# 1999 Jeep Cherokee SQ build.



## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Hi all  Just thought I would get my build thread started. It will all be going into my 1999 Jeep Cherokee classic. Its slowly but steadily starting to become a reality and soon as I can afford to get the rest of my equipment the real work will begin!!

My equipment will consist of the following.

HU: Clarion HX-D1 (Looking)
Processing: JBL MS-8 ( On its way )

Tweeters: Hiquphon OW2 (Already purchased)
Midranges: Scanspeak 12m (Looking)
Midbass: Peerless SLS 8 (Have one UPS ruined the other. Should have it soon.)
Sub: Morel Ultimo 12 4 ohm (Should have towards the end of May)

Amps:
Arc Audio 4200SE to OW2s and Scans. (Looking)
Arc Audio 4200SE bridged to SLS 8s. (Looking)
Arc Audio 2300SE bridged to Ultimo. (Looking)

Electrical: I have already upgraded all the needed wires under the hood with 1/0 welding cable and will be getting a HO alternator but still undecided on which one or how large.
All RCA cables will be DIY.
Power and speaker wire is Rockford Fosgate 1/0, 4ga, and 12ga speaker wire with a Sting HPM series inline fuse holder. (practically got for free at an auction).
Have a yellow top optima for now but am looking into a dual battery setup of some kind (possibly Sears Diehard platinum series).

Sound deadening will consist of the following.

200sqft of B-Quiet Ultimate. 100sqft already bought and installed. 100sqft left to buy and install.

140-200sqft of CCF 1/4'' and 1/8'' (Looking)
~140sqft MLV 1LB (Looking)
Extruded Butyle Rope 2 or 3 rolls?? (Looking)

As for install I plan on deadening and sealing my doors for the SLS 8s. The sub will go in my rear quarter panel in either a sealed box or possibly an AP enclosure (still reading in to this). Locations of mids and tweets will be determined as more progress is made. Will take a while to get everything together but I am in no hurry. Will get pics of rig and current progress up later! Thanks!


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## beckSHO (Sep 10, 2006)

As a former XJ owner (literally traded it in for an '06 WK this past week) I'm interested to see how this turns out. Herer are a couple of things I remember about doing my install...

The doors are shallow and made for 5-1/4" speakers. I had to do quite a bit of cutting to get some 6" Seas drivers in the doors. If you want to get those SLS 8's to fit you're going to have to do some SERIOUS cutting and build some thick baffles to mount the new drivers to.

I built some fiberglass pods on my a-pillars for my tweeters... And those stupid panels are a b!tch to get off.

Deadening the interior wasn't bad, it was pretty easy to remove/gut the interior to lay down some RAAMmat. I probably had everything out in under 2 hours (worked by myself). I did leave the carpet and the insulating mat the factory put under the carpet out for an afternoon... I spilled a whole gallon of water back there and the carpet/mat was all soggy.

Anyway, good luck!


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

As a current XJ owner and with total interior rebuild about to start in a couple months, I have taken these SUV apart down to nothing. Mine has no dash no nothing in it now, well only 2 front seats. Kick panels are quite large, as stated above doors are shallow and thin. But let me tell you, done right these rigs sound great. Something about bing inside a box.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

So, Mark, are you building a custom dash, etc. in your interior rebuild?

OP...Looking fwd to pics.

Jay


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## Kerpal (Jan 27, 2009)

Any progress made on this install? I just picked up a pretty clean '91 XJ, looking to do a nice simple install in it.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Updates!!! Over the last couple days I ordered another 100sqft of b-quiet, a black carpet kit with mass backing, speaker tweaker kit, 48sqft of heatwave pro and tape, 200sqft of MLV 1/8" 1lb, ordered installation accessories for HX-D1, carpet, new door lock actuators all around, rca ends, 4 rolls of fleece tape, 8 packages of EBR, 2 gallons of hh-66 vinyl cement, and my replacement SLS 8. I also ordered 96sqft of 1/8" and 96 sqft of 3/8" CCF gymnastic mats....the link is here we will see how it works. http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/system-design-help-me-choose-equipment-my-car/95993-super-cheap-closed-cell-foam.html

More updates soon. Everything should be here by next weekend and Il start getting some pictures up of install progress and equipment. 

Also an updated equipment list:
Need Scanspeak 12m's, amps, distro block, fiberglass for sub box, and RCA wire. Should have everything else minus the random little thing as I am sure I may break a few body clips, ect.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Looking forward to this one....

Best of luck

Cheers,
Scott


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## 2500hd (Aug 22, 2009)

Wow this build sounds serious! I own a 97 XJ, and really wanna see some pics of all the deadening you have planned... I should be tearing into my own build this week...


