# Deadpool's 2013 Subaru BRZ - Simple SQ



## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Long story, short:
- GTI got totaled
- Bought a Sonata
- Four months later, sold the Sonata and bought the BRZ
- Should've bought the BRZ in the first place 

I'm not sure just how much of this I'll do myself. I'm outsourcing a couple of items, but I'll try to do a lot so I can be sure it comes out as close as possible to what I see in my head. So anyway, here's the fairly detailed original plan. I imagine there will be plenty of changes but you gotta start somewhere. 

*PLATFORM*
2013 Subaru BRZ Limited, Crystal Black Silica

*GOALS*

 Clean, simple install, stealthy up front
 Removable and returnable to very close to stock condition
 Very high level of SQ with stage height at middle of windshield
 Has to sound amazing with everything from jazz to metal to dubstep
 Keep weight gain minimal to avoid affecting performance too much
 Keep vibration transfer from sub to a minimum
 Non-invasive install; return to stock should be fairly simple

*BASIC EQUIPMENT LIST*

Pioneer P99RS
Alpine PDX 4.150 (2)
Alpine PDX 1.1000
Hybrid Audio Technology L1 Pro R2 tweeters
Hybrid Audio Technology L3SE mids
Hybrid Audio Technology Clarus 6 midbasses
JL Audio 12TW3 subs (2)
Wiring from Knu Konceptz
Deadening from Sound Deadener Showdown
Techflex from Furryletters
Hardware from McMaster-Carr

*PRIMARY SECTIONS OF INSTALL*

Head Unit
Doors
Dash
Amp Rack
Subs

*SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE*

Deadening
Wiring
Power

*HEAD UNIT*
I’m using the P99RS so I shouldn’t need an external processor. This helps keep the system simple. The problem is that the BRZ radio is an odd size. I have an American International dash kit from Crutchfield but it will be temporary until I build a custom bezel. I also want to source a good dash mount for my iPhone 5 since that's what I'll use for navigation if needed.

*DOORS*
I’ll be putting the Hybrid Audio Clarus 6.5” midbass drivers in the doors. The original thought was to put the L8SEs in there. I knew the 8s would take a lot of work to shoehorn in, but figured I'd do it anyway. A few words from Klifton at HAT and Bing at Simplicity In Sound made me reconsider using 8s in these doors. It didn’t really take much convincing as I wasn’t _really_ looking forward to chopping metal out of my doors and all the other work it would’ve taken. After ditching the L8 idea, I started eyeballing the L6SEs, but Klifton explained to me that the Clarus should work better in this application.

I’ll have to pay a lot of attention to deadening the doors. I will be using a fair amount of CLD, CCF, Thinsulate, and felt tape in there.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to do the baffles for the 6s. I have access to a really nice wood shop, so I may do some work there eventually, but there's a little something else brewing on this front, so we'll see.

I’m not sure if I need to seal the big openings in the inner door skin. If so I’ll probably make removable plates to make any future maintenance easier.

*DASH*
The L3SEs in the stock dash locations; I think this is pretty standard and seems to work well on this platform. I’ll probably use a method similar to the one Bing used on deaddawg’s FR-S (and that he gives due credit to another build for…GaDgeT I assume). I was hesitant at first to mount to the speaker grilles, thinking it would be better to mount to the actual dash, but the grille mounting seems to work fine. With all that said, I _may _try to do it just a tiny bit differently.

I was going to just put the L1R2s under the stock grilles to see how it would work, but after making cardboard mockups of the L3s and L1s, I realized that it would be a really close fit. It would possibly take some custom work to the dash mounting location and would definitely need a bit of custom work to the stock grille. I think it’s possible, but I don’t see the point in doing all that work when I could just put the tweeters in the pillars and get them aimed more optimally. I mention how much work it would take, but am being somewhat disingenuous since the tweeters are getting contracted out. 

*AMP RACK*
The amps will be in a rack in the trunk under a false floor. It was that way in my 2010 GTI and also in my Sonata. It works well for me because I play quite a bit of golf so I need to be able to fit my clubs in the car--preferably somewhere other than riding shotgun.

*SUBS*
Like the amps, the subs will be under a false floor in the trunk. They should go in the spare tire well, but there really isn't a lot of room back there if I want to keep the floor at stock height. I will definitely have to use fiberglass for the bottom of the enclosure and I have zero experience with glassing stuff so I'll be researching and looking for lots of tips. The good thing is that I won't have to make it pretty.  One think I definitely want to do with the enclosure is decouple it from the body to minimize vibrations making it easier to localize the subs. I will be using silicone vibration mounts for this.

*DEADENING*
I ordered some stuff from Don at Sound Deadener Showdown: CLD, CCF, and some 3M Thinsulate. I am trying to reduce resonances and rattles here. I'm not really trying to reduce general road noise right now. The BRZ is a sports car and sports cars are generally noisy. I also don't want to add the sheer weight that comes with adding a layer of MLV. I also grabbed a bit of the felt tape Eddieg linked to in Bertholomey's build thread.

*WIRING*
Most, if not all, of the wiring used will be from Knu Konceptz. Wires will be covered with Techflex from Barry at Furryletters and heatshrink from heatshrink.com. Wires will be secured every few inches with zip ties. 

*POWER*
Nothing too special planned in this section. I may upgrade the big 3 if necessary. I thought I might do an early upgrade to a Die Hard Platinum battery, but I'll hold off. Batteries get killed quickly in the Arizona heat, so I'll probably upgrade when the stock battery goes out.

That's pretty much it as far as an initial plan.

Now for a few pictures before things really get started:


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Nice looking car. Looking forward to seeing and hearing it in person some time in the future. What's your guesstimate at the timeframe?


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Awesome Plan - Very well laid out - you have done your homework.....I think you will love the sound of this gear in this car. 

I love the CBS cars - those wheels are perfect! I'm really looking forward to seeing this one!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

69Voltage said:


> Nice looking car. Looking forward to seeing and hearing it in person some time in the future. What's your guesstimate at the timeframe?


Cave Creek? You are pretty close, so that's a probability. I'm guessing we're looking at about a 2-3 month build.



bertholomey said:


> Awesome Plan - Very well laid out - you have done your homework.....I think you will love the sound of this gear in this car.
> 
> I love the CBS cars - those wheels are perfect! I'm really looking forward to seeing this one!


Thanks! I am excited to get started. 

It took me a bit of research to hunt down wheels I really liked AND in the correct fitment. The hard part was because I wanted a bit of that concave look both front and back. The back is easy, but the front is tougher. So I found out I could run 18x8.5s +35 in the front. The Enkei Raijin's would have worked IF they had that fitment with the correct 5x100 bolt pattern. They didn't.

I looked for similar wheels with 18x8.5 +35 for the front and 18x9.5 +40 for the rear. Luckily, I found the Miro's and they're inexpensive. I actually stumbled on a buy 3 get 1 free deal so i jumped on it. Looks like it expires in 3 days Jason! Get on it!


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

WOW. Definitely looking forward to this. The only shortcoming styel-wise of the FRS/BRZ is those ugly stock wheels. Nice choice, they look very good 

Love the equipment and game-plan list. Sub'd !


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## Slammer (Nov 14, 2010)

Car looks great and I love the wheels. Nothing wrong with a low offset! I'm running 18x8 front (+35) and 18x9 rear (+40) on my Lexus and I love the way it looks. You could stand to drop that thing another inch or so though. Moar low!

As for your build, I can't wait to see this thing get started. Love the components you've selected. I had never been a fan of the class D amps for a front stage but heard a member's car last weekend and was shocked when I found out he was running the JL HD series amps all the way around. Very impressive, and a definite reminder that planning and placement play such a huge role in an SQ build. I would love to do a build log where I have everything laid out for the install. I always just change one thing at a time, or don't think about a build log until it's too late. Uggh. Thinking about changing my front stage in the future and going active. May just post a thread on that to say that I've done one.... 

Keep us posted on your progress and take LOTS of pics!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Slammer said:


> Car looks great and I love the wheels. Nothing wrong with a low offset! I'm running 18x8 front (+35) and 18x9 rear (+40) on my Lexus and I love the way it looks. You could stand to drop that thing another inch or so though. Moar low!
> 
> As for your build, I can't wait to see this thing get started. Love the components you've selected. I had never been a fan of the class D amps for a front stage but heard a member's car last weekend and was shocked when I found out he was running the JL HD series amps all the way around. Very impressive, and a definite reminder that planning and placement play such a huge role in an SQ build. I would love to do a build log where I have everything laid out for the install. I always just change one thing at a time, or don't think about a build log until it's too late. Uggh. Thinking about changing my front stage in the future and going active. May just post a thread on that to say that I've done one....
> 
> Keep us posted on your progress and take LOTS of pics!


The HD amps sound great. I had one some time ago. I only sold it because I was going to switch to Arc.

Jay


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Slammer said:


> Car looks great and I love the wheels. Nothing wrong with a low offset! I'm running 18x8 front (+35) and 18x9 rear (+40) on my Lexus and I love the way it looks. You could stand to drop that thing another inch or so though. Moar low!
> 
> As for your build, I can't wait to see this thing get started. Love the components you've selected. I had never been a fan of the class D amps for a front stage but heard a member's car last weekend and was shocked when I found out he was running the JL HD series amps all the way around. Very impressive, and a definite reminder that planning and placement play such a huge role in an SQ build. I would love to do a build log where I have everything laid out for the install. I always just change one thing at a time, or don't think about a build log until it's too late. Uggh. Thinking about changing my front stage in the future and going active. May just post a thread on that to say that I've done one....
> 
> Keep us posted on your progress and take LOTS of pics!


Thanks! It's getting Moar low! tomorrow. Courtesy of Eibach Pro-Kit springs. 1" drop. 

The PDXs sound pretty damn good, but I have to admit, I've been looking at switching to the JL HDs. I can't help thinking they're newer so they have to be better.  But I have plenty of other stuff to spend money on. maybe I'll build the amp rack so that I can easily reconfigure at a later date.


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## MtnBiker (Sep 4, 2013)

Those wheels look awesome on your car, can't wait to what else you have in store for it.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Oops. I forgot about this pic. Gotta show my AZ spirit.


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## Slammer (Nov 14, 2010)

Another inch will be perfect!

You will get anonymous Instagram love when you drop it!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

MtnBiker said:


> Those wheels look awesome on your car, can't wait to what else you have in store for it.


