back out, yay.


May I suggest placing the PAC in an area that is easily accessible.. I know what a chore it is removing the front of the center console and the head-unit. Did that way too many times in my install :blush:

Maybe place the PAC directly under the piece with the seat heater controls at the rear of the console as that part can be popped out quickly and easily if for some reason it needs to be accessed for troubleshooting in the future... I suppose it depends on if the harnesses are long enough to do so.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Today I installed the PAC AMPpro, then ran RCA’s and the 12v constant/remote/ground to the trunk for the MiniDSP C-DSP.

The harness for the AmpPro was only about two feet long:









But the length was perfect to place the AmpPro unit right under the coin tray in the center console:


















I had previously purchased this “Camry Sound Processor Integration Harness” from taco tunes. I thought since I had the AmpPro I wouldn’t need it.
https://tacotunes.com/shop/toyota-c...-processor-wire-harness-integration-system-2/

But it ended up providing a no cut/ no tap solution to run a 2a remote wire for the amps and the mini DSP, and a 12v constant/ground from HU for the mini DSP:










I also decided to return my unused/unopened JL Hx280/4 as it really isn’t right for my application. I plan on buying a second JL XD400/4 and running 8 channels (6 front, 2 rear fill) + the JBL 8” underseat sub (just to fill in a bit where the Frog 6x9’s leave off).


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I just bought a second JL XD400/4 and boxed up the HX280/4 for return. 

I’m thinking of mounting the amps on black textured 1/4” abs sheets (possibly carpeted) and attaching them to the rear deck:









One here to the right which will easily fit (*The “JL” emblem fell off of this amp. A replacement emblem is on the way.)









And the other XD400 (hopefully) will mount here on the left. I may need to get creative with the moldable 1/4” abs sheet:









These also arrived last night. I still need to download the plugin and REW to familiarize myself:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I worked on the the bracket for my under seat sub yesterday. I saw a guy on YouTube form an underseat amp bracket out of 1/4” abs sheeting, so I decided to try it out.

I knew heading into this that I had a conflict with an hvac vent and I had planned on just removing it. Well, I ended up just modifying it and I was pleased with the results.

Here are some pictures of my progress. 














































Template 









Bracket made out of 1/4” abs sheeting:


















I still need to get some threaded inserts to embed into the plastic. Then I’ll install the bracket and screw the sub enclosure to the bracket. This should give me a nice, solid mount for the sub, and none of it will be visible to rear seat passengers.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Looks good. 
I've never used abs... Did you just use a heat gun to heat up the abs to form it? And how will the bracket attach to the vehicle?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Looks good.
> I've never used abs... Did you just use a heat gun to heat up the abs to form it? And how will the bracket attach to the vehicle?


Thanks.

The 1/8” abs will bend with just a heat gun, but I used 1/4”. I scored it on both sides then used a heat gun to get the bends.

There are steel rails on each side of the depression that the sub sits in and I plan on screwing the bracket to these.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Couple updates. I’ve been working on getting everything wired up and other associated installation items each morning when I get home from work (7 pm - 7am shifts for the next few months). 

Just finished up the mounting board for the DSP. I made it out of 1/4” textured ABS. As the pictures below detail, I used double sided tape to adhere the DSP to the ABS sheet and cut it out on the router with a Straight Flute Flush Trim Bit.























































Here’s a shot straight on with the DSP sitting on the mounting board:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I also mounted my fuses yesterday.

I bought this black strap from eBay: 
New Metal Back Strap 18"

And these Phoenix Gold Fuse holders - which were really great quality for the price: 
PHOENIX GOLD FH.501K 4 OR 8 GAUGE FUSE HOLDER 

I ran a 4 awg and a 8 awg instead of a single larger diameter line because that’s what I had on hand.

Here are some pictures of how it turned out:










Fuse holders mounted to strap:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Got the miniDSP 6x8 mounted.

Found a great spot (thanks truthunter) but had a OEM wire conflict:









Relocated wire:









Used this hardware in some of the existing holes:









Board mounted:









DSP mounted with some rough wiring. Should be hidden behind the trunk lining when all is done. I ran the remote cable and USB up to the center console, so hopefully I won’t have to access the physical unit very often.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Started the amp rack template for two JL xd400/4:









Finished product out of textured 1/4” ABS:









Relocated the cables for the rear seat fold pulls:


















Here’s the amp rack mounted to the rear deck in its final location. I built it up with two additional 1/4” abs pieces (3 total) with a hollow space in the center for wires:









I got one of the xd400/4’s wired and mounted, the other one will obviously be right next to it:













JL was kind enough to send me a new badge to replace the missing one. I also flipped the orientation to match my install:


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Looking good Chris :thumbsup:

Lol, It's like deja vu for me with those Stinger 6000 RCAs, MiniDSP and how it's all routed.

I also had to reroute that factory harness where the DSP was mounted.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Looking good Chris :thumbsup:
> 
> Lol, It's like deja vu for me with those Stinger 6000 RCAs, MiniDSP and how it's all routed.
> 
> I also had to reroute that factory harness where the DSP was mounted.


Thanks Ryan.

Your build log has definitely been a huge resource for me throughout my build.

Anyone doing a build in a Toyota Camry, check out 2015 Toyota Camry XLE V6


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I ran into an issue when I tried to mount my second amp. The picture below shows the amp temporarily mounted as I terminated the cables. Once I moved the amp into its final position the RCA connectors hit against the bolt holding the middle rear seat-belt in place - a bolt/bracket combo that I’d definitely rather not mess with.










I bought a pair of these AudioQuest 90 Degree RCA male to RCA female adapters on amazon and I have my fingers crossed that they’ll provide the clearance I need (I only have two channels hooked up to this amp). If the 90’s don’t work, I may be able to drop the board down a bit, but that will mean disconnecting everything, drilling new holes and possibly the need modify the board to a smaller size. Definitely something I’d rather not do.

I guess it wouldn’t be as much fun if everything went according to plan


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I solved my RCA clearance conflict which I explained in my last post. I bought two 90 degree RCA adapters which got me very close. For the last 1/2 inch I had to cut the last few threads off the seat belt mounting bolt.

Luckily I’m running this amp bridged (2 x 100 watts) so I don’t need the other two channels which ended up blocked.









Seat belt bracket bolt 









Cut threads. Applied dielectric grease to the exposed metal.









Plenty of clearance 









* Side Note - My Dad recently gave me his old Dremel, and man I can’t believe how I’ve gotten along without it. For the last few people in this world that still don’t have one (like me a few months ago) go out and get one. They’re awesome.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I decided to use an OEM grounding location in the rear drivers side sail panel for the two JL 400/4 amps.









Removed grounding bracket and ground away undercoating









Covered the exposed metal in anti seize.

(Side Note: As I searched for the correct material to use to protect the bare metal exposed for the ground I stumbled upon some controversy. Dielectric grease or graphite rich anti seize?)









I decided to place the ring terminal on top of the factory ground. This allowed the best contact when all of the grounds were considered.


















Ground distribution mounted on the rear deck









I used a hammer type cable lug crimping tool for all of my 8 awg and larger connections. I was very pleased with the results. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone that wants the ability to crimp larger sized wire but doesn’t do it that often.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Today I completed the final wiring on the DSP.


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## vietjdmboi (Jan 3, 2015)

install looks amazing. i love it!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

After spending way too much time, I finally got my under seat sub installed. As you can see in the picture below I decided to strap the sub to the floor with 18” Black Power Coated Metal Mounting Backstraps from eBay. I bolted the straps to the cross-members after mounting rivnuts and used all SS hardware.

I’m happy with the way I mounted it, but (big surprise), I’m not very happy with the output. I’m going to move forward with the rest of my install and revisit the subwoofer issue later. I may ultimately end up with an IB15” between the trunk and back seat, but time will tell.



















The fused distribution block for the two 400/4’s ended up underneath the back seat. This picture also shows the signal cables running back to the DSP. Since I took the passenger seat out running the cables down the center of the car was fairly easy. 

* I have a feeling that my use of foil tape wasn’t the best idea with the RCA’s, but it’s what I had around.












I found that my trunk liner wouldn’t fit back properly with the DSP where I had it.

Originally it was down here, blocking a liner fastener point:









So I moved it up a bit:









And reconfigured the wires/cables:









It’s all but invisible with the liner in.









All buttoned up. 











I had no idea just getting the system all hooked up (minus the speakers) was going to take this long. I definitely have new respect for those that do this as a profession. It certainly takes a lot of planning, thought, and knowledge to do properly.

I plan on installing the Audiofrog GS690’s and GS10’s in my doors/ sail panels next. I’ll also perform a full Sound Deadener Showdown /Dynamat extreme treatment on my doors while I’m in there. I’m actually looking forward to it!


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Looking good Chris. I like your neat cable routing. I also like that the dsp is completely hidden behind the side trim panel - wish I would have thought of that before cutting mine.  Glad that strap idea worked on the sub mounting... too bad the sub doesn't deliver though.

A couple questions:

When you re-routed the trunk release cables; did you have to tweak the saddle where the cable attaches to the release mechanisms behind the seat?.. I had to bend them up a little in order for the cables to reach.

Can you give us any impressions on the PAC AMPro integration? Have you noticed any functionallity differences since it was installed? What kind of adjustments does it provide - I read somewhere that the center frequency can be adjusted for the JBL head-units Bass, Mid, and Treble adjustments... Is that so and is there any other adjustable options?

Are the stock front speakers currently powered with the JL XD amps?

Are you using any functions on the DSP yet?

Overall, how does it all sound with how it's set up currently?


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## nyquistrate (Apr 17, 2011)

Those black straps look better than plumbing strap that I found at the hardware stores.



Chris12 said:


> ... 18” Black Power Coated Metal Mounting Backstraps from eBay...
> 
> 
> I found that my trunk liner wouldn’t fit back properly with the DSP where I had it.
> ...


I actually think it looks even better/neater in the new position.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> When you re-routed the trunk release cables; did you have to tweak the saddle where the cable attaches to the release mechanisms behind the seat?.. I had to bend them up a little in order for the cables to reach.
> 
> Can you give us any impressions on the PAC AMPro integration? Have you noticed any functionallity differences since it was installed? What kind of adjustments does it provide - I read somewhere that the center frequency can be adjusted for the JBL head-units Bass, Mid, and Treble adjustments... Is that so and is there any other adjustable options?
> 
> ...


Getting the trunk release cables to work properly in their new positioning was definitely a challenge. When I initially realized the cables weren’t reaching, the first thing I tried was bending the release mechanism (where the cable attaches), but it caused the cable to stick in the release position. Then I re-drilled both holes just above the center of the factory original holes, and it all worked out.

This is the best picture I have of the locations I used, but it doesn’t show the factory original holes which would be a good reference









I haven’t hooked up any of the speakers yet, with the exception of the sub. It’s being fed by the DSP, lowpassed at 80hz (tried 60 but it didn’t work out too well).

So right now I’m basically using the Oem jbl amp to power the factory non-jbl speakers, and the sub providing an extra little kick. I actually really like the way it sounds right now, but hoping for much better when I get the new fronts hooked up.


On the pac AmpPro topic, I’m just using it the way it was setup out of the box - but again, the only thing actually being fed by it right now is the sub. It has adjustments for:
1. Minimum factory radio volume level 
2. Setting the radios beep/chime volume (or disable completely)
3. Bass / Mid / Treble Freq / Q Factor - “This allows you to set the center frequency that will be adjusted when setting the 3 band factory EQ, as well as the Q Factor for each frequency. The Q Factor determines how many of the adjacent frequencies will be affected when adjusting the selected frequency. The lower the Q Factor, the more frequencies will be affected.”











I’ll be visiting family in NJ for the next week or so, which will include a trip with the kids/family to “The North Pole” New York which should be somewhere in your neck of the woods. But unfortunately for me, this means I won’t be getting much done for the next week or so.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> I’ll be visiting family in NJ for the next week or so, which will include a trip with the kids/family to “The North Pole” New York which should be somewhere in your neck of the woods. But unfortunately for me, this means I won’t be getting much done for the next week or so.


