# *****'s Active Pathfinder rebuild



## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Well, the build has begun, so of course we must log it. First, the vehicle is a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder, Bose from the factory so it all had to go back in 2003. Let's start off with what was previously installed.

Source: Alpine CDA-9851

Components: CDT EF-61 or something of the sort run passively (Was somewhat better than the forum boner CL-61A's of the time and my budget)

Amplifier: Orion XTR800.4 (After 2 Directed 2400s)

Subwoofer: Elemental Designs e12a.22 in a 1.5 ported box tuned to 28 Hz

Floor was deadened with some leftovers from before, but nothin on the doors, panels and whatnot. Onto the new stuff. First off, the doors, hatch and cargo area will be deadened. Ensolite will be added behind panels to reduce rattles.

Source: Alpine IVA-W200 

Processor: Alpine PXA-H701

Midrange: Dynaudio MW160

Tweeter: Dayton ND20 (maybe)

Subwoofer: DIYMA 12

Amplifier 1: Orion XTR 800.4 (1&2 to tweeters, 3&4 bridged to sub)

Amplifier 2: Orion XTR 500.4 (1&2 bridged to R mid, 3&4 bridged to L mid)


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Day 1: Door Panels

These doors are a little unlike most doors I've worked with. They consisted of a upholstered particle backer board with the main door pieces screwed onto it. This panel had pops on the back that kept the door in place. However, over the years the weak particle board had deteriorated and many of the pops and pulled through their mounting holes. I had also originally mounted the tweeters in the panel above the mid. This was pretty good for my soundstage but I think in the new install I'll be using the a-pillar tweeter locations. Will be testing spots.

Old doors









Sooo, I figured I would give it a shot to make new backer boards. I went to lowes and bought a sheet of hardboard. The 4x8 sheet was about 7 bucks. Great value for making router templates by the way. I took off the pieces and removed the factory upholstery to trace out the panel. Getting all the holes lined up took quite awhile, but I figured it would be worth it to do it right as these doors needed to be solid.









Test fit before reupholstering

















After reupholstering. I'm going to machine/fabricate some little emblems or whatnot to fill the holes in the upholstery where the tweets were.









If you have doors put together like mine, I definitely recommend doing this. The new material is a lot stronger than the original and it added a good barrier. Now the doors were ready for deadening.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Day 2: Deadening Doors

I ordered a roll of RaammatBXT and 3 yards of Ensolite from Raamaudio.

First I cleaned all the panels that I would be laying deadener on.









Following this I began laying mat on the outer door skin. I just put a single layer with plenty of overlap. Approximately three layers were laid behind the speaker opening. 









Once the outer door skin was done, I cut out a cover for the large hole from aluminum flashing. This was held in place with sheet metal screws and aluminum/metal sealant. I will say, I don't recommend the flashing. It was easy to cut, but I would have preferred perforated aluminum or some type of mesh. It would have been easier to mold to the contours of the opening. Once that was in place, I began laying mat on the inner door skin.









After the deadener was laid I applied a layer of ensolite. 









The driver side door was completed just like the passenger. 
Tasks to be completed:
1. Speaker baffles from High Density Polyethelene (aka Cutting Boards)
2. Add deadener and ensolite to panels throughout the vehicle. Cargo area, hatch, dash.
3. Amp racks (this is gonna be fun)
4. Subwoofer enclosure (even more fun)
5. Run new wires for tweets, AiNet, optical and whatnot.
6. Install h701 and speakers
7. Tune... tune... tune...
8. Drink a whiskey double on the rocks and enjoy

This task list is subject to change at any time.


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

cool...
nice& methodical. I like the door card work best.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Ok, so I had some issues with the deadener. Unfortunately I had built up too large of a layer and the door panel wasn't really going on well. Soo, I had to pull off the ensolite, and when that happened, the flashing just didn't like it at all. And to be honest, I never liked the flashing either...

So off to lowes for another option. Here is my solution, and I highly recommend it. It's just a wire mesh grid. It's easy to work with and conforms to curves and whatnot. $8 for a 5'x2' roll. I used about 4 self-tapping screws and a few stock bolts to hold it in place. 










Now I had learned from the passenger side, so luckily the driver side went smoothly from the start. Had to redo the inner door skin on the passenger, but that was ok. It went pretty quickly. Wear gloves and long sleeves if you can because the wire mesh can be very sharp and extremely unforgiving when facing your skin. My fingers are killing me.


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## Maddman (Dec 20, 2008)

nice work so far, look forward to more progress pictures on the installation.


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## ARCuhTEK (Dec 22, 2008)

InjunV18 said:


>


(said in best southern accent)

Bo' that der is whut we callz Chickun War

I look forward to more....

So I am about to do my door matting. Do you recommend the Ensolite or is it too early to say?


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Yeah, we've been jokin about me havin chicken wire in the car, but I love that stuff. It's pretty handy for fiberglass molds too. I actually don't have ensolite on the doors now because the panels won't fit with it on. Which sucks, but I have zero rattles in the doors. I'll be using the ensolite of some of the panels throughout the car. Man, I just typed up a bunch of stuff on baffles and it froze while loading. Great, well, here it goes again.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Day 3: Speaker Baffles

I feel I need to replace the factory ABS baffles as it's very important to separate the front and back wave as well as keep induced vibrations down with a strong baffle.










The way the window travels requires the speaker to be 1-1/2" from the door. I've decided to use HDPE/High Density Polyethelene (cutting boards) for my baffles. The reasoning is due to 
1) High Density
2) Water Resistance
3) Low Pricepoint (about $25 for 4 cutting boards)

The cutting boards are 3/8" thick, so that adds up to 4 layers of HDPE aside. That means 8 total. I figured it would be easier to use a template and pop them out with a router so they'd all be the same. 
First I found some high quality cardboard.










Then I traced the outer diameter and inner diameter of my mids.










I added some mounting tabs that lined up with the factory bolt holes and checked fitment with my cardboard piece.










I traced the cardboard template onto my handy dandy hardiboard (same stuff I used for my doorcards). It's strong, easy to work with, and super cheap. The reason I made the cardboard one to start with was just for ease. I used a router with my homemade jasper jig for the speaker cutout so the hole would be a perfect circle.


















Using this I transfered the pattern onto my cutting boards. Now, this was just for my sake as I'll be cutting them out on my friend's router table. I could use my own handheld router, but figured I would have an easier time with the table.










Hopefully, I'll have these done tomorrow so I can mount my Dyns in the doors. I'll be using throughbolts to mount to the door and threaded inserts with bolts to mount the mids to the baffle. I'll add pics of the mounted mids tomorrow hopefully and the doors will be all closed up.