Thanks!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Thanks! It's getting Moar low! tomorrow. Courtesy of Eibach Pro-Kit springs. 1" drop.
> 
> The PDXs sound pretty damn good, but I have to admit, I've been looking at switching to the JL HDs. I can't help thinking they're newer so they have to be better.  But I have plenty of other stuff to spend money on. maybe I'll build the amp rack so that I can easily reconfigure at a later date.


Having used both (HD's and older PDX's) I would say the HD's are definitely the better option. But between the HD's and the new PDX's the difference is very slight. Alpine stepped it up.

Jay


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Oops. I forgot about this pic. Gotta show my AZ spirit.


Strikingly similar to my color choices. Love it


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

JayinMI said:


> Having used both (HD's and older PDX's) I would say the HD's are definitely the better option. But between the HD's and the new PDX's the difference is very slight. Alpine stepped it up.
> 
> Jay


Yeah, I am thinking about either:

600/4 on each 3-way (so 150w each to tweeter and mid, and 300 to midbass) and a 1200/1 on the subs, or...

a pair of 900/5s on the whole system (so 100w to each tweeter and mid, 200 to the midbass, and 500 to each sub).

And now that I look at it, the pair of 900s would be fine and make for a cleaner, simpler, lighter install. Hmm...maybe time to put the PDXs up for sale. 

Edit: and if I go the 900/5 route I'm definitely stealing Simplicity In Sound's thing to use a single bass knob for both subs. LOL



captainobvious said:


> Strikingly similar to my color choices. Love it


Thanks! I've read through both of your install logs. Awesome stuff, you're doing! :thumbsup:


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yeah, I am thinking about either:
> 
> *600/4 on each 3-way (so 150w each to tweeter and mid, and 300 to midbass) and a 1200/1 on the subs, or...*
> 
> ...


THIS!   Plenty of dynamic headroom. If you can manage it, I would go this route.




Deadpool_25 said:


> Thanks! I've read through both of your install logs. Awesome stuff, you're doing! :thumbsup:


Wow, thanks for the kind compliment!


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

Subbed for a fellow Subie lover


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## Serieus (May 27, 2011)

i know there's some hate by a few people for the alpine pdx-v9 but it would be my choice over the hd, if only for price. i wouldn't imagine there's much difference in sound between the 2 amps, especially not while you're driving, and they're otherwise fairly similar unless you really want RIPS which is certainly a bit more sophisticated than the alpine offering 

anyway, subbed - i love Jason's car and look forward to seeing how yours turns out


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Serieus said:


> ....anyway, subbed - i love Jason's car and look forward to seeing how yours turns out


I love his BRZ too. I suspect there might be one or two similarities when mine is done.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Serieus said:


> i know there's some hate by a few people for the alpine pdx-v9 but it would be my choice over the hd, if only for price. i wouldn't imagine there's much difference in sound between the 2 amps, especially not while you're driving, and they're otherwise fairly similar unless you really want RIPS which is certainly a bit more sophisticated than the alpine offering
> 
> anyway, subbed - i love Jason's car and look forward to seeing how yours turns out


Thanks Chris!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Serieus said:


> i know there's some hate by a few people for the alpine pdx-v9 but it would be my choice over the hd, if only for price. i wouldn't imagine there's much difference in sound between the 2 amps, especially not while you're driving, and they're otherwise fairly similar unless you really want RIPS which is certainly a bit more sophisticated than the alpine offering
> 
> anyway, subbed - i love Jason's car and look forward to seeing how yours turns out


We do a fair amount of PDX-V9's and I'm pretty happy with them. Hard to beat, bang for the buck.

Jay


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Just ordered a bit of ensolite. I'm expecting the other deadening materials soon so hopefully I can get started on that this week/weekend.

And I'll probably stick with the older PDX amps for now. I'll make sure the amp rack is able to be reconfigured fairly easily to accommodate any future upgrades.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I was estimating a 2-3 month build, but now I have an actual target date. I'd like to get the system fully installed and initially tuned by the end of the day on 24 November (the Sunday before Thanksgiving). Let's see if I can do it. 

Got home from work and found a couple of boxes from Don waiting for me. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so I'm hoping to get started Thursday.

To do list for first round (Thursday):
1) remove interior parts (seats, carpet, panels)
2) recon for deadening
3) prep and deaden driver's door


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## Jcharger13 (Jul 12, 2013)

Dang, your Subbi is sweet!!


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

I'm tuning in.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I was estimating a 2-3 month build, but now I have an actual target date. I'd like to get the system fully installed and initially tuned by the end of the day on 24 November (the Sunday before Thanksgiving). Let's see if I can do it.
> 
> Got home from work and found a couple of boxes from Don waiting for me. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so I'm hoping to get started Thursday.
> 
> ...


Prepare to get very intimately familiar with your car  I don't mind taking the whole interior out as I like to see what's in there and what I'm working with.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

You know I'm interested in your build! I look forward to updates!


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

I forgot to ask, who are you getting to do your pillars for the tweeters?


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

cool car. I was seriously looking at the p99rs.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Don't forget to do a write-up of your install on ft86club as well!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Had a few hours to work on the car this morning. I installed my JDM smoked indicators and my Tom's tail lights. Then I figured I'd start in on some audio related stuff.

I _tried _to remove the front passenger seat but, holy **** that thing is bolted in by Superman. I stripped one 8mm socket from a cheap set, then busted out my Craftsman set but still couldn't get the damn bolts to break free. The Craftsman socket even rotated once on that bolt so I quit. I don't want to strip the bolts out. Anyone done this on these cars? I may stop by Lowe's on the way home and grab a breaker bar and....something better to grab those 8mm bolts with.

Since I couldn't pull the carpet yet to look at how I want to run wires, I went ahead and started on the driver's door. I put 4 CLD Tiles on the outer skin along with some extruded butyl rope between the skin and the crash beams. I cut up another couple of tiles and put them on the inner skin. I also pulled every clip I could out of the inner skin and put a little patch of felt over each hole. When reinstalling the clips you can really tell they aren't going to be rattling around anymore. Props to Eddieg for that little bit of info. I also put a couple tiles on the door card. still more work to be done on the door.

Lastly, I started a layer of CCF but time was running short so I'll work on that more when I get home later this evening.



kmbkk said:


> I forgot to ask, who are you getting to do your pillars for the tweeters?


I am in discussions with Mark Worrell to do them. He's the one who did Bertholomey's pillars.



Mrnurse said:


> cool car. I was seriously looking at the p99rs.


I haven't installed it yet so I don't have any experience with it but all these DIYMA'ers are head over heels for it so it's gotta be decent.  I like that I won't need to use an external DSP.



kmbkk said:


> Don't forget to do a write-up of your install on ft86club as well!


I might but I'm definitely more of a lurker over there. Maybe I'll repost some of it there once it's more under way.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

You're not wasting time are you?!? You can always just post a link on ft86club to this thread. I may do the same thing.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Had a few hours to work on the car this morning. I installed my JDM smoked indicators and my Tom's tail lights. Then I figured I'd start in on some audio related stuff.
> 
> I _tried _to remove the front passenger seat but, holy **** that thing is bolted in by Superman. I stripped one 8mm socket from a cheap set, then busted out my Craftsman set but still couldn't get the damn bolts to break free. The Craftsman socket even rotated once on that bolt so I quit. I don't want to strip the bolts out. Anyone done this on these cars? I may stop by Lowe's on the way home and grab a breaker bar and....something better to grab those 8mm bolts with.


get a big 100 watt solder iron and heat the bolt. becarefull you dont melt the carpet or the seats, but get it good an hot. most cars use a thread locker on those seat bolts. if someone got a little over zealous with the locker bottle, it might be extra stuck.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Gah! Ok I will give that a shot. That means I'll need to go shopping. It was time for a new soldering iron anyway I guess.



kmbkk said:


> You're not wasting time are you?!? You can always just post a link on ft86club to this thread. I may do the same thing.


No wasting time here. I'm all jazzed up about getting this install going. 

I'll have some pics to post later. Took a few a couple nights ago but didn't get around to uploading them yet.


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

Subaru seat bolts are in tight, all 5 of my subies have been like that. 

The front ones are real easy to strip as those bolts seem to be a softer metal than the rear ones. When reinstalling them I recommend some sort of anti seize or even a drop of motor oil.


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

Have you done any performance mods yet? I put a perrin pulley and drop in filter. Not much really to tell from that but oh well


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Jcharger13 said:


> Dang, your Subbi is sweet!!


Thanks! 



Mrnurse said:


> Have you done any performance mods yet? I put a perrin pulley and drop in filter. Not much really to tell from that but oh well


No performance mods yet. I'm sure I will down the line but I'm just going to focus on audio until I'm done with that part.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

m249saw said:


> Subaru seat bolts are in tight, all 5 of my subies have been like that.
> 
> The front ones are real easy to strip as those bolts seem to be a softer metal than the rear ones. When reinstalling them I recommend some sort of anti seize or even a drop of motor oil.


How did you manage to get them loose without stripping them?


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

Deadpool_25 said:


> How did you manage to get them loose without stripping them?


Ive found that once you loosen them a smidge you have to apply pressure to the seat to make sure the holes are centered. The brackets like to move then inhibit the bolt from unthreading. Might want to get a tap to clean up the threads just in case. 
I used to work at a Subaru dealership doing ECU tuning before coming to the fire department, ill call some of the master techs at the dealership tomorrow to see if they have any better tips


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Cool thanks. I'll give it another shot tonight after a stop by Lowe's.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I spent a few hours working on the doors. I recut the CCF for the driver's door, copied that for the passenger door, applied butyl rope, CCD, and the CCF. Both doors are done-ish now. At least as far as deadening goes. I will do a little something behind the new mids when they go in and will probably deaden just a little more since I'm sure I'll discover a few rattles I missed on the first pass. Anyway, here are some pics.

First, a porn shot...









Driver's door before treatment...









Butyl rope with gaps for drainage. I pushed the rope in a bit better than you see in this pic and used cut up strips of garbage bag to cover the butyl rope. That should keep junk from sticking to it...









5 CLD Tiles on the outer skin, and a couple more on the inner skin. One thing you can't really see in the pics was I covered every clip hole with a spot of felt. After reinstalling the clips, each one is in there nice and snug. I also added about two more tiles to the door card, and tightened the stock speaker grille which was rattling like crazy. Forgot to take a pic of the card though.









I repeated the process on the passenger's door and finished up by covering the inner skins with a layer of CCF. The CCF is held in place with squares Velcro industrial strength.


















