# DRTHJTA 2010 VW Sportwagen



## damonryoung

Today I officially began the audio on Darth... if you don't count upgrading the factory head unit...

First, meet Darth


Now, what I plan on this system looking like:
Head Unit - RNS-510 >> OEM Navagation
Processing - AudioControl EQL
Amplification - Phoenix Gold SD800.4
Tweeters - Dayton ND20FB-4
Midrange - Dayton RS75-4
Midbass - RS180-4
Subwoofer - RSS265HO-4








Knukonceptz interconnects
RAAM Audio sound deadening

Goals:
Currently this is our only vehicle and is driven daily by my wife. So, I didn't want to go full bore on this vehicle. I'll save that for when we buy our next car. I want to utilize as many of the "cubbies" in the rear of the car to hide components to have a completely stealth look, but still keep full access to the spare tire (since my wife is the main driver). I will use the factory speaker locations and use this system to learn how to make good passive crossovers.


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## damonryoung

Now, the reason I decided to get this started today...


I replaced the factory headlights and added OEM fog lights...



I had to remove the battery tray and run a trigger wire through the firewall for the fog lights so it was a perfect time pull the power wire through too.

The place I went through had nipples on it that were removable and made a path for said wire.



It made it pretty easy to pull them both through at the same time.



So this is how I left it for the day (had to watch my Sooners win in South Bend )


I am looking for some advice on the placement of the fuse holder.
You can see above the area where the battery and fuse holder reside, below is where the factory ground is and I'm thinking of making something to mount on there...


Does anyone else have a good idea?

Tomorrow the plan is to pull out the interior, deaden the floorboard, and run wiring...


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## bbfoto

Looks great. I really like the Jetta Sportwagens, and stealth installs, so I'm looking forward to your progress. It's a great all-around car.

The area where you have the black TechFlex rolled up looks like a great spot for a main system fuse or marine circuit breaker. Make a bracket for it out of 1/8"x2" Aluminum flat stock that will attach to one of the nearby Torx/Star bolts (the upper headlight bracket?). The area where the OEM Ground is attached looks like it would interfere with opening the adjacent plastic box cover.

Do you have any photos of all of the factory speaker locations? Does it have a 3-way front OEM setup? Just wondering why you opted for a DIY 3-way front setup since it will be running passive X/O's with no T/A? Seems like it would be a bit more difficult to integrate, and I've never had a problem achieving great SQ with a 2-way. I'd generally go with a larger mid-bass driver if doing a 3-way, but I understand if you are trying to use stock locations and keep it stealth.

You've chosen some great drivers, so it should end up sounding great. Sub'd.


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## damonryoung

bbfoto said:


> Looks great. I really like the Jetta Sportwagens, and stealth installs, so I'm looking forward to your progress. It's a great all-around car.


Thanks!



bbfoto said:


> The area where you have the black TechFlex rolled up looks like a great spot for a main system fuse or marine circuit breaker. Make a bracket for it out of 1/8"x2" Aluminum flat stock that will attach to one of the nearby Torx/Star bolts (the upper headlight bracket?). The area where the OEM Ground is attached looks like it would interfere with opening the adjacent plastic box cover.


The fuse box opens by sliding the cover toward the front of the car, which might interfere with placing the fuse holder in front of it...



bbfoto said:


> Do you have any photos of all of the factory speaker locations? Does it have a 3-way front OEM setup? Just wondering why you opted for a DIY 3-way front setup since it will be running passive X/O's with no T/A? Seems like it would be a bit more difficult to integrate, and I've never had a problem achieving great SQ with a 2-way. I'd generally go with a larger mid-bass driver if doing a 3-way, but I understand if you are trying to use stock locations and keep it stealth.
> 
> You've chosen some great drivers, so it should end up sounding great. Sub'd.


The factory setup is 3-way... I do agree it will be difficult to get a solid center image, but I'm gonna deal with what I've got... Below is a link to a thread that Patrick Bateman started talking about the setup found in my car...

Crazy Imaging in a Stock System


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## damonryoung

Let's start this post by saying I'm glad this day is over... 

Today I ran the high level from the head unit and power wire to the back of the car... Also, I got 3 sets of 16ga speaker wire through the molex and into each door...

On to the boring pics...

High level wires twisted, then tech flexed...




I think I may have found the right place for the main fuse holder, just need make something to tie the the larger torx bit...


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## damonryoung

Moved on to the doors. First thing was to remove the outer door skin...



Made sure that it was deadened...

I think molex should be a curse word... 




Test fitment...



Then on to the real deal...



Closed up!


Zipped them up out of the way of the window and ready for when I get to adding the new speakers....


Back inside, they were tech flexed and shrink wrapped...


Then on to the obligatory zip tie pictures.. 




Getting near the end of my day we lost power in the neighborhood, so I had to resort to fire in order to get heat shrink shrunk...


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## damonryoung

I know I had started this thread off by saying that I wanted to use this build to learn more about passive crossovers, but what I learned to this point is that they can be quite expensive to do the right way...

I priced out the basic 2nd order 3-way inductors and caps... It has come up to roughly $175... That was with crossover points picked out based on looking at response curves on PartsExpress... I had hoped to be able change out parts to tune the system to my car, that would only increase the cost and frustration I'm thinking...