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## ARCuhTEK (Dec 22, 2008)

WHat size are those cutting boards and where did you get them? I have read articles on how to cut these. Seems they can be difficult if you dont know what you are doing or use the wrong tools. Easy if you do know what you are doing. I am interested in feedback on these.

Thanks,


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

I'll measure tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure they're 15"x20". I got the large ones from wal-mart for 8 or 9 bucks. I believe the issue is keeping cutting speed down to keep the material from melting. As long as you take your time it should go pretty smoothly. We used to machine plastic in the shop for certain applications and the main concern is the tool speed. It also makes for one helluva mess. My girlfriend wants to come to asheville soon. Maybe you and I will have our builds knocked out by then and we can meet up for some listening sessions and I can kill two birds with one stone.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

So I had to change amps today which was a pretty big bummer. I really liked the Orions since they provided a ton of power and flexibility. But unfortunately, the 500.4 didn't fit in the spot it was supposed to fit. I thought I checked the manual and it was ok, but it looks like I was wrong. Oh well. I'll be stepping up the signal quality and lowering the current draw with JL slash series amps. Will use a 300/4 for the mids and tweets and a 300/2 for the DIYMA 12. Now some of you may be saying, why not use the 500/1, and that's reasonable, but my decision lays with the possibility of upgrading. With the current amps, I can take the 300/4 to highs and midranges, 300/2 to midbass, and 1000/1 to subs. Possibly 2 DIYMAs... Boostedrex inspired. Or I can add a 500/1, or a few other configurations. It all fell into place pretty readily and I could get the 300/4 and 300/2 for what I am selling the Orions for. Long post, most of you probably don't care and would probably rather see install progress. Tomorrow I'll try to get the baffles finished and mounted... too cold to do fiberglass right now and no cables or amps anyway.


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

shame bout the orions... but JL slash are nice too!


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

Cutting boards are readily available at wal-mart, however, I found this place that sells 4x8 sheets of HDPE in white (who knows how much shipping is)

PolyMax Board - TekSupply


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## SD_R/T (Nov 28, 2007)

InjunV18 said:


> The driver side door was completed just like the passenger.
> Tasks to be completed:
> 1. Speaker baffles from High Density Polyethelene (aka Cutting Boards)
> 2. Add deadener and ensolite to panels throughout the vehicle. Cargo area, hatch, dash.
> ...


I might recommend moving #8 higher in the order!
Looks nice so far.......keep it up.


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## Serious Sam (Nov 30, 2008)

Looks good. Subscribed. 

How do you hold the two pieces of plastic together - glue, kind?
I'm very much considering using this on my e46 BMW when I upgrade the mounting for the mids as the doors can leak.
Use wood blades with a jigsaw to cut the plastic?


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Wow, I've avoided looking at my build log for a few days because I didn't want to feel bad for not getting anything done. But, I checked today and you guys are on it, so to the garage I went.



SD_R/T said:


> I might recommend moving #8 higher in the order!
> Looks nice so far.......keep it up.


This is probably the reason I haven't been getting enough work done.



syd-monster said:


> shame bout the orions... but JL slash are nice too!


Yeah, I need to get my taxes done so I can find out if I can just stash them for my other vehicle. If my tax return is big enough I'll just hold on to them.

I think I can address all the cutting board baffle questions at once.



ARCuhTEK said:


> WHat size are those cutting boards and where did you get them? I have read articles on how to cut these. Seems they can be difficult if you dont know what you are doing or use the wrong tools. Easy if you do know what you are doing. I am interested in feedback on these.





Serious Sam said:


> How do you hold the two pieces of plastic together - glue, kind?I'm very much considering using this on my e46 BMW when I upgrade the mounting for the mids as the doors can leak.
> Use wood blades with a jigsaw to cut the plastic?


So, as I said before, I was planning on cutting the baffles out with a router using my template and a pattern bit. Well, first I took off most of the material on a bandsaw which handled the HDPE pretty easily. There were some issues with the boards getting slightly hung up when the chips melted together and wouldn't fall off, but, it went pretty smoothly. 









Then came the question of attaching the template to the HDPE. I wanted to drill the bolt holes all at once for uniformity so I didn't want to screw the template on as I wasn't 100% sure of the mounting holes. Well, we thought about tacking it on with a brad. Uhmmm, how do I say this... DO NOT USE A BRAD NAILER ON HDPE!!!... I wasn't thinking and so I lost one... oh well, I had 10 and only needed 8. So I went ahead and held the template on with screws that didn't go very deep. Turned the router on speed 2 of 5... na-gana, na-gana... not gonna work (office space). Since the router bit only had two knife edges it just really chunked it up, melted it... no good. Interrupted cut is just no good. Down to 8, can't mess up now. 

Now, people may have more success with this with a different bit, and it wasn't my bit or router, so I can't completely dismiss the method. I think it'll work with a different bit. Plus a hand held router with the cutting board screwed down to a chunk of wood held in a vise may work better (courtesy of Geo) Anyway, I didn't want to leave his place defeated, so I carefully cut the rest of my baffles on the bandsaw as close to the line as possible. They actually came out well and I can't complain too much. Are they perfect? No and that sucks, but they are really solid and will be very functional, so my OCD will have to placed on hold. 

At this point there are no holes cut in these and they are not bonded together. So off to Lowes for some adhesive. There are about 2 adhesives that don't say DO NOT USE WITH POLYETHELENE. One of them is Loctite seal and stick for hard plastics. For about $2.50 a bottle I said, what the heck and picked up two. My idea was to bond 4 baffles together then bore the center hole on an industrial lathe. Figured I would make sure the hole was aligned and everything. So I made a little jig with screws all around the baffles, layed the adhesive, put the baffles together, applied cinder block pressure and left them to cure for about 48 hours. So after this I picked them up, tried to pull them apart, and woot... seems super solid. Ecstatic! 

Next day I took them to the shop with my friend Thomas (TomTom on here) and we got the lathe set up. Put the baffle in the chuck and got things going. Looks like this is going to work. Hopeful. :worried:

Then... wait for it… almost…

Epic Fail!!!

The shearing force of the lathe cutting tool on the surface of the baffles overcomes the supposed adhesive force. ****! 

But when we looked at it, the adhesive from about a 1/2" in is not cured at all. Just the edges had gotten hard. The middle is still totally wet. 

Don't panic, this is ok. The cutting tool was loving the HDPE and I wasn't ready to give up that easily. Luckily the adhesive is water soluble when uncured so to the sink I went and started cleaning. Got all the gunk off, took about an hour. While I was doing this, Thomas took each baffle and cut out the hole. In the future I will most likely be cutting everything out on the lathe or a rotary table on the mill. That way I can just knock out the drill holes at the same time. Would’ve been much more “pretty” and precise.