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks guys. Trying to win an overhead console on Ebay atm all my sound deadening is here. I ordered 200ft of red belden 1505f, some techflex and 100 body clips. Went mudding the other day so I have to wash my Jeep and clean out the garage this afternoon. Will hopefully get pics of all the sound deadening and the Jeep tonight and maybe even a little progress.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Pictures


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

More pics


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

HX-D1


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

4+ months and no install pics.....you can't do that to us :laugh:

Get-r-done


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

INSTALL PICS WOULD BE GREAT


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Sorry guys I am a college student and we were having midterms and I was swamped with homework, catching up, and studying. Will get pics up tomorrow. The dash and steering wheel are completely out along with the HVAC box. I put butyl rope in all the doors and put my first layer of CLD on my doors and started the first layer on the outside and started on the firewall. Been working on getting the heatwave pro installed in the cargo area of the Jeep and began the passenger area but looks like I may come up short for the firewall, roof, ect. Hope to have the cargo area completely done up to carpet by the end of the weekend. (Also for anybody tearing their vehicle down take lots of pictures and bag and label your parts. I didn't do this and already know I will be regretting it.) I ordered a pair of XLS 8's so those will be replacing the SLS 8's in the doors.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Progress....not as much as I would have liked to get done today but still progress. Heatwave pro in the cargo area...Just about done. Passenger side EBR behind crash bars and doors covered in CLD. Enjoy the pics! Constructive criticism is welcomed.  Will try and get more progress and pics up later tonight! 1/8 CCF 2 layers of MLV and the carpet in the cargo area by Monday.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Pics. Thanksgiving break all of this next week. Hoping to get quite a but done now that I don't have school to worry about.


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

You....took....the.....dash.....out......#dumbfounded #impressed


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Also I ran out of Heatwave pro so the insulation looking stuff is a heat wave equivalent I got cheap with foil on only one side and it is foil side down in case anyone was wondering.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Notloudenuf said:


> You....took....the.....dash.....out......#dumbfounded #impressed


Thanks its been a lot of work. I didn't take pictures or bag parts though. I'm thinking it might be a pain to get back in but we will see. It was a lot simpler than I would have imagined getting the dash out but I broke my windshield while I was pulling it when it rocked on the steering column.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Window.....:shrug:


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## DaveRulz (Jun 22, 2006)

Oh man, that sucks!

I did something similar on my first ghetto radio shack system back in like 1997. I wasn't going to these extremes taking things apart, but basically I put a Yankee screwdriver into the windshield. Man was my dad pissed.


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## _qualm_ (Dec 1, 2011)

Newb questions. 

So what exactly is going on in these pictures? I take it the silver stuff is the B-Quiet Ultimate. Is this B-Quite stuff like Second Skin or Dynomat? What is the black stuff that your rolling out? Is this laid down over the B-Quiet? What is the picture of? I can't tell.

What are these things:

140-200sqft of CCF 1/4'' and 1/8'' (Looking)
~140sqft MLV 1LB (Looking)
Extruded Butyle Rope 2 or 3 rolls?? (Looking)

What is the Butyle Rope used for?

Sorry for all the questions. My 1999 Cherokee is a noisy bastard and am really interested on what is going on here. Thanks for the pics and the right up.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

_qualm_ said:


> Newb questions.
> 
> So what exactly is going on in these pictures? I take it the silver stuff is the B-Quiet Ultimate. Is this B-Quite stuff like Second Skin or Dynomat? What is the black stuff that your rolling out? Is this laid down over the B-Quiet? What is the picture of? I can't tell.
> 
> ...


The B-Quiet is similar to Dynamat and the like. The CCF or closed cell foam which is used as a decoupler is applied over the B-Quiet on trim pieces and places where heat isn't a concern. Where the heat has to be addressed in places like the inside of the doors, rear quarter panels, roof, floor, and firewall there is Heat wave pro and a Heat wave equivalent placed over the B-Quiet before the CCF is applied on top of that. The black stuff I am rolling out is MLV or mass loaded vinyl and is a noise barrier. Butyl rope is a multi use product and is placed between the panels and crash bars and will be used on little odds and ends to prevent rattles. It will also be used to seal around my speakers.

No problem. My write-up is kinda messy and unorganized. I appreciate the interest I am hoping for some killer results with all the work it has been. Glad it could be of help. Still plenty to do but it is coming along. Have finals coming up so have been pretty busy but hopefully get the seams of the heat wave products sealed with the aluminum tape and the CCF finished on the floor firewall areas.


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## _qualm_ (Dec 1, 2011)

99xjproject said:


> The CCF or closed cell foam which is used as a decoupler is applied over the B-Quiet on trim pieces and places where heat isn't a concern. Where the heat has to be addressed in places like the inside of the doors, rear quarter panels, roof, floor, and firewall there is Heat wave pro and a Heat wave equivalent placed over the B-Quiet before the CCF is applied on top of that. The black stuff I am rolling out is MLV or mass loaded vinyl and is a noise barrier. Butyl rope is a multi use product and is placed between the panels and crash bars and will be used on little odds and ends to prevent rattles. It will also be used to seal around my speakers.