Now I'm considering unloading my 2XS and EQL and picking up a MiniDSP 2x4, which I've used before and found easy enough to use. If I do that I would be back in the market for another SD800.4. Good news is that would make for a more symmetrical amp setup, and I like symmetry.


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## bbfoto

I think it's a smart move to go with the MiniDSP. For the cost differential between it and just the parts (and the time spent building) two sets of 3-way passives, you'll obviously get a lot more functionality and adjustability with the MiniDSP (T/A, EQ, independent Level control, etc.) that you wouldn't have with the passives.

And thanks for the link to that PB thread. I had actually read it quite a while back (and had even subscribed to it, ha!) and found it really interesting, but had forgotten about it completely.  Good stuff, and it seems to make sense.  I'll be interested to see how it works in your install as a real world test.

Looks like you've got quite a bit done already as well! Keep it up.


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## damonryoung

bbfoto said:


> I think it's a smart move to go with the MiniDSP. For the cost differential between it and just the parts (and the time spent building) two sets of 3-way passives, you'll obviously get a lot more functionality and adjustability with the MiniDSP (T/A, EQ, independent Level control, etc.) that you wouldn't have with the passives.


After looking back into the 2x4 and the SD800.4, I wouldn't be able to use the crossovers on the amps because they only range from 40Hz-400Hz. That would not allow me to crossover my tweeters in the kHz range... I would need to find something that allows me to accept high level inputs and have 8 outs so that I can defeat the crossovers on the amps. (I could look into a LOC and a 2x8 from MiniDSP as well, but the 2x8 is already $300... might as well look into a car specific unit.)

Any recommendations? I had looked into the 3sixty.3 at one point and I see that they are much cheaper nowadays... 

It just looks like this is gonna be more expensive then I had hoped.


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## chithead

Any more luck deciding on a processor?


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## damonryoung

chithead said:


> Any more luck deciding on a processor?


At the moment I think I'm leaning towards a 3sixty.3, but I can definitely be swayed a different way as long as it has 8 channels out and high level in...

Do you have any thoughts?


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## vwdave

Check out my build...VERY similar install in a similar car, and I used a JBL MS-8. I am still in the process of getting it all done, but since we live in the same part of the country you are more than welcome to have a listen. Theres a meet this saturday or we can meet up some other time.

look at my thread...i was just shocked at the similarities between our installs. You might like what I did with my inline fuse holder as well (similar place as you want and I made a metal bracket for it). start at page 6 to see my latest iteration (previous pages are attempts at being happy with a simpler setup).

BTW you car looks really slick. I kind of wish I had looked more closely at the jetta sportwagon before buying my CC.


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## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Check out my build...VERY similar install in a similar car, and I used a JBL MS-8. I am still in the process of getting it all done, but since we live in the same part of the country you are more than welcome to have a listen. Theres a meet this saturday or we can meet up some other time.
> 
> look at my thread...i was just shocked at the similarities between our installs. You might like what I did with my inline fuse holder as well (similar place as you want and I made a metal bracket for it). start at page 6 to see my latest iteration (previous pages are attempts at being happy with a simpler setup).
> 
> BTW you car looks really slick. I kind of wish I had looked more closely at the jetta sportwagon before buying my CC.


Hey Dave! I have been keeping an eye on your thread for awhile now, always checking out VW stuff.  I have every intention on showing up on Saturday, so I would definitely like to check out what you have accomplished!

I do like what you did with your fuse holder and plan on doing something very similar.

Thanks on the compliment! This wagon is the best car I've owned, hands down! So much so we've considered looking into the MKVII for our 2nd car when they make it to the states.


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## vwdave

Yea I was trying to convince my wife to get one but she had her heart set on a Prius. Yuk. A $34k economy car. lol this is my first Vw and I am sold. I was always a Chevy guy before but this car has transformed me.

Cool, I'm excited to go on Saturday. I am really pushing to finish the cosmetics of my install for the meet.

Quick question, didn't you have the room to run 1 or 2 sets of speaker wire under the door connector, through the bottom of the opening? I didn't think I had room originally so I drilled for 1 set of speaker wire, but when I redid everything and had to run 2 more sets I found that I had room for 2 more sets below. I do t think my connector would have enough too to drill out for 3 sets of speaker cable.

Also, I opted not to use actual speaker wire because he insulation tends to be much thicker on speaker wire. I'm not sure that 2 more sets of actual speaker would have fit how I ran it.


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## quality_sound

DRTHJTA said:


> At the moment I think I'm leaning towards a 3sixty.3, but I can definitely be swayed a different way as long as it has 8 channels out and high level in...
> 
> Do you have any thoughts?


First, use the RS225. They'll easily fit into those doors. 

Second, you don't need anything with a high-level input. Recode the HU for low-level outputs, add some RCA ends on, and feed it right into your processor. That said, the mosconi 6to8 and Arc Audio PS8 will take high-level inputs. The 6to8, IME, handles the "quirks" of VW HUs the best by a wide margin. If you recode for low-level you can use which ever processor you want.