At any rate, I now have 8 baffles with 8 very nice holes cut. Now the million dollar question, how do we stick them together? At first I almost just said hell, they’re gonna be bolted to the door and I’m gonna cover them with deadener and clay, why do they need to be stuck together? But, I just really wanted them stuck together for stability, overkill, maybe, but it seems more airtight. So, a moment of searching and wham, Geo to the rescue… spray adhesive with ensolite in between… I have both of these and at hand so why not try it. Took some time and patience but it works great, I love it!


























So as it stands these things are together and solid, I could probably tear them apart with a ton of force, but that’s without the bolts through them. The ensolite also is a nice dampener and keeps the seams airtight. Thanks Geo. The did get thicker than expected and I needed some new mounting bolts and the Dyns have 6 holes instead of four so I needed more bolts for those too. Tomorrow morning I’ll have the bolt holes drilled and mount them to the door then deaden around them. I ordered some butyl rope from FoxPro that I’ll be using and probably get some duct putty around them. Techflex and heatshrink and amps are in the mail so I’ll be running my wire again sometime next week. 

Oh, and I got my cables from Accessories4less and in my opinion they are pretty nice. 12’ of optical “master series” and three 6’ matching RCA interconnects all for $50 shipped. Good deal in my opinion. Check it:

Acoustic Research Master Series Optical:









Acoustic Research 2 Channel RCA Interconnects:









Wow, this is a long post, thanks to all the people that read the whole thing. I tried to be as descriptive as possible with the cutting boards as I know a lot of people were interested. I’m willing to answer any other questions you have in more detail on here or in PM. Please feel free to ask away as this is the way I’ve learned from all of you.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Ok, so I got the baffles finished today and I'm pretty happy. I had to remove one of the layers of the baffles as the ensolite had increased the overall depth by about 3/8". This was fine and not too difficult. I lined up the existing mounting holes and progressively drilled them in. I used 2-1/2" 10-32 stainless steel bolts and countersunk them into the top baffle. I used stainless 10-32 nuts with nylon locking. 

Once on I placed the Dyns and marked the speaker mounting holes, I drilled them out and used 8-32 threaded inserts. Now, here's a warning. I'll get a pic of one later, do not use the brass threaded inserts that are driven by a flathead screwdriver in HDPE. Usually I've seen this with hex sockets to drive them, but I found these at Lowe's and they looked good. The top of each one of them broke off and I had to drive them in with my socket cap screws... which is a good way to salvage them if you break them. At any rate, I got them all in.

















I laid some CCF weatherstripping with a PSA around the rim of the top baffle to create a good seal.









The Dyns mounted up very well and it's very solid. I'm pleased. I'll be running the wire sometime next week as well as adding the butyl rope and deadener around the baffle layers.

Pics of mounted Dyns will be up soon.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Well... since the last time I posted my roommate actually got a 96 pathfinder, which has a nearly identical interior as my 00. Sooo, as a car warming gift, I took a lot of my old equipment and did a full install for him. Once that was done, life got busy for a few days, but I got back on the ball Friday and have made some progress.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

First off, I techflexed and labelled all my wiring. This was about 100 ft of 14 gauge speaker wire, 12 ft optical, 3x 6 ft RCAs, and 16 ft AiNet. 

Once I did that, I got back in the car and fed the speaker wire into the door through the factory grommets.









The way the wires enter the door makes it extremely hard to use the factory wire covering, so I ran beside the factory wires and into the grommet. This still should provide a waterproof seal that doesn't pinch the wire.

Once the doors were wired I installed the Dyns. I used the labeling technique that has been well documented on this site, however, I didn't have any heatshrink large enough to make a color difference between positive and negative. I feel the labels are pretty sufficient, and if I must I can add some red electrical tape to the positive side.

































With the wires secured and routed safely in the doors I mounted the drivers. I had the threaded inserts already installed and only needed to put in my 8-32 socket head cap screws. They look pretty nice if I do say so myself. It also makes me feel less nervous about slipping and puncturing a surround when installing the speakers.

























I added butyl rope around the seam between the baffle and the inner door skin, and then covered the sides with Raamat. I haven't used any clay or ductseal yet as it's pretty tight between the door card as it is.
My door cards needed to be slightly modified since the new baffle is thicker than the OEM speaker mount. Since I made new cards, I just took the dremel to it and opened up the hole. Passenger side went perfect. Got a little anxious with the driver side and did something pretty stupid. ALWAYS wear eye protection!!! 









I had safetly glasses on to start with, took them off when I got the other door panel and forgot to put them back on. My cutting wheel on my dremel caught a tough spot and blew up shooting hot shrapnel all over. I got pretty lucky and won't test it again. Doc made sure nothing was in there and the piece only popped a blood vessel. Nonetheless, it sucked and was totally avoidable. If this log does one thing for you, please let it be to remember to wear use Personal Protection Equipment no matter how small the job.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

That finished up the doors for now. I moved on to laying down all the wire runs for the system. Originally, my wire wasn't too bad. I had 4 gauge power neatly run from the battery and 14 gauge speaker wire neatly run down the sides. These were secured every so often on factory spots. My RCA's were carefully routed down the center hump using wire tie mounting bases. Well, since I was going with AiNet and Optical, the RCAs where no longer necessary from the source unit. Also, I needed to add 2 more runs of 14 gauage down the sides. And in the event that I ever get a 1000/1 I felt I would need larger power wire. Also, I wanted to add techflex, and secure my wiring as per IASCA rules, even if I'm not competing, as I feel they're pretty good guidelines to go by to do a thorough install. Some of it may be overkill but I feel like, if I do it right now, then I'll be okay for awhile.

First things first. Gut the vehicle.









Once that was done I moved to the engine compartment to tackle the power wire. I had found some new terminals at circuit city a few months back when the local one closed for a great deal so I figured I would use them. I need terminals with multiple outputs as Nissan uses a 4 gauge and two 8 gauges for factory electrical connections. I found a great deal on 2 guage locally so I decided to use that. It's techflexed for the entire run, and I used loom in the engine bay for uniformity and extra wear resistance. I also ran new 8 guage for the factory wires to add length and flexibility. I ran new wire to the ground and hooked everything up. I run a circuit breaker instead of a ANL fuse. I like this, and know that some don't. For now it will suffice, but if I come across a good and inexpensive ANL I'll change it out. I also have fused distribution in the rear for amps and accessories.

































