# Uncle Audio has been brewwin up some tasties of his own for SBN debut :)



## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Hi gang! So the old-school ride has been put under the knife this off-season and been bumped up several notches for 2013. I enlisted the help of Effin' Bob (his new truck/install will debut at SBN!) and went back to da' Nutz rootz for this one...I hope you guys like.









Previous install was kept low-budget and extremely simple, using a 3 speaker setup, minimal fiberglass, no "flash" DIY style install....

So we begin our journey on the trunk....









Nice new "tub" for the old-school CXLR is front and center, sides are for storage, down in tire well resides numerous components and ventilation reliefs are cut out.


Here's a shot of the stuff concealed in the tirewell








Counterclockwise from bottom left are 60A power supply, Xstatic Powerstation battery/cap combo, Xstatic Batcap 800, Xstatic 50F Megacap, Pioneer ODR RS-M1 optical changer transport, and Audison +and- fused distro block. Hydraulic-damped Cabinet-grade hinges can be seen on the floor door.
Power and ground have been upgraded from single 8 ga in the low-budget build to 1/0 and 4 ga now.


Here's a side shot to illustrate how the panels fit within the trunk, as well as rear ventilation reliefs and access to the side compartments. 











So more later. The goal with this upgrade is to improve and tie in the old school THEME of the installation, step up the sound several notches, and refine the use of space without adding too much weight. In case you guys dont know the car, this is my baby from High=school....my first car...my friend. When I got into car audio in 1985-86, it was in THIS car!
1979 Dodge Aspen coupe.









More to come!!!!


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)




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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

Best woodworking I've seen!!


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Got more free time since finishing school?


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

You said it Jay!!!! 

So here's a shot of the amp tub drying after paint....matches the car perfectly. Mopar (PPG) Caramel Metallic with House of Kolor high-solids clear  YUMMY!


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Steve, you gonna make all of the Cali boys jealous talking about a high solids clear coat...lol.


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## cyrusthevirus23 (Feb 16, 2013)

thats crazy insane work you got going on here


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

I like where this is going Steve!!! Looking forward to getting some seat time at SBN.


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Looks great Steve!


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## simplicityinsound (Feb 2, 2007)

UNCLE!


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## nepl29 (Mar 25, 2007)

Badass work brother!! Cant wait to get hear it BTW Happy Birthday Sir


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

Steve and Bobby together come up with some amazing stuff. I saw this mid progress in december. There is more to come in this thread. 

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks gents, thanks!!! Sucks getting older but I bleed high-end for life LOL.
Will have a few more pix soon


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

beef316 said:


> Steve and Bobby together come up with some amazing stuff. I saw this mid progress in december. There is more to come in this thread.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


Hey, I was there in December!


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Looks awesome Steve!


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

SouthSyde said:


> Hey, I was there in December!


I was there the week before you were.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

beef316 said:


> I was there the week before you were.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


OOOOO that makes sense!! hehe you shouldve came one week later, we had a alot of fun!


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

SouthSyde said:


> OOOOO that makes sense!! hehe you shouldve came one week later, we had a alot of fun!


Its always fun. 

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

Aspen is a BEAST!!! btw!


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

AAAAAAwesome!! Sir, Totally!!


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Here are some shots of the side compartment covers, which are removable press-fit panels held in place with magnets.


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Nice use of old school and new school!


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

So the 5% tint and wheels are circa your high school days too? 

I wonder what's in the front of this bad boy now?


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## metanium (Feb 2, 2007)

I've asked this question about the Aspen before, but don't think I ever received an answer, what are the 3 drivers?


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Steve has posted it somewhere in an old thread...there's a 10 in front, probably Alto Fallstaff, and some 6.5" point sources. Maybe the front is getting supersized like the trunk?


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

thehatedguy said:


> Steve has posted it somewhere in an old thread...there's a 10 in front, probably Alto Fallstaff, and some 6.5" point sources. Maybe the front is getting supersized like the trunk?


Things have changed. 

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Fazza had mentioned a while back that he was changing things up...dunno which route he went though.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

beef316 said:


> Things have changed.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


Hmmm so maybe the 6s will be for sale soon?