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## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Yea I was trying to convince my wife to get one but she had her heart set on a Prius. Yuk. A $34k economy car. lol this is my first Vw and I am sold. I was always a Chevy guy before but this car has transformed me.
> 
> Cool, I'm excited to go on Saturday. I am really pushing to finish the cosmetics of my install for the meet.
> 
> Quick question, didn't you have the room to run 1 or 2 sets of speaker wire under the door connector, through the bottom of the opening? I didn't think I had room originally so I drilled for 1 set of speaker wire, but when I redid everything and had to run 2 more sets I found that I had room for 2 more sets below. I do t think my connector would have enough too to drill out for 3 sets of speaker cable.
> 
> Also, I opted not to use actual speaker wire because he insulation tends to be much thicker on speaker wire. I'm not sure that 2 more sets of actual speaker would have fit how I ran it.


I was able to run all three sets of 16ga speaker wire through that door connector... It took a little negotiation with them, but they went through...


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## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> First, use the RS225. They'll easily fit into those doors.
> 
> Second, you don't need anything with a high-level input. Recode the HU for low-level outputs, add some RCA ends on, and feed it right into your processor. That said, the mosconi 6to8 and Arc Audio PS8 will take high-level inputs. The 6to8, IME, handles the "quirks" of VW HUs the best by a wide margin. If you recode for low-level you can use which ever processor you want.


Thanks for the heads up! Would it be better to re-code the head unit instead of using them as high-level?


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## quality_sound

It's really either or. AFAIK the outputs are flat either way. If you're using a processor that can take the Voltage I'd go high-level because it's balanced and I've always preferred high Voltage. 

Look at my log an you can see how I tapped into the HU outputs. Clean and simple. I can go between high and low level in 10 minutes.


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## vwdave

quality_sound said:


> It's really either or. AFAIK the outputs are flat either way. If you're using a processor that can take the Voltage I'd go high-level because it's balanced and I've always preferred high Voltage.
> 
> Look at my log an you can see how I tapped into the HU outputs. Clean and simple. I can go between high and low level in 10 minutes.


This is VERY true. I really like your method for getting the the speaker level. my way was done before finding this site (and your build log) and is effective just not as neat.

Sorry to crash this thread, but I have a strange question quality_sound...if you recode the head unit for low level out does it change the boot up screen to the Dynaudio logo? I know that the file is saved somewhere either on vagcom or in the stereo. I cant get an answer on vwvortex.


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## quality_sound

If you have Dynaudio you already have low-level.  What you saw in my build log can be used for high OR low level extraction. 

It'll depend on the version of your VCDS but you can change the load screen. The files are on the unit but you have to have a version of VCDS that will let you change that Bit. You can change the display colors on the RNS-510 as well. I used to change my every week or so just because I could.


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## Jaloosk

great photos of that molex install...thanks for sharing that. Looks like I'm going to have to re-run the speaker wires for my doors (I just ran it to the kick panel cuz I didn't have time to deal with the molex)  I only had 12awg speaker wire on hand so I ran that, but it looks like there's not going to be enough room for 12awg to get through the molex, since it looks like you barely had enough room for 16!

Looking forward to seeing how you complete this.  Nice work so far!


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## vwdave

quality_sound said:


> If you have Dynaudio you already have low-level.  What you saw in my build log can be used for high OR low level extraction.
> 
> It'll depend on the version of your VCDS but you can change the load screen. The files are on the unit but you have to have a version of VCDS that will let you change that Bit. You can change the display colors on the RNS-510 as well. I used to change my every week or so just because I could.


I don't have factory dynaudio and I have an RNS-315 not 510.


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## quality_sound

vwdave said:


> I don't have factory dynaudio and I have an RNS-315 not 510.


Whoops! I didn't look at the poster, just assumed it was the OP. 

I haven't gotten into a 315 yet but there's no reason it wouldn't show it as long as the Bit is available.


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## vwdave

Ok cool....now back to DRTHJTA...

Can't wait to see your sport wagon tomorrow. I've got some Vw questions for you.


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## damonryoung

Minor update. I went ahead and purchased an SD1300.5 to power my mid bass and sub. That means I'll have roughly 125w to the tweeters and mid ranges each + 250w to the mid bass + 500w to the sub. I'm hoping that is plenty of headroom. 

I think I've narrowed the processor down to a couple options. The 3sixty.3 and the PPI DEQ.8/Soundstream Synthesis. Since I've got a budget in mind these fit nicely below that $400 range I set. Any comment on those options? Of course I would love to find a used 6to8 for the same price, but I doubt that's gonna happen. 


Beware of autocorrect...


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## damonryoung

Crickets on the DSP??


Beware of autocorrect...


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## papasin

I was pretty happy with the 360.3 when I was using it in the wife's car.


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## damonryoung

papasin said:


> I was pretty happy with the 360.3 when I was using it in the wife's car.


Thanks for the input!

Thanks again for demoing your car last weekend!


Beware of autocorrect...


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## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> Thanks again for demoing your car last weekend!


Anytime. Hope you liked it .