The power wire enters the cabin through a factory opening in the firewall. I added a grommet/bushing. I may add some silicon in the future, but I believe it's pretty well sealed. Alarm horn for aftermarket alarm/door unlock/remote start. Python version, non pager.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

The next pics detail the wire runs to the rear of the vehicle. These include 
Green: AiNet
Yellow: Optical
Red: Power
White: Speaker
Blue: RCA (not included in these pics yet as I haven't mounted the amps)

I ran the AiNet and Optical down the center on the passenger side with as few bends as possible. Where I was required to bend, I tried to sweep them gently without the possibility of kinks or extra unneccassary pressure. I kept these away from foot traffic along the entire run.

I ran 3 sets of speaker wire along each side. As of now only 2 sets are being used, but since it was pretty tedious work to get all the mounting bases in and wire ties in place I decided I would put the wire in place in case I wanted to add midranges in the future.

The power wire is run down the drivers side away from any signal wire. It should have no intereference on the speaker wires. It will be fed into a streetwires combination distribution block which has 4 fused power outputs as well as 4 ground outputs. 1 and 2 will be for my current amps. 3 will be for a 1000/1 or 500/1 if I decide to go 3-way. And the fourth output will be used for a relay for remote turn on of the amps, and any fans, lights or accessories.

Onto the pics. I wish I could get the whole thing in a single pic, because it would look really cool, but it doesn't seem like I can.












































































Wow, it really doesn't seem like this many pics do all the time it took justice. Oh well, they aren't going anywhere. I put the interior up to the back seats in as well and stuffed the area behind the kicks with foam. It really helps weeding out some final rattles. Tomorrow I'm going to work on the mount for the h701 and distribution block. Once that's done I'll be finishing up my amp racks and deadening the cargo area. Just in case you were wondering, that is super old edead on the floors. I'm lucky it hasn't melted everywhere or moved, but since it's on the floor, gravity is helping. I can only hope it hasnt become brittle and moved into the completely useless stage. From pushing on it, it seems malleable, so I have some hope. I plan on putting luxury liner on top of it in the future if I feel the road noise isn't low enough for my liking. I also picked up some Dyn md100 tweets that I may use for the front stage in place of the daytons. I plan on testing both and seeing how it goes, but it would be great if the Dyn tweets meshed well with the Dyn mids. From the reviews I've read I may feel they lack presence, but I'm trying not to read any reviews and lower my preconcieved notion. Lesson in psychoacoustics right? We shall see how things go, hope to give you guys some more updates tomorrow.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

If anyone would like to comment on the tweet situation I am all ears... pun unintentional, but I like it. My only restraints are it will be very hard to go large format in the A-pillars and I can't use the kicks. Therefore, I must use the A-pillars with small format or large format in the door panels. I feel they'll be too low there and considerably off axis and really damage my stage height and imaging. Also, if anyone has experience with this vehicle or a similar sized SUV/crossover and the tweets I have at hand (Dynaudio md100, Dayton nd20, CDT tw-10p maybe?). On-axis and off axis are feasible as pods of some sort are needed since the factory mounting location isn't deep enough for anything. If you do suggest a different tweet, please know that I cannot spend more than $50 on them as I'm way over budget and my tax return is shrinking. Thanks!


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## markland556 (Dec 2, 2008)

Very nice install dude. But definitely keep that eye protection on. Iv heard way to many stories of people going blind just being near someone cutting stuff. I know im usually the one to just squint and call it good, but Iv had one too many molten plastic parts hit me in the face. We dont need any blind installers here! HAHA


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

You're totally right and about 99% of the time, I am pretty safety minded. I got lucky for sure as you can tell it was just a cm or so from the pupil which would have been terrible. I also was able to close my eye and the particle scraped the top and bottom lid, slowing it down quite a bit and just allowing the tip to pop the blood vessel. Being a pirate for halloween is fun, but I don't think I can pull of a slick rick and wear an eye patch all the time.


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## Notloudenuf (Sep 14, 2008)

What kind of threaded inserts did you use in the cutting boards? How did you put them in and make them stay? Glue? heat and melt into the HDPE?

Thanks, Nice build.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

The ones I used are from Lowes and were 8-32's. They're exactly like these though. Threaded inserts for hard wood

I marked the holes for the drivers and pre-drilled for the inserts with a bit slightly smaller than the thread diameter. Now, these inserts are designed to be driven in place with a flat head screwdriver. This is a pretty bad design for a brass insert. Once the insert starts to encounter some resistance the part that holds the tip of the screwdriver will break. After doing this, I realized it was easier to thread in one of my bolts in and use my allen wrench to put the insert in. When doing this you need to do a half turn clockwise, and then a little turn back to keep the bolt from getting locked in the insert. If it does get locked, run the insert and bolt back out and start in another hole. This should help loosen up the bolt from the insert. There's no need for glue or melting as the inserts are pretty solidly in at this point. Once you've got all your inserts in you're good to go. I would have preferred inserts with a hex head, but these were the ones that were available. I know mc-master has them for a good price and they have ridiculously fast shipping.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

Great install. I have a couple of questions as I am about to have a 2004 Path. How deep of a mid will fit in the door? I am hearing 3 inches but it looks deeper to me especially with the spacer. Also, do you think an 7 or 8 inch speaker could fit in the door? I would like to go with a slim 8". With a good baffle and some trimming of metal, do you think it would fit? I may try a 3 way up front with hopefully an 8 in the door, a kick panel mid, and finally an A pillar tweet.


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

hey *****, hope your eye healed up ok... i made it to charlotte so lemme know, if your offer still stands....
by the way great install work,man!


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Jroo said:


> Great install. I have a couple of questions as I am about to have a 2004 Path. How deep of a mid will fit in the door? I am hearing 3 inches but it looks deeper to me especially with the spacer. Also, do you think an 7 or 8 inch speaker could fit in the door? I would like to go with a slim 8". With a good baffle and some trimming of metal, do you think it would fit? I may try a 3 way up front with hopefully an 8 in the door, a kick panel mid, and finally an A pillar tweet.


Jroo, I think you'll be fine with a 3" deep mid. The factory spacer takes up about 1.5" if I remember correctly and there's about the same distance before the meet the window. The Dyn MW160's are a hair over 3" deep. Now you may have to do quite a bit of modding to get an 8" in the door. It's not really the sheet metal that will hinder you, but the plastic door panel. When you remove the panel you'll notice the speaker is at the very edge and the door card fits right over the factory spacer. There isn't much room to increase the diameter without heavily modifying the speaker pod/pocket on the door card and the sheet metal around the speaker opening. It's not impossible, but it can be very difficult. I'm pretty sure you could get a 7" without too much work. Just modify your baffle.



stinky06 said:


> hey *****, hope your eye healed up ok... i made it to charlotte so lemme know, if your offer still stands....
> by the way great install work,man!