I only sliced my finger one time during the process and that was on the passenger's door window mechanism. 

My initial impression is that the treatment made a pretty big difference. There were a lot of nasty rattles and resonances in those doors and they seem to be gone now.

So, to recap my to do list from yesterday:

1) remove interior parts (seats, carpet, panels) - Partially done; rear area stripped
2) recon for deadening - Partially done; can do more once I get the stubborn seats out
3) prep and deaden driver's door - Done. Finished passenger door too

To do list for weekend:

 Get seats and carpet out
 Get more panels off
 Plot wire runs
 Strategic deadening
 Get HU harness done
 Test fit HU
 Run speaker wire and RCA's


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Looks nice. Going to be a busy weekend for you, considering the Devils and Cards are on TV. 

Was the porn shot taken at Luke?


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Lol. I'll be watching on Sunday so I better get started tonight 

Yes, taken at Luke.

Edit: wait...is ASU game going to be on too?


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I wouldn't think those seat bolts would be that tight. I've had my WRX seats out many times and the torque spec from the service manual isn't anything crazy. Definitely put anti-seize on the bolt threads after you get them out the first time. I could see stripping them out if you take the seats in and out several times. Your seats probably are like the WRX seats where there are a couple of connectors for air bags, etc. So once you break the bolts loose, before your just rock the seats back, check for the wires.

Did you use a 6pt socket or a 12pt? Definitely go with a 6pt to avoid stripping.


Oh found that torque spec. Should be 39 ft lb. Same as my car.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21224


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

ecbmxer said:


> I wouldn't think those seat bolts would be that tight. I've had my WRX seats out many times and the torque spec from the service manual isn't anything crazy. Definitely put anti-seize on the bolt threads after you get them out the first time. I could see stripping them out if you take the seats in and out several times. Your seats probably are like the WRX seats where there are a couple of connectors for air bags, etc. So once you break the bolts loose, before your just rock the seats back, check for the wires.
> 
> Did you use a 6pt socket or a 12pt? Definitely go with a 6pt to avoid stripping.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I did use 6pt sockets. Going to try again tonight. I put some PB on them so we will see how it goes.


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

Good luck! Don't break your arm! LOL


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

Invest in some good tools! Just like in car audio, when it comes down to it you get what you pay for. I can't even express how much I miss my tools from when I was a mechanic. Wish I never sold em.


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Lol. I'll be watching on Sunday so I better get started tonight
> 
> Yes, taken at Luke.
> 
> Edit: wait...is ASU game going to be on too?


ASU vs. Stanford. 4pm on FOX.

Dad used to work for Lockheed at Luke and I loved spending time out there just watching the planes. Easily could spend days doing that even now.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

ecbmxer said:


> Good luck! Don't break your arm! LOL


LOL. We'll see. Hopefully my next update isn't from the ER!



Mrnurse said:


> Invest in some good tools! Just like in car audio, when it comes down to it you get what you pay for. I can't even express how much I miss my tools from when I was a mechanic. Wish I never sold em.


Yeah I have some good ones and some bad ones. As I replace stuff these days I go with good quality. 



69Voltage said:


> ASU vs. Stanford. 4pm on FOX.
> 
> Dad used to work for Lockheed at Luke and I loved spending time out there just watching the planes. Easily could spend days doing that even now.


I am jaded after living around them for so long. I still see them multiple times every day. They really are cool though.


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Deadpool_25 said:


> LOL. We'll see. Hopefully my next update isn't from the ER!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looking forward to the F-35's.

You bringing the car to the Phx. GTG even though it might not be completely finished?


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

69Voltage said:


> Looking forward to the F-35's.
> 
> You bringing the car to the Phx. GTG even though it might not be completely finished?


Me too. That should be really cool. 

Yep, I'll be there!


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

No luck with the seat bolts. I'll take it somewhere and have them give it a go with an impact wrench.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Strangely, except on Grand Ams, I usually have to break them loose by hand BEFORE I can use the impact. lol

Jay


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

JayinMI said:


> Strangely, except on Grand Ams, I usually have to break them loose by hand BEFORE I can use the impact. lol
> 
> Jay


You mean by use of a simple wrench(and breaker bar for more leverage if needed) or such? Just to get it started?


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Yeah, usually a 1/2" socket or 1/2" breaker bar. Or 1/2" socket with a piece of pipe on it. lol

Jay


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

This is of concern to me. I don't want to strip my bolts....


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yeah that's my issue and why I stopped trying. The socket slipped twice on one of the bolts, then again on a second bolt, and I don't want them to strip.


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## nico10 (Aug 6, 2013)

nice to know someone from Az... will follow this thread... btw.. good luck with the build


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> No luck with the seat bolts. I'll take it somewhere and have them give it a go with an impact wrench.


Does Luke haves an auto hobby shop you could use?


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

What type of bolts are they? Like 18mm or something, or are they Torx?

Jay


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

No they are hardend hex bolts, fine threaded. On my roo they are a 16mm head but I think my older Subies were 18mm

I asked the guys at the dealership and they had no idea why they would be on that tight. Were there any dealership or port installed options in your car that would have required removing the seat?

As far as impact I have a Ryobi 18v cordless version fron Home Depot and the thing works great, they arent too expensive either and handy to have around.

Ryobi 18-Volt Impact Wrench (Tool Only)-P260 at The Home Depot


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

kmbkk said:


> Does Luke haves an auto hobby shop you could use?


Yeah if you are on base just go to the garage. When I was in the Navy I used the base mechanics shop all the time when I was doing my STi Version 5 drivetrain swap.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I took it to the auto hobby shop and solved it. The bolts are actually E10 star bolts. They looked like normal 8mm bolts but after taking a closer look and feeling them I figured it out. I went to Autozone and picked up a few star sockets for $8. Good to go now; I can get started on pulling seats and carpet.

On a side note, my airbag warning light is on now. I suspect My deadening in the passenger door messed with the side impact sensor or something. I'll have to pull that panel again and take a look.


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

So you havent taken your seats out yet? If you dont disconnect the battery before unplugging some SRS harnesses you will get the light.

The E10 bolt is interesting though, that must be a Toyota contribution as no Subaru Has ever used those for seat brackets, not surprising you didnt have one, I didnt have an E sockets until I upgrded my fuel pump on my Mazdaspeed 3


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

Most cars have a weight sensor in the pass seat. Remove the seat, the light will come on

sent from my phone using digital farts


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I haven't removed or disconnected the seats yet; been lazy today after sending a bunch of stuff out to Mark W, who will be doing my pillars and maybe a few other bits of the front stage. I do plan to disconnect the battery before removing the seats. Sigh...guess I'll go do it now. That's the end in my laziness today I guess.


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

Have you noticed just placing your phone in the passenger seat turns the passenger side air bag on?


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Mrnurse said:


> Have you noticed just placing your phone in the passenger seat turns the passenger side air bag on?


Yep, it sure does.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Its not a weight sensor - its a technology that utilizes an electrical capacitance based sensor. It uses electrical capacitance to measure the body mass of an individual sitting there. Hence electronic devices that transmit like cell phones may give false readings.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

My phone does not set the sensor off. I read about that and tried it. I even put a few things on the seat along with the phone and it still didn't set it off. I assumed they got it fixed. I only got the car 2.5 weeks ago.

Anyway I'm deep in the process of pulling the seats, panels, carpet, etc.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Got a few things accomplished over the weekend and finished most of it before football.  I put the seats back in and got it back to driveable too

Previous to do list:

Get seats and carpet out -Done
Get more panels off - Done
Plot wire runs - partially done; need to do speaker runs
Strategic deadening - Done
Get HU harness done -Done
Test fit/run HU - Done
Run speaker wire and RCA's - Partially done

Other stuff I got done:


Run primary power cable - Done

Next:

Research mounting bracket for main fuse
Order fiberglass materials
Deaden rear deck (forgot about it)
Secure wires
Run speaker wire
Mockup sub/amp rack


----------



## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

At least you were able to work during the ASU game(or lack of) yesterday. You just might have this done by the GTG.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

69Voltage said:


> At least you were able to work during the ASU game(or lack of) yesterday. You just might have this done by the GTG.


Haha. Yeah I watched for about a quarter then decided I had better things to do. 

I just edited my post above. I did my initial try at fitting and powering on the P99RS. Amazingly enough it powered on the first time. I sent my speakers to Mark W. He is going to work a little of his magic. While he has them I can get started on the trunk. I have to take it slow since some of this is new to me (fiberglass). I suppose it's possible it'll be up and running, but I would bet against it at this point.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

nico10 said:


> nice to know someone from Az... will follow this thread... btw.. good luck with the build


Nico, are you going to the GTG on the 19th?


----------



## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Nico, are you going to the GTG on the 19th?


He's talking about this nico.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...53531-phoenix-area-gtg-october-19-2013-a.html


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Haha. Yeah I watched for about a quarter then decided I had better things to do.
> 
> I just edited my post above. I did my initial try at fitting and powering on the P99RS. Amazingly enough it powered on the first time. I sent my speakers to Mark W. He is going to work a little of his magic. While he has them I can get started on the trunk. I have to take it slow since some of this is new to me (fiberglass). I suppose it's possible it'll be up and running, but I would bet against it at this point.


Mark W is the man, you've made a good choice. Not only does he do very nice, clean work, but he's also just a good guy. Can't wait to see how your build turns out!
Ask Bertholomey about what he did for his fuse mounting under the hood. I don't recall seeing the under-hood wiring, but I'm sure he could give you some direction.

-Steve


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

captainobvious said:


> Mark W is the man, you've made a good choice. Not only does he do very nice, clean work, but he's also just a good guy. Can't wait to see how your build turns out!
> Ask Bertholomey about what he did for his fuse mounting under the hood. I don't recall seeing the under-hood wiring, but I'm sure he could give you some direction.
> 
> -Steve


Good call. I'll ask what Jason did. Mark is friggin awesome. I'll be honest, I didn't realize what a badass he was. I just knew I loved Jason's a-pillars. Then I realized some of the other stuff he's done and I feel like I asked Warren Buffett to work on my monthly budget. :blush:

He's been great to work with though. He recieved a few items from me yesterday afternoon and was working on stuff that evening. He even sent me a few pics. I'm even more excited for this build now. I'll really have to step it up in the trunk so my rookie work doesn't detract too much from his pro stuff.  Mark has been helpful on that front too though, helping me choose the right products (just placed an order with US Composites).