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## optimaprime

Mini disps or rf 360.3


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## optimaprime

Oh by the way love your build


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## vwdave

I should have my car ready for listening shortly after I return from my business trip. Let me know if you want to meet up to hear the ms-8. I'm not unhappy with it but I have read plenty of people that complain about them. I will see how I fell once I'm done tuning everything.


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## jtaudioacc

6to8, 360.3, H800

I think you'll end up with DSP eventually if you tried passives. Save the money and go straight to DSP.


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## damonryoung

optimaprime said:


> Mini disps or rf 360.3


Thanks for the input. 

I'm kinda leaning towards the 3sixty... From what I've read so far about the PPI/SS unit is that it is a modified MiniDSP 2x8. I, also, like the fact that it is compatible with Mac. Bit that is not a deal breaker/sealer. 


Beware of autocorrect...


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## damonryoung

optimaprime said:


> Oh by the way love your build


Thanks!


Beware of autocorrect...


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## damonryoung

jtaudioacc said:


> 6to8, 360.3, H800
> 
> I think you'll end up with DSP eventually if you tried passives. Save the money and go straight to DSP.


I think that's what I realized shortly after looking for parts on the passives. 




Beware of autocorrect...


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## childersbros

sub'd nice work and have to give props to a fellow SOONER fan


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## damonryoung

childersbros said:


> sub'd nice work and have to give props to a fellow SOONER fan


BOOMER!! So disappointed from this weekend...  Huepel doesn't know how to call plays.

I've got a friend that still installs in Shawnee at Lobo's Tint and Audio. I'm originally from Edmond...


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## childersbros

That is very true, great QB's don't always make good coaches. Is it Shawn at Lobo's? I managed Rave sound there a for a couple months a few years back.


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## childersbros

SOONER!!!!!


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## damonryoung

childersbros said:


> Is it Shawn at Lobo's? I managed Rave sound there a for a couple months a few years back.


Yup, Shawn and I installed together at a small shop in Edmond during the late 90s. Very good dude. 


Beware of autocorrect...


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## childersbros

I don't know him personally but from what I hear he is a good dude and from what I have seen he is a great installer.


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## damonryoung

Still no movement on the DSP, but I still have plenty to do until I make that purchase...

So, today I got to work on the backend...

This is how the hatch area looks now and the way it will look once this is all done (hopefully a little cleaner though)...


This little cubby is where the amps will live...


But that is for another day, today we are working on the sub enclosure... The goal is to use this space and keep the spare...


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## damonryoung

In order to get enough air space, the spare hold down had to go...


I needed to make a "frame" so that I have more room...



^^^ I'll need to add a little support here.

Next was the face of the sub enclosure... I will be making this piece hinge in order to gain access to the spare...


It was a little big, so I used the spare cover to get the shape right...


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## damonryoung

As is a common theme with me, I have to make do without the proper tools... This is my attempt at a dust collection system... 


Now I needed to measure my working space... Then, I needed to see what size I could get away with and still have the hinge work...


A little mathification....


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## damonryoung

I decided to give kerfing a whirl... This was some practice pieces to figure out the spacing for my application...


Then I marked out my cuts...


Nearly 40 cuts later...


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## damonryoung

Another example of me not having the correct tools... :blush:


After many, many minutes of fighting with this damn thing...


Then I ran some glue around the edges...


That's where I ended tonight and will get back at it in the morning. I plan on laying down a couple layers of fiberglass to strengthen the enclosure in the morning.


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## vwjmkv

sub'd.... curious to see how this goes.


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## damonryoung

vwjmkv said:


> sub'd.... curious to see how this goes.


Me too!! 


Beware of autocorrect...


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## damonryoung

Got back at this afternoon... Added a layer of cloth mainly for the purpose of sealing the enclosure. Also, added some filler at the seam to reinforce that area...

^^^ Got the filler a little hot and couldn't get it smooth while applying...

Isn't that cute? I made myself a hat box...


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## damonryoung

A little test fit in the spare tire...



Then I had to figure out a way to get the enclosure in the right spot on the face... Thought I would give double sided tape a try...


It worked!!!


Traced the location onto the face...


Add some glue...


Then add some weight...


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## damonryoung

While that was drying, I finished running all the wiring to the hatch...

^^^ I found a "conduit"

Other side...



All the way through...


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## damonryoung

Back to the sub...


I tried to get the sub centered on the face...


While the enclosure had to be attached a little off center...


Last thing I did for the night was to add a little strength to where they were attached and seal the box from the outside...


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## damonryoung

So far tonight I have spent most of my evening looking at how to run wiring to the amps... So this has been my view. 


















I know I'm gonna need to cut plastic, but I'm trying to minimize the amount. 


Beware of autocorrect...


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## damonryoung

Anyone have any good recommendations for black carpet for these pieces?


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## charliekwin

DRTHJTA said:


> Anyone have any good recommendations for black carpet for these pieces?


Joann's is as good a place as any to start.


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## damonryoung

charliekwin said:


> Joann's is as good a place as any to start.


I never thought of them as having carpet... there is one close by so I'll have to pop in and see what is available. Maybe I'll find something a little different to use.


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## ecbmxer

I got black carpet from parts-express that worked really well for my enclosure.