Stinky, definitely want to get up, but my install has been on hold as I've been doing a 92 Mustang GT for a friend this week. I'll be continuing that next week I think, but would still love to get together for some jammin. I've got all my equipment so I can rough hook up the amps and tweets. I've tossed the idea of building a test DIYMA 12 box for the sub. I read on ARC's thread that you were in town and just haven't had a chance to get to you yet. The eye is fine now. I've been uber-safe lately, and things are going well. I'm a slow and steady fabricator so hopefully I can get some headway in the next few days. Let me know what your schedule is, I'll be installing until Easter.


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## Echo42987 (Dec 25, 2008)

Hey man that cutout of your speakers, would you by any chance have a fax machine were you can send it to me. Would save me a huge amount of time lol


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Are you talking about the brown ones I cut from the hardboard? If so, sure, I can get that to you. Just PM me for the details.


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## Echo42987 (Dec 25, 2008)

Hey you ever fax over those speaker rings?

Also polarity on a Dyn speaker? How do you figure + or - or does it not matter?


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Echo42987 said:


> Also polarity on a Dyn speaker? How do you figure + or - or does it not matter?


For the Dyns the polarity definitely matters. That carries through for all speakers I believe. If you have the polarity reversed the phase will be 180 degrees out. That's how you can wire an inverted sub. Anyway, for the dyns I found the positive terminal to be the one with the sticker near it. It's got a red square. This is on the motor structure. 

If you can't find the sticker you can be sure of the polarity by an old trick. Take a 9 volt or AA battery and run a wire to the each speaker terminal from each post of the battery. All you have to do is tap it on there. If the speaker pushes out you've got the positive lead of the battery to the positive speaker terminal. If it sucks in you've got positive and negative switched. Let me know if that doesn't make sense, but I did it with my Dyns just for a sanity check.

Here's a little demo. If you it goes out your good, if it sucks in, switch it up.


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## Echo42987 (Dec 25, 2008)

InjunV18 said:


> For the Dyns the polarity definitely matters. That carries through for all speakers I believe. If you have the polarity reversed the phase will be 180 degrees out. That's how you can wire an inverted sub. Anyway, for the dyns I found the positive terminal to be the one with the sticker near it. It's got a red square. This is on the motor structure.
> 
> If you can't find the sticker you can be sure of the polarity by an old trick. Take a 9 volt or AA battery and run a wire to the each speaker terminal from each post of the battery. All you have to do is tap it on there. If the speaker pushes out you've got the positive lead of the battery to the positive speaker terminal. If it sucks in you've got positive and negative switched. Let me know if that doesn't make sense, but I did it with my Dyns just for a sanity check.


I figured it was the side w/ the sticker! Thanks just figured I would confirm it.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

*****, did your Path have steering wheel controls for volume and track up and down? If so, what interface did you use to go to an aftermarket deck? I am trying to decide if I want to do something like a JL Clean sweep or RF 360 and keep my factory deck or go with my eclipse. I dont want to kill my factory controls on the steering wheel though.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Unfortunately I don't have steering wheel controls. I am sure you can get an interface though if you go with the eclipse.


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## mxl16 (Oct 2, 2008)

Does/did your truck have a regulator on the negative side of the battery? My frontier did. I was just a plastic part with a hole through it where the factory ground cable ran through. From my understanding, the regulator kept the battery from being overcharged. I'm not 100% certain of it's functionality but I was able to fit 1/0 gauge through it so I kept it on there. I was just curious if you ran into the same thing.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

No, I don't think I had/have one of those. It's always just been a ground wire to the chassis. I upgraded the gauge and location.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Wow, has it really been two months since I updated this? I guess the Mustang took quite awhile, but I guess I have made some progress lately. Pics on the way.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

First set of pics is a little side project I worked on during a rainy day. 

I had worked on my roommates 96 pathfinder for a bit and installed a lot of my previous equipment. Well, the stock headunit from his vehicle was totally shot, so I figured I would get some use out of it. 

Pics are pretty self explanatory:


















































































Provides a little security for the w200 if I park in a shady area. It's a close fit and sticks out a little, but from the outside, if you can see through the tint, it just looks like a crappy stock head.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Also needed to slightly modify the stock headunit mounting brackets as the w200 stuck out a little too far. Went ahead and hit em with some primer and paint after slotting out the mounting holes.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

My Streetwires distribution block came in from my seller and one of the corners had broken off during shipping. It wasn't a big deal, and I glued it back together... but the glue caused it to be hazy. So, I taped it of and painted it... turned out pretty good. I am not a painter and this took a lot of time. and a lot of sanding down and starting over. But it's done and looks custom.





































You can tell it's there, but in it's install location it's pretty unnoticeable.


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## minibox (Mar 25, 2009)

Beautiful build, I got some new ideas for my car!


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

I built some temporary tweeter pods to work on my aiming before I glassed the a-pillars. It's not a bad look at all and I actually like them. My only regret is that we mounted the main bolt a little low and the driver side is getting some blockage from the gauge hump. We used 2" pvc caps and glued 2" pvc pipe in there to increase the mounting surface. My friend Thomas turned them down on the lathe and bored out the center hole for a tight fit around the tweet. He also milled a slot in the back to allow us to change the position of the driver. A small hole was drilled in the center of the cap to insert a bolt which would hold the dyn tweet in place. 





































These sound really good and I think I prefer the on-axis arrangement. Right now I have a symmetrical setup with each tweet aimed at the opposite seat headrest. Firing across the windshield seems to lose some detail and while firing up into the windshield to take advantage of early reflections sounds pretty good, it isn't exactly as aesthetically pleasing for the final install. Not sure if I will fire the tweets across to the opposite headrests or both at the driver side headrest. I need to play with them a little more, but I'm pleased with the current setup and may lean toward it as it's symmetrical.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Oh, and I used gray rustoleum primer which is a really good match for the interior. However, the flat is prone to show scratches and fingerprints.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

At this point the mids are mounted in deadened doors, the tweets are chilling in the pods, and all the wires have been run to the area underneath the rear seats. I wanted all my wiring to terminate at the area underneath the rear seats as they are very easy to fold up and gain access to fuses, terminal blocks and the h701. 