You'll be driving right past me to get up to the North Pole. I'm only 15mins from the I-87 / I-84 junction... And only about 35min from the I-87 / NJ border.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I’ve been really lagging on this project since the holiday and because I was taking a few classes at my local Community College. But I made some decent progress last week.

Here’s a thread I started a few weeks back in which (with huge help from other members) I worked out my door sound deadening plan. https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...ng-structural-acoustical-door-resonances.html 

In summary the NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) plan I established for my doors is pretty standard as outlined by Sound Deadener Showdown (SDS), but with the addition of Roxul 1” Mineral Wool Acoustical Fire Batts (AFB) in the doors for help with acoustical resonances.
https://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Roxul-AFB-Mineral-Wool-1-inch-Single-Pieces--1281.html
SDS Vehicle Area Treatments:
https://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/vehicle-area-treatments

Also, if any of the below looks familiar, you probably saw it here in Truthunter’s build thread: https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...-gallery/303082-2015-toyota-camry-xle-v6.html I basically copied his work  Thanks for all the help Ryan!

Ready for the work to start:



























Door access foam plugs and factory speaker removed:









Made templates of the inner door skin (and various other things throughout the project) with this adhesive plastic carpet protector:https://www.homedepot.com/p/Surface...rotection-Self-Adhesive-Film-CS2450/205187255

One layer of the plastic was too thin and the stuff wanted to stick to itself. So before I used it I rolled out two layers stuck to my wooden workshop table, then cut them to general size with my utility knife. I think it worked out great:


















After I made the templates in plastic I transferred them to cardboard:









I used the templates to cut the dynamat for the inner door skin and to cut the Roxul:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Instead of buying Extruded Butyl Rope from SDS, I bought 3M 08620 Window-Weld 1/4" x 15' Round Ribbon Sealer Roll - https://www.amazon.com/3M-08620-Win...8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop_d_pd_title#customerReviews









Dynamat Extreme on the inner door skin. Probably around 60-70% coverage:


















The door panel/ trim was next:









I removed this piece of plastic, (and the yellow piece of foam in the picture above) which placed pressure on the foam access hole covers. I used sheet metal to cover the foam/access holes instead:









Plastic templates for Dynamat:



























I stuffed CCF anywhere that could potentially rattle:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Used Tesa Tape on all the door clips:


















I added these fabric/foam washers from the aftermarket door clips I bought to all of my OEM clips. I reused the OEM clips because they all remained in good condition after the door panel removal and test fitting.









Back to the doors, wrapped the cables in Tesa tape. I was a bit hesitant to do this due to it being in a moist environment, but did it anyhow:


















Ran the two 14 awg wires (one for the GS690 and one for the gs10 or nd16fa tweeter) with the factory wiring. (Yes I did cut the tail off that zip tie  )


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Next I started on the template for the MLV/ CCF layer. Again I used double layered carpet protection plastic applied directly to the door (rather than my shop table, then the door) for my template.









I added the OEM vapor barrier/insulation plastic piece to transcribe cutout locations. (I also loosely reinstalled and traced the door panel, but didn’t take a picture)









Template complete









Transcribed the plastic template to cardboard 









Cardboard to MLV









MLV complete. I was surprised how well the MLV cut with a utility knife, and how heavy the stuff is. I guess that’s the point though 









Next I aligned the MLV on the door and added industrial strength Velcro to adhere it to the door. I don’t have any pictures of it and I felt it was somewhat of a PITA. But basically what I did was pick out five spots on the door within the area that the MLV covered, then adhered the Velcro to the door with the plastic still covering the Velcro half that faced the MLV. Then I aligned the MLV on the door as best as I could and (one at a time) removed the plastic covering the adhesive from each piece of Velcro. Once I got the first corner stuck it was a piece of cake.

The CCF layer was next









Then I glued them together with HH-66 Vinyl Cement Bonding Vinyl Coated & Vinyl Laminated Fabrics: RH Products, MA


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Everything looks great Chris!

I like the idea of using the carpet protection film to form templates. The CLD job you did on the door trim panel is very neat and professional looking - makes me want to redo mine.


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## karmajack (May 9, 2017)

Sub'd 
Great log.
Looking good.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Everything looks great Chris!
> 
> I like the idea of using the carpet protection film to form templates. The CLD job you did on the door trim panel is very neat and professional looking - makes me want to redo mine.


I ended up adding some scraps to the door panel here and there which threw the whole neat thing out the window, but thanks for the compliment 

Overall, I was definitely pleased with how the carpet protection film worked out for the templates. I’ll certainly use the method again at some point in the future.

I got the idea from this Car Audio Fabrication (CAF) YouTube video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h3EXuHlBy4M&t=193s&list=WL&index=19


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Really nice, clean work, man!


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

Loving the project, nice work dude.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

The factory speaker was held in place with these green plastic inserts









I replaced them with 1/4-20 rivnuts, which I secured into place with my new Astro 1442 
https://www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumatic-Tool-1442-Setter/dp/B003TODXQW


















Next I used my cardboard templates to cut the Roxul AFB:









Then test fit each piece (of each layer) and trimmed as necessary 


















Forum member Truthunter, who also used Roxul in the doors of his car, had a theory that placing MLV between the the Roxul layers would help transform the acoustical energy into heat.

Here’s a quote from his build log:


Truthunter said:


> There was some left over MLF scraps from lining my doors last year. I figure why not use those scraps to layer in between the layers of Roxul. My theory is these pieces of MLV will vibrate basically turning the back-wave acoustical energy into heat with the 1" thick Roxul on each side of it acting to decouple/dissipate ... Sort of like the idea of the MLV layer in those Black-Hole tiles or $oundskins Pro 3in1.


https://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/5270722-post168.html 

I also had extra MLV scraps and I figured it couldn’t hurt:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Wrapped each Roxul stack with 3.5mm plastic and adhered with 3m Super 77. Also used packing tape where necessary.


















The aftermath. This was a messy job..









Bottom row secured with aluminum tape


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## mattkim1337 (Jan 31, 2018)

You have the attention to detail of a professional installer! Where did you learn all this, if I may ask?


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## karmajack (May 9, 2017)

I think it's more the patience, and effort that impresses me. The information and knowledge is everywhere. Applying that knowledge and making use of it, is the game changer.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

mattkim1337 said:


> You have the attention to detail of a professional installer! Where did you learn all this, if I may ask?


Thanks so much for the kind words! But, considering the snails pace I work at, I’m pretty sure I’d make a terrible installer 

I’ve probably learned 75% of what I know from this website alone (mostly in build threads like yours). Probably another 15% from the internet overall (YouTube’s been pretty huge), and the last 10% from friends and family over the years

I’m really trying to follow the “do it right, or do it twice” attitude - this way I wont have any regrets down the road with the build. I’ve really enjoyed the project so far and I’m sure the knowledge/skills I pick up will be useful in other aspects of my life in the future, so I don’t mind spending the time at all.

I gotta say though, I’ve been on many message boards pertaining to different hobbies/interests throughout the years, and this forum really is unique. There’s a broad and very high level of knowledge, but also the willingness to share with relative “newbie’s” like myself, which isn’t found everywhere. I guess I could sum it up by saying there’s a great culture here.

Thanks again for the compliment!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

karmajack said:


> I think it's more the patience, and effort that impresses me. The information and knowledge is everywhere. Applying that knowledge and making use of it, is the game changer.


Thanks so much.

As I said in my earlier post I’ve really enjoyed the project and the amount that I’ve learned by taking it on has been amazing.

I’m just glad to have found a community like this with members like you who are willing to share what they know.

Thanks again!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Got a few peripheral things done.

Washed the car:
(If anyone has a pressure washer, but does not have a foam cannon - get one - they’re great)
https://www.amazon.com/DUSICHIN-SFL...F8&qid=1545963045&sr=8-3&keywords=foam+cannon









Dynamat applied to the rear of my license plate









I bought a used set of dash speaker covers off eBay for $30 - (Right 55472-06070) 
and ( Left 55473-06070).



















And a set of window corner sail panels for $42 (left: 67492-06150, right: 67491-06150)









With every bit of useable surface area removed from the sail panels the gs10’s still don’t fit:









So I bought a set of Dayton nd16fa tweeters to replace the gs10’s... But, then I figured out another way to try and make the gs10 frogs work. I’ll post details later if it’s successful.

Anyhow, these Dayton tweeters are tiny:









Compared with the gs10’s










I also cleaned up the usb connection to my DSP. I bought this panel mount USB 3.0 male to female from amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/ICESPRING-Fe...coding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop_d_yo_pop_d_pd_t2
Removed this 12v outlet from my center console:


















And put the USB in its place:


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

I case you wondered. The same guy i bought my tweeter pods, makes a pod for the gb10 tweeter (same size and body of the gs10 tweeter) and they are small. Can be gotten in aluminum raw or black.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

ToNasty said:


> I case you wondered. The same guy i bought my tweeter pods, makes a pod for the gb10 tweeter (same size and body of the gs10 tweeter) and they are small. Can be gotten in aluminum raw or black.


Funny you mention it, I actually have a set on the way. So much for OEM appearance


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

Chris12 said:


> ToNasty said:
> 
> 
> > I case you wondered. The same guy i bought my tweeter pods, makes a pod for the gb10 tweeter (same size and body of the gs10 tweeter) and they are small. Can be gotten in aluminum raw or black.
> ...


That was my issue as well. Imusing stock locations and for a 3 way stage in a regular cab thats impossible. But just so happened dude made a pod for my tweetet and theyre small and can be gotten in black so it will blend in nicely


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## Turb0Yoda (Jan 4, 2019)

Great Build. Any chance that you could post a link to the tweeter pods? I'm wanting to use the stock location for my build but want to have some way to get pods as a last resort.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Turb0Yoda said:


> Great Build. Any chance that you could post a link to the tweeter pods? I'm wanting to use the stock location for my build but want to have some way to get pods as a last resort.


Here are the pods that I bought:

Audiofrog GB10 ,alu pods +Cover Rings for Tweeters Audiofrog GB10 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/273592141797

The seller hasn’t re-listed them, but you can contact him directly via his email: [email protected] and [email protected] (just CC him at both addresses)

I need to let you know know in advance that English isn’t his native language, and it really is hard to communicate with him.

I also bought a ball joint set from him here:
Audio System Tweeter, Ball Joints Black Angle Adjustable for tweeter https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/273588446963

I believe that he refers to the GB10 pods that I bought as option N2, but I’m not completely sure.

Here are some pictures I got from him:


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

Incase anybody wondered. The gs10 and gb10 have tje same body measuments so those pods fit both even though they say gb10


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Pods arrived and threaded ball joints arrived. I purchased them on December 23, 2018. They shipped from Stuttgart, Germany on December 25, 2018 and arrived yesterday January 12, 2019. So, 3 week shipping from Germany to California during the holidays- not too bad in my opinion.

It’s very hard to communicate with the seller because of the language barrier and because he only responds to like every 3rd message. 

I paid $80 + $15 (shipping) = $95, for the pods .

For the ball joints (which were in the same box) I paid $41.41 + $8.28 shipping = $49.68. The seller said he would refund the shipping cost for the ball joints ($8.28) but I only actually received $5.46. I’m still working with him on the few dollar difference, no biggie.

So, overall I paid $139.22 for the pods with ball joints, which is a hefty sum in my opinion.

Here they are:

Custom CNC’d foam packaging 









Complete contents of box









Pods































































Ball joints and escutcheon plate.


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

Chris12 said:


> Pods arrived and threaded ball joints arrived. I purchased them on December 23, 2018. They shipped from Stuttgart, Germany on December 25, 2018 and arrived yesterday January 12, 2019. So, 3 week shipping from Germany to California during the holidays- not too bad in my opinion.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Strange i ordered mine a few days after you and i got mine last week









Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Picking things up from where I left off in post #43 - I had just finished up putting Roxul AFB in the passenger door.

I removed the OEM reinforcements for these foam plugs which protruded from the door card/panel. 