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## damonryoung

ecbmxer said:


> I got black carpet from parts-express that worked really well for my enclosure.


I've got some of that at the house too, thought maybe I could find something with a little more pile... I may be asking too much though


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## damonryoung

My original plan with the amps was as follows:
SD800.4 >>> ~125w to each tweeter and mid
SD1300.5 >>> ~250w to midbass & ~500w to sub

While looking closer at my amps the other night I noticed that the lowest point on the HP filter for the SD1300.5 was 250Hz, not very good for midbass... and there is no way of bypassing the filters on this amp. 

So, I've got a couple options...
1. Use the 800 to power the midbass with ~400w (lots of headroom!) and the 1300 to power the tweeters and mids ~80w 
2. Sell the 1300 and buy a 500.4 (~75w for tweeters and mids) and use the 800 for midbass (~125w) and sub (~400w)
3. Same as above except buy another 800.4(~125w all around)...
4. Find a way to modify my 1300 to bypass the amp {not entirely desirable}

What say all you knowledgeable folks?


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## Jaloosk

I like option 3


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## damonryoung

Jaloosk said:


> I like option 3


I like that one too, but I think it's gonna be hard to find one. I did see a 500.4 on the classifieds. 


Beware of autocorrect...


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## damonryoung

So JT pointed out that I was being a dumbass by overlooking the real crossover numbers...




The plan is still on as originally planned.


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## damonryoung

While I haven't been building lately, I have been designing...



^^^ I have laid out wiring and whatnot to ensure that my "amp rack" will be cut properly...

I like using acrylic in my builds and have come to the point where I need an opinion or two...



^^^ The logos will be etched into the acrylic, but I would like to see what you guys feel looks best... The big blobs are the amps, as they will be sitting on the top of this piece. This will be lit by LEDs located under the amps. Below you will find the pic of where this will be located.


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## spoonsports86

WTF! you took the door skin off ? wow 

subbed cant wait to see the out come of this


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## Jaloosk

Taking the door skin off is easy to do on a Jetta. They've got bolts.


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## damonryoung

spoonsports86 said:


> WTF! you took the door skin off ? wow
> 
> subbed cant wait to see the out come of this


Yeah... like Jaloosk said, it's pretty simple. I can do it in about 5 minutes now without much thought... I wish my rear doors did the same thing 

Very little going on with the audio build right now... I did make the car pretty this past weekend. I had really bad hard water stains on the paint, so I busted out my DA polisher and spent nearly 6 hours detailing the paint... I was exhausted


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## damonryoung

DRTHJTA said:


> I like using acrylic in my builds and have come to the point where I need an opinion or two...
> 
> 
> 
> ^^^ The logos will be etched into the acrylic, but I would like to see what you guys feel looks best... The big blobs are the amps, as they will be sitting on the top of this piece. This will be lit by LEDs located under the amps. Below you will find the pic of where this will be located.


So, this was the final design I went with...



As soon as I finish the couple bluetooth speakers I already have buyers for, I will be ready to order this piece and get it installed...

I still haven't decided on what to do with the cover for the sub... 



I'm thinking of using either black vinyl to (sorta) match the interior, use some sort of ultra suede, or simple black carpet. There will be another cover for that which will be black carpet to help with blending.

This will, also, be the location of my DSP and distribution block...


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## jtaudioacc

late to the party, but this is what i would have had etched.


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## damonryoung

jtaudioacc said:


> late to the party, but this is what i would have had etched.


I kinda thought about that... but then I would have had to make sure that the wiring followed this exactly...


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## damonryoung

Small update... Ordered the acrylic and hope to get it later this week or early next. I feel progress is right around corner!

Early morning shot of Darth..












Beware of autocorrect...


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## Lunchbox12

Keep up the great work Damon! Like the choices youve made so far. Cant wait to see more!


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## [email protected]

Ah, I know who you are now!!!!!


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## Lunchbox12

[email protected] said:


> Ah, I know who you are now!!!!!


It's like DArTh VaDeR has been unmasked and revealed to the Jedi.


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## damonryoung

Lunchbox12 said:


> It's like DArTh VaDeR has been unmasked and revealed to the Jedi.


I'm really just Anakin... I just couldn't control my anger...


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## damonryoung

[email protected] said:


> Ah, I know who you are now!!!!!


It was good to put a face with a name too! I'm interested in seeing some of your photography some time!


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## tjswarbrick

Lookin' good, Damon.
I like the etching you chose. I was leaning toward the small logos, but the big one in the middle makes it.

I had a Jetta for 10 years - probably my favorite car (that I've owned, anyways.) I called it my Lear Jetta (it was VR6), but a couple friends called me the Jetta Knight.


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## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> Lookin' good, Damon.
> 
> I like the etching you chose. I was leaning toward the small logos, but the big one in the middle makes it.
> 
> 
> 
> I had a Jetta for 10 years - probably my favorite car (that I've owned, anyways.) I called it my Lear Jetta (it was VR6), but a couple friends called me the Jetta Knight.



Thanks Tom! I actually got the acrylic today! I, also, found a really good deal on LEDs on parts express. So those are on the way too. 

These pics may be difficult to tell what's going on, but I'll put them up anyhow. 


