My original plan, a ridiculous decision I made about 4 years ago, was to mount an amp inside each of the seat backs. So 4 years ago, I cut out the backs of each seat and made a crappy set of mounts from aluminum flat stock that held my two amps. It was stealth, and it could be cool, just the execution was pretty bad. You live, you learn right? I think JayinMI did a great job with his in his Neon before he got the Genesis Coupe. In February I started to glass the seat backs to accommodate the amps. If I chose to go 4-way active I would put the third amp in the cargo area in a storage space below the floor. However, this was not going well and I quit. Since the seat backs aren't totally flat it makes for a very difficult job of getting everything lined up and laid out correctly. 

Well, I finally had to change my direction and salvage the seats the best I could. Things seem to have worked out well and thanks for the inspiration Bing.





































Wiring cleaned up. I used a piece of 1/8" hardboard to create a cover plate for the area under the seats. Everything mounts to this, except the h701 which mounts to the area the jack was. Still making those brackets. The hardboard was used as it flexes and can curve to the contours of the underseat area. The seat belt holes and seat brackets were mounted through the cover plate. This board will be carpeted in factory match carpet or vinyl one day soon.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

And the power wire is temporary. I ran out because I gave my friend all my old 4 gauge and didn't have enough. Originally I didn't need nearly as much when the amps were going in the seats. I also ran out of techflex, so I need to get that taken care of. Oh well, everything works for now.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

We made a false floor with a window opening for the amps. The sub box will sit against the seat backs and will house a DIYMA 12 mounted inverted. The box will net about .75 cubes and will be very shallow. A trim plate will finish of the front and top of the box to match up to the factory trim panels. The factory cargo cover will hide everything from view. I also ordered a cargo mat which will go over everything as I didn't want to cut my carpet to accommodate the install, just in case I want to go back to near stock or sell it (the carpet not the vehicle.)

The floor was lifted about 1" total. This allowed breathing room for the amps as well as room to safely run the wiring.














































The amps may look crooked here, but they haven't been secured to the mounting board. Also, I could've made it with a solid piece, and no wings, but it was somewhat of an ad lib build and I didn't have a wide enough sheet to get it, so it worked out pretty well. The main support pieces were tacked to the false floor and then it was removed. That kept the supports in place and then we pried them off, and glued them in place. Left them to cure overnight. Also, industrial velcro was put in place underneath the supports to keep things from bouncing. The back two supports were aligned over factory holes and I lined up 10-32 T-nuts over them. The T-nuts were sandwiched between the supports and the false floor. With a pair of fender washers and bolts, the floor is secured from the underside of the vehicle which kept the surface of the floor clean from any hardware.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

The next stage was creating a cover plate for the back of the seats. I traced this out and then cut out a solid piece to go over my past mistake of cutting out the seatbacks. I restuffed the seats with foam padding and amazingly, my backseats are comfortable again! It's only been 4 years.

Once that was done I started covering everything in vinyl. I went to a local fabric store; not my usual place, and thought I found some really cool vinyl. Looks really cool, lays like a b!tch. It's got a woven part to it and refuses to stretch well. So please understand it's done for now, and I'll be getting new vinyl from my usual place when I get some more funding. The inner curves just look terrible and I hate it, but I can't afford new fabric right now. Should be able to fix it for the time being, but we'll see how long I keep it. It's a shame too because I really liked the way it looked. Oh, and I didn't have my trusty genco spray adhesive which sucked.























































Still working on the sub box. Should be done in a few days I think. I really miss the DIYMA, but am really surprised how well the Dyn mids extend into the lower frequencies. Many songs I feel don't even require a sub to provide ample bass.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

There's a piece of plexi above the amps mounted from the bottom. The cover plate rests on top of it. The seat back cover looks awful, but the sub box will cover all of that. There will be some trim pieces made from polished aluminum that finish things off. Lastly, I think I may paint a bit of the plexi to show less of the amps/wiring. It's not terribly noticeable, but I want a better frame around the amps. Anyway, that catches you up with things. Some room to improve with the vinyl yes, but thankfully the stucture is all very solid. Oh, and the sub box will mount only to the seat back cover which will allow it to fold down in case I need to transport something large.


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

InjunV18 said:


> Oh, and I used gray rustoleum primer which is a really good match for the interior. However, the flat is prone to show scratches and fingerprints.


glad to see you back at work on your ride...
maybe try a low or semi gloss clearcoat to solve your fingerprinting problemos


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

stinky06 said:


> glad to see you back at work on your ride...
> maybe try a low or semi gloss clearcoat to solve your fingerprinting problemos


Thanks man, been havin fun lookin at those three AE's you've got goin on. Yeah, a semi gloss or satin would be fine, but I just did these temporarily for testing that's a little nicer than double stick tape. I'll eventually glass them in place so they don't protrude so far into the car. Maybe help my stage width at the same time?


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Ok, so a small update. I ordered a cargo cover from ebay so that I could keep the stock carpet as is. If I had chosen to use it, I would have needed to separate it from the seat back covers as it's all one piece. I really like the way it looks and fits and hopefully it'll provide someone else with a good tip. It's cheaper than the husky liner and doesn't have anything on the bottom that can damage the vinyl covering my false floor. It's also chemically resistant and all that good stuff.

Pics suck, sorry, but it's really bright outside and I don't have that many settings on the phone. Still need to get the sub box wrapped up and installed, so that will be up against the seats, covering up that area.


































Here's the link for the seller. They have one for almost every vehicle I think.

Get it covered


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## mda185 (Dec 14, 2006)

I just found this thread and I'm really impressed with the quality work and planning you put into this. I have a 2001 Pathfinder and I am just starting to do a build for it. I have a question about the amplifiers. It seems that the way they are mounted could cause problems with temperature. Putting both heatsinks together with no air space below them makes me think there may be a problem with overheating in the summer months. Have you had enough time using the system this summer to evaluate how well the mounting location will work from a heat management standpoint?

I am thinking of building a false floor that is 4" tall with PC cooling fans to force air through the amplifier heat sinks. I like your approach better if temps can be controlled.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

mda185 said:


> I just found this thread and I'm really impressed with the quality work and planning you put into this. I have a 2001 Pathfinder and I am just starting to do a build for it. I have a question about the amplifiers. It seems that the way they are mounted could cause problems with temperature. Putting both heatsinks together with no air space below them makes me think there may be a problem with overheating in the summer months. Have you had enough time using the system this summer to evaluate how well the mounting location will work from a heat management standpoint?
> 
> I am thinking of building a false floor that is 4" tall with PC cooling fans to force air through the amplifier heat sinks. I like your approach better if temps can be controlled.


Thanks for the kind words. It definitely took much more time planning than the actual fabrication, and there's still a bit to go.