Templates for sheet metal reinforcements 









New tin snips









Layout on 26 awg sheet metal (Home Depot)









Complete 









Perimeter lined with foam









Added foam to OEM plug to ensure contact 









Installed with SS sheet metal screws









Added foam to seal around wiring









Both access holes plugged and reinforced


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Audiofrog GS690 installed in bracket









I used SS M4 bolts with lock washers and loctite to attach the speakers to the brackets









For those out there (like me) that didn’t know, these gs690’s (and most speakers like it) accept a 0.205” female disconnect. Here’s what I bought
https://www.amazon.com/SCOSCHE-Fema...encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_pd_title









Installed with SS 1/4” bolts, lock washers and washers into previously installed 1/4” rivnuts. (I outlined the installation of the rivnuts in post # 42)


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## mattkim1337 (Jan 31, 2018)

Bery nice. Look forward to see more.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

The window triangle was next in the progression of things. 

Added CLD









Added as much Roxul possible while still allowing the panel to fit









MLV with some carpet protection plastic used to keep everything in place as I test fit the panel. I know any added compression isn’t good for the performance of the Roxul..


















Drilled and threaded a hole for the Audiofrog GS10 pods









Pods attached


















Added a 68uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitor https://www.parts-express.com/68uf-100v-electrolytic-non-polarized-crossover-capacitor--027-356

https://www.audiofrog.com/community...p-tweeters-in-systems-with-active-crossovers/










Installed


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

MLV/ CCF layer hung on the door. 

* After reading this report, I only used two pieces of Velcro (instead of five) to hang it. I’d already glued the CCF to the MLV so I decided to keep it.
https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...ight-material-decouple-mass-loaded-vinyl.html










Added Roxul wherever I could to the door panel. I actually ended up removing the large piece from the left center, but I was surprised how much actually ended up fitting 









I added CCF over the Roxul and tacked it in place with contact cement. This kept the Roxul in place as I fit the door card, and hopefully helped with some rattles.











I bought 20 door panel clips off eBay for $2.99 shipped and they worked out great. Others have said it, but I don’t think these type of door panel clips can be reused. 

Link to eBay: 20x Door panel Clips For Toyota/Avalon/Camry/Corolla 67773-0E020 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/401649506877










I also bought this 5 piece set of trim panel tools for $1.29 shipped. They’re low quality and they took forever to arrive, but they serve their purpose

Link to eBay: 5Pcs Car Auto Body Moulding Door Panel Trim Clip Removal Pry Tool Remover Kit https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/283267510706










Got three rolls off this 1” thick denim insulation on eBay for $20.









Passenger kick panel with some dynamat and CCF









Couple layers of denim insulation 









MLV


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Looks great man!

Nice find on those door clips on ebay - cheapest I've ever seen.

I could tell that some of that Roxul on the door panel needed to be removed - I know it was real fun getting the door panel clipped back on completely


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Looks great man!
> 
> Nice find on those door clips on ebay - cheapest I've ever seen.
> 
> I could tell that some of that Roxul on the door panel needed to be removed - I know it was real fun getting the door panel clipped back on completely


Putting the door panel back on was just awesome..

Once I got everything trimmed and lined up and finally got everything clipped, I pulled the door handle and realized I had it’s cable reversed with the lock :blush:

Pulled it back off, fixed the cables, replaced all the clips and got it back on - fit better than the first time... Then I realized I hadn’t installed the weather stripping on the top of the door 

I have two more pairs of door clip sets on the way.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

*LED’s*

After some research on the current SMD LED offerings, I decided to replace my interior bulbs with LED’s containing 3014 SMD chips. 

*3014 SMD LED* (3.0mm x 1.4mm):








“_3014 SMD LED chips are much smaller and much more efficient than many earlier SMD models. The smaller size of the diodes (just 3.0mm x 1.4mm) means it’s possible to fit more of them on a length of PCB strip – offering more brightness, without the need for more power.”_
https://www.instyleled.co.uk/support/what-are-the-differences-between-types-of-led-chip/
-————-



I’ve found that* V-LED’s typically offers the brightest LED’s on the market (while still maintaining reliability)*, but their prices are pretty high. I input my year/ make/ model (2015/ Toyota/ Camry XSE) into their website and found that they recommend this 194 bulb for my front seat/ rear seat dome light, front door lights and vanity mirrors lights - so every interior light in my car. 
https://www.vleds.com/shop-application/interior/194/194-14-ll.html

** _The Sylvania automotive bulb guide is another good source to figure out what type of bulbs are in your vehicle. (I believe that v-LED’s uses the Sylvania website to generate their car specific bulb results).
https://www.sylvania-automotive.com_

The *194 bulb that V-LED’s sells is $10/ bulb* and contains 14 3014 SMD LED chips












I searched through eBay and Amazon and found these 194 bulbs. They contain contain 24 3014 SMD LED chips and a set of 10 is $9.29 shipped. *This equates to $0.93/ bulb. *
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...4df-15aac5223b10&pf_rd_r=634N9ES5V9JHY9PTZPZ8





















*Replacing my interior lights *

Front Dome Before:









Front Dome After:








————-


*TIP*: _Pulling these little 194 bulbs out of their sockets can be very hard. *To aid in the removal I wrapped a bit of packing tape around the bulb.* This gave me more grip on the bulb and additional surface area to pull down on. It made the task super easy and I’d recommend to anyone/ everyone._
———-




Door Before:









(Opposite) Door After:









Rear seat dome after:









I also plan on replacing the vanity mirror lights and the trunk interior light with the same style bulb.
————




The license plate light was the only oddball, purely due to lack of room. *For low clearance applications Like this V-LED’s recommends a 20.50 mm long 194 bulb containing a single 2835 0.5w LED chip. Heat is a concern with the 2835 SMD’s and it’s likely the reason that velds sells a bulb with just one.*
https://www.vleds.com/shop-application/license-plate-lights/194-158-168/194-1-ll.html











*Here’s what I bought*.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/292035989761
*Each bulb contains nine 3014 SMD LEDs*


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Recent Purchases:

New Olfa knife with extra blades. I really like this knife as opposed to my standard Stanley brand utility knife.
https://www.amazon.com/5003-Ratchet...encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_pd_title









FastCap Long Nosed Pattern Chisel Tip Black Marker with 1-1/8-inch Reach
https://www.amazon.com/FastCap-Patt...encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_pd_title









UltraTouch Denim Insulation Multi-Purpose (6 rolls)
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/273323324845
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oWSXk-F3JoqmSb_la5TFQAakv_csf7SGOVY9On70O0JLwsFzwKsPXwP9O7IVDJSZWgE-C9FlejikIKITCrSIuS8fdfyNudaLlTrryU_BAgveIBFusJigjyjzYRoEpJeh7oZoXX5Z_j4=w2400[a/img]

I also have “Frost King” denim insulation in one inch thickness. In comparison, this UltraTouch Brand has a lot less dust, is much more dense and seems to be of a higher quality.
[img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GZX1d1vE59PkK4Q1wtWs9bNPPY5AKbUl_JusSjbBSNynwmm7UhFe4cXy5CXtBFW6mVoqqGIAyFUfpL-FjNe6LnxLnpLzHz8Isoqt1j7FFmMKsohR60ZK4iPG5n3LoPLjS14YvUpXyJc=w2400



Back to the installation..

Passenger door card installed (including the weather stripping  ).









Passenger door complete.











After all my obsession to treat NVH, I still had a rattle coming from the upper inside corner area of the passenger door. 

So, this was my next area to treat:









Stuffed denim insulation anywhere/everywhere it would fit









Added dynamat to the panel cover









Then a layer of MLV












Panel under the glove box was next. Added some dynamat to the blower motor housing and ductwork 









Dynamat and denim insulation









MLV under blower motor 









Added factory padding over MLV


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Driver door

Door card in OEM condition 









Removed reinforcement blocks as I’ll be using sheet metal to support the door access plugs (like the passenger door) and added dynamat 









1.8” Denim insulation added









As well as 1” denim insulation 











Door in OEM trim


















Butyl rope topped with aluminum foil added to crash bar






























Used cardboard patterns I had from passenger door to cut dynamat





























Added Roxul 


















My neighbor told me the Roxul wrapped in plastic resembles drug bundles that smugglers use 









Cut MLV with my pattern from the passenger door 





















Removed Green OEM plastic threaded inserts









And installed 1/4-20 rivnuts


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

I need some of that foam. I have a slight sound in my passanger door i cant get stopped

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

ToNasty said:


> I need some of that foam. I have a slight sound in my passanger door i cant get stopped
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


If you add CLD, a layer of MLV, foam wherever you can stuff if (to eliminate rattles) and some Roxul or denim insulation and it should quiet/ eliminate the NVH.


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

Chris12 said:


> If you add CLD, a layer of MLV, foam wherever you can stuff if (to eliminate rattles) and some Roxul or denim insulation and it should quiet/ eliminate the NVH.


I have cld and ccf on both my doors. 100% coverage. Iwont use roxul as that crap. akes .y skin swell up

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> My neighbor told me the Roxul wrapped in plastic resembles drug bundles that smugglers use


Now that is funny... I never thought of that :laugh:

Wow, the work done on your doors is top notch... makes mine look like swiss cheese, lol... I can tell you really took your time. Good stuff!

I've got to hit that panel under the blower too. Definitely a source of noise when it's on higher speeds.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Now that is funny... I never thought of that :laugh:
> 
> Wow, the work done on your doors is top notch... makes mine look like swiss cheese, lol... I can tell you really took your time. Good stuff!
> 
> I've got to hit that panel under the blower too. Definitely a source of noise when it's on higher speeds.


Thanks for the kind words, but I’m really just blatantly copying what you’ve already done to your car 

I’ve actually gone so far as to print out your entire thread, three hole punch everything and put it in a binder. This way it’s easier to study. 


One other item of note:
I’ve been experimenting with my new Jasper Circle Jig and I made some speaker ring templates out of 1/2” MDF for my GS40’s as per your recommendation in this thread:
https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...h-corner-speaker-area-treatment-question.html









I have some 3/4” pvc sheet that I’m thinking of copying the rings to, then cutting at a 45 degree (or less) angle so I could effectively tilt the speakers more on axis. If I expect to pull this off, I’ll also need to figure out clearance and a speaker grill to finish it all off.

Thanks again for the support and I’m sure I’ll post some pictures once I get the above all figured out.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Great work, man!!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Driver door with sheet metal reinforcements over door access plugs. A friend reading this thread recently asked me what this was for - the intent is to create a structurally sound and somewhat air tight enclosure out of the door itself.









The driver door sail panel got roughly the same treatment as the passenger - dynamat, MLV (mass loaded vinyl), and denim insulation (in lieu of the Roxul AFB I used on the passenger door).





























I wired in a 68uF cap on the tweeter and I believe that it’s already saved me once -
(a connection on my preamp came loose and I reconnected it with the stereo on. A bunch of loud static and pops coincided with the re-establishment of the connection).



















Here’s the sail panel containing the speaker pod installed in the car. As you may be able to see from the picture, the sail panel isn’t in mint condition, due to the fact that I bought it (actually a set) used on eBay. The metal pod is also a bit heavy causing it to shake around a bit each time I close the door. I also don’t like the way they look as they don’t resemble anything OEM. One final issue with the pods is that they would be enticing “smash and grab” targets for a thief.

Due to these issues, fiberglassing the tweeters into the sail panels in on my list of things to do. I plan on doing some fiberglass work to my dash speakers and hope the experience will give me the knowledge and confidence to come back and make these things right in the future.

Anyhow, here they are installed for now










MLV sheet hung with just two pieces of Velcro and no CCF backing. Here’s a link to Justin Zazzi’s report on the subject https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...ecouple-mass-loaded-vinyl.html#/topics/412585









Driver door panel reinstalled, surprisingly on the first try. I was also surprised that all the denim insulation I added (pictured in post 66 of this thread) actually fit without modification











Driver kick panel with dynamat, MLV and 1.8” denim insulation.









Note: the MLV was trimmed a bit more upon installation due to clearance issues.


















Reinstalled


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

As on the passenger side, I treated the dash end cap. But on this (the drivers) side, I also treated the area underneath the steering wheel with denim insulation.




















I had some rattles coming from the center dash area. So I treated the center vent panel, which included plugging the hole for the center channel speaker (which I don’t have).














































Here’s the dash area which the panel above occupied. I was able to stuff about 1.25 rolls of 1.8” denim insulation into the dash around this panel. It really made a difference by eliminating the rattles, especially on the passenger side dash area.



