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## metanium (Feb 2, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> Steve has posted it somewhere in an old thread...there's a 10 in front, probably Alto Fallstaff, and some 6.5" point sources. Maybe the front is getting supersized like the trunk?


What I really want to know is what kind of point sources he used?


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Very expensive ones...I don't think you can get them in the US without buying the whole home speaker.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Old school Mopar and audio... My favorite combination.


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## cyrusthevirus23 (Feb 16, 2013)

look forward to more pictures


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Yes gents the front stage is getting a marked "upgrade" as well. As far as the drivers, yes there is a single Falstaff 10 in the console and I will be using my "old school" flagship drivers up front that I recently rebuilt...more on that later.
Oh and BTW when I was using three drivers, it was a set of used Thiel Powerpoint 6" out of home surround speakers I picked up cheap on the 'Bay....but no more three speakers. Not after the raping I got at Finals for "bad phase issues"! Who knew the laws of physics didnt apply to this car (rolls eyes)?!?

Anyway, back to the build>
An awesome old-school Mopar with re-chromed and restored shiny trim needs some BILLET imho....so Bob enlisted the help of the billet man 









This is a piece of 1/8" ball-milled polished billet made specifically for the amp rack. It looks AWESOME, and is one of several one-off pieces.

Here is a shot of some additional billet trim "bling" for the sides of the trunk.









And we decided to do a new rear deck that would serve as both a cosmetic upgrade as well as an acoustic "trap" to help with damping standing waves. So there are several concentric cutouts that will get perforated aluminum grille pieces with damping material underneath. And the billet man hooked up a nice custom logo plate for the center of the rear deck.









Here's a shot of the perforated aluminum grille pieces being painted. THis stuff is 1/16 thick and 3/16" holes.









More to come


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Beautiful.


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## slowsedan01 (May 4, 2008)

Incredible as usual Steve!


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

So heres a shot showing the billet trim fit into the amp tub, There is a 45 degree recess cut into the trim board to allow an LED strip to illuminate this tub.










And on the rear deck, scuffed plexi is used as the logo backer and illuminated with LED strip as well.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Almost forgot to mention the "new" amp!! 

In true OLD SCHOOL theme fashion, I enlisted the help of Sir Fred and Mr. Zeff at Arc to build me a custom 1st-gen Arc 4150 CXLR using a bigger 2500CXL heatsink painted to match with edge surfaces left raw under the clearcoat for that "brushed aluminum" appearance. Trying to tie in the billet.










THis amp contains some pretty heavy mods in the way of removed and bypassed crossover circuits, upgraded caps, op-amps, much higher bias, etc. I cant remember what all was done to it, but I know the net power increased to 110WPC rms to mains and >330W rms to the sub...Big props to Arc for this !!!


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## SoundJunkie (Dec 3, 2008)

Damn bro! I wondered what you have been up to....now I see!! Just freakin awesome! Two thumbs up for the Mopar, as I told you before my first car was a 1972 340 Duster....should have kept her. She was my first car audio patient in high school too...circa 1985-6.

Big props to ya and I hope to see you at SBN!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Old school speakers in front...hmm, wonder what those guys are?


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

thehatedguy said:


> Old school speakers in front...hmm, wonder what those guys are?


Best vocals Ive heard...


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Makes me wonder....


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## SoundJunkie (Dec 3, 2008)

thehatedguy said:


> Makes me wonder....


Things that make you go hmmm

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I have an idea about the midbasses, I am curious about the rest. Steve had a few things to choose from.


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

thehatedguy said:


> I have an idea about the midbasses, I am curious about the rest. Steve had a few things to choose from.


When he say, true old school theme... He meant, really vintage old school!  Wanted a pair soo bad after hearing, called one of my connects at the manufacture but even he do not have anymore LOL


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Might not be what I was thinking they were.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

My guess is some old OZ speakers


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Or Focal...Steve loved some Focals back in the day too. Focal had a couple nice nice nice 7" pure midranges way back when.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> Or Focal...Steve loved some Focals back in the day too. Focal had a couple nice nice nice 7" pure midranges way back when.


and he was a rockford boy and a DLS guy for awhile...he has alot to choose from....


