# The Beater gets a system



## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

OK, this is a little bit of a distraction from my other car. Once Premium gas got to almost 4.50, I started driving this more. 30+ mpg. Now that I am driving it more often, it needed a system.

Car 1997 Mercury Tracer Wagon.










List of Equipment:

Pioner DEH-P6400 (about 10 years old. We used to call it the "Dolphin Radio"...and a customer gave it to me)










Sony XM-4040 (4 channel 40x4...owners manual was dated 1992) $41
Sony XM-10020 (2 channel 100x2...same series.) $42










JL 4 ga, free scrap wire from a leftover amp install.
Kicker 8ga, free scrap wire from a different amp install.

Kicker 05c108. I picked this up in '05 to replace a blown home theater sub. Used it like 3 times and packed it up. Not really old school like the rest, but I had it. I paid less than $50 new.

RCA's are some cheap Cadence RCA's I found in the shop. Free.

Made my own aux in adapter...free. Used 3 alarm bypass plugs and a Smart car aux in port.

I'm using alot of my leftover techflex too.





































Yesterday I cut up and assembled my amp rack, and cut up the majority of the wood for a 4th order bandpass. No real reason other than I throw tools and stuff in the back and wanted to protect the sub...and I thought it'd be fun.










Coated with truck bed liner...










Going in above the spare.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Planning to do kicks...probably going to run Kenwood KFC-709PS components...like $50-70 on Amazon.

Ran new wires...techflex on the ends, split loom under the carpet.




























Radio harness I soldered up and techflexed...will be going in once the amps are fully operational.










As a side project to this, I'm also rebuilding the cup holders to fit Large beverages....

Gotta go to work...more later!

Jay


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## JCoffey (Feb 8, 2008)

Nice simple build! I have a 95 Escort that Ive been driving a lot since I'm able to get 35+ mpg highway. My only issue is that the electrical system can't seem to keep up with the amps I've tried using. (But in fairness they're larger amps) Looking forward to watching the rest of this build.


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## BowDown (Sep 24, 2009)

Wow pretty cool. At first I thought u were going to install a period correct system.. but very cool none the less. Are you going to provide some kind of cooling for that amp rack. Buried down there on a warm day is just asking for overheating.


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## malutki (Apr 28, 2011)

i love these gold sony amp's  what do you want to use on the front?


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## BlueAc (May 19, 2007)

Nice start... 

And I remember the "Dolphin Radio" very well... I didn't know other people said that too!!!

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

haha I totally know the Dolphine Radio. Roommate had one for at least 8 years, I think I installed it in like 4 different cars, lol. 

Your harnesses and attention to detail are as always great. The fact that you made your own aux in, and it doesn't look totally janky, is pretty cool. 

I think you know I love amp boxes over the spare in a false floor  How you got those sony's that cheap and that clean I will never know. Good eye guy.


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## Complacent_One (Jul 2, 2009)

Nice to see an old set of those XM's making it back into service. I have two of the 4040's and one of the 10020's in the garage collecting dust.


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Nice,,, its going to be a nice sound system for that car.. 

I have noticed a lot of people driver betters/older cars because of gas price's. And I'm sure you guys know and have seen your money going out of your wallet a lot faster than back in the day. And trust me I'm feeling my pockets too. Where I used to put 40$ and now its 60$.
Overall good luck with your system build, cant wait to see more out of it... One of a kind


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

I want to be sure to catch updates for this build.

Great work.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

malutki said:


> i love these gold sony amp's  what do you want to use on the front?


The 4040 will run the front and rear, the 10020 on the sub. I'm going to y-off the rca's to feed all 4 channels since the radio only has 2 preouts and one set is sub. I might try bridging the rear outs to the rear speakers out of phase to see if I get some ambiance from them. I haven't run rear fill in years.




94VG30DE said:


> haha I totally know the Dolphine Radio. Roommate had one for at least 8 years, I think I installed it in like 4 different cars, lol.
> 
> Your harnesses and attention to detail are as always great. The fact that you made your own aux in, and it doesn't look totally janky, is pretty cool.
> 
> I think you know I love amp boxes over the spare in a false floor  How you got those sony's that cheap and that clean I will never know. Good eye guy.