Reinstalled. No more rattles











I made some speaker rings with my Jasper circle jig http://jaspertools.com out of 1/8 PVC for my dash corner GS40’s.



















I cut an OEM grill (purchased off eBay) with a hot knife I purchased recently https://www.amazon.com/Walnut-Hollo...encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_pd_title











This is where I’m currently at the the driver dash corner speaker. I think I’m going to tack the GS40 speaker ring to the Oem grill, stretch some spandex over it, then apply fiberglass resin, etc. This would be my first attempt at fiberglassing so I’m hesitant, but I purchased all the materials yesterday, so I’m certainly going to try.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

(Background: This is my first attempt at anything related to fiberglass. I also find that I’m challenged when I enter into the artistic realm of projects.)

Once I verified that the GS40 would fit inside the Audiofrog supplied baffle, and clear everything in the somewhat OEM dash corner location, I tacked the baffle to the cut OEM grill surround with hot glue.









I used popsicle sticks as temporary structure 









Once I removed the assembly from the car, I added more hot glue and popsicle stick pieces to lock everything together. 


















Here’s a picture of my first attempt before I applied the fiberglass resin. Here you see spandex material stretched over the baffle assembly. My mistake was only using 3m super 77 spray adhesive to hold the stretched cloth in place. Once I added the resin, it all let go.











On to my second attempt. I bought some super thin CA glue and spray activator.










I also switched from spandex material to this speaker grill cloth which is recommended in on of CAF’s YouTube videos 
https://www.amazon.com/Speaker-Gril...coding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_image

Once again, here’s the material applied to the baffle assembly and held in place with 3M super 77 spray adhesive.









Next I applied CA glue and activator to lock the cloth to the assembly 









Using an Olfa knife, and oddly enough a rusty set of end cutting pliers (nail pullers), I trimmed the cloth.


















As seen in one of CAF’s YouTube videos, I taped over the speaker placement area of the baffle and trimmed it with my invaluable super sharp Olfa knife









3M “Bondo” fiberglass resin applied









Sanded everything down. 









Next I removed all the hot glue and popsicle sticks from the underside, then filled both the void under the cloth and the hollow areas of the Audiofrog baffle with a fiberglass “milkshake”. The milkshake is made up of short strand fiberglass filler with activator mixed with fiberglass resin and activator. The resulting product sets up very fast, about 8 minutes in my case, and is hard to work with due to the fiberglass strands.

But, it’s absolutely amazing how strong the result is. There’s absolutely no flex to the now one piece speaker baffle and the bond to the existing materials is excellent.










Here’s the dried up, literal hot mess (the chemical reaction causes it to become physically hot). I used two plastic spoons and a thin paint brush to apply it. I may have mixed it too thick, but it didn’t fill the voids as easily as I wanted. It tended to want to cap off the surface and leave hollow pockets.


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## sq2k1 (Oct 31, 2015)

Cool thread thus far, being a fellow camry owner myself, I can appreciate your work using the stock dash speaker locations due to how tight a space it is.... it will be interesting to see how the finished product comes out. Thanks for sharing.


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## preston (Dec 10, 2007)

I've heard it mentioned, and also found in my own experience, that for whatever reason putting the fiberglass/roxul insulation directly behind the woofer messes up the sound. Something to experiment with, if you don't like the bass, try trimming the roxul out from behind the door speaker. It made a noticeable improvement when I first installed my woofers - as in "why do these sound like ass ?" , to much better after removing the insulation directly behind the driver. (Obviously keep the dynamat etc on the metal)


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

preston said:


> I've heard it mentioned, and also found in my own experience, that for whatever reason putting the fiberglass/roxul insulation directly behind the woofer messes up the sound. Something to experiment with, if you don't like the bass, try trimming the roxul out from behind the door speaker. It made a noticeable improvement when I first installed my woofers - as in "why do these sound like ass ?" , to much better after removing the insulation directly behind the driver. (Obviously keep the dynamat etc on the metal)


I’ve read about this, thanks for the heads up. When I get these dash corners finished maybe I’ll circle back to the doors.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I applied Bondo Light Weight Body Filler to the Resined grill cloth in multiple layers, block sanding to 220 grit between applications. Once I was satisfied I applied Bondo 907 Glazing and Spot Putty, in a thin layer to the entire surface and let it dry overnight. Then I block sanded once again to 320 grit.

I hot glued some popsicle stick legs to the bottom of the grill to allow access to the bottom edges when painting. (You may see some of my daughters art work on some of the popsicle stick legs in the following pictures  )


















To finish this project I purchased the following SEM products: Plastic Adhesion Promoter (39863), Flexible Primer Surfacer (39133), and Texture Coating (39853).









Here it is with primer, just prior to my last coat. 



















After my final primer coat I wet sanded up to 400 grit. This was my first time wet sanding anything, but it’s a logical step as dust builds up on the sandpaper and creates gouges deeper than the grit itself. I just brought the project to my kitchen sink and rinsed the paper every so often. I used a soap/ water spray bottle to clear sanding residue from the project as I was worried the direct water stream from the sink would cause pinholes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures after final sanding, but to my eye it was flawless (up to the 400 grit scratches).

So, on to the texture coat. When I went to use the brand new can I found the tip to be clogged. I cleaned it with a pin and acetone, and got it working. But, I didn’t let it clear long enough and got one large (inconsistent) blob right on the front of the grill. 

Here’s where I’m currently at. Notice the lovely blob on the lower right hand side






































I didn’t realize prior to completing the texture coat that SEM recommends following it (the texture coat) with a color coat. So, my next step will be to sand with 400 grit (or gray scuff pad) until I’m satisfied with the texture. Then I’ll add a black color coat and follow it with a clear.

For the color, I was torn between Landau Black and Satin Black - but I think I’m going with Satin Black.

On the clear - I spoke with Nick (skizer) and he usually uses either Low Luster Clear or Satin Clear. I’m thinking Satin would be right, but I’m not sure. I found an Auto Body Paint store somewhat close to me that is listed as carrying SEM products. I’m going to call them tomorrow when they open to see if they have what I’m considering. If so I’ll head over there and get some recommendations. 

If that doesn’t work out, I guess I’ll purchase what I think is best from Amazon. I should’ve done a bit more research before I started and just bought everything at once. *Hopefully anyone reading can learn from my mistakes*


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## SoundsGood2Me (Jul 31, 2012)

Build continues to look amazing. Just curious why you did not protect the recessed speaker mounting area from the texture coating. It seems it will make sealing to the speaker driver itself harder.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

SoundsGood2Me said:


> Build continues to look amazing. Just curious why you did not protect the recessed speaker mounting area from the texture coating. It seems it will make sealing to the speaker driver itself harder.


Thanks.

I hadn’t given it much though, but you’re probably right. I’ll likely sand the baffle seat down before I put the speaker in.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

After some trial and error with the color on my dash corner baffles, I ended up using SEM Matte Trim Black Ultra.
https://www.semproducts.com/product/trim-black-ultra/49133

I’m still not 100% satisfied with the outcome, but I spent an exorbitant amount of time on them and I think I met the limit of my knowledge/ skills.


















Here’s a (bad) picture with the grill loosely installed. I’m nervous the fully seat them (the grills), as I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to get them back off.













Now on to the fun stuff. I stripped the trunk and rear of the car in preparation for my subwoofer installation and sound deadening. I’ll be installing an AE SBP15 in an IB wall between the trunk and cabin.

I stuck with Dynamat Extreme as my CLD of choice. Here’s the kit I bought for my trunk (including the trunk lid): DYNAMAT XTREME TRUNK KIT EXTREME 19405 + Roller 20 FT² https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/230643371853

It’s the best deal I could find for Dynamat and worked out to $4.60/ SQFT shipped. I used the entire 20 SQFT on my trunk and trunk lid.


Here are some before and after pictures of my CLD installation
Trunk center



















Right corner



















Left corner 



















Trunk lid


















In addition to the Dynamat, I installed butyl rope to the inner/outer trunk lid skin connections. I took pictures, but they didn’t turn out well.





Since I had the trunk torn apart, I took the opportunity to finish the LED upgrade (which I started in post #64).

I started on the license plate (“tag”) lights. First I removed the exterior trim piece 


















Comparison 









Done










Here’s the trunk light before









I used a piece of painters tape to grip the bulb









LED installed























Lastly, I wanted to share this newer video from Five Star Car Stereo. It walks through the proper install of a aftermarket stereo with idatalink Maestro in a generation 7.5 Toyota Camry 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9pVOxf491k&list=WL&index=44&t=0s&app=desktop


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## bmiller1 (Mar 7, 2010)

Fantastic work! I have the same car and am about to dig back into it. Subscribed so I can steal ideas and/or remind myself how bad I am at this.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

In preparation for my IB SBP15 install I pulled my amp rack to make room for my JL xd300/1.









I had some 1/4” fiberboard laying around so I made a template from it.









Then transferred the template to a 1/4” sheet of abs (24”x24”). It almost didn’t fit









Here’s the final product. The edges have an extra three layers glued to them for a one inch total thickness. There are some gaps in the build material on the back, but when it’s mounted and I look at it straight on, they can’t be seen.


















Next I made some templates to block off the rear deck speaker holes. Mutilated OEM speaker screwed to MDF.









MDF to abs









Finished product 









Side note: I bought a bag of Steel Thread Rolling Screws (which I had never heard of) from Amazon. They actually create threads in the plastic, so they’re great for screwing anything to plastic. Here’s a link: Steel Thread Rolling Screw for Plastic, Black Oxide Finish, Pan Head, Phillips Drive, #8-16 Thread Size, 5/8" Length (Pack of 100) https://www.amazon.com/Thread-Rolli...g=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details












I’ve completed more than I posted here, but I don’t have time to put it all together right now. More to come soon!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

bmiller1 said:


> Fantastic work! I have the same car and am about to dig back into it. Subscribed so I can steal ideas and/or remind myself how bad I am at this.


Thanks!

Please note as you steal the ideas from this thread, that they’ve all been stolen from others on here


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

All three amps mounted to the rear deck. Two JL xd400/4’s and one JL xd300/1. I haven’t installed the brushed aluminum face plates yet, but they certainly add to the look.










Since I had everything torn apart, I decided to clean up my wiring. Here’s the spot I chose the spot to mount my power/ground distribution.









I made a mounting surface out of PVC sheet and attached my power and ground distribution in the smallest footprint possible. Due to my former setup I have both 4awg and 8awg power lines, so I used them both.









Here it is installed. Once the trunk liner is back in all will be hidden.









I made a harness of sorts for each group of wires with tech flex. 1/2” tech flex (braided PET) fit three 8 gauge wires, and 1/4” fit each individual 8 awg wire.









I installed appropriately sized wire ferrules on each end, then labeled and used clear heat shrink to lock it all together.



























Stinger 6000 RCA (6 channels) ran down the center of the car, then to the DSP on the passenger side. The power wires run down the passenger side, then switch to the driver side just in front of the rear seat. This allowed only one 90 degree intersection between the power and signal wires.









I used adhesive zip tie anchors to attach wiring to the cars sheet metal in several spots. For the most part, they worked out great.









Here’s everything wired up. The amp faceplates should cover the amp wiring and the trunk liner will butt up to both sides of the amp rack.




































Side note: I used speed nuts, (aka sheet metal nut or Tinnerman nut) to attach various items to the sheet metal of the car. I’ve used these before but hadn’t purchased them previously so I wanted to share. They provide a great, vibration free mount.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_nut


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## reithi (Mar 29, 2012)

Nice job......perfect amp mounting location.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I removed the Sub which was under the passenger seat and replaced the air vent (which I had cut to accommodate the sub). Just like nothing ever happened..









I made a template for my IB baffle


















Once I was happy with one side, I copied it to a piece of scrap so I could mirror it on the other side.





































The final product will be made from two 3/4” layers of 13 ply Baltic Birch, faced with two additional sheets of 1/2 Sande plywood for excursion clearance, and then some sort of grill to protect the speaker. 