I don't think I'll get much more done the rest of the year, but I have the 2nd and 3rd off. If Santa is good to me I might be able to get this thing sewn up next month!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Just a tease....










Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Lunchbox12

Cool! Can't wait to see how you incorporate that!


----------



## damonryoung

Other good news is I ordered my processor. I ended up with an H800. Now all that's left is my ass getting the stuff in the car... 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## vwdave

Glad to see you are making progress. I can't wait to see it in person once it's done.


----------



## [email protected]

I don't remember reading, where did you get the acrylic etched?


----------



## damonryoung

[email protected] said:


> I don't remember reading, where did you get the acrylic etched?


I use Pololu and have for a few things... Including the piece for my Bronco...


I am very familiar with AutoCAD, so I just make the designs I want and export it from there...


----------



## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Glad to see you are making progress. I can't wait to see it in person once it's done.


I am really hoping that I have had it done for a couple months by the time we have our GTG in March.


----------



## rton20s

Figured it was time I finally popped in and said something to subscribe. Especially now that the wife is wanting to get a GLI. (Was going to be a GTI, but she thinks she wants a trunk car now.) It was good to meet you down in SoCal and see you again up at SiS. 

Looks like your build is a bit more substantial (and further along) than mine, but hopefully we can both be ready for the March 8 GTG. 

Also, were those Bi-Xenons from the MK6 Jetta that you installed? If so, what was the process? She likes the Autobahn edition, but paying $2k for that horribly small Nav head unit just to get Bi-Xenons is nuts to me. (You can PM me if you want to keep it out of your build thread.)


----------



## papasin

Looking forward to hearing your car Damon...and I guess yours too Dustin. I may decide to bring something a little different for the March one too just to mix it up.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Figured it was time I finally popped in and said something to subscribe. Especially now that the wife is wanting to get a GLI. (Was going to be a GTI, but she thinks she wants a trunk car now.) It was good to meet you down in SoCal and see you again up at SiS.
> 
> Looks like your build is a bit more substantial (and further along) than mine, but hopefully we can both be ready for the March 8 GTG.
> 
> Also, were those Bi-Xenons from the MK6 Jetta that you installed? If so, what was the process? She likes the Autobahn edition, but paying $2k for that horribly small Nav head unit just to get Bi-Xenons is nuts to me. (You can PM me if you want to keep it out of your build thread.)



Welcome!

I actually went with some R20 xenon replicas for the headlights. If you were to purchase a vehicle without bi-xenons and try to add them there would be a pretty large cost due to having to change the lighting module along with finding the correct housings.

I understand the small nav unit (RNS-315), but you may be able to sell it on vwvortex fairly easily. I ended up purchasing the RNS-510 second hand, but may end up changing that up after this install depending on the signal quality. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## quality_sound

rton20s said:


> Figured it was time I finally popped in and said something to subscribe.


You don't have to comment to subscribe. lol


Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## quality_sound

DRTHJTA said:


> Welcome!
> 
> I actually went with some R20 xenon replicas for the headlights. If you were to purchase a vehicle without bi-xenons and try to add them there would be a pretty large cost due to having to change the lighting module along with finding the correct housings.
> 
> I understand the small nav unit (RNS-315), but you may be able to sell it on vwvortex fairly easily. I ended up purchasing the RNS-510 second hand, but may end up changing that up after this install depending on the signal quality.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...



Why not just use OEM HIDs? They're expensive but it's a drop-in install with an adapter harness and some VCDS coding. 

If you coded the 510 to low-level the SQ will be fine. It won't be like a Panny bottle head, P99, etc but it is a good, flat, usable signal. 


Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> Why not just use OEM HIDs? They're expensive but it's a drop-in install with an adapter harness and some VCDS coding.
> 
> If you coded the 510 to low-level the SQ will be fine. It won't be like a Panny bottle head, P99, etc but it is a good, flat, usable signal.
> 
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk



I wasn't interested in paying three times more than I did for my head lights. 

I'm not too worried about the SQ of my head unit, but we shall see. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

Yeah I checked the price of OEM Bi-Xenons. Between the purchase price and the time and effort, we'd actually be money ahead to just get an Autobahn Edition with Nav. The cheaper price on the reps like yours make it more of a consideration to go with a less expensive model.


----------



## quality_sound

DRTHJTA said:


> I wasn't interested in paying three times more than I did for my head lights.
> 
> I'm not too worried about the SQ of my head unit, but we shall see.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Some things are about more than just price. I'm all for saving money, just not on safety items. I never cheap out on wheels, tires, suspension, lighting, airbags, etc. But that's me. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> But that's me.



This attitude is the exact reason I stopped checking out vwvortex.

I know I started it, let's stop the derailment. If someone has a concern with my choices on anything other than my audio, PM me and I'll be sure to respond over there. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

My fault, actually. Apologies. Did you get any work done this weekend? I actually got a little more done on mine. Planning to do a bit more on NYE and NY.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> My fault, actually. Apologies. Did you get any work done this weekend? I actually got a little more done on mine. Planning to do a bit more on NYE and NY.