As for the air flow for the amps, I was very impressed that they stay cool. I had already planned on adding a cross flow fan to help keep the heat down. There is a surprising amount of air though directly under the floor as it is raised 1/2" over the entire floor. There is room though to add a fan, but everything has been more than fine so far this summer. Lifting the floor 4" is a big undertaking, but it would be neat as you may be able to get your subs in the floor. I look forward to your approach. I love this vehicle for aftermarket sound systems as everything is very accessible and open. Let me know if you have anymore questions.


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## carl-w (Jul 4, 2009)

I also wanted to compliment you on the install. I'm in a 2002 QX4 which of course is the same vehicle with a fancy clock in the dash 

Someday soon I'll work up the guts to post my install here, it is a similar approach to yours in terms of hardware and overall emphasis on stealth. I shoehorned an Orion 500.4 in the right rear corner panel and a JL 250/1 in the left rear, behind the big plastic body panels - attached to MDF sheets glued to the inner body skin. Allowed me to keep the handy little storage area in the middle for jumper cables and tools. I agree with you, the car is a great foundation for a good system.

Again, beautiful install and thanks for sharing!


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## mda185 (Dec 14, 2006)

I was studying your build for 100th time and I just noticed in the door pics, it looks like you removed a door brace under the door latch mechanism. Did you put this back on after the wire mesh and sound dampener layers were applied?


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

carl-w said:


> I also wanted to compliment you on the install. I'm in a 2002 QX4 which of course is the same vehicle with a fancy clock in the dash
> 
> Someday soon I'll work up the guts to post my install here, it is a similar approach to yours in terms of hardware and overall emphasis on stealth. I shoehorned an Orion 500.4 in the right rear corner panel and a JL 250/1 in the left rear, behind the big plastic body panels - attached to MDF sheets glued to the inner body skin. Allowed me to keep the handy little storage area in the middle for jumper cables and tools. I agree with you, the car is a great foundation for a good system.
> 
> Again, beautiful install and thanks for sharing!


Thanks Carl. Yeah, I had an Orion 800.4 as well as the matching 500.4 that were going to go in the pathfinder. Unfortunately I never found the right areas for them and they've moved on. I tried and tried to figure out a way to utilize that space behind those panels but never really got a good idea. Sounds like you figured it out perfectly.



mda185 said:


> I was studying your build for 100th time and I just noticed in the door pics, it looks like you removed a door brace under the door latch mechanism. Did you put this back on after the wire mesh and sound dampener layers were applied?


mda... now I'm worried you've found out all my mistakes if you've looked at it that many times. I will say, I haven't been running my DIYMA for 2 months (moved and needed the extra room without the worry) and haven't had any complaints. The "sealed" doors make a huge difference. My cutoff on the lowend is about 50 Hz with a -16db slope (maybe) and I get quite a bit of good bass. If you mean the piece that goes over the large opening I definitely put that back in, as the arm rest has screws that go into it. Other than that, not totally sure what brace you mean. That's the only one that I took off during the deadener installation. Feel free to ask more questions about it as I feel my answer may be lacking the detail you needed.


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## mda185 (Dec 14, 2006)

I was referring to the brace that the armrest screws into. I did not see it in some of your pics and wondered if you had replaced it in the process of improving your doors. 

I am going to try taking a different approach to making speaker baffles. I want to test multiple drivers and do not want to be repeatedly taking the door cards off. I also want to space the drivers further out than the plastic grill assembly will let me. Peerless SLS 6 has a large, deep magnet. Instead, I am going to make mdf baffles that replace the OEM plastic grill assembly. I cut a template yesterday and am going to see if I can finish making them today. The heat and humidity has finally eased up a bit and I needed a day off from work anyway.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

***** how deep were the spacers you made for the midbass in the front doors? Weve talked before and I am basically coping your install. I was looking at a midbass over 3" but am finding out that is really a no no.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

mda185 said:


> I was referring to the brace that the armrest screws into. I did not see it in some of your pics and wondered if you had replaced it in the process of improving your doors.
> 
> I am going to try taking a different approach to making speaker baffles. I want to test multiple drivers and do not want to be repeatedly taking the door cards off. I also want to space the drivers further out than the plastic grill assembly will let me. Peerless SLS 6 has a large, deep magnet. Instead, I am going to make mdf baffles that replace the OEM plastic grill assembly. I cut a template yesterday and am going to see if I can finish making them today. The heat and humidity has finally eased up a bit and I needed a day off from work anyway.


Good luck man. That sounds like a good project and I'd love to see it when you're done. I think if I went with that direction, I'd have to replace the pocket as well as they're connected. If I went to that trouble, I'd most likely make sealed enclosures. Gave that some thought, but decided I would give the Dyns a try IB. It's really working out for me so I think I'm satisfied for now. The next install may utilize aeperiodic enclosures, but that's another story all together, and another vehicle.




Jroo said:


> ***** how deep were the spacers you made for the midbass in the front doors? Weve talked before and I am basically coping your install. I was looking at a midbass over 3" but am finding out that is really a no no.


Jroo, I'm pretty sure 3" is the deepest you can go. Maybe a hair over, but not much. If I remember correctly, the HDPE is 3/8 thick x3 which gives 1_1/8, then a layer of 1/8 ensolite between each... all in all the baffle is about 1_1/2". I think there is approx 1_1/2" from the inside of the door to the window. That gives you pretty close to 3" of mounting depth. You might be able to get a 1/4" more, but most likely you'd need to modify the inside of the grill on the door panel.


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## mda185 (Dec 14, 2006)

I actually thought about replacing the pocket and may still do so. I also thought about making a sealed enclosure.  The biggest thing stopping me is that the drivers I want to use will probably have magnets that are too deep unless I make part of the sealed enclosure inside the door. I might still try that down the road. First, I want to see if I can be satisfied with a setup similar to yours. 

Given time, I may try making the baffle deeper and covering the hole in the door with some kind of acoustically resistive material to do psuedo aperiodic install. IIRC, that will lower Qts and may not be the direction I want to go. 

Jroo, if you are going to copy *****'s install method and want my MDF spacers to try, they are yours. I am trying a different method and won't need them. They probably need some trimming to fit behind the door panel but will save you time over starting from scratch. Yours for the shipping cost if you are interested. PM or email me if you want them.


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## mda185 (Dec 14, 2006)

*****, I am not sure if it is best to continue posting to your original thread or start a new one now that I am finally making some progress. Here are some pics of the new speaker baffle method I am going to use. I cut multiple baffles out in this shape in different thickness so I can play with different speaker mounting depths before I finalize the design. I am also doing this because I want to be able to bolt the baffle to the door structure independently of the door card. I don't like repeatedly removing and installing the door card. Parts will fatigue and start to break if I keep doing that. 