I bought the BB plywood from Macbeath https://www.macbeath.com/product/birch-finland-exterior-plywood










I also bought this really nice whiteside 1/2-Inch Diameter Spiral Flush Trim Up Cut bit for the project 
https://www.amazon.com/Whiteside-Ro...252238&s=gateway&sprefix=Rft51,aps,260&sr=8-1


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Before I update on my progress with the IB Wall / Baffle, I’d like to share a few things I’ve picked up for the project.

I got this template set on eBay for $17.22 shipped. It’s for cabinet makers, but it’s really come in handy.
The Woodworker's Choice (TWC) Cabinetmaker Arch Router Template Set, New, Sealed Box; 20 Pc Standard Set.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/113712320882
The templates run from 10” all the way to 18” or so.












Whiteside Router Bits 1955 Multi Rabbet Set Carbide Tipped 1-3/8-Inch Large Diameter and 1/2-Inch Cutting Length. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K2C87G?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details
This set is awesome for Rabbeting, but also works great to make a template slightly smaller.











Nippon (GT-15) 15” speaker grill. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6CNW14?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details
This is the same speaker grill sold on eBay here: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/311992703370

It has a 15-5/8” OD, which is exactly what the AE SBP15 and IB15AU have. These subs ship with a rubber ring on the flange for purposes of de-coupling the Sub from the baffle. If the rubber ring is removed from the sub, this grill fits PERFECTLY. Just as if it were made for this sub (maybe it was?). I don’t think I’ll be using this grill in the manor I described above, though I will be using it. I just wanted to share this information for others.

Here’s a hurried picture I took of this grill mounted on the AE SBP15 with the rubber flange ring removed from the sub. The holes in the grills mounting ring line up with the sub and everything. The only possible issue I see here (beside the rubber flange ring being removed) would be clearance for excursion of the sub. I didn’t verify either way, but if it were an issue the grill could just be propped up to provide additional clearance.












Lastly in the “new purchases” front, I bought a bunch of 1/4-20” hardware. I plan on using it (1/4”-20 hardware) to mount both the sub to the baffle, and the baffle to the vehicle. If I end up using anything else, I’ll call it out.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

First 3/4” Baltic Birch (BB) sheet with a 1” x 1” layout grid. 1/8” hole drilled in the center.










Two 3/4” pieces of (BB) plywood topped with two pieces of 1/2” “Sande” plywood. Contrary to what I’ve read on here, the Sande plywood (which I bought from Home Depot) was nearly 100% void free. I was surprised.

I re-used the screw holes common to each board around the perimeter to keep everything aligned as I worked on each piece throughout the project.




























I used my Jasper Circle Jig (highly recommended) to cut a 13-9/16” hole for the sub to sit in. I stacked both 3/4” BB sheets together and cut as deep as my 1” bit would allow, then flipped the boards and finished the cut. The two circles ended up not aligning exactly. If I had to do this again, I’d cut the circle in one 3/4” board, then use a profile bit to copy it to the other. 









Test Fit.









Glued and screwed both 3/4” BB board together using Titebond II evenly spread with a foam roller and 1-1/4” wood screws.










Drilled holes for 1/4-20” hardware.









Installed 1/4-20 Tee nuts.










After 24 hours dry time I removed the screws I used to clamp the two BB sheets together and filled them with wood glue. By using a syringe I was able to basically inject the glue in under pressure and hopefully completely fill each void.










Next I turned my attention to the two 1/2” Sande plywood layers. I cut a 15-5/8” hole using my Jasper Circle Jig (once again). 










Due to space constraints I couldn’t make the baffle any taller. So, I used one of my arch templates to terminate each end.










I attached all four pieces together and used my profile bit, then sanded them.










Glued and screwed.









Slight champher all the way around each face













And a bit of rear deck sealing...

Rear deck sealed with 1/4” abs. CCF between the deck and the ABS.









Then sealed with dynamat extreme.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Looking really good! I’m in!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## mattkim1337 (Jan 31, 2018)

This screams quality. Great material choice and fabrication shown. 

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


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## SlvrDragon50 (Apr 10, 2017)

Oh wow, I love that you have enough space to mount the amps right there. Won't lose too much trunk space.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Thanks for the replies and compliments.

Babs, I definitely used your build thread as a reference for my IB wall. Thank you.

Matt, when you brain f*ck a project like I do, the details just seem to fall into place  . Thanks for the kind words.

Slvr, I agree that the amps look great where they are. I did have to relocate the cabling for the rear seat pulls and eliminate the center rear seat belt (the coiling mechanism conflicted with one of the amps), so Toyota did throw me a few curveballs. Truthunter gave me the idea of mounting my amps there, and had already done the relocation/removal work I described above on his Camry, so the template was already laid out for me. Thanks for the compliment.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

hurricane nuts are handy but you can push them out with the screw sometimes. it's worse if they drop into a sub box box. might not an issue w/ an IB sub, since you can easily get to the back side.

you can help prevent this with a small wood screw next to them:


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Chris12 said:


> Babs, I definitely used your build thread as a reference for my IB wall. Thank you.



Eeew.. I dunno if that was wise.  Much appreciated though. I totally played it out by ear. You were a lot more methodical with glue/screw there. Looks solid as a rock. Just from speculation, I dare say the weakest link might be the top and bottom of the driver itself.. There's not much wood there.. So while it looks nuclear blast-proof on each side of the driver, it looks like you might run into some flex right in that middle area at the driver. In case I missed it, my apologies.. But I'd suggest some kind of reinforcement there top and bottom with possibly something strong such as a couple pieces of angle metal (steel/aluminum), just for that extra bit of resistance against flexing. Might not be necessary depending on how you're mounting it, but might not hurt.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Babs said:


> Eeew.. I dunno if that was wise.  Much appreciated though. I totally played it out by ear. You were a lot more methodical with glue/screw there. Looks solid as a rock. Just from speculation, I dare say the weakest link might be the top and bottom of the driver itself.. There's not much wood there.. So while it looks nuclear blast-proof on each side of the driver, it looks like you might run into some flex right in that middle area at the driver. In case I missed it, my apologies.. But I'd suggest some kind of reinforcement there top and bottom with possibly something strong such as a couple pieces of angle metal (steel/aluminum), just for that extra bit of resistance against flexing. Might not be necessary depending on how you're mounting it, but might not hurt.


I completely agree that the top center and bottom center are my weak links. The sub flange is 7/8” and that’s exactly the clearance that I have at the extreme top and bottom:









If truthunter hadn’t installed basically the same 15” AE sub in his 2015 Camry (V6 he’d appreciate my specifying  ), I wouldn’t have believed it was possible. He (truthunter) did run 1” aluminum angle iron on the top inside edge, which surely beefed it up. 

I’m still undecided on what to do. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but the wall isn’t 90 degrees, which I’m sure is somewhat common as the rear passenger is more comfortable at a slight recline. I had purchased some nice 1/8” thick 1.6”x1.6” 90 degree corner braces, but due to the angle of the wall when the bracket is installed, when one surface is flush the other surface only contacts at the bottom. (Hard to explain, but basically the angle of the bracket is wrong  )

I’ll figure something out and report back.





nadams5755 said:


> hurricane nuts are handy but you can push them out with the screw sometimes. it's worse if they drop into a sub box box. might not an issue w/ an IB sub, since you can easily get to the back side.
> 
> you can help prevent this with a small wood screw next to them:


Thanks for the tip on the hurricane nuts. I considered these but ultimately went with Tee nuts. I liked tee nuts for this application because they allowed me to drill a somewhat sloppy (loose) hole, then put the bolt through and pull the Tee nut into proper alignment. I’ve never used hurricane nuts before, but it just seemed to me that precision would be a lot more crucial. I could definitely be off the mark here though.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Babs said:


> Eeew.. I dunno if that was wise.  Much appreciated though. I totally played it out by ear. You were a lot more methodical with glue/screw there. Looks solid as a rock. Just from speculation, I dare say the weakest link might be the top and bottom of the driver itself.. There's not much wood there.. So while it looks nuclear blast-proof on each side of the driver, it looks like you might run into some flex right in that middle area at the driver. In case I missed it, my apologies.. But I'd suggest some kind of reinforcement there top and bottom with possibly something strong such as a couple pieces of angle metal (steel/aluminum), just for that extra bit of resistance against flexing. Might not be necessary depending on how you're mounting it, but might not hurt.





Chris12 said:


> I completely agree that the top center and bottom center are my weak links. The sub flange is 7/8” and that’s exactly the clearance that I have at the extreme top and bottom:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, it's a tight fit for sure and you would think that those thin upper & lower sections would be a point of flex... But, with the top angle, the bottom unibody cross-brace, the unibody side wings (all which can not be seen in the photo above), and the speaker frame itself all being bolted to the baffle creates a unified structure - There is no flex that I can easily perceive.

Not sure your plan, but in my car the top angle is bolted in 7 places to the body and 6 places to the baffle, and the lower edge is bolted in six places to the unibody cross-brace, and two through bolts on each side wing. I say get the baffle fully installed (without the speaker) and try to make it flex with all your might - push/pull on it with all your weight... I think the results will ease your concerns about it. 

And Scott, not sure if you hammered on it but you heard my car a couple weekends ago... so there is that too


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

BTW, your doing some really great work here :thumbsup:

The attention to detail and layout here makes my build look like child's play.. lol


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

Chris12 said:


> Thanks for the tip on the hurricane nuts. I considered these but ultimately went with Tee nuts. I liked tee nuts for this application because they allowed me to drill a somewhat sloppy (loose) hole, then put the bolt through and pull the Tee nut into proper alignment. I’ve never used hurricane nuts before, but it just seemed to me that precision would be a lot more crucial. I could definitely be off the mark here though.


i guess i've been calling them hurricane nuts but they're tee nuts. it looks like you've got 4-prong tee nuts, i've used 3-prong tee nunts.

either way, i'm looking forward to hearing it when it's done.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I did a quick test fit on the sub today.









I thought I had plenty of room between the sub magnet and the rear seat, but I was wrong 

Here’s the back seat temporarily installed










Here’s the latching mechanism for the rear seat. It’s less than an inch from locking











I’m brainstorming a solution now, but the first idea that popped into my head was build up the back with another two 3/4” plies - something like keep_hope_alive did in his thread here https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...l-gallery/showpost.php?p=1059321&postcount=81


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> I’m brainstorming a solution now, but the first idea that popped into my head was build up the back with another two 3/4” plies - something like keep_hope_alive did in his thread here


I thought of this too when I installed mine but adding the extra layers in the back will push the sub flange through the trunk floor because of the angle it sits... and it can't be moved up on the baffle to compensate either as the basket will interfere with the unibody structure. Hence, why mine is mounted cone forward... for now.

Though you will read differing opinions on this - I prefer the sound of the sub with the cone coupled directly with the cabin airspace - when it doesn't have to play through the back seat. Sure the long waves go right through the seat back and the subs passband can still be tuned to play evenly on the RTA. But to me, with the seat down, it sounds more effortless and there is an added sensation of pressure changes in the cabin and on my skin. I also hear more texture to string bass instruments with the seats down.

So I've been driving around with the "60" portion of my seatback folded down for now. But I do plan on cutting out the portion of the seatback behind the armrest as a passthrough in the future. And with that I will likely reverse mount the sub as there will then be clearance for the magnet.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Also, I wanted to ask the purpose of removing the screws that held the layers of the baffle together after the glue dried? I kept mine in but perhaps there is a good reason why they should be removed?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> I thought of this too when I installed mine but adding the extra layers in the back will push the sub flange through the trunk floor because of the angle it sits... and it can't be moved up on the baffle to compensate either as the basket will interfere with the unibody structure. Hence, why mine is mounted cone forward... for now.
> 
> Though you will read differing opinions on this - I prefer the sound of the sub with the cone coupled directly with the cabin airspace - when it doesn't have to play through the back seat. Sure the long waves go right through the seat back and the subs passband can still be tuned to play evenly on the RTA. But to me, with the seat down, it sounds more effortless and there is an added sensation of pressure changes in the cabin and on my skin. I also hear more texture to string bass instruments with the seats down.
> 
> So I've been driving around with the "60" portion of my seatback folded down for now. But I do plan on cutting out the portion of the seatback behind the armrest as a passthrough in the future. And with that I will likely reverse mount the sub as there will then be clearance for the magnet.