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I feel like I asked Warren Buffett to work on my monthly budget. :blush:


Great quote. 

Mark makes what he does look entirely too easy.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yes he does! 

As far as the mounting bracket for the fuse holder I like the one Joey at SIS did:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1946460-post2.html

I may do it that way. Looks fairly simple. I could do a mockup and have it fabricated.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Good call. I'll ask what Jason did. Mark is friggin awesome. I'll be honest, I didn't realize what a badass he was. I just knew I loved Jason's a-pillars. Then I realized some of the other stuff he's done and I feel like I asked Warren Buffett to work on my monthly budget. :blush:
> 
> He's been great to work with though. He recieved a few items from me yesterday afternoon and was working on stuff that evening. He even sent me a few pics. I'm even more excited for this build now. I'll really have to step it up in the trunk so my rookie work doesn't detract too much from his pro stuff.  Mark has been helpful on that front too though, helping me choose the right products (just placed an order with US Composites).


I'm glad to hear it. And another good call on the US Composites stuff. I use it as well. Consistent, quality product at reasonable prices.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks. I don't think I'd have known about them if not for this site. I'm old enough now where I realize that cutting corners is generally a bad idea.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yes he does!
> 
> As far as the mounting bracket for the fuse holder I like the one Joey at SIS did:
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1946460-post2.html
> ...


That is certainly a nice way to do it. For a cheaper way that you could do yourself, simply pick up a strip of the strong tie steel strapping at your local HD or Lowes. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-...Gauge-Strap-Tie-ST22-R/100375064#.UkHLQRCVGrA
You can cut it to shape with a pair of shears and then drill holes in the mounting areas. If it seems thin, you can always cut out two sets, and then epoxy them together for a stronger piece. I think you'll be fine though as it's not bearing any significant load.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

True.

I was thinking about something like that. Would be pretty easy to do. Erector Set FTW? :laugh:


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Hahah it gets the job done


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Well the airbag light was just my dumb ass leaving the sensor unplugged. :blush:


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Well the airbag light was just my dumb ass leaving the sensor unplugged. :blush:


:laugh:

No worries, it happens.


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## Jayvuu (Dec 11, 2007)

Can't wait to see more progress pics. I just picked up brz couple weeks ago. Not sure how much longer I can bare with the stock system.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Jayvuu said:


> Can't wait to see more progress pics. I just picked up brz couple weeks ago. Not sure how much longer I can bare with the stock system.


Cool! Get working on it! The stock system is pretty bad.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Cool! Get working on it! The stock system is pretty bad.


+1! Congrats, and I agree the stock system sucks.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yup. The only thing even decent about it is that the stage is up on the dash. Not high enough IMO (I like middle of windshield) but at least it's up there in the general vicinity. The tonality is poo though.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Saw a Blue BRZ on my way from taking the GF's nephew up to the High school. I REALLY liked it. Much better than any color I've seen on an FRS.

Jay


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

JayinMI said:


> Saw a Blue BRZ on my way from taking the GF's nephew up to the High school. I REALLY liked it. Much better than any color I've seen on an FRS.
> 
> Jay


Yup. I think it's World Rally Blue. Awesome color.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Not a lot to report. I did get the speaker wires run into the doors. NOT an easy task. After getting the Karma 12g through the grommets on both doors, I celebrated with some Chimay Blue.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Okay, some pics this time. I was originally going to use the rattlesnake Techflex but the more I looked at it the more I disliked it in there. Here's the rattlesnake...










I didn't like it much so I switched it out. I decided to go with more traditional colors. Red for power, black (carbon actually) for ground, and blue for signals.



















Here's the power wire running through the stock grommet:



















Like I said, I did a test run of the P99RS. It's alive!










Here are the seat bolts that gave me so much trouble. I would have noticed their shape if I'd used a flashlight. :blush:










Running the speaker wire into the door for the midbasses was a pain in the ass. The stock door grommet has a strange design. Luckily it's not a molex plug but the grommet is basically a tube that extends about a foot into the door. And it's far from straight. Of course, all the stock wires are in there already.

I knew about using a big zip tie but forgot about lubrication. I was bitching about it to Mark and he reminded me. Ended up using some PB Dry Teflon Lube. I had to be pretty aggressive with it but I managed to get the zip tie through:










And, after a struggle and a very generous application of the PB Dry, I managed to get the Knu speaker wire in there:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

And now for some fabrication porn brought to you by the incomparable Mark Worrell. He's doing some awesome work. Yet again.

He built some templates for the Clarus 6.5 and the L1R2:



















Mark wasn't thrilled with the way the L1R2 sat in the first ring so he made another one.










Then he whipped up another one. We both really like this version and decided to go with it.










Mark is using a donor car to tweak the aiming. Does this car look familiar to anyone?? 



















Aiming at the dome light which is just aft of the rear view mirror:










Okay that's it for now. Mark does amazing work, amazingly fast. I've been hoarding these but when this project is completed, I'm thinking of celebrating...


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Wise choice on the wire colors, looks better than the rattlesnake.


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## .69077 (Aug 24, 2013)

I agree, great job on the wiring.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Man, those tweeter pods look really nice! Mark is doing a great job.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Great job with the wiring, and especially detailing the challenges and the solutions - that will certainly help others as they tackle running new wire in the doors. 

I am intrigued by the rings. Mark looses me when he talks about multiple rings fitting together to make a baffle - I'm used to a 3/4" 'ring' that is screwed onto the metal door, and the speaker is simply mounted on the surface. I really like how these look. Those Claurus mids look like they will do the business, and those tweets are beautiful!

Hey....I do recognize that car - one I looked hard enough 

I'm glad you are liking what you are seeing in these pics. Seeing the photos of my pillars didn't prepare me for when I saw mine installed. You are in for a treat - it will certainly be deserving of a toast!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks guys!

I can't wait to see what Mark is doing with the baffles (and pillars of course);the MDF rings are templates I believe. I think he has something cool planned. When it's done I'm sure the Clarus will be excellent in the doors, assuming I can tame the rattles. Neil J. Is using a bunch of duct seal in his Mini. I'm not really wanting to add that weight, but it may come to that. We'll see.

How's your trip, Jason? Hope you're having fun.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> I can't wait to see what Mark is doing with the baffles (and pillars of course);the MDF rings are templates I believe. I think he has something cool planned. When it's done I'm sure the Clarus will be excellent in the doors, assuming I can tame the rattles. Neil J. Is using a bunch of duct seal in his Mini. I'm not really wanting to add that weight, but it may come to that. We'll see.
> 
> How's your trip, Jason? Hope you're having fun.


Pretty hard to not have fun in this location


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Nice! I'm jealous! What island you on?


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Started in Oahu and traveled to Kauai yesterday.


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

bertholomey said:


> Started in Oahu and traveled to Kauai yesterday.


Heh, my miss came back from Oahu yesterday 

Kelvin


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

bertholomey said:


> Started in Oahu and traveled to Kauai yesterday.


Very nice! Oahu was really nice but I liked Maui even better. I heard Kauai is awesome too, perhaps the "best" of them.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

So over the last couple week or so, I've been driving around with the interior mostly stripped. There is something rattling in the back of the car and I can't figure out what it is yet. I think it's in the back passenger side. It rattles/vibrates while just driving around, even if the stereo is off. It's so annoying lol. Gotta hunt it down.

Oh. Also I finally got around to pulling the rear shelf and doing some deadening back there to keep it from rattling. I applied some 3M Thinsulate and ensolite to the trim panel. I also covered the clip holes with ensolite. When you reinsert the clips, they're nice and snug. That rear shelf is a royal PITA to remove. Glad I was prepared for it after reading Bertholomy's thread. I just hunted down a how-to on removing the 3rd brake light.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> So over the last couple week or so, I've been driving around with the interior mostly stripped. There is something rattling in the back of the car and I can't figure out what it is yet. I think it's in the back passenger side. It rattles/vibrates while just driving around, even if the stereo is off. It's so annoying lol. Gotta hunt it down.
> 
> Oh. Also I finally got around to pulling the rear shelf and doing some deadening back there to keep it from rattling. I applied some 3M Thinsulate and ensolite to the trim panel. I also covered the clip holes with ensolite. When you reinsert the clips, they're nice and snug. That rear shelf is a royal PITA to remove. Glad I was prepared for it after reading Bertholomy's thread. I just hunted down a how-to on removing the 3rd brake light.




Re: rattling- Do you have spare tire tools back there in the corners? They can be prone to rattling if not tightened down and decoupled with some foam. You notice quite a bit more 'unusual' noise when you drive around without the interior pieces. I found out that my fuel pump (or electronic controller) is a noisy sumbitch as well when my rear seat wasn't covering it. Good luck hunting it down


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks. No tools or anything else really. There are a bunch of clips back there holding various wires; maybe it's one of those. I think after a month or two of driving around panel-less, the car is going to sound silent when I get everything reinstalled lol.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

That rear shelf was a PITA to remove - I think that area is where I am still having rattley noises. I might need to ask Mark (very nicely) if he would want to tackle it. The shelf itself wasn't the worse part (if memory serves), it was the tricky C pillars that were yucky. The deadener probably needs to be replaced in there (used the Focal stuff). I would like to know how you got that rear light out though - didn't find anything on it a year ago.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

bertholomey said:


> That rear shelf was a PITA to remove - I think that area is where I am still having rattley noises. I might need to ask Mark (very nicely) if he would want to tackle it. The shelf itself wasn't the worse part (if memory serves), it was the tricky C pillars that were yucky. The deadener probably needs to be replaced in there (used the Focal stuff). I would like to know how you got that rear light out though - didn't find anything on it a year ago.


Ask and ye shall receive. 

How-To: Remove Rear Deck & Third Brake Light - Scion FR-S Forum | Subaru BRZ Forum | Toyota 86 GT 86 Forum | AS1 Forum - FT86CLUB

I don't know that I locked down all the rattles--I doubt it. I'll probably have to dig into it again. Those C-pillars were annoying.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Mahalo!!!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

You're welcome.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Hey man, any updates? I'm living vicariously through your build while I'm away!


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Pics! Or it didn't happen. lol


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

TREOSOLS said:


> Pics! Or it didn't happen. lol


I've seen pics, so I know it happened!


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Smoke and Mirrors! I thought you were on vacation in Hawaii?


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Haha! I have pics! Wanna see??