No worries, I could've responded via PM. I've had family here the last two weeks, but plan on doing more work starting Thursday. Look forward to seeing your progress!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## quality_sound

DRTHJTA said:


> This attitude is the exact reason I stopped checking out vwvortex.
> 
> I know I started it, let's stop the derailment. If someone has a concern with my choices on anything other than my audio, PM me and I'll be sure to respond over there.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Don't take it as me bashing on your choice. It's your car, do as you wish. My only issue with headlight mods is that they absolutely affect other drivers and because of that, I feel like more care should be taken when making changes to them. It wasn't an attack. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## tjswarbrick

Um. It's still derailed...

Damon, 
I just want to hear what you think of your DSP, but I don't think you'll have it in before I want to pick mine up. 
No matter, I still want your opinion.
And more pics!


----------



## [email protected]

We just finished an install with a 360.3. I wouldn't necessarily trust the numbers it says for crossover points. Looking at its stated numbers / slopes vs. what we saw on the RTA revealed 2 different things. So, just make sure you check any vital stuff with an RTA.
Also, typically when we tune we eq left, then right and then at the end sometimes sum the eq and do some tweeks to both sides together. Bing said that when he tried to link both sides, it wanted to copy the setting from one channel to the other (which is bad). 

Overall, it was nice having the little controller, the interface was pretty nice, and the piece didn't have any noise issues.


----------



## damonryoung

I ended up not going the 360.3 route and found an H800 with the RUX that I hope does what I need. 

Tom, I'll get back to you on what I think soon. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

I've used the MS-8, 6to8, 3Sixty.3, and H800 in our vehicles. IME, each one has its strengths, quirks that can be lived with (or drive you batty) , and areas of improvement. I don't want to derail so feel free to PM or email if you want my $0.02. FWIW, I think they all are good at many things, it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish and in some cases preference and objectives in tuning.

Happy New Year Damon and to the Mrs.


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Happy New Year Damon and to the Mrs.



Likewise to you and your family Richard!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## JoeHemi57

Not sure if you have a material picked for the top of the sub box yet but if not i would love to see this incorporated somehow, might not go with the etched plexi and could be a little much for the whole piece but maybe as a border? I love the plaid, one of my favorite things available on vw's. If it went with my car at all i would use it for something but doesn't work on a cadillac.

Volkswagen Interlagos Plaid Fabric


----------



## PUREAUDIO

DRTHJTA how do you like the Dayton audio tweet and 3'' fullrange speakers?


----------



## damonryoung

JoeHemi57 said:


> Not sure if you have a material picked for the top of the sub box yet but if not i would love to see this incorporated somehow, might not go with the etched plexi and could be a little much for the whole piece but maybe as a border? I love the plaid, one of my favorite things available on vw's. If it went with my car at all i would use it for something but doesn't work on a cadillac.
> 
> Volkswagen Interlagos Plaid Fabric



I've liked that material for a long time too. I'm not sure if I can work it into this build...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

PUREAUDIO said:


> DRTHJTA how do you like the Dayton audio tweet and 3'' fullrange speakers?



I hope to be able to give you some sort of answer this weekend. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## PUREAUDIO

DRTHJTA said:


> I hope to be able to give you some sort of answer this weekend.


Ok thanks looking forward to it.


----------



## damonryoung

So things haven't gone quite a quickly as I had hoped, but there is progress!!

My minimum goal was to finish the doors this weekend. Had I not put a screwdriver through one of my RS75s, I would have met that goal... Oh well... Now on to the pics.

A few comparison pics of the factory v. Daytons.

Midbass



Midrange



I know I could have gone larger, but I was worried about depth as the mids attach directly to the door card and are very tight up against the door.

Tweeter


I missed taking a picture of it, but these tweeters fit perfectly in the sail panels.


----------



## damonryoung

As you could tell from the midbass pics, I would need to make some rings to make them fit...



Once they were glued up, I coated them in undercoating.


I added some ensolite to the backs to decouple them from the doors


----------



## damonryoung

Then I moved back to the doors to finalize the wire runs I had left a few weeks ago.

All wires were tech flexed and zip tied to make pretty...  The top two wires are snaked through to meet up with the tweeter and midrange...



Tweeter and midrange runs on the other side


Then I was able to move on to the attachment of the midbass rings. The factory midbass were attached via rivets so I had the joy of drilling those out.

Pretty aluminum shavings. 


I used t-nuts in the holes left by the rivets.






Just enough room for them to play.


----------



## damonryoung

For the midrange, I needed a baffle to attach it to the door card. (I kinda missed some pictures here.)


More ensolite to decouple the baffle from the card.

Attached to the door card.


----------



## tjswarbrick

Lookin' good.
Nice, descriptive photos.
Sorry to hear about the screwdriver accident - I hate when that happens.


----------



## quality_sound

The removable skins make life SO much easier. I'm curious how the mid location works. My my MkVs I did dash pods instead of the doors. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> The removable skins make life SO much easier. I'm curious how the mid location works. My my MkVs I did dash pods instead of the doors.
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk



I totally agree. I kinda wish the rear doors would do the same so I could deaden them too. 