Thanks for the reply Ryan.

Cutting the seat back is an interesting proposition. Do you have an idea on how to do it, but still maintain a somewhat finished appearance? 



On another note, yesterday morning to did more test fitting. 

First I attached the baffle to the car using long screws (screwed into Tee nuts I’d already sunk into the baffle). The long screws allowed me to slide the baffle toward the rear of the car, but still kept the baffle (somewhat) aligned and upright.










In this photo the baffle was slid back (toward the rear of the car) about 0.5”.









Then I re-installed the sub. (Painters tape to keep this beauty looking new)









Then I re-installed the rear seat. I pushed the seat back until it clicked into its locking mechanism, which slid the sub/baffle back. Then I bumped the sub/baffle back another 1/16 or 1/8” so there was a slight gap between the magnet and rear seat.

Hard to see the clearance in this picture, but it’s definitely there.










I measured after this operation and I had a 1-1/8” gap at the top and about 1/2” at the bottom (between the baffle and where it had originally sat). I tried to even up the top/bottom gaps, but something was binding so I called it good. 

Since I’d artificially created a steeper angle than the baffle would ultimately have (worst case scenario for the sub being driven into the trunk floor) I walked away believing that another two 3/4” plies (1.5”) would give me the clearance I needed.

Adding to the baffle had been my plan, but I just searched eBay and the rear upper 60% seat backs can be had for as little as $118 shipped (OBO on top of that)

I need to do some thinking..




Truthunter said:


> Also, I wanted to ask the purpose of removing the screws that held the layers of the baffle together after the glue dried? I kept mine in but perhaps there is a good reason why they should be removed?


This is something I debated on for a while. I figured that the screws were just acting as clamps until the glue dried, after which the glue joint would be stronger than the wood. I decided to remove the screws and fill in the holes with glue thinking any voids around the screws, and the screw holes themselves would dry stronger than the wood surrounding them.

But most importantly, my cheap a$$ self would get to re-use the box of screws that I spent $12 on..


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

If I were to cut the seat back and allow the magnet to sit inside the seat, I wonder if the armrest would be able to sit flush when folded up


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> Thanks for the reply Ryan.
> 
> Cutting the seat back is an interesting proposition. Do you have an idea on how to do it, but still maintain a somewhat finished appearance?


I haven't really looked at it in detail but was thinking of a painted or carpeted mdf trim ring that would install from the rear of the seatback. It would have a thin flange that would protrude forward through the seatback to meet up with the pleather on the side/top of the armrest opening. Possibly even install grill cloth over the center portion so the sub is not visible.



Chris12 said:


> On another note, yesterday morning to did more test fitting.
> 
> First I attached the baffle to the car using long screws (screwed into Tee nuts I’d already sunk into the baffle). The long screws allowed me to slide the baffle toward the rear of the car, but still kept the baffle (somewhat) aligned and upright.
> ...
> ...


Hmmm, I see what you did there. I hadn't thought of that... Interested to see what direction you go with this.




Chris12 said:


> If I were to cut the seat back and allow the magnet to sit inside the seat, I wonder if the armrest would be able to sit flush when folded up?


I hadn't considered this. TBH, it wouldn't bother me if my armrest just had to stay in the down position. I mean there isn't even a seatbelt for that center seat position anymore


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I just bought a pair of JL Zr800 midbass drivers. I’m pumped!
http://www.jlaudio.com/zr800-cw-car-audio-speakers-zr-mid-bass-driver-91123

Thanks beak81champ!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Looking good, man!


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Were the GS690s not cutting it for you?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Were the GS690s not cutting it for you?


The GS690’s are actually awesome. I have nothing bad to say about them at all, and to tell you the truth, they’re barely broken in yet. But I’m on the hunt for my “perfect” system. In that respect, everything that I’ve read (including reviews from you and ErinH) says the zr800’s can’t be beat when it comes to midbass speakers that will actually fit in my doors. 

Their biggest downside is that they’re relatively unavailable. With their unavailability considered, I was seriously looking at the AD w800 neo’s, but they’re 800 bucks. 

Then last night I saw a pair of zr800’s in the for sale section. I was able to negotiate with the seller and got them for $325. Considering that some believe the $800 AD w800neo to be inferior to the zr800’s I feel like I got a steal.


Edit: I want to add that I didn’t even have the gs690’s tuned at anywhere close to their potential and I know that you’re a strong proponent of obtaining full potential from what you have before moving on. But, I regretted passing up on a set (of zr800’s) last month which ToNasty was selling, so when I saw this set for sale I pounced on it. If the zr800’s were readily available, I definitely would’ve stuck with the gs690’s much longer. Thus is life.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Chris12 said:


> But I’m on the hunt for my “perfect” system.


You're in trouble my friend... Get help while your head is still above water


----------



## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Truthunter said:


> And Scott, not sure if you hammered on it but you heard my car a couple weekends ago... so there is that too


Hammered just a little.


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## ToNasty (Jan 23, 2013)

Chris12 said:


> The GS690’s are actually awesome. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. But I’m on the hunt for my “perfect” system.
> 
> Everything that I’ve read (including reviews from you and ErinH) the zr800’s can’t be beat when it comes to midbass speakers that will actually fit in my doors.
> 
> ...


I had a set of those and a set of the w800 neos  

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I got my new Kenwood Excelon ddx9905s installed over the weekend. 
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/ddx9905s/
For those that aren’t familiar with the Kenwood lineup, this is their 2018 flagship “non-nav” unit. I add quotation marks around “non-nav” because it does include the same gps module that the nav unit (dnx995s) comes with, and does have navigation through apple CarPlay and android auto. It just doesn’t have the Garmin software that the 995s does. Kenwood’s 2019 lineup added wireless CarPlay to both devices I listed above, but I opted for the older model. 

The two main reasons for my choice were:

1) The 2018 was over 60% cheaper than the 2019.

2) It’s possible to get full CarPlay features while in motion on the 2018 model (for the passengers use of course). But the 2019 model requires a vss input, so once the car is in motion a lot of features are disabled.

Here’s my JBL for a “before” comparison:









Here’s the new HU installed:









The HU wiring harness from Toyota doesn’t give much slack to each individual connector.









So I broke each harness out individually and wrapped each with Tessa tape.









I did some research into the possibility of using the factory Bluetooth microphone with this aftermarket headunit but found there were no plug and play options. My next thought was to just remove the factory mic and install the kenwood mic in its place. I gave this a shot but it wasn’t readily accessible. So, I ended up installing the mic between my rear view mirror and headliner.


















Here’s the wire channel from the reaview mirror and the mount that came with the mic:









I sanded down the width of the mic mount and it fit snugly into the channel:









Here’s the other side. It provided a nice solid mount:









I only had one USB input in my car from the factory before the upgrade. With all this new connectivity I decided to add a couple more. I bought this dual usb panel mount connector from amazon:









I removed an unused 12v outlet from my console cubby:









And installed a dual usb panel mount in its place. 









So now I have three USB’s (not counting the usb I added to my center console for connection to my DSP).

1) One is connected to my idatalink Maestro RR. I did this (on recommendation from BBfoto) mainly for future firmware updates. But now I also have access if I decide to reprogram the functions of my steering wheel controls. This USB doesn’t charge.
2) The second one is hooked up to Apple CarPlay and does charge.
3) The third is for android auto or any other usb device. This one also charges.



Installation accessories 
$94.58 - iDatalink Maestro ADS-MRR
$19.61 - Maestro ACC-SAT-TO2
$32.82 - Maestro HRN-RR-TO2
$35.51 - Dash mounting kit TOYK978
$11.90 - Dual USB panel Mount 
$4.50 - two usb couplers
$6.47 - Metra 40-LX11
——————
$205.39
+
$549.78 - DDX9905s
——————
$755.17 Grand Total


I just wanted to list all that out for others (like me) who haven’t installed a stereo into a modern car lately. Budget for at least an additional $200 over the cost of the headunit to get it all hooked up and integrated.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Nice job, I like what you did with the mic and USBs - very clean.

Can you describe the difference you hear with swapping out the factory JBL/PAC to the Kenwood? Noise floor improve?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Nice job, I like what you did with the mic and USBs - very clean.
> 
> Can you describe the difference you hear with swapping out the factory JBL/PAC to the Kenwood? Noise floor improve?


It sounds A LOT better.

I’m not too good at describing sound, but here’s a couple things I’ve noticed. I had a slight electrical whine which I had previously narrowed down to the HU
Or Pac AmpPro. (When I disconnected the RCA’s from my AmpPro out the whine went away). The noise floor also improved a ton. Previously when the stereo was on with the volume turned all the way down, I had a hiss. This hiss has drastically improved. It’s not 100% gone, but with some tuning I think it’ll be damn close to being noise free. The sound is also much more dynamic and detailed than before. My poorly tuned gs10’s have never put out this kind of detail.

I don’t want to completely bash the Oem/pac AmpPro combo as I’m sure a skilled tuner could have gotten it to sound MUCH better than I did. 


Couple items I need to figure out with the Maestro RR/ kenwood:

- I couldn’t find an option to fast forward (scan?) songs. This is important to me so I’ll need to figure out either a way to program a steering wheel button or a way to do it on the HU.

- I also haven’t found a way to flip through radio channel presets. I don’t listen to the radio much, but flipping through presets from the steering wheel with my OEM setup was nice.

- The screen gets Finger smudges instantly  I may just need to live with this one.


I really wish I would’ve upgraded the HU sooner. Out of all the times I’ve swapped out an OEM HU, I’ve never regretted it.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I bought two more sheets of 3/4” Baltic Birch Plywood to add to my baffle since the motor was interfering with the rear seat. Previously, the baffle was two 3/4” BB ply’s thick, plus two 1/2” Sande Ply’s added to the face for excursion clearance.

So now the actual baffle is four 3/4” BB ply’s thick and measures just over 2.75”.



















I just did a test fit to see if the sub motor would clear the rear seat. To add to the suspense I’ll start with some pictures of the test fit (pictures taken just now with the thicker baffle):


















Now with the rear seat in...

It fits!









There’s about 1/2” of clearance 











Now I can finally finish this thing up and get the install done


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

The baffle is finished

Here it is outside the car with the grill installed


















Without the grill (* after I took this photo I recovered the face of the cutout center from grey (in this photo) to its current black)









Here’s the rear side which faces the front of the car 









Test fit. (The rear wasn’t finished yet in this photo)










All surfaces were covered in 1/8” CCF before carpeting


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## Jscoyne2 (Oct 29, 2014)

Chris12 said:


> The baffle is finished
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Beautiful

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk


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## Jscoyne2 (Oct 29, 2014)

I wanted a grill for my fi ib3s but honestly just couldn't find anything that'd allow 33 mm of excursion. 

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Jscoyne2 said:


> Beautiful


Indeed


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Jscoyne2 said:


> I wanted a grill for my fi ib3s but honestly just couldn't find anything that'd allow 33 mm of excursion.


Grill clearance was definitely a concern of mine. 

If I need additional excursion clearance I’m going to use washers between the speaker flange and the grill ring (which the grill pressure fits over). Let me know if this doesn’t make sense and I’ll add some pictures.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I wrapped up the installation of my AE SBP-15 as well as the reinstallation of my modified trunk trim.

I weighed the carpeted baffle out of curiosity and I was surprised at its relatively light 34.6 lbs. weight. 

Baffle installed









Sub and Grill installed









Inside cab









Re-installation of modified trunk trim


















Amp faceplate installed (except for 300/1 - missing screws)


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Very nice work, man!


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

i doubt you wanna compete (yet?) but you're welcome to hang out tomorrow - https://mecaevents.com/events/2552


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

nadams5755 said:


> i doubt you wanna compete (yet?) but you're welcome to hang out tomorrow - https://mecaevents.com/events/2552


Thanks for the invite!

I just got back from a two week vacation and I’m still in the process of tying up loose ends caused by my absence, but I wholeheartedly plan on attending one of these events at some point in the future.

I’m also still holding my rain check on your offer to show me your tuning process  Lord knows I need some help in that area (tuning with REW).



DavidRam said:


> Very nice work, man!


Thank you!