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

So here are a few pics of the pillars. They are looking great IMO.


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## 69Voltage (Jul 30, 2013)

Nice, clean and unobtrusive.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Exactly. Exactly the opposite of the chick in your avatar.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Those look really nice!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks!


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

What are you wrapping the pillars with?


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## TheHulk9er (Oct 28, 2010)

Hey nice Pics. The pillars look great but my favorite picture is the one of the Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII). Where did you get that? It's almost impossible to find. I love the Trappist beers. You gotta think any beer made by Monks for hundreds of years that they normally reserve for their own consumption is probably damn good. ;p


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

kmbkk said:


> What are you wrapping the pillars with?


That's the topic of discussion today actually. There was a plan to do them in Alcantara but I'm rethinking that now. So I'm not really sure yet. 



TheHulk9er said:


> Hey nice Pics. The pillars look great but my favorite picture is the one of the Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII). Where did you get that? It's almost impossible to find. I love the Trappist beers. You gotta think any beer made by Monks for hundreds of years that they normally reserve for their own consumption is probably damn good. ;p


Haha. Yeah they had it on sale at Total Wine. It sold out in a day. Luckily I heard about it and picked a pack up (one per customer). I drank one...it's amazing. Best beer I've ever had for sure.


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

Do what matches the interior. If you have the Limited, do the alcantara. It'll look sweet.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

quality_sound said:


> Do what matches the interior. If you have the Limited, do the alcantara. It'll look sweet.


This! My plan is to go with alcantara. I have an FR-S, but am getting some JPM Coachworks alcantara pieces to match.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I do have the Limited and am planning some stuff from JPM anyway, do we will see.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

If/when I have my pillars built I was going to send them to JPM and have them cover them with their alcantara. That way it matches the products I get from them.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yeah that was my plan too. I have a couple pieces I'll be sending them regardless, just still debating about the pillars.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

I believe they charge $135 for the pillars.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

The suede/alcantara would definitely look great. I vote go for it!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Unfortunately, the jackasses in DC can't get their heads out of their nether regions, so I'm out of a job for a bit. I have to really watch what I spend. The Alcantara would be nice but it may have to wait for a bit.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Unfortunately, the jackasses in DC can't get their heads out of their nether regions, so I'm out of a job for a bit. I have to really watch what I spend. The Alcantara would be nice but it may have to wait for a bit.


Sorry to hear that. I'm pretty sick of Congress in general.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

I'm very excited for the OP. I got to see first hand some of the items that are coming to him - absolutely amazing!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Can't wait!


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Felt like I was in the shop with you guys Saturday. 

Sounds like Mark is getting busy!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Today is my first day back at work since the government shutdown. I might be kind of lazy but 3 weeks off was way too much!

Mark Worrell is _not _lazy and has been getting busy. The pillars and door mounts are almost complete. The dash speaker mounts are the next project. I think we're getting close to the point where stuff will start going in the car. 

Here are a few more build pics:


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Those are awesome looking rings! You are going to be extremely pleased with the final results. I haven't seen the finished product in person - hoping to on Friday  but the pictures are incredible!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

bertholomey said:


> Those are awesome looking rings! You are going to be extremely pleased with the final results. I haven't seen the finished product in person - hoping to on Friday  but the pictures are incredible!


Thanks Jason. I'm lucky enough to have Don close by, you're lucky enough to have Mark. 

Here are a few more pics Mark sent me of them upholstered:


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## Black Rain (Feb 27, 2011)

This is a pretty interesting build. I am interested in how you created those speaker mounts and covers.

I'm Sub'd.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Black Rain said:


> This is a pretty interesting build. I am interested in how you created those speaker mounts and covers.
> 
> I'm Sub'd.



The wizardry or Mark Worrell 

He does some damn fine work.


BTW- Are those speaker mount/adapters made of HDP or acrylic? They look like plastic texture in the one shot.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

The door mounts look awesome! I'm glad your build is coming along!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Black Rain said:


> This is a pretty interesting build. I am interested in how you created those speaker mounts and covers.
> 
> I'm Sub'd.





captainobvious said:


> The wizardry [of] Mark Worrell
> 
> He does some damn fine work.
> 
> ...


Yes, Mark is a beast. 

I'm not sure exactly what they are. I think it's above my classification level. Lol




kmbkk said:


> The door mounts look awesome! I'm glad your build is coming along!


Thanks! Getting closer and closer!


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## dgr932 (Mar 31, 2011)

Nice work, "almost there" now that's funny. I come to realize there is no such thing. But all kidding aside your work looks awesome. Sub'd


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks! Just to reiterate though, all that awesome fabrication is being done by Mark Worrell who is all the way across the country from me.


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Thank you for the compliments on the build, I stay in touch with Deadpool25 almost daily. 439 text, lost count of how many pics, numerous phone calls back and forth across the country, and one REFERENCE car. So much behind the scenes. The door card mounting rings are part of an eight piece assembly. I made templates for all shapes, so they can be duplicated. The rings are 1/4 in ABS, layered with locking rings top and bottom, and mounting holes. The ABS is drilled and tapped for the speaker.The center section is solid PVC, not foam core, the center section is then wrapped with sound deadning ,just in case.The sections are chemically welded together, and you never have to worry about water damage. The finished product is solid, and far better than MDF coated with bed liner.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Like I said...BEAST! 

Mark and I just got off the phone. We were discussing the amps.

To be continued...


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Yup, that's what I'm talking about with Mark. Awesome work there. He sent me a text with the picture of all of the rings and templates entitled "Lord of the Rings" 

Gandalf doesn't have **** on Mark.


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

That is bad ass.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I'm selling the [1st gen] PDX amps and going with a trio of JL HD's. I bounced around a lot of ideas on what configuration I wanted to use with the HD's but settled on two 600/4s for the front speakers and a 750/1 for the subs.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Man, those door mounts look incredible! I'm trying to decide on my amps now also, thinking Zukis.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

I used the 1st gen Zuki Eleets and loved it!


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I'm selling the old school PDX amps and going with a trio of JL HD's. I bounced around a lot of ideas on what configuration I wanted to use with the HD's but settled on two 600/4s for the front speakers and a 750/1 for the subs.



Jeez, you're really kicking this thing into high gear  This is an impressive build!


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I'm selling the old school PDX amps and going with a trio of JL HD's. I bounced around a lot of ideas on what configuration I wanted to use with the HD's but settled on two 600/4s for the front speakers and a 750/1 for the subs.


PDX gen 1 can hardly be called "old school" 

Kelvin


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

kmbkk said:


> Man, those door mounts look incredible! I'm trying to decide on my amps now also, thinking Zukis.


Thanks! I have no experience with those but I've heard good things. 



captainobvious said:


> Jeez, you're really kicking this thing into high gear  This is an impressive build!


Thank you, sir! I think the pieces will start coming together fairly soon.



subwoofery said:


> PDX gen 1 can hardly be called "old school"
> 
> Kelvin


Lol. True, true. No disrespect to all the "old school" guys here. I was just trying to convey that they're the 1st gen PDX's as opposed to the newer ones. 

P.S. Edited that post just for you. Look at the "reason for edit"


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

Man I love those door speaker panels. Those look amazing


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## subwoofery (Nov 9, 2008)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Lol. True, true. No disrespect to all the "old school" guys here. I was just trying to convey that they're the 1st gen PDX's as opposed to the newer ones.
> 
> P.S. Edited that post just for you. Look at the "reason for edit"


Aww... You shouldn't have. 
I feel so special now  

Kelvin


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Mrnurse said:


> Man I love those door speaker panels. Those look amazing


Thanks! Yep. Mark does amazing work. Speaking of which, he sent a few pics of the finished a-pillars.


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## Black Rain (Feb 27, 2011)

Those are some really slick looking pillars.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Simply stunning - can't wait to pics in the car, and to hear your impressions of how they sound.


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

man anyway I could get those same door speaker panels made for my car?


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Mrnurse said:


> man anyway I could get those same door speaker panels made for my car?


Kevin will steer you in the right direction. I'm extremely happy with mine. I'll have a thread started soon that will highlight Mark's work and provide contact information.......it is just this work thing that seems to be getting in the way.


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

I'm using hybrid audio legatia L6 c1 in the doors, L3 v1 and L1 pro v1 in the dash. I'll be using the HAT grills so those door panels with the grills like these would be bad arse.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I'm chomping at the bit to get them in hand! PM inc.


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Christmas time is coming.... sing it with me! You know the words Kevin!!!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Haha! Christmas in November for me!


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

Haha!!! I just got a message! Nervous about the price though


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Message Marky Mark and you guys can discuss offline.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

TREOSOLS said:


> Christmas time is coming.... sing it with me! You know the words Kevin!!!





Deadpool_25 said:


> Haha! Christmas in November for me!


Mark had a Santa suit on with a big bag over his shoulder with all kinds of custom goodies in it. He was getting the reindeer all lined up for the long trip to AZ!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Hey! I was trying to figure out how I might reasonably get my car to _Admiral A-pillar_. Maybe that's the solution. He can fly his butt out here on his sleigh.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I guess it's time for a mini-update:

Mark shipped a few items and I should get them this weekend. I'm excited to get my hands on them!

On the amps, I changed my mind (once again...Mark _loves _my wishy-washiness :laugh. I'm going with a pair of HD 600/4s and a 1200/1...so kind of my original plan when I decided to switch to the HD's.

Hopefully the next update will be this weekend and will have some in-hand pics.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I guess it's time for a mini-update:
> 
> Mark shipped a few items and I should get them this weekend. I'm excited to get my hands on them!
> 
> ...


Looking forward to seeing the pieces installed! And lol on the wishy-washiness, I'm the same way. I'm leaning toward Mosconi amps now.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I hear great things about the Mosconi amps. Jason has them in his BRZ and I unerstand it sounds fantastic.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I hear great things about the Mosconi amps. Jason has them in his BRZ and I understand it sounds fantastic.


I can confirm that. Great impact and dynamics for sure. He's definitely got some excellent things going on there. It's very well executed. He just needs to unload those junky thesis speakers and he'll be all set. 

 

 :laugh:


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

captainobvious said:


> I can confirm that. Great impact and dynamics for sure. He's definitely got some excellent things going on there. It's very well executed. He just needs to unload those junky thesis speakers and he'll be all set.
> 
> 
> 
> :laugh:


Thesis Shmesis - is that what it is? They are not Hybrids, but they do alright......(don flame suit and slink away)


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

LOL. Jason, maybe someday we'll be able to demo the BRZs side by side. Would be interesting to compare Thesis/Mosconi and Hybrid/JL in similar builds.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> LOL. Jason, maybe someday we'll be able to demo the BRZs side by side. Would be interesting to compare Thesis/Mosconi and Hybrid/JL in similar builds.