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## james2266 (Sep 24, 2009)

Steve, this is just beautiful my man. Where was this when I was down there a month and a bit ago? Well, I have plans for my ride now too as you know. That is if it ever warms up enough to try my hand at glassing again. Just picked up a set of Scan 12m midranges so they deserve a nice enclosure unlike the one that I have now that is kind of chewed up and I just recently found out it is resonating as well. No wonder the 10f have to be eq'd so heavily to sound any good at all really. Got some things to test out hopefully this weekend. Too bad you were not near to bend an ear. I would really like your opinions on things here. Well, maybe I will get to hear this beauty you are creating at the next SBN. Yes, I am still planning a return to your neck of the woods in March 2014. Going to make sure I get to SBN. I have so much to learn yet even if I am learning at a geometric rate thanks to you and a number of others on here (you know who you are)


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Yummy Vinyl 


















And check out the illumination!!!









YES, for those of you TRUE muscleheadz...that IS infact a Chrysler / Dodge emblem in the floor, which serves as additional venting for the equipment underneath. Now just gotta install the billet and amplifier.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Good guesses guys. You know I looooove me some Focals. And no we arent talking current models ;-) We shall see...

James I dont envy u guys right now with the weather up there LOL! Y'all definitely missing out this SBN. Hurry Back!


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## nepl29 (Mar 25, 2007)

:heart:


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## james2266 (Sep 24, 2009)

nepl29 said:


> :heart:


lol, don't worry. I expect to meet up with you too next time.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

audionutz said:


> Good guesses guys. You know I looooove me some Focals. And no we arent talking current models ;-) We shall see...
> 
> James I dont envy u guys right now with the weather up there LOL! Y'all definitely missing out this SBN. Hurry Back!


polykevlars and TLRs?????


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

As a wood worker I can really appreciate the trunk. Great fitment on those panels.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Focal old school xpert series i take it.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Love the work on the trunk! Looks amazing. One thing, tho...the switch for the illumination stands out an awful lot...I think I'd have flushed a magnetic reed switch or something on the panel and then carry a magnet on my key chain to turn it on or off. Just a thought. Amazing work. When do we get to see the front stage? (Those of us not lucky enough to attend SBN)?

Jay


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

JayinMI said:


> Love the work on the trunk! Looks amazing. One thing, tho...the switch for the illumination stands out an awful lot...I think I'd have flushed a magnetic reed switch or something on the panel and then carry a magnet on my key chain to turn it on or off. Just a thought. Amazing work. When do we get to see the front stage? (Those of us not lucky enough to attend SBN)?
> 
> Jay


Noted sir. I am actually gonna switch (no pun) them out for illuminated billet ones soon. So, just temporary.

Ahh the old Xpert series kevlars...Mark Wins! More on this soon I promise


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

That'll look much better. Good call. Looking forward to more.

Jay


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Previous kicks will receive an upgrade as well...



















And the factory dash is also going under the knife! Here are a couple stock dash pics showing it is a two piece contraption with a padded wrapped bolster nearest the passengers.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Dash padding stripped down to metal frame, and the two top pieces shall become one.









Now lets lose some metal up there!


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

> My eyes are ceramic. Caught a bazooka round at Little Big Horn... or was it Okinawa? I dunno...the one without the Indians.


They were at both, fighting for us @ Okinawa

Nice work on the dash !


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## falstaff (May 22, 2012)

Looks like Maggie turned the damn sprinklers on!!!


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

Slow reveal. You are such a tease. 

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

Don't forget the freshly baked cookies when you compete, guaranteed game changer


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Yesssh Maggie and them damn sprinklerz LOL!

I gotta take more pics yall, forgive me (been workin like a slave!!!)
SO some more info: 

Kicks pulled out. Remolded face to house larger 7" drivers. In the process made the kicks more solid, added literally about 3 pounds more mass to each one (duraglass, clay, etc) and rewrapped to match. I had to also open up the AP vent surface area a little since these move much more air than the 6's did.