Ebay. The 4040 came with the original owners manual. The 4040's and 10020's pop up on there pretty often, oddly enough.




Complacent_One said:


> Nice to see an old set of those XM's making it back into service. I have two of the 4040's and one of the 10020's in the garage collecting dust.


The first "real" amp I ever bought was a Sony XM-4040, and to this day they are still one of the best sounding amps I've ever owned.



Notloudenuf said:


> I want to be sure to catch updates for this build.
> 
> Great work.


Thanks!

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

BowDown said:


> Wow pretty cool. At first I thought u were going to install a period correct system.. but very cool none the less. Are you going to provide some kind of cooling for that amp rack. Buried down there on a warm day is just asking for overheating.


A period correct system was my first plan. My coworker said he had a 12" Cerwin Vega (with the orange surround), but that never materialized.
I was also looking for a set of Polk DB or DX components, but couldn't find the older ones. 

These amps are pretty bulletproof, but I may add some small fans later if needed. I usually roll with the A/C on anyway 

Oh, and to anyone who doesn't believe older equipment is better check this:
I pulled a Kenwood radio that was like 3 years old out and put in this 10 year old pioneer and my FM reception improved so much that I could pick up stations an EXTRA 25 MILES away.

Jay


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

really impressive Jay. nice older equipment and car lol. for some reason i'm a big fan of wagons. i'll believe you with the old radios. my radio from 2002 was better for reliability than my 2 year old pioneer. not bad


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks guys. Honestly, I really miss my Neon. The car got similar mileage to the Tracer, but handled better, felt more solid and was more fun to drive...but my tablesaw and router don't fit in the back. hehe

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Got some work done on the box, should have it buttoned up tomorrow. It's mostly together, but I forgot the sub (Doh!) and I can't finish it without that.

Jay


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

Jay, i just realized how far you drive to and from work. you can for sure justify putting a nice little system into the tracer.

i understand the need to fit a table saw in the back. my cavalier had no chance of fitting anything really


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Yep. About 45 miles one way. The extra 10 or so mpg I get from the Tracer over the Genesis makes it worthwhile, I guess.

Here's some box progress pics:

Got it cut, mostly assembled and mounted the sub.










Then started working on the port opening. I wanted to do something different, instead of carpeting into the port (which never seems to stay). I started by tacking down strips of 3/16" ABS.










Then built it up with body filler...










Used the ABS as a guide for my DA to keep it flat and even.

Then routered the opening again with my roundover bit...










after that, I painted it with some truck bedliner.

Now, when I carpet the box, I'll carpet right to the square and it should look a little nicer than usual.

Here's a couple of pics of the box in the car:




























Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

JCoffey said:


> Nice simple build! I have a 95 Escort that Ive been driving a lot since I'm able to get 35+ mpg highway. My only issue is that the electrical system can't seem to keep up with the amps I've tried using. (But in fairness they're larger amps) Looking forward to watching the rest of this build.


Being as you drive a similar car, you can understand my cupholder rebuild


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

JayinMI said:


> Being as you drive a similar car, you can understand my cupholder rebuild


You Americans and your cup holders!! 

Haha jkjk looks good so far


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I blame McDonalds! When every size soft drink is $1, why *wouldn't* I get a large 

Jay


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## Angrywhopper (Jan 20, 2010)

JayinMI said:


> I blame McDonalds! When every size soft drink is $1, why *wouldn't* I get a large
> 
> Jay


I saw that on an advertisement on a bus the other day.. That's a smoking deal!

Whoops sorry for the hijack.. Back to the build!


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

Do your tablesaw and router still fit in the Tracer now that you put a giant box back there?


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Brilliant idea for the port, I may have to 'borrow' that one
Keep up the good work!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

94VG30DE said:


> Do your tablesaw and router still fit in the Tracer now that you put a giant box back there?