That would be great actually. I vote you guys meet somewhere in the middle like Philly...cough cough.


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## kmbkk (Jun 11, 2011)

Or Florida, lol! But not until after I finish my build, so we can demo all 3!


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

that would be great!!! Sign me up


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

TREOSOLS said:


> that would be great!!! Sign me up


Your attendance isn't optional.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

So...

On Friday I got a care package.










I wonder what's inside!










Peanuts! I loooovvveee peanuts!! Wait...there's stuff UNDER the peanuts?! Does that mean I get less peanuts?? 










Oh! Dash grilles! Let's see what else is in here!



















Damn! This is better than a box full of....well...peanuts!!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

I figured, why wait? Let's get this show on the road! I woke up early and spent pretty much all day on the car. Because Mark is F'n amazing, I was able to get my dash speakers and a-pillars installed in about an hour. That included cutting away a small bit of plastic around the dash speakers, and reshaping the air ducts that run below the speakers. 

The ducts, I seriously thought was going to be a MAJOR project. Like...a week or so including trying to figure out how to do it. Mark called, gave me a tip and I was able to reshape both the passenger side and driver's side in about 10 minutes total, no cutting, no glassing. I just got a shiver after typing that. I can't even begin to relate how insanely happy that made me. After wiring up the Hybrid Audio Technolgies L3 Special Editions (Mark tapped the mounting rings so they simply bolted on), the grilles fit PERFECTLY. They don't look any different than they did before. I'm guessing they might sound a bit different though. 

After getting the stock a-pillars off, the Markified a-pillars just snapped right into place. And, as you'll see below, they look FANTASTIC! (Oops...there's that shiver again...seriously.) The pillars look like they could be stock. I hear that thrown around a lot, but I absolutely mean it. They're perfect IMO.

Here are some pics of the pillars and dash speakers:



















This was after I pulled the stock speaker grille. I put some ensolite on the stock molex connectors so they wouldn't rattle around when I tucked them down in the dash. I also had to trim some plastic from around the mounting hole. It was very little and was easy to do with a razor knife (as instructed by Sensei Mark).



















In the picture above, you can see the air duct. It's the thing with the big R on it. It wouldn't let the speaker sink all the way down.










After a call to Mark, I made this...










...which resulted in this:










And one more gratuitous audio porn shot:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

After getting the pillars and dash speakers installed, I decided to finish up the wiring. I'd already run most of it, but needed to run a remote wire and finish securing all the wiring to the car. I ended up re-zip tying everything and adding a bunch more anchors to ensure it was clean and functional.

The power wire runs down the passenger's side (battery is on passenger's side). The speaker wires for the passenger's side front stage speakers runs under the dash, then down the right side of the tunnel. The RCA's are split, with 2 on the right side of the tunnel, and 3 on the left side. I could have just run 4 RCA cables but since I'm bridging a pair of channels to the Clarus midbasses, I decided to use the Y-cables at the head unit end instead of the amp end. /shrug

The speaker wires for the driver's side front stage are run down the left side of the car.

Some pics. I thought I got pics of the power and remote down the right side but must have missed that one.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

After deciding the wiring was done I figured I may as well put the P99 in and get some of the interior back in place. I'm sick of driving around with no carpet or dash or other panels. The P99 is in and looks to be working, but since I don't have any amps installed yet I can't actually test it.

Couple crappy phone pics:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Whew. Okay, that's pretty much it for now. Darth Doorcard is working on the grilles for the door speakers so those are still on the to-do list. The next major project will be the trunk. Amp rack and sub enclosure(s) need to be done. I'm still working out what I'm going to do about that. We'll see.


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## Mrnurse (Sep 8, 2011)

Looking good man. I got one of my L6 in today, man all of my HAT stuff is nice. I am so ready to hear them installed.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

That is fantastic Kevin! Thanks for doing the play-by-play - felt like we were opening the box with you. I'm glad that seeing the actual pieces seemed to exceed your expectations of what you had seen via text pictures. Those pillars were certainly lovely in person!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yes, Jason. I had high expectations and Mark exceeded them. The pieces are just awesome. You East Coasters are lucky to have him and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to have him work on my car.


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## Serieus (May 27, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yes, Jason. I had high expectations and Mark exceeded them. The pieces are just awesome. You East Coasters are lucky to have him and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to have him work on my car.


west coast has bing and joey though 

those pieces look terrific. really like the pillars, hopefully it all sounds good!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yeah I give Mark mad props and deservedly so, but I know there are some fabulous installers on the West coast. I know Jon at Handcrafted here in Phoenix also has a very good rep. And the guy who did Buzzman's update also clearly has skills.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Really nice work here! Other top notch installers/fabricators on the West coast, Tom Miller from Musicar, and John Tanaka of JT Audio.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Serieus said:


> west coast has bing and joey though
> 
> those pieces look terrific. really like the pillars, hopefully it all sounds good!


JT too 

EDIT- doh, Rich beat me to it.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Update time!

Since my PDX amps haven't sold yet, I figured I'd go ahead and get things up and running. I laid out a temporary amp rack:










I went ahead and put it in the car and got the mids and tweets up and running. It sounded pretty damn good but I'm not good at evaluating without at least some bass in there. I really needed to get some midbass up and running, so I decided to put the 6.5's from my Dynaudio Esotec System 242GT set in. They bolted right up to the mounts Mark made.

First I put some speaker gasket on the door panel:










I then bolted the speaker up and put the CCF back on:










Since Mark isn't quite done with the grilles and the stock grilles don't fit over the new mounts, I took the stock grilles off the door panel, trimmed a tiny bit of plastic, and put the door panel back in place:










I did the same to the driver's door, then got the midbasses wired up to the amp rack and cleaned up the wires a little:










What you don't see in the above pic is how much extra wire is there. It's all coiled up in the rear seat area. Again, this is a temporary rack so wires and such will be completely rerouted and trimmed to length when I get the real amp rack.

I fired everything up and got a huge smile on my face. With only very minimal tuning (rough TA estimated via tape measure) and no sub, it already sounds excellent. As a start I have the XO at:

High: 10k and up
Mid: 315 - 10k
Low: 315 - 40

All slopes are 12db. I am keeping the volume pretty low because I'm a chicken. I want to get the speakers a bit more broken in and I definitely want to be careful running the Dyn 6.5s so low. I eventually want to try the mids at 250ish and the midbasses from 250 to about 65 or 80. The sub will take over from there of course. Sub? What sub? Funny you should ask...

My plan is to put a pair of 12s in the trunk. Mark is trying to convince me to try an up front sub like Jason's and he's getting close to succeeding. :worried: It will be a while (a couple weeks, to a month I guess?) before I can get the permanent amp rack and sub enclosure built in the trunk (or front), but in the meantime I figured I may as well build a temporary enclosure for one of my 12TW3's. I went to Woodworkers Source here in Phoenix. This place is AWESOME. Not only did they have some 13-ply, void-free baltic birch but they also cut it for me.

I brought the wood home and slapped it together:










Tomorrow, I'll take it to the wood shop and cut the mounting hole, do a little finishing work on it, and maybe get this puppy up and running.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Fantastic update! That is exciting - I wouldn't have been able to wait - especially if you have all the equipment at your disposal. I'm glad you are getting great sound out of the gate. The front sub is a lot of fun!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

bertholomey said:


> Fantastic update! That is exciting - I wouldn't have been able to wait - especially if you have all the equipment at your disposal. I'm glad you are getting great sound out of the gate. The front sub is a lot of fun!


Thanks Jason! I am going to start building a little shopping list for various CD's to listen to on my new and improved system. I have a pretty decent credit at a local used book/music/etc store and now I know what I should spend it on. I haven't bought any CD's in a long time but now I don't think iTunes is going to cut it for a lot of stuff.


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## ccapil (Jun 1, 2013)

Sub'd. Very nice build, best I've seen in a while. You'll love the HAT's, their f*$&n really nice ass speakers! Just wondering didn't c it in your posts, what power distribution are you using in the rear beside the amp rack? Looks nice. Are you splitting the power / ground up? Nice job so far!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

ccapil said:


> Sub'd. Very nice build, best I've seen in a while. You'll love the HAT's, their f*$&n really nice ass speakers! Just wondering didn't c it in your posts, what power distribution are you using in the rear beside the amp rack? Looks nice. Are you splitting the power / ground up? Nice job so far!


Thank you very much for the kind words.

The distro is a Streetwires CBR44m, I think. I've had it for years and it's been my last 3 or 4 installs. I love it. It's both power and ground distribution for up to 4 amps.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

I also run that CBR44 piece (although mine uses the mini anl fuses), but same difference. Excellent distribution block- best I've ever seen.

I can attest that Jays up front sub gets the job done nicely  Plenty of kick you in the chest impact going on there and extends much deeper than I would have thought.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

captainobvious said:


> I can attest that Jays up front sub gets the job done nicely  Plenty of kick you in the chest impact going on there and extends much deeper than I would have thought.


Ack! It's a conspiracy to get me to run an up front sub!! :laugh:


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Hey with nothing in the kicks, it's wide open  Gotta put something in there !


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

HUSH U!


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

captainobvious said:


> Hey with nothing in the kicks, it's wide open  Gotta put something in there !


^ This.

I want to avoid rear mounted subs in any and all future installs.


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Notloudenuf said:


> ^ This.
> 
> I want to avoid rear mounted subs in any and all future installs.


Doctor!


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Ack! It's a conspiracy to get me to run an up front sub!! :laugh:


THEORIST !!!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

TREOSOLS said:


> THEORIST !!!


It's past theoretical! At this point it's a FACT! I'd bet two shiny nickels you guys texted back and forth about trying to get me to get an up front sub! Maybe even THREE shiny nickels! AND IT'S NOT GONNA WORK!!11!1



Uh...so, will a 12 fit up there?....Jason, we might need a reference car for an hour or so.....oke:


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

why build one, when you can build two!!!!

:snacks:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

HMMMMMMM.....


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

TREOSOLS said:


> why build one, when you can build two!!!!
> 
> :snacks:


Sayyy wuuuuut?


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Uh...so, will a 12 fit up there?