How much heat are you talking? Will the CCF melt? Does the MLV go over the CCF which is over the B-Quite?


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Yes the MLV does go over the CCF I forgot to mention that. I only really noticed the heat after I removed the carpet or when I was crawling in the mountains. Essentially though I am hoping to somewhat insulate my Jeep the best I can. Yes the I am sure the CCF will melt at some point but not a concern at the temps it will be seeing. There are a few barriers for the heat to go through before it even reaches it.

Also slight update. Strongly considering a set of 4 channel Zuki Eleets and the small mono to power this instead of the Arc SE series amps...Plan on picking up all 3 amps, midranges, and the rest of the gear in the next month or two.


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## _qualm_ (Dec 1, 2011)

How much heat do you have to be aware of?


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Sorry I missed your question I haven't checked this in a while. The heat isn't to bad. I drove it around with the b-quiet and herculiner coating and no carpet for about a year. Around town my feet would get warm but not uncomfortably so unless it was a very hot day. Noticed a good amount of heat when I was crawling through the mountains though. My goal for this car was to build a great SQ system but not lose the functionality of my Jeep. I still want to be able to throw some camping gear and hit the trails whenever I want. I have lots of plans for this Cherokee. Anyways that was the main reason I added the heat wave. Before I tore out the carpet I never noticed it too much or at least no times I can think of.

A little updated. Floor/ firewall area is done with both heat wave and CCF. Got vinyl over a good amount of it but weather hasn't been permitting to let the glue properly set so it has just been a waiting game. I purchased both of my amps. I ended up with a JL HD600/4 and a JL HD900/5. Picked these for size and efficiency reasons. Will bridge the HD600/4 to the XLS 8's and the HD900/5 will be ran to the OW2's and the Scanspeak 12MU's I am hoping to pick up soon. The sub channel will be ran to an Dynaudio Esotar2 1200. Ultimo is in classifieds now and looking to pick the 1200 up ASAP. Hoping to finish up most if not all the vinyl up over the weekend.

While the weather has been bad I sat around and put B-quiet on all my trim and dash. So should hopefully start to come together fairly quick with the exception of fitting the 8's in the doors. 

Also think I found a way to support and run a double layer of vinyl under the headliner as I have doubled up the vinyl on the floor/firewall area and everywhere else in the car so far. More on the vinyl later.
That is all for now. Pictures will be up later tonight.


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)




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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Pictures of progress so far. Vinyl on roof. Two layers. Not sure if the headliner will fit back up still but will be doing some fine tuning in the next couple days. Having clearance issues getting the HVAC box back in and had to tear some out. Will replace where I can once I figure out what is hanging it up. Got the wires wrapped with fleece tape. Have run out of MLV, Fleece tape, B-quiet, and techflex. Got my wires all covered and cut also. Progress is getting hung up due to school and waiting on materials. Will get more ASAP and continue doing odd and end projects til then. Enjoy the pictures and sorry to any who are following my build as it has taken far far longer than expected and was a bigger undertaking than I thought. My school schedule has gotten a little lighter so hoping to make quicker progress now.


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## supermotofan (Nov 29, 2010)

Subscribed.

'93 Cherokee here.


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## XJguy (Jun 24, 2012)

That's some major sound deadening, good job.


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## chaser9478 (Aug 16, 2011)

I have a 97 XJ toy....cheap pioneer h/u and a xplod 10, but it has a RE long arm 5.5, deaver spings, fox 2.0 shocks 12" travel all around, 2.0 air bumps, built axles, arb air lockers f/r and on board air, teraflex steering with 35 bfg km2s. I am going to re build it this winter with a turbo a new spl system and a kick a$$ camo paint job.....

I love my XJ


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## 99xjproject (Jan 11, 2011)

Just a little update. I have all the wires ran. Carpet is just about in. Installed Mean Green HO alternator. Made a second battery tray and installed dual batteries. Finishing up the wiring for that today. Going to start hooking up dash wires today and get that secured. Will throw up some pictures tonight.


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## NeoBC (Dec 10, 2011)

Notloudenuf said:


> You....took....the.....dash.....out......#dumbfounded #impressed


That really can a pretty big job. Impressed here also. Your Jeep is looking good.


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## JKashat (Nov 19, 2009)

Bump. I know this is a thread that's been dead for a year, but I just picked up a 1997 XJ Country and this really interests me now.

Hey OP, how about an update?


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## knever3 (Mar 9, 2009)

I am very interested too!


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