I put a terminal cup on it. If I flip the seats down and push the box all the way forward, I should be able to fit my saw and my router table in it. If I need to I can pull the box out.

Jay


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## jmil1974 (Dec 24, 2007)

Very nice attention to detail, especially on the wiring. Classy!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I figure this way, no matter which car I drive to work I have something to show.

I finished the box up. I got it together, rounded over all the edges and carpeted.














































Hard to see, but I did round everything over.










Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

As you can see, I'm not all that concerned with the matching carpet.
I may not keep the box in here, and it will be easier to sell (if I don't like it) if it matches the more common trunk liner.

I temporarily hacked in my XM-10020 (just laying on floor behind box) so I could try it out.

So far, I am pretty impressed. Does a good job...I have to cross it over at 50Hz because I only have the choices of 50/80/125...50 sounds better than 80 and makes it harder to localize.

The factory (14 year old!) speakers actually sound alot better than they did with the Kenwood in there. Can't wait til payday so I can order some new front speakers (maybe rears if they're cheap enough).

I was kind of beating on it with my coworker's Rick Ross CD and at one point I could smell the sub, so I backed it off. With my normal choice of music, I'm fine.

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

A friend has an old MTX crossover (RT-X02, IIRC) I will probably buy, and I have a line on 2 possibly free EQT's  If I get those I'll throw them in just because! 

Jay


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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

The box looks great man!


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I was just reading your thread, and that got me thinking about adding edge lit plexi, but I don't think I really need to....that can go in the "good" car. 

Thanks on the props.

Jay


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

thats awesome... 

great little setup.


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## dstaley (May 21, 2011)

Wow, very impressive.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Thanks, guys.

OK. Got paid. Getting ready to order my front speakers.

What I'm considering:

Kenwood KFC-P709PS....about $62 shipped
Cadence CWM6-Kit........about $75 shipped
Oz Audio V650S3..........about $86 shipped
Phoenix Gold RSD6CS....About $99 shipped
Polk dB6501.................About $107 shipped

suggestions?

I like the clean simple look of the Kenwood grilles and the fact that the crossover is a simple inline unit. I've owned Kenwood's cheap comps in the past (KFC-P602's a long time ago), and thought they performed pretty well for the price. They've gotten 4-5 star ratings on every site I've found them on and got decent reviews. I'm probably leaning this way.

Just came across a thread about the Cadences the other day on here:
Cadence CWM-6KIT
Seemed to get mixed reviews. Better crossover system than the Kenwoods, but harder to hide the way I've set things up. No real feedback anywhere else that I've seen.

Yes, I know Oz went out of business. Hard to find reviews on these.

I haven't heard the PG's, but I know they're kind of the forum boner of cheap component sets on here. They don't come with grilles (I don't really *want* to have to build grilles). Reviews on Amazon and other shopping sites are not nearly as good as the Kenwoods (3 stars).

Polks got decent reviews. I'd love to find some OLD Polk DB or DX comps, but it hasn't been in the cards while I've been looking. Prefer a mesh grille to a "tuner" grill. Haven't seen alot of info on these, strangely enough. I've seen them mentioned, and heard of people using them, but usually don't hear about them after that.

Any other suggestions? I'll probably order them tomorrow to see if I get any feedback on my list. Really leaning toward the Kenwoods, tho...cheap enough I might get a set of 5" for the back...I've even seen the 5x7's for like $34!

Jay


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I owned a pair of Kenwood 3-way coaxials for a while, and was very impressed with them for the price. Good build quality. Not sure if that is pertinent info or not


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

As I sit here and debate what speakers to order, I started thinking about adding something else. A center channel.
Back in the late 90's I had a small system in my '97 Neon. I ran a sony XM-4040 Left front channel to the LF, RF to RF and bridged the rear channels to a Kenwood Excelon 4" coax in the top of the dash.
For not using any kind of processing to derive the center, it did an amazing job of keeping the stage evenly spread out. 
So, now I'm thinking of doing the 6" comps in kicks, a center channel, and then using my little MRP-T220 to run the rear fill.
All I'd really need would be an extra speaker to use for it.
I have 2 sets of the old Radio Shack (Optimus) Pro-7 Metal case bookshelf speakers, and I was thinking of gutting one of them...
I have too many ideas.