Not sure about a BRZ, but even in a Smart car, with a little shoehorning, it can be done!


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Thanks Jason! I am going to start building a little shopping list for various CD's to listen to on my new and improved system. I have a pretty decent credit at a local used book/music/etc store and now I know what I should spend it on. I haven't bought any CD's in a long time but now I don't think iTunes is going to cut it for a lot of stuff.


This install is coming along VERY nicely! I'd have a wide grin on my face right about now too if I were you. 

Everything looks awesome, even your temporary amp rack. Looking forward to what you do for the final iteration of the amp rack and in the trunk in general. Oh, don't forget to check your PMs.


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

You see, Kevin! All the cool kids are doing it! 12'' in the front of a Smart Car.
Next you'll say Papasin is part of the CONSPIRACY. 12tw3 in the front floor board...hmmm. oke:


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

TREOSOLS said:


> You see, Kevin! All the cool kids are doing it! 12'' in the front of a Smart Car.
> Next you'll say Papasin is part of the CONSPIRACY. 12tw3 in the front floor board...hmmm. oke:


Of course I am part of the CONSPIRACY!  

The Smart car is my wife's ride...maybe I'll have her do the convincing. 

In all seriousness, it's quite impressive to have all the bass "up front". In mine, I have two 8s in the kicks and I can cross them pretty low (and have my subs take over a little more than an octave), but if your install lets you get a sub up front, why not?


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Sigh...it's a fullblown conspiracy. And the bad part is...it worked. 

I went ahead and built this little fella and tossed it in the passenger footwell:










12TW3 with power supplied by a PDX 1.1000 with the gain cranked down pretty far.

And it rocks. I love it so far. I haven't tried aiming it rearward like in Mrs. Papasin's Smart Car, but I may give that a shot to see how it sounds. I'm still testing with various tracks. The enclosure is .79 ft2, so I want to get a solid feel for its low frequency extension. As I've discussed with Captainobvious, putting it up front may be limited moreso by airspace than anything else, but we'll see. Marrrrk!!!!


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> As I've discussed with Captainobvious, putting it up front may be limited moreso by airspace than anything else, but we'll see. Marrrrk!!!!


If anyone can fit it in there, Mark is your man! I truly think the airspace is the big question mark. JL's _recommended_ enclosure sizes for these usually include a hump in frequency response with a little less low end extension as the sacrifice. You may be able to knock down the bump and bring up the bottom with EQ, but IDK... I'll be interested to see what can be done in there. I don't know if you'd be better off with the 10TW3 (or equivalent) and going with a slightly larger than spec box for extended FR- especially if this may be the only sub used.


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Sigh...it's a fullblown conspiracy. And the bad part is...it worked.
> 
> And it rocks. I love it so far.


It's not a conspiracy if it actually happened. :laugh:

I think we all knew it would rock and I'm glad you found the same thing. I think captainobvious is on the right track too to say that even though you have a 12 now you may not want to keep chasing it throwing good money after bad when a 10 or even (gasp) an 8 would do what you want.

DOCTOR!?!?!


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Agree on the airspace. The Mrs. has about 1cu for her (non-shallow) 12. JT incorporated the old box under the dash for the 8 that was under there and fused it to a box he fabricated to get the cube.

Just throwing out possible ideas...who needs a glovebox .


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Notloudenuf said:


> It's not a conspiracy if it actually happened. :laugh:
> 
> I think we all knew it would rock and I'm glad you found the same thing. I think captainobvious is on the right track too to say that even though you have a 12 now you may not want to keep chasing it throwing good money after bad when a 10 or even (gasp) an 8 would do what you want.
> 
> DOCTOR!?!?!


No, no. It's not a THEORY if it happened! 

I MIGHT be convinced to try a 10". We'll see. One thing at a time! I have to leave some room for future upgrades! Lol



papasin said:


> Agree on the airspace. The Mrs. has about 1cu for her (non-shallow) 12. JT incorporated the old box under the dash for the 8 that was under there and fused it to a box he fabricated to get the cube.
> 
> Just throwing out possible ideas...who needs a glovebox .



I actually was eyeballing the glove box thinking, "do I really need you?" :laugh:

I'll let the expert (Mark) take a look and we will go from there.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I actually was eyeballing the glove box thinking, "do I really need you?" :laugh:
> 
> I'll let the expert (Mark) take a look and we will go from there.


Nice!

One other comment if I may. I think your thread title is no longer fitting. This is no longer simple, if you're moving towards ditching the glove box, I think you're quickly moving up to Extreme SQ.   :laugh:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Gah! Crap, you're right! It was _supposed_ to be simple, damnit! Well, if we just do an up front sub in a style like Jason's it will still be simple. Ish.  Or if I go back to a trunk install (and the crowd "boo"s lol) it'll still be kinda simple. Right? Right???


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

I think simple is long over lol. An example of simple is something like utilizing all stock locations and maybe a prefab out back. 

Jason's BRZ with the revised mid install and an up front sub doesn't qualify. Besides, you don't want to bore Mark or let the crowd down by just copying or going backwards. Time to go extreme!   :laugh:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Bay Area isn't so far I can't come kick you in the shin! Of course, I'd introduce myself and shake your hand first. Wouldn't want to be rude.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Lmao.

But in all seriousness, my $0.02 FWIW is I think you should go for what you can achieve early on. I don't think there's anything wrong with starting out simple, but I think the progression of SQ and ability to try different things and learning along the way is invaluable, but I suppose if I had to do things over again, I probably would have skipped some steps as rebuilds and various changes can get costly.

Case and point, my wife's car, where I just started with a "simple install".

Original build log here: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...stall-customized-black-2009-smart-fortwo.html

She then sat in my car, and then complained how come hers doesn't sound as good as mine (not just tonally, but all the other aspects of SQ).

Fast forward to her "reinstall": http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...llery/137058-2009-smart-fortwo-reinstall.html

Was good/better, but once I got my 8s up front, and the way my pillars are able to cover a good deal of the midrange all the way up, she was still disappointed with how much better my car was.

Fast forward further to her current install where extreme fits the bill: 

Obligatory dash shot...









that ended with










So as each iteration has evolved, obviously, things have gotten bigger and better...I'm sure you'll agree that the current version is far from simple. Then again, if you think about it, maybe it is. 2 speakers on the dash, and 1 sub up front. You could call it 2.1 front stage 

But yes, Steve has said I'm a very lucky guy with a wife that embraces this hobby, and he's definitely right. Her car makes me want to upgrade my front stage lol.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be what's right for you, so feel free to kick me as you wish. I'd be glad to meet you sometime, heck, I may venture off to your neck of the woods for a comp or two . Off my soap box. I'll go back and sit in the peanut gallery. :laugh:


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Bay Area isn't so far I can't come kick you in the shin! Of course, I'd introduce myself and shake your hand first. Wouldn't want to be rude.


I'll shake Papasin's hand ,you kick him in the shin, then we listen to his car! Or Jason and I could drive out, and everybody go to the GTG at SIS


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

TREOSOLS said:


> I'll shake Papasin's hand ,you kick him in the shin, then we listen to his car! Or Jason and I could drive out, and everybody go to the GTG at SIS


Hehe, you guys would be very welcome to listen. No sub up front though .

We're hoping my wife's car will be ready as well. Time will tell. It's going in for Phase 2 starting this weekend...


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

TREOSOLS said:


> I'll shake Papasin's hand ,you kick him in the shin, then we listen to his car! Or Jason and I could drive out, and everybody go to the GTG at SIS



Googling driving distance from NC to Cali...stand by...


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

TREOSOLS said:


> I'll shake Papasin's hand ,you kick him in the shin, then we listen to his car! Or Jason and I could drive out, and everybody go to the GTG at SIS


DEAL!!

My first thought on the up front sub was that I wasn't willing to sacrifice the legroom there. I was dead set against it. Then I put that temp sub in the footwell.

Now I'm all...."how often is anyone riding shotgun anyway?"

Sigh.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

I'm ordering shin guards...


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

There are other targets...


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## Black Rain (Feb 27, 2011)

Im sure the compromise for the upfront sub outways the busted shins. 

I would need to totally reconstruct my whole truck for a move like that.


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Black Rain said:


> Im sure the compromise for the upfront sub outways the busted shins.
> 
> I would need to totally reconstruct my whole truck for a move like that.


Not when it's my shins lol.

As for your truck, sure it is possible. Who would have thought a full size (non-shallow) 12 in a cubic foot enclosure could be shoe-horned into a Smart car. Even JT said no way initially .

(Mark, I'm expecting that commission shortly.)


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

Deadpool_25 said:


> There are other targets...


You can have the conversation with the mrs. She can then do the kicking...but if you're nice to her, she might actually help. Her tuning ears are better than mine.


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

Steve, factor in the 'fly-by' to pick you up, then the Road Trip begins!!! 


Papasin, rates vary upon amount spent. How about, only one shin gets kicked, and we stop by 'In and Out' for burger on the way to SIS to see Joey and Bing1


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## TREOSOLS (Jun 19, 2009)

I think I can massage that 12" in the floor.


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## Black Rain (Feb 27, 2011)

Mark, I'd love to see how you get that 12" in that footwell. I know you are talented, just not sure how it will work. Curious...


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

TREOSOLS said:


> Steve, factor in the 'fly-by' to pick you up, then the Road Trip begins!!!
> 
> 
> Papasin, rates vary upon amount spent. How about, only one shin gets kicked, and we stop by 'In and Out' for burger on the way to SIS to see Joey and Bing1


In-N-Out, yummmmm. Let's skip the shin kicking, and I can even forego the commission...but if you four can make it out, I'd even buy for In-N-Out. I've got two of them within 10 miles of my house, and SiS is maybe 20 mins tops. 

Now the big question, who's riding in which seat? If Jason's driving, is shotgun really the best seat? :surprised:


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## Serieus (May 27, 2011)

captainobvious said:


> Googling driving distance from NC to Cali...stand by...


farrrr 

drove from Oregon to NC when i moved to NC in March of 2012, not a big fan of driving across country


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

I like In-N-Out, but I would probably demand Freddy's Steakburger or Five Guys for that kind of abuse, LOL. Tuned-in to see what gets shoe-horned into that foot well or floor pan, and HOW?!?!


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

bbfoto said:


> I like In-N-Out, but I would probably demand Freddy's Steakburger or Five Guys for that kind of abuse, LOL. Tuned-in to see what gets shoe-horned into that foot well or floor pan, and HOW?!?!