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

Chris12 said:


> I’m also still holding my rain check on your offer to show me your tuning process  Lord knows I need some help in that area (tuning with REW).


sure, let me know. i think we can work something out. 

it'd take a day or so. might be easier after it cools off this season though.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Looks great Chris. Nice job!

Can't quite tell from the photos so I'll ask how did you handle securing the top/bottom of the baffle?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> Looks great Chris. Nice job!
> 
> Can't quite tell from the photos so I'll ask how did you handle securing the top/bottom of the baffle?


Thanks!

You won’t believe it, but I only used four 1/4-20 SS screws. I put one in each corner and screwed from the cab toward the trunk into Tee nuts that I previously sunk into the wood.

I planned on using more screws, but it’s rock solid with just the four.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Got the interior reassembled and treated with CLD, MLV and ultra-touch denim insulation. I’m VERY pleased with the improvement in noise and rattles that the combination of sound treatment and the reinstallation of the interior panels provided. 

Here’s the rear of the car in its newly re-assembled state. I can’t tell you guys how nice it is to have a fully assembled and clean interior









*And here’s a chronological explanation of the sound treatment I did:*

Added MLV to the rear deck:









And glued a layer of ultra-touch denim insulation. This combo (MLV+denim insulation) made a noticeable difference in decreasing NVH, and (in my opinion) allowed a much more “solid” sound to the bass.









I added tesa tape to the third brake light so it wouldn’t rattle against the rear window 









And CLD to the underside









Also added MLV and Denim insulation anywhere I could fit it on the interior panels









Added MLV underneath the OEM padding on the wheel wells


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## j83460 (Aug 17, 2019)

Chris, great job on the thread. This is J.D., I couldn't p.m. you since I am new, 9015690542


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## DavidK442 (Apr 21, 2019)

The level of detail and professionalism of your install is astounding. Aesthetically, makes the free air install I'm finishing in my sedan look like a hack job.
I will be anxiously following the tuning portion of your built.
I have ended up with a major spl suck out in the driving position centered around 60 Hz. Exactly the same frequency for both subs played full range and 6.5's in treated front doors played full range. I suspect it is a null. Will be interesting to see if you encounter the same in your similar sized car with similar speaker locations and if you are able to overcome.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I decided to make a few changes to my setup.

First off, I bought the set of tweeters that I’ve been debating over:

ScanSpeak Illuminator D3004/6040-10 Beryllium Dome Tweeters (deep chamber version.)








https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...or-d3004/6040-10-beryllium-dome-tweeter-each/

I decided on the deep chamber version of this tweeter, (which was made for two-way systems) for use in my three way system, for two reasons:

1. I was going to have to do custom installation work regardless of which version I bought.
2. This deep chamber version will play much lower allowing greater crossover options.






Next, I bought a new used set of midrange speakers (thanks JimmyDee!):

Scan-Speak 11M/4631G05 Gold Series 4.5" midranges








https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/auto-sound/11m/4631g05-gold-series-4.5-midrange/

I bought these primarily because the opportunity presented itself. I had considered Scan-Speak 12mu’s, but I don’t think I would’ve been able to accommodate their size. These 11m’s are smaller than my existing GS40’s in most dimensions. The overall flange diameter of the 11m’s are larger than my GS40’s, but I think with a little finesse they may drop into the baffles I already have on my dash - maybe not, but we’ll see.






Lastly, I bought a set of JL ZR-800’s to replace the GS690’s in my doors. I made some progress on the door baffles for these which I’ll show in my next post.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

In post number 90 of this build thread,  truthunter figured out (after a ton of trial and error) that 1-1/4” thick baffle would allow zr800’s to fit in the door of a 2015 Camry. With the hard part already completed for me, I went to work.

I got some scrap 1/2” PVC (type I) and attached the shell of my door speakers to it:










By using a larger bearing on my profile router bit I made the baffle about 1/4” larger than the stock speaker all the way around. I took this cue from truthunter’s build thread (which I linked to above) which should allow more room for the baffle to seal against the door.







































Then I used some 3/4” PVC (again, type I) to make spacer rings.


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## JimmyDee (Mar 8, 2014)

This is going to sound amazing... Nice choice of drivers.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

This is the second car I know of in the Bay Area with 11m mids.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I’d like to publicly thank Jerry (Niebur3) for helping out with the purchase of my D3004/6040’s.

If anyone is looking for car audio equipment, I’d recommend his services wholeheartedly.

Jerry Niebur, Jr.
High Definition Mobile Audio
(402) 598-1725


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

nadams5755 said:


> This is the second car I know of in the Bay Area with 11m mids.


Who else has them? You’re using 12m’s, right?




jimmydee said:


> This is going to sound amazing... Nice choice of drivers.


Thanks for all the advice and great deal on the 11m’s!





DavidK442 said:


> The level of detail and professionalism of your install is astounding. Aesthetically, makes the free air install I'm finishing in my sedan look like a hack job.
> I will be anxiously following the tuning portion of your built.
> I have ended up with a major spl suck out in the driving position centered around 60 Hz. Exactly the same frequency for both subs played full range and 6.5's in treated front doors played full range. I suspect it is a null. Will be interesting to see if you encounter the same in your similar sized car with similar speaker locations and if you are able to overcome.


Thank you!

I’m still very much a rookie in the tuning department. Hopefully with a little more seat time and possibly some help from others in my area, I’ll have it sounding decent within the next few months. I’d also really like to try out the miniDSP 8x12DL, which I’m sure would help me out a lot. Hopefully it’ll (8x12DL) be my next purchase.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

Chris12 said:


> Who else has them? You’re using 12m’s, right?


Yeah, 12ms. *dumple* has the 11ms. I worked with him on a tune, sounds pretty good.


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## DavidK442 (Apr 21, 2019)

Chris12 said:


> I’m still very much a rookie in the tuning department. Hopefully with a little more seat time and possibly some help from others in my area, I’ll have it sounding decent within the next few months. I’d also really like to try out the miniDSP 8x12DL, which I’m sure would help me out a lot. Hopefully it’ll (8x12DL) be my next purchase.


Do you have the ability to take measurements? A $100 Umik-1, free REW software and an hour or so to figure out how to use it = countless hours of tuning, fussing, worrying and frustration...but ultimately a lot of fun.

I just started poking around on these forums and am amazed at the level knowledge on here. Some one had linked to this Audio Frog Tuning info and it is fantastic. Unfortunately didn't help me fix the gaping chasm in my bass response, but still excellent, practical advice. 
(Argh, still need a couple more posts before I can link.) You probably already know of the article I'm referring to anyway.


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

Really nice work. Thanks for sharing.

By the way, I’m late to the party but I’ve had one hurricane/t-nut come loose on me though luckily I had access to grab it with pliers. I no longer use them, I use slab nuts with holes for my commercial subs. They work great.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

dgage said:


> Really nice work. Thanks for sharing.
> 
> By the way, I’m late to the party but I’ve had one hurricane/t-nut come loose on me though luckily I had access to grab it with pliers. I no longer use them, I use slab nuts with holes for my commercial subs. They work great.


Thanks for the recommendation.

I actually did have an issue with one of the T-nuts on my sub, which either slipped or sheared. I have each t-nut sunk and glued (allowed the glue to dry before I installed the sub), so I have a hard time believing that it slipped - but it’s possible. I can get only so much torque on it before it gives. I have the screw on this T-nut tightened to just before it slips.

I’d definitely use something else if I did this again today.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

DavidK442 said:


> Do you have the ability to take measurements? A $100 Umik-1, free REW software and an hour or so to figure out how to use it = countless hours of tuning, fussing, worrying and frustration...but ultimately a lot of fun.
> 
> I just started poking around on these forums and am amazed at the level knowledge on here. Some one had linked to this Audio Frog Tuning info and it is fantastic. Unfortunately didn't help me fix the gaping chasm in my bass response, but still excellent, practical advice.
> (Argh, still need a couple more posts before I can link.) You probably already know of the article I'm referring to anyway.


The Audiobook Tuning guide - A Straightforward Stereo Tuning Process and Some Notes About Why it Works, is excellent and I’ve read it over several times. Another great one is Hanatsu’s REW Guide (PDF Summary).

The honest truth is that I just haven’t spent enough seat time actually tuning - which is likely due to the fact that I’m enjoying the equipment research and installation phase. 

I told myself that once I got my new front stage installed, I’d get my tune dialed in. But I’m also re-thinking my amp selection (not to mention that awesome new 8x12DL..) 

Plus (like everyone else) I have a family, kids, work.. And the mandatory few hours I put in every day screwing around on this forum. I’ll probably settle in with a nice time sometime in the next few years


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## JimmyDee (Mar 8, 2014)

Chris12 said:


> I’d like to publicly thank Jerry (Niebur3) for helping out with the purchase of my D3004/6040’s.
> 
> If anyone is looking for car audio equipment, I’d recommend his services wholeheartedly.
> 
> ...



Here, here! I second this.
I've bought a lot of gear from Jerry, and always had an excellent experience.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Really nice work here. Much like Ryan's (truthhunter) I really appreciate the level of detail here that many may not notice. You can tell you guys both take your time and do it right. I dig it!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

ErinH said:


> Really nice work here. Much like Ryan's (truthhunter) I really appreciate the level of detail here that many may not notice. You can tell you guys both take your time and do it right. I dig it!


Thanks!

Ryan created a very detailed template for upgrading the generation 7.5 (2015-2017) Camry. All I had to do was follow it - with a few tweaks here and there of course


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I just bought a set of new set of Dynaudio Esotar² 430’s:










I guess I’ll be putting the 11m’s up for sale soon.. I didn’t have a chance to get them installed


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## HRLTim (Sep 20, 2019)

They're beautiful


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## GreatLaBroski (Jan 20, 2018)

I’m curious how you like the e430’s. I may have to go this direction in the future if I buy a Tesla Model 3, as I won’t be able to get 12mu’s to fit in the dash.


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

Chris12 said:


> I just bought a set of new set of Dynaudio Esotar² 430’s:


Did ErinH’s choice of mid push you over the edge? I know he has me interested in them when I find my next car. And that 6040 tweeter too.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

GreatLaBroski said:


> I’m curious how you like the e430’s. I may have to go this direction in the future if I buy a Tesla Model 3, as I won’t be able to get 12mu’s to fit in the dash.



I’ll let you know. I’m sure they’ll be a night/day difference from my GS40’s






dgage said:


> Did ErinH’s choice of mid push you over the edge? I know he has me interested in them when I find my next car. And that 6040 tweeter too.


I’m sure Erin’s setup had some influence on my decision, but in actuality, there was little planning in this purchase - let me explain.

I have an alert set up on eBay for Dyn 430’s and I noticed that a bnib set was scheduled to close yesterday. I figured that I’d throw a bid in and ended up losing by $20.

Disappointed, I emailed another forum member and found out that user “Porsche” had a brand new set for sale. The price was reasonable, so I bought them. He said they’ll be shipped next Wednesday.

If I was asked last week “you gonna buy some Dyn 430’s?” I would’ve said no way in hell. I’d say this fits all criteria to be labeled an impulse buy


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

Chris12 said:


> If I was asked last week “you gonna buy some Dyn 430’s?” I would’ve said no way in hell. I’d say this fits all criteria to be labeled an impulse buy <img src="http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" class="inlineimg" />


You’re weak. ? I just received a Mosconi Pico 2 that I had no previous plans to buy but was intrigued by and wanted to play with it. And I would buy the e430s in a second if I found a good deal on them, you know, cause I’m weak too. ?


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I've got all the new equipment installed - Scan Speak Beryllium 3004-604010's in the sail panels, Dynaudio e430's in the OEM dash corner location, JL Audio ZR800's in the doors.





























Nick (nadams5755) has graciously offered to teach me his tuning process and we're scheduled to meet up this weekend. 

It almost feels like this could finally be headed to a completion...


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

I'll be impatiently waiting your thoughts on the sound quality improvement. I'll be testing the Scan Be/e430 combo against the Focal TBM/3.5WM and the AF GB10/GB25 combo, when I get a chance this spring.

And the install looks really nice! And nice selection of components. Hope your doors hold up to those ZR800s.