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Well, I ordered my new front speakers. Kenwood KFC-P708's. Found them on eBay new/open box for $68.99 shipped. Has an outboard crossover that has variable tweeter attenuation that the KFC-P709PS's didn't have. 

Couldn't find any smaller speakers (4's or 5's) with matching grilles, if these work out, I may order the 5" components for rear fill.

For the time being, I'll either roll with the factories, or swap them for some newer stock Ford 5x7's that a customer left behind that I use as test speakers...

Jay


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## neuspeedescort (Feb 23, 2010)

what can i say! look at my name and you will know i like this build! i got a few more bucks in my gear but its all budget minded and on the cheap. i really need a new amp but no one is wanting to buy my old zapco gear. enough about me sorry to thread jack

i like everything im seeing here. what was your front stage? i think i missed it. what is the tuning of the bandpass?


NEUMAN


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

I think you will spend a lot more than what you have expected lol great build can't wait for more of your build.

Sent from Verizon Thunderbolt


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

I'll be running Kenwood KFC-P708 6.75" components. They should be here Thursday by end of day. Depending on my mood, I may install them this weekend (along with my 4 channel.)

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Speakers came yesterday. Brand new. Still factory sealed. As I understood the description they were open box, new, but complete. Always a nice surprise when something from eBay is in *better* condition than it is represented. 

I'll get some pics up after work.

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

neuspeedescort said:


> what can i say! look at my name and you will know i like this build! i got a few more bucks in my gear but its all budget minded and on the cheap. i really need a new amp but no one is wanting to buy my old zapco gear. enough about me sorry to thread jack
> 
> i like everything im seeing here. what was your front stage? i think i missed it. what is the tuning of the bandpass?
> 
> ...


Front stage is going to be Kenwood KFC-P708's. The Bandpass is .9 sealed, 1.5ft3 ported, 3x3" port 10" long (tuning frequency was about 46.5Hz) according to WinISD.

Jay


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

quickaudi07 said:


> I think you will spend a lot more than what you have expected lol great build can't wait for more of your build.
> 
> Sent from Verizon Thunderbolt


Well, maybe a little. I just scored another sony 4 channel amp on eBay.
It's an XM-2540, 25x4 4 channel. I'll bridge my 4040 to the fronts, and bridge the 2540 to the rears. This gets me more head room and separately adjustable gains.

I'm trying to keep it in the <$500 range.

Jay


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## mrzapco (May 27, 2011)

that beaters gonna turn some heads lol


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Well, I got the Cup Holders to a functional state....but not pretty, yet.
I was going to glass them up but then decided it would probably be cheaper and easier to just buy another center console piece and cut it more carefully now that I can make a template off the current setup. Also, this gives me a chance to make sure everything is working as I want before I permatize everything.

Then I was playing with my front speakers. The fit perfectly into the factory door locations, but the surrounds will hit the grills. This is the second time in a week I've had this issue with a Ford product and Kenwood speakers. The way the basket is stamped, it come out about of a 1/4" off the door and then the surround sits on top of that. So, the surround max point is about 1/2" off the door. I guess I'm locked into kicks now.

Grills were really nice looking. I'm happy. Build quality looks good. And they went down $5 since I bought them. 

I'll probably be redoing the amp rack since I picked up another amp that will hopefully arrive next week.

I should probably pick up a line driver since I'm splitting the front outputs to feed 8 input channels. Was looking for something cheap.

Jay


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## quickaudi07 (May 19, 2010)

Jay. 

Were you really thinking on spending that much money on the sound for your better?  it looks good can't wait for the final completion day.


Sent from Verizon Thunderbolt


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Considering what I have in the other car, <$500 is a bargain. 

Thanks.

Jay


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