Got a couple Five Guys really close as well, with one along the freeway towards SiS...


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

There are a few 5guys close to the shop as well as an In and Out... Just sayin'


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Lol. Ok, no shin kicking, but you get to treat at Five Guys! Now we just have to figure out how to talk Mark and Jason into the trip.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

TREOSOLS said:


> I think I can massage that 12" in the floor.


Johnnie Cochran voice: If the sub fits, you must install it!


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

papasin said:


> In-N-Out, yummmmm. Let's skip the shin kicking, and I can even forego the commission...but if you four can make it out, I'd even buy for In-N-Out. I've got two of them within 10 miles of my house, and SiS is maybe 20 mins tops.
> 
> Now the big question, who's riding in which seat? If Jason's driving, is shotgun really the best seat? :surprised:


Lapsies?


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Now the question is...can we get 5 guys into the BRZ for the road trip??


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> There are a few 5guys close to the shop as well as an In and Out... Just sayin'


Yep, I'm talking about the ones along 237...straight shot from where I am (whether coming from work or the house).


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

captainobvious said:


> Now the question is...can we get 5 guys into the BRZ for the road trip??


Who's the 5th?


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Five Guys = 5 guys 



<<< Mark volunteered to "swing by" Philly to pick me up 



lol


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

captainobvious said:


> <<< Mark volunteered to "swing by" Philly to pick me up
> 
> 
> 
> lol


Maybe I'm still missing someone: Mark, Jason, you, OP, and ??


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

papasin said:


> Maybe I'm still missing someone: Mark, Jason, you, OP, and ??



lol it was a play on the "Five Guys" burger joint


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

captainobvious said:


> Five Guys = 5 guys
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Swing by........I guess we are using his fuel card?


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

captainobvious said:


> lol it was a play on the "Five Guys" burger joint


I imagine from where you all are coming from, there is a 5th here on DIYMA that you can easily find that would not mind hitching and get it to 5, assuming you guys can fit lol.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

papasin said:


> I imagine from where you all are coming from, there is a 5th here on DIYMA that you can easily find that would not mind hitching and get it to 5, assuming you guys can fit lol.


Sleeping bags and a fold down rear seat?


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

captainobvious said:


> Sleeping bags and a fold down rear seat?


Aha, I knew Jason had a reason for emptying his trunk. :laugh:

Kevin, see, it's all about tradeoffs. Lose a glovebox or a little space in the passenger footwell, get your trunk to do these sorts of things.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

papasin said:


> Aha, I knew Jason had a reason for emptying his trunk. :laugh:
> 
> Kevin, see, it's all about tradeoffs. Lose a glovebox or a little space in the passenger footwell, get your trunk to do these sorts of things.



I think Subaru is really missing out on a big segment by not marketing these BRZ's as "camping ready".


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## papasin (Jan 24, 2011)

captainobvious said:


> I think Subaru is really missing out on a big segment by not marketing these BRZ's as "camping ready".


You guys can be the ad campaign. Do it, and send them the proof! :laugh:


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

papasin said:


> Aha, I knew Jason had a reason for emptying his trunk. :laugh:
> 
> Kevin, see, it's all about tradeoffs. Lose a glovebox or a little space in the passenger footwell, get your trunk to do these sorts of things.


Front sub = shenanigans in the trunk?? Mark, front sub. Cleared to engage!

P.S. Mark, don't forget about the live webcam system for monitoring the 5 guys in the trunk. 

P.P.S. Is there a Five Gals?


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## ccapil (Jun 1, 2013)

How's the build going man? It's the 24th today, how you looking time wise?


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Hey. I forgot to respond to that last one ccapil. Sorry.

The build is still in progress. I was at a bit of a standstill with the temporary gear installed and waiting on a few more pieces from Mark. They were done, but I had him hold of on sending them out until I got back from Thanksgiving vacation. So the door speakers and grilles are on the way; I should have them today or tomorrow I think.

Timing being what it is, someone purchased one of my PDX 4.150s. I guess for this weekend's GTG I'll have to put my old Soundstream Reference 405 in there. It'll give me a good chance to test it to see if it still works after so many years sitting on shelves. :laugh:

The JL amps will be on the way soon too so at that point I'll have pretty much everything in hand.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

eh hem...don't you have a few updates to post ...? 

Lets see pics of that new 'kit' installed!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Haha. I don't have the new stuff yet, Steve! Soon though! JL Amps and sub/enclosure on the way soon, if not already. I also ordered a TPI 440 O-scope. So pretty soon I'll have the gear and the front stage all buckled down and can start tuning. The trunk install will need to get done ASAP after that. 

In non-audio, I did get the car polished and coated with CQuartz Finest. I think it came out awesome.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Haha. I don't have the new stuff yet, Steve! Soon though! JL Amps and sub/enclosure on the way soon, if not already. I also ordered a TPI 440 O-scope. So pretty soon I'll have the gear and the front stage all buckled down and can start tuning. The trunk install will need to get done ASAP after that.
> 
> In non-audio, I did get the car polished and coated with CQuartz Finest. I think it came out awesome.



Man, you're gonna love that front sub. The TPI440 is also a great piece. Simple to use. If you have any questions about the gain structure setup, just let me know.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Thanks Steve. Mark gave me a couple tips, but I'm pretty slow and am sure I'll have a few more. LOL.

I'm excited to get that front sub and the new amps in. 

Kevin


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Thanks Steve. Mark gave me a couple tips, but I'm pretty slow and am sure I'll have a few more. LOL.
> 
> I'm excited to get that front sub and the new amps in.
> 
> Kevin



Sounds good. If you need the discs for setup (gain overlap, test tones, etc) just shoot me a PM. When is all of the new stuff going in ?


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Cool, thanks! I don't know if Mark had a chance to send stuff out yet, but I'm guessing it'll all be here sometime next week? I'm not the most patient person ever so it'll start going in immediately. The permanent amp rack won't be for a while I'm guessing. I have to get Jason and Mark together when they have enough spare time.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Okay, time for a little update. I had been experimenting with the front sub by having a JL Audio 12TW3 in that temporary enclosure in the passenger footwell. It sounded good enough that I wanted to see if we could shoehorn a 12 in there in a similar manner to what Jason did in his BRZ. It was pretty clear that would be a stretch. I started thinking maybe I'd do a 10 in the front like Jason did, then see if I felt I needed to augment that with something that could give a bit more low frequency extension than I expected out of a single 10.

Meanwhile, Mark was in the process of acquiring my JL HD amps and trying to find some time to dig into Jason's BRZ to check for sub options and to map out a strategy for the amp rack. In the meantime, Jason found another sub he really liked and he decided to go with it. This presented me a great opportunity. Jason asked if I'd be interested in purchasing his front sub setup and I jumped on it (Thanks Jay!).

About the same time, the amps came in. Jason got the sub to Mark and Mark shipped the lot of it my way (Thanks Mark!)

It all arrived on Monday evening and, after a quick phone call to Mark, I was able to get it up and running fairly quickly. Here are a couple of crappy iPhone pics (please excuse the diry interior):

Front Sub









Amps









Tuesday was Christmas eve and I was pretty busy doing some last minute shopping (procrastination 101), but when I was done I was able to get in and do some very basic tuning. Following Mark's instructions, I set the amp gains with a TPI 440. It was pretty easy. Then, using pink noise, I took measurements of the SPL from each speaker. I was using my iPhone with the JL Audio app's RTA function and really only looking at the SPL reading. I'm sure this app isn't the best tool but I figured it would suffice for a quick temporary tune. The levels were all pretty close as-is so I used the controls on the P99 to fine tune.

After getting the levels set, I started checking other aspects of the tuning setup. I started with just the L3SE's in the dash and using the phase verification on an old IASCA disc. I ended up flipping the phase on the left mid. Next I added the tweeters into the mix. I ended up swapping phase on the left tweeter too. Finally, I turned on the midbasses. Once again I ended up flipping the phase on the left one. This seems really strange to me but maybe it's not all that abnormal? I checked wiring and such and I don't see anything amiss. It's sounding pretty good I think, especially with guesstimations at the TA and no equalization.

That's where I'm at now. More to come!


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

So what's next?

In terms of the actual install, Mark and I are trying to work out plans for the amp rack. I don't like having the stuff just temporarily installed back there.

As for tuning, I need to fire up REW and mess with that a bit. I have a MiniDSP UMIK-1 mic. My laptop is a MacBook Air and only has a single jack that doubles as headphone and microphone jacks. I'm not sure that'll give me what I need. I could possibly pick up a cheap-ish new laptop to use just for tuning. I don't really use my desktop all that much so I could move it out to the garage.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

So you needed to flip polarity on the whole left side to get things centered..........interesting - not sure what that is about. 

I have the USB cable that connects to my mic mate that connects to my mic. So, USB directly to my Mac Book Pro


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yeah, the entire left is flipped. Honestly I think it could well be a TA issue. From my understanding impulse measurements are a good way to nail the TA so I want to figure out how to do those.

As for the pc/laptop...hm...I have to go back and find the process again. REW will play some tones so I need to run those tones into the P99. Since REW is generating those tones, it can figure out how long it takes them to get from the P99 back to the mic. I just have to figure out how to set that up with the equipment I have, or if I need some new equipment.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

I'm sure you already know this...but for Time Alignment on the P99, start with all settings at their max and work backward. Pioneer is "special".


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

captainobvious said:


> I'm sure you already know this...but for Time Alignment on the P99, start with all settings at their max and work backward. Pioneer is "special".


Uh. Wait, what??


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Uh. Wait, what??



PM coming


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Pretty much every manufacturer does their time alignment by setting delay using milliseconds. Pioneer got the bright idea to do theirs based on distance. So while you would normally add delay to the speakers close to you (drivers side), what you end up doing with the pioneer is adding cm or inches to account for the difference in distance from the listening position.


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## Deadpool_25 (Apr 2, 2010)

Yeah, thinking about the way they do it, I can see that. I originally just set all the speakers to the distance they were away from me (using a tape meausure). Imprecise, I know.

I want to get myself set up for impulse measurments. Andy posted this about TA in another thread and I want to give it a shot, but I have a couple of questions about it.



Andy Wehmeyer said:


> Guys, this can all be very quick if you know what you're doing and have the right equipment.
> 
> 1. Get REW V5 from home theater shack.com
> 2. Calibrate the analyzer and do a loop-back measurement to remove the soundcard delay.
> ...


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