Dash pieces were glasses together and bondo used to "reshape" a smaller, less obtrusive bolster....although it is no longer padded. Be sure to wear ur seatbelts !
Under dash treated to a plethora of acoustic materials (dynamat xtreme, dynaliner 1/8" and 1/2", Tac Mat, and Cascade VB-3.

I also added two layers of additional vb3 under the carpet when the kicks were out to correct the tactile energy transfer that bugged some peeps last year. 

More pix today I swear!


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## falstaff (May 22, 2012)

Plethora and tactile energy all in one post.....


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

beef316 said:


> Slow reveal. You are such a tease.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


lol


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## SouthSyde (Dec 25, 2006)

audionutz said:


> Yesssh Maggie and them damn sprinklerz LOL!
> 
> I gotta take more pics yall, forgive me (been workin like a slave!!!)
> SO some more info:
> ...


With the ratification of the 13th amendment in 1864, slavery had officially been abolished!!! FYI!!


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I said focal because I thought he was using another old school speaker...didn't want to give anything away.

I might still have a pair of t2x tweeters somewhere that I bought 11-12 years back based on Steven's recommendation.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

You wouldnt happen to be referring to THESE would you Jay??


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

I know it aint "old school" but it is da creme de la creme 










RS-D7Xiii and RS-P99x.


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## AccordUno (Aug 7, 2009)

Nice speaker selection, I still have to get my fixed..


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

audionutz said:


> I know it aint "old school" but it is da creme de la creme
> 
> 
> 
> ...


ummmm..... yea.....


nice!!!!


that's one killer combo with some awesome dsp features.


Oh, and sub'd.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Dashboard test fit, now one piece with some mysterious openings up top....I wonder what could be lurking...


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Sony C-90 out. Therefore, a nice billet trim covers the remote base for now.










Notice the spy photo of the new kicks. Molded in 8" DLS Iridium grills, debadged, now sporting billet badges, and some mysterious yellow cones...More on these later. I did a TON of work on the drivers myself.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

New addition to the dash for a little flava...along with some color match action.









Rear deck test fit. I think it will work!!!


















The logo is bling in the daylight and subtle at night. Recal this is mirror polish billet aluminum with illuminated frosted plexi underneath... check it out thru the glass


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

A few "buttoned up" shots of the trunk>





























And here are a couple showing the lighting


















A little closer look at the amp tub










More later I am in excited-as-**** tuning-mode! Gotta run!


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

Very nice work. I hope to see this at finals.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Those were pretty nice...and like 96 dB sensitive.




audionutz said:


> You wouldnt happen to be referring to THESE would you Jay??


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## edouble101 (Dec 9, 2010)

Excellent fab skills. The install is very clean! Love the car!


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

WOW!!! Just WOW!!!!!!


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks yall! I promise more to come. Less than a week to get dialed in! I will post more pix when I can


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

And I thought Steve had forgotten how to install....lol.


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## falstaff (May 22, 2012)

thehatedguy said:


> And I thought Steve had forgotten how to install....lol.


Ouch.....


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Eh with Steveo in school he hadn't got to flex the install muscles like he used to be able to do. Looks like he had been holding back over the years after seeing this install . As nice as the other cars have been, the Aspen has taken up a few aready high notches.

I was hoping to see some big JBLs and RAALs in the front..which is why I guess Focal. Meant to be a red herring...sorry Fazza.


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

All good son no worries  RAAL and JBL love in due time.
Tuning update: 
Took a break today to work on a certain BMW from Orlando....Da boyz gave me good props on the Aspen so far so I guess Im on the right track  Both Russ and Nelson say its on a new level. Im pleased with that. More updates to come


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## iasca judge (Jan 5, 2010)

dang steve,
now i really wish i was going this year. I guess I will have to wait until finals to see it
jim


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

audionutz said:


> Took a break today to work on a certain BMW from Orlando....Da boyz gave me good props on the Aspen so far so I guess Im on the right track  Both Russ and Nelson say its on a new level. Im pleased with that. More updates to come


Yes Sir!! Thumbs up  I feel sorry for the guys in your class. If you're planning on coming to SBN make sure to make time to demo this bad boy. Steve said $20 will get you a listen


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## Ivan84 (Oct 21, 2012)

Russ , get back to work.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

[email protected], just tuning in...how did I miss this?!