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## preston (Dec 10, 2007)

Wow that looks really nice. I wasn't too keen on dash speakers based on previous installs but Erin's install and my annoyance with my kicks caused me to experiment and in my current car (92 Deville) they ended being the best sound I've ever had in several iterations of that car. So much so that I can almost hear how nice yours will sound. 

I'm also running the non-belly versions of those tweeters. I would love to know if I could tell the difference but too expensive of an experiment for me especially considering my ears are signing off by 10k anyway. 

Given the details you've provided so far I look forward to some good insightful stuff on the tuning process and how it all turns out. 

Congrats though, you've done a great job with gear selection and install.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

there's an effortlessness to the BE d3004s while still remaining smooth.


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

Very nice Chris. With my experience with the same vehicle & locations - I can say that this should end up sounding really nice with excellent ambience.

Dash mids are the new a-pillar pods... or I should say they're just coming back around to be in fashion again


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

Sounds pretty good


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

For Sure. Night and day difference from where it was. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your taking time out of your weekend (11+ hours) to help me tune this thing with absolutely nothing expected in return.

For anyone who hasn’t met Nick (nadams5755), the guy is a genius. Anyone can learn to use a mic with an RTA and turn dials until one graph matches another. But (IMO) it takes a huge amount of knowledge and experience to be able to set that mic/RTA aside and use your ears to get a system to reproduce sound as a given musical instrument would produce it (guitars, violins, etc). Nick has that ability, and it’s truly remarkable.

I got a chance to listen to his GTI, and OMG, the thing sounds amazing. I don’t have the knowledge of the lingo to put the sound into words, but it sounds like a concert hall.








my 2012 gti build


I love the c3 coaxials, excellent choice there! wonder if you will like these for awhile or feel the need to go back to horns..they are a special breed of mistress once you get hooked on them i miss the dynamics of high sensitivity drivers. the car environment is a constant set of trade-offs...




www.diymobileaudio.com





Thanks again Nick.



As far as my next steps with this system, I have a few rattles that I need to track down, but overall I plan to leave it “as is” for a while. I really hope to attend at least one of the upcoming competitions in my area to gain a better understanding of how a system should sound.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

id suggest making a playlist of music you know well or want to know well. Then listen to that music on as many different stereos/headphones as you can. figure out what you like about the music playing through each system. vocals? bass instruments? highs? and so on. not only the tonality but sometimes musician/instrument placement is easier to notice in the beginning.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

left, pre-crossover and pre-eq work









here's left before we made tonality eq cuts and level changes











right, pre-crossover and pre-eq work









here's right before we made tonality eq cuts and level changes


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## DavidK442 (Apr 21, 2019)

Thanks for posting some data.
I have never measured anything with such a tight frequency response, home or car, especially in the 100 to 500 Hz range, and especially before EQ. What level of smoothing was used for these graphs?.


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

1/3 octave


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

After much deliberation, primarily due to the price, I bought a “Voltage Regulator Booster” for my 2015 Camry from HKB Electronics in Australia:


https://www.hkbelect.com/





It boosts the alternator’s output voltage by 0.5 - 0.6v on average. It accomplishes this by replacing the alternator’s voltage sensing fuse and essentially “tricks” the alternator voltage regulator into seeing less voltage than it is actually producing thereby causing it to compensate to produce more.



Pulled from HKB’s website, *OEM’s have lowered the charging voltage for two main reasons:*
_1) Lowering the charge voltage reduces the load on the engine at idle and improves the standard fuel consumption figures manufactures use to sell cars, lower fuel consumption figures sells cars.
2) Lowering the load on the engine at idle is a cheap way to reduce exhaust emissions and helps the manufacture meet strict overseas emission requirements.
Unfortunately lowering the charging voltage is not good for the cars battery and has led to a rising trend in premature battery failures. The Alternator Voltage Booster simply restores the alternators charge voltage to pre low output alternators charging voltages.
Note, not all manufactures have introduced low output alternators as they didn't need to to meet emission requirements. Some manufactures have introduced ECU control alternators whereby they can turn the alternator off to lower engine loads even further, some of these types of systems allow the "smart charge function to be turned off" by doing this the manufactures can meet the emission requirements but then turn the "smart charge function off" when it causes issues to the customer._



Lately, I’ve been seeing charging voltages averaging around 13.9v. Hopefully this device will put me up to 14.4 - 14.5v range.

Here’s a link to a Toyota Tacoma owner who has one of these voltage booster’s installed with a bunch of additional information:








The NorthStar AGM Battery + Voltage Booster Upgrade


The NorthStar AGM Battery + Voltage Booster Upgrade This thread covers upgrading to the best AGM battery available and modifying the voltage regulator...




www.tacomaworld.com


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## Truthunter (Jun 15, 2015)

^^^ Good info... Thanks!

Which of the 3 versions did you buy? Looks like the adjustable version is Out of Stock.

Interested in your post install voltage measurements...


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## Turb0Yoda (Jan 4, 2019)

Interesting. I always thought those were fairly jank and would cause battery/alternator death.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Truthunter said:


> ^^^ Good info... Thanks!
> 
> Which of the 3 versions did you buy? Looks like the adjustable version is Out of Stock.
> 
> Interested in your post install voltage measurements...


I bought the MK1 fusible link version primarily due to cost:





MK1 Mini Blade 7.5A (Fusible link version) (Micro blade compatible) | HKB Electronics


The Alternator Voltage Booster was the first of its type on the market and is the only unit available that was has been purpose built for alternator voltage boosting.



www.hkbelect.com





I’ll definitely follow up with the post install measurements.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Turb0Yoda said:


> Interesting. I always thought those were fairly jank and would cause battery/alternator death.


Though I’m certainly no expert, if done a fair amount of due diligence on the topic. It seems that newer cars have lower charge voltages purely to meet emissions standards. So, the consequence of installing one of these voltage regulator boosters would be a slight reduction in gas mileage, (though I’m guessing that it will be very small).

Check out hkb’s faq:





FAQs | HKB Electronics


The Alternator Voltage Booster was the first of its type on the market and is the only unit available that was has been purpose built for alternator voltage boosting.



www.hkbelect.com


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## Turb0Yoda (Jan 4, 2019)

I might look into it depending on how my voltages are whenever I finish this next stage of my build... I had some small drops when measuring last time but I don't remember what anymore.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I cleaned up my modified OEM dash grills. Originally, after I cut the OEM grills to accommodate the lager Dynaudio esotar 430’s, I just covered them with grill cloth.
Unfortunately the contour of the new opening threw off the OEM contour of the speaker grill.

Before the update I had obvious indentations where I cut speaker openings:


















I bought some used OEM dash grills on eBay. Then I made some speaker rings. I placed the rings on the speakers mounted in the dash with clay on top of them to act as adhesive (I could’ve also used double sided tape, but the “duct seal” worked out great). Then I mounted the grill to the dash.

I was left with a perfect outline of what material had to be removed:










Here’s the end result after tracing/cutting the new opening. On top of the grill is 3m VHB double sided tape. I’ll explain in the next step:









I got some metal mesh material and cut it to mimic the outline of the OEM grill. After considering a few different options, I adhered the metal mesh to the plastic grill with 3m vhb double sided tape. It worked great.
Once the mesh was secured a rolled it with a wooden roller and rounded the protruding edges over the plastic.
Here’s the end result:









Finally, I covered the grills with Mellotone Black grill cloth from parts express. I used 3m super 90 spray adhesive to secure the cloth and it had a super strong bond. I also covered the underside of the grills with dynamat and used CCF tape to seal the grills to the speaker opening.
Here’s the end result:



















I also covered the underside of the grills with dynamat and used CCF tape to seal the grills to the speaker opening. I didn’t take any pictures of this.

Here’s the final install. Now all I need to worry about is keeping them lint free  If anyone has advice on this I’m all ears..




























Dash grill


12 new items added to shared album




photos.app.goo.gl


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## preston (Dec 10, 2007)

that looks great, 100% OEM quality appearance to me


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

preston said:


> that looks great, 100% OEM quality appearance to me


Thank you! 
That’s what I was going for. Originally I even tried to keep the OEM HU, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.


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## Turb0Yoda (Jan 4, 2019)

Damn I regret doing what I did now lol, but I also technically haven't fully mounted my 300ms yet


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Well, I completed this project today. It’s not car audio related, but what the heck..

Here’s what I started with, the OEM 18” wheels on my 2015 XSE:









And here’s what I ended up with after installing the 2020 TRD center caps and an 1/8” vinyl pin stripe:





























For a $50 investment and a bit of time, I’m very happy with the outcome. It’s also easily reversible if I get tired of it.

** I claim no responsibility for the crappy tires on this car - they were on it when I bought it as a CPO


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Lowering springs???


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

BP1Fanatic said:


> Lowering springs???


Nope. Suspension is all stock.

All I’ve done is install a cold air intake, upgrade to a better flowing/de-catted Y pipe and tinted the front windows. Overall it’s been a great car.

Edit: I also upgraded to larger OEM dual piston front calipers (vs the single piston’s that came stock), and installed an alternator voltage booster from HKB electronics which netted a 0.5v charging boost at any given time.


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## Turb0Yoda (Jan 4, 2019)

Can we call you a ricer now .


So that HKB bit was worth it?


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

I should have asked are you getting lowering springs! That wheel well arch gap is HUGE. 

I might have to check out that volt booster. My car idles at 600rpms. I just bought a new battery from Napaonline.com after Autozone canceled my Odyssey ODP-AGM34R order last week. Kinda glad they did since the Napa battery was $150 and the Odyssey battery was $350. The both have similar cold cranking amps. The Napa battery might have more.


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Well, I was wrong. The actual Odyssey model number is 34R-PC1500T and it has 850cca vs 800cca for the Napa battery. Is that extra 50cca worth $200??? The Odyssey does come with a 4 year replacement warranty vs 2 years. So two 2 year warranties plus 50cca equal $350. I can see that.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Turb0Yoda said:


> Can we call you a ricer now .
> 
> 
> So that HKB bit was worth it?


Sure, what the heck  
In my defense, It’s all easily reversible and it keeps me occupied.

Yeah, the voltage booster did exactly what it said it would. It is expensive for essentially a modified fuse, but I’m happy with it.





BP1Fanatic said:


> I should have asked are you getting lowering springs! That wheel well arch gap is HUGE.
> 
> I might have to check out that volt booster. My car idles at 600rpms. I just bought a new battery from Napaonline.com after Autozone canceled my Odyssey ODP-AGM34R order last week. Kinda glad they did since the Napa battery was $150 and the Odyssey battery was $350. The both have similar cold cranking amps. The Napa battery might have more.


Oh okay. Yeah I think it would look better lowered a bit, but the aftermarket Y pipe hangs down a bit and I know that others have had issues with this Y pipe and lowered cars.

On the battery topic, right now I have a 24f interstate lead acid battery from Costco. I maintain it with my ctek 7002, so I haven’t had any issues with it. If I do upgrade to an AGM I’ll most likely get a NorthStar and I’m going to try and fit the largest possible option. I have my eye on a group 31, but the chances of it fitting are slim..


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## CrimsonCountry (Mar 11, 2012)

Chris12 said:


> Though I’m certainly no expert, if done a fair amount of due diligence on the topic. It seems that newer cars have lower charge voltages purely to meet emissions standards. So, the consequence of installing one of these voltage regulator boosters would be a slight reduction in gas mileage, (though I’m guessing that it will be very small).
> 
> Check out hkb’s faq:
> 
> ...


How has the voltage booster been working out for you? I've been running one in my 06 4runner for a few months and like it as I get the expected .5-.6v bump. 

The healthier inputs at the amp are nice but I bought it to help with charging my battery due to me driving less and for shorter periods. Works great for that.

Nice build btw.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

CrimsonCountry said:


> How has the voltage booster been working out for you? I've been running one in my 06 4runner for a few months and like it as I get the expected .5-.6v bump.
> 
> The healthier inputs at the amp are nice but I bought it to help with charging my battery due to me driving less and for shorter periods. Works great for that.
> 
> Nice build btw.


The voltage booster has been great.
It’s doing just what it was advertised to do. I’m 0.5v up from stock. Definitely worth it in my opinion.


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