One of the pics shows a Peerless SLS 6 back view with magnet sticking out. I did this to show that with this driver, the magnet is sitting right in the metal cut out of the door if the baffle thickness is 1.5". OEM baffle is about this thickness. I am going to make my baffle at least 2.5" deep so that the magnet is not blocking the hole in the door and restricting air flow. Replacing the OEM plastic grill assembly gives me the freedom to play with baffle thickness.

I am going to try to use the pocket from the OEM grill piece and butt it against the new baffle. First, I need to see if the vinyl I ordered for the speaker baffle is a close enough match to get away with it. 

Going with this design will allow virtually any 6.5" midbass to be used in a Pathfinder door and it might be possible to fit an 8" driver. I don't want to try 8" right now but others might.

Now, I just need my wife to leave the Pathfinder with me long enough to start fitting it to the door. These projects take forever when you have to juggle kids and wives in addition to finding free time to work on it.


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## BLACKonBLACK98 (Apr 5, 2008)

never seen this one before. very nice attention to detail.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

mda185 said:


> *****, I am not sure if it is best to continue posting to your original thread or start a new one now that I am finally making some progress. Here are some pics of the new speaker baffle method I am going to use. I cut multiple baffles out in this shape in different thickness so I can play with different speaker mounting depths before I finalize the design. I am also doing this because I want to be able to bolt the baffle to the door structure independently of the door card. I don't like repeatedly removing and installing the door card. Parts will fatigue and start to break if I keep doing that.


mda, please post away in here until you get yours finished. There aren't too many pathfinders/qx4s on here and it's helpful for those searching to have an all in one thread. I used a very similar technique on a 92 Mustang to create speaker baffles. Check it out here in the build logs.



BLACKonBLACK98 said:


> never seen this one before. very nice attention to detail.


Thanks BoB98. I think it kind of slipped under the radar, and even though the work came out nicer for this vehicle, more people payed attention to the Mustang. I think I have a 92 Fullsize 2 dr Blazer coming up soon. I'm having a little difficulty with component selection however.


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## vwtoby (Oct 28, 2005)

excellent thread mate, very helpful!


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

this guy *****.....doesn't know jack
























































kidding of course:laugh:


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

oh you and all your fancy gear... that avatar is too nice for this thread. taking a new job this week that won't keep me at work 10 hours a day, and pays more... so I think I'll be able to finish this up. Been thinking about adding a dedicated midrange on the 300/2 and using a 500/1 for sub duty. Toying with the new SI BM's for the project truck or this... thoughts?


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

InjunV18 said:


> oh you and all your fancy gear... that avatar is too nice for this thread. taking a new job this week that won't keep me at work 10 hours a day, and pays more... so I think I'll be able to finish this up. Been thinking about adding a dedicated midrange on the 300/2 and using a 500/1 for sub duty. Toying with the new SI BM's for the project truck or this... thoughts?


sounds like an excellent choice. ..but how many? is your sub location remaining as it is or was?
nice to see you back vee


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## bcterry (Jan 26, 2010)

***** - Very nice install. I have the same ride and I am in the middle of an audio overhaul. I have removed the "Blose" system and using my Alpine 9815 in an active config. I was wondering where you ran the tweet wires up through and if you could possibly post a pic or two under the dash were you fished then trough, I am finding my 12 ga wire to be a biatch to run through. 

thanks

BT


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

from the look of things...getting back to work on his ride was wishful thinking on his part...
oke: 
i think he is still hiding after he almost ran me over with his pathfinder in downtown charlotte a year ago...


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Haha, thanks Stink. I did some mods to the Pathfinder this morning actually. I changed the the look of the front bumper using the rear of a Toyota Solara. Before that, I was actually toying with the idea of getting a GMC Sierra. We'll see where things go...

bcterry, I was able to fish the wire up and through the front opening where the a-pillar cover fits in to. Be aware that there isn't hardly any room behind the pillar cover for tweets. You'll most likely need to do some glasswork which I haven't done yet. I'll get you some pics soon.


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## bcterry (Jan 26, 2010)

Figured as much....I went out today and bought some "stretchy" material...cheap compression shirt, and some resin, mat, etc....using long velcro strip now to get my staging perfected as best as possible in the acoustical nirvana that the pathfinder is . BTW the door cards were brillant idea going to do that after pods are built. Ill post my pics when done. 

thanks

BT


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

All equipment in this build is currently for sale. The 300/4 has been sold. Check the classifieds for prices.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

Decided to go with the new truck then?

Jay


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Yeah Jay, all the equipment from the Pathfinder has been sold now. I 24-hr test drove a GMC Sierra 2500hd with the diesel. I really like it, but I'm gonna test drive a 1500 at another dealership sometime in the coming week.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

What are your plans for the new truck?

Jay


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Stock probably for a year... haha. And then anything I add will be easily removable to stock again. I'm not sure if I'll go with an in depth active system on this truck as I'll have to slowly get new gear. 

I think I'll keep the sub as the new SI BM. Other than that... it's all up in the air. I've always wanted to try Seas, but I haven't looked at the area in the door or behind the rear seats.


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## ocblaze (Nov 21, 2009)

Are you selling the pathfinder? I might be interested!


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Pathfinder is definitely for sale. PM sent


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## bcterry (Jan 26, 2010)

Vee, any tricks on getting to the gromets on the inside? Id like to poke through, but it looks like i may have to unibit through kick area.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

There's a plate you can unbolt to the left of the steering column. It's high and to the left, and has 2 nuts on threaded shafts. You can take of the plate and drill a hole through it and add a rubber grommet. It's perfect.


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## InjunV18 (Jun 16, 2008)

Well, I need to thank you guys for all the equipment you purchased. With that money, and a lot more that I've saved up I got a new to me vehicle. I'll be selling the Pathfinder soon, and that money will also go to the new transport. 

Here's a little shot for ya:










It's an 04 Range Rover HSE with the works. Has 37k miles on it. Most likely, I won't be adding any audio, as the Range uses the MOST system and I can't pull the headunit/vehicle computer. 

There are some more pics here. Love the seller, and it was a strange coincidence that he's only 5 miles from where I live. He's got some great vehicles, most of which just recently sold. I was originally going to get a Sierra or Yukon, but just got a great deal on the Range and couldn't pass it up.

However, I got a lot of headway on my project truck. It's a 92 fullsize Chevy Blazer with a 6" suspension lift. 35" tires. I'll be doing a rather custom interior, based on stock styling. There will be a good bit of audio going in there, so I guess I'll start a build log on it sometime in the future. 










Thanks for all the support and help guys.


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