Looks great, Steve! Glad to see you back at it, and with the love of your life, too.


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## nepl29 (Mar 25, 2007)

New level is an UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!For those that coming down to SBN, make sure you find some time to demo this fine vehicle!!


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Steve has always had some damn nice cars (and truck). The Civic in it's last go around was one of the best that I had ever heard. I bet this car is going to be the sweetness too.


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## jpeezy (Feb 5, 2012)

steve-o nice work, cool car for a comp vehicle,going to try to get to sbn,hope i get a chance to see this in person.Nice work though!


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## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Thanks gang thank!!! Well the time has come, loadin up to head over to Daytona. Tweeter selection proved to be a tedious process...
Tried Morel, Scan, Focal...Gonna roll with this and bring spares. May change at show depending on feedback. 

I promised more info on the kick drivers...These are my beloved Focal Xpert 7KX kevlar midbasses I have had since new in 1997. These use a foam surround and fiber dustcap. The problem is that the surrounds deteriorated, and Focal does NOT have any more 7" surrounds in stock. Spent a while searching and found a supply house in Germany with new OEM-spec surrounds and caps....so I did a full rebuild on these drivers myself.
Note: these are NOT the Xpert 7KX Mid, which is a different beast, shown in prior response. These were meant as dedicated midbass drivers, and this line was the predecessor to Utopia gen 1. Same speakers I debuted dash builds with in the civic in 2000, used thru 2002. Been sitting awaiting re-use again. Definitely "Old-School"!!!!!


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Old school awesomeness! 
So where is the sign in sheet to take a listen?
Finally making it to SBN after a 4 year hiatus!


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## Audio Options (Aug 28, 2008)

what are you using for subs?


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

Audio Options said:


> what are you using for subs?


Falstaff 10 in console.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Ah...I found a pair of each browsing around. One with dustcaps, which were a midbass and one with phase plugs which were midranges.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I was thinking you might be RAALing it up or have some Scan Be domes in there. I bet the ribbons would be pretty nice with those mids.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

The Civic with those drivers was one of two cars that I have heard that didn't have horns in them but had the impact and dynamics horns have.


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## cjazzy4 (Mar 29, 2012)

This car sounded amazing......I enjoyed being able to listen to it at SBN '13


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## suzi427 (Oct 6, 2011)

awesome work!


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Impressive. Results from SBN ?


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## james2266 (Sep 24, 2009)

DAT said:


> Impressive. Results from SBN ?


Curious of this as well so I can get a bit of a 'must hear list' going for next year.


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## bassfreak85 (Jul 26, 2009)

audionutz said:


> Hi gang! So the old-school ride has been put under the knife this off-season and been bumped up several notches for 2013. I enlisted the help of Effin' Bob (his new truck/install will debut at SBN!) and went back to da' Nutz rootz for this one...I hope you guys like.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i love that color man. real ****. good ****.


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

bassfreak85 said:


> i love that color man. real ****. good ****.


4years old thread revival- Now that is a real ****,good ****. :laugh:


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## bassfreak85 (Jul 26, 2009)

Victor_inox said:


> 4years old thread revival- Now that is a real ****,good ****. :laugh:


Not sure why i got a post wuote in my email..


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## Victor_inox (Apr 27, 2012)

bassfreak85 said:


> Not sure why i got a post wuote in my email..


 System was testing if you pay attention... It`s freaking beautiful car, ultimate ****, great ****.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Wonder what updates Steve had to it at finals last year. I enjoyed the demo in it (Thanks Steve!!)


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

I figured it would be appropriate to post the walk through video here. This was done at Aggieland V in College Station, TX. The Aspen took 2nd place in the money round behind Steve's Blazer.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

^ Thanks for these, Robert! :thumbsup:


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## pocket5s (Jan 6, 2012)

You're very welcome. More will be coming 

Klif deserves credit for editing this and the blazer video BTW. I'm still a noob on that front.


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