I'm pretty sure the the mid locations will hinder the imaging, but there is currently no plans to compete. As long as the tonality is close, I'll be happy. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Lunchbox12

Fantastic work!! I'm sure that you'll be very happy with the final result, this is gonna sound killer!


----------



## damonryoung

I was busy this weekend doing tedious work...










I'll update more tonight when I get home from work. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## BowDown

Christ... is that 8ga speaker wire?


----------



## damonryoung

BowDown said:


> Christ... is that 8ga speaker wire?


Nope... must have had my phone set to magnify 

The sub is 12ga and the rest is 16ga.


----------



## damonryoung

As I stated earlier, there was much tedious work this weekend...

I started off by cutting the speaker wire from the front, labeling them, and attaching them to the barrier strips.


----------



## damonryoung

Then I was able to do a little work on the layout of the H800 and the distribution block...


This distribution block is HUGE!



Finally worked on cutting the speaker wire from the barrier strips to the amps...



The picture I showed earlier today was the wire to the amps all finished.


----------



## damonryoung

Today I got some EL wire from adafruit to see how it would work... Below you'll see about 8' of EL wire vs 9" of LED.



LED


EL Wire


I'm gonna go with the LED. I have a controller to be able to dim the LEDs.


----------



## [email protected]

Looking good!!!!!!!

That distro/fuse block is large and in charge!!!


----------



## rton20s

Agreed. I knew that KNF-60 would be huge after installing the smaller KNF-36 on my fire wall. You really have to see those things in person to appreciate how big they are.


----------



## damonryoung

Things are getting done little by little. 

Decided to make my own RCAs in the DIY spirit. 











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

Nice work. I find RCA's extremely tedious, but those look cleaner than some I bought from BJC.


----------



## Lunchbox12

DRTHJTA said:


> Things are getting done little by little.
> 
> Decided to make my own RCAs in the DIY spirit.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Love it! V clean looking bro!


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> Nice work. I find RCA's extremely tedious, but those look cleaner than some I bought from BJC.






Lunchbox12 said:


> Love it! V clean looking bro!



Thanks fellas! We're gettin' there!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## charliekwin

DRTHJTA said:


> Things are getting done little by little.
> 
> Decided to make my own RCAs in the DIY spirit.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Went through the EXACT same tedium with my speaker wiring and RCAs, but it's totally worth it!


----------



## damonryoung

charliekwin said:


> Went through the EXACT same tedium with my speaker wiring and RCAs, but it's totally worth it!


It's always good to have someone to commiserate with.


----------



## optimaprime

Love love love this build man ! Coming out super cool


----------



## damonryoung

optimaprime said:


> Love love love this build man ! Coming out super cool


Thanks Optima! How's life in the panhandle?


----------



## damonryoung

A couple pics of the RCA build... 





Now a couple pics of the LED wiring...


----------



## damonryoung

Then it was time for a test run...





I'm getting really close to being able to put this stuff in the car...


----------



## diy.phil

ooooooh those are rgb leds !! the panel is nicely lit! very nice!!


----------



## damonryoung

This is where I am planning on mounting the RUX... Just gotta figure the best way to make it look right...





Any input on this would be appreciated...


----------



## tjswarbrick

Looks like a tough reach down there. I wonder if you could pull it forward a bit and fab the panel to blend smoothly with the one above - where it tapers downward from the Passenger Air Bag label.


----------



## [email protected]

Will the width of the controller fit the area where the knockout panels are?


----------



## quality_sound

No

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

[email protected] said:


> Will the width of the controller fit the area where the knockout panels are?





quality_sound said:


> No
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


Like quality said, no... just a bit too wide.


----------



## damonryoung

Small victory tonight... I got the amps in the vehicle. This should set me up to get things running this weekend barring any major snags.

Sorry some of the pics are dark... I'll take better ones during the day some time soon.


----------



## Lunchbox12

Looking awesome bro! Very clean and I love the stealthiness when it's all tucked away


----------



## tjswarbrick

Lookin' very good!


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks fellas!

JJ, it looks like it has come down to our teams in a couple weeks... Should be a good one!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Nice to see another Sportwagen owner taking SQ and their build seriously... looking good sir!

I am rebuilding mine right now for the 2014 season.


----------



## damonryoung

Got more work done this weekend... 

Started off by securing a cleat to the car.





Next, I needed to make a piece to connect to the cleat for hold one side of the hinge.


----------



## damonryoung

Then, worked on securing the hinge.





Everything gets a coat of undercoating...


A pic of hinge all done...


Then to the ground, under the spare..


----------



## damonryoung

Pulled it back out and worked on the wiring underneath...

LED controller


Barrier strip for the sub speaker wire and remotes


Kinda missed a few pics of the wiring underneath all done... but here's the sub with acoustic-fill packed inside....



I am waiting on some more power wire to finish this up... Hopefully by the end of the week I can have it all done. I will get a few more pics soon.


----------



## Lunchbox12

Fantastic stuff Damon! Looking forward to more!


----------



## tjswarbrick

Coming along nicely. That hinge is some great work. And I love the kerf'ed sub enclosure.


----------



## Dylanmott

i love everything but the acrylic vw pattern. the asymmetry just throws me off. def in for more though!


----------



## damonryoung

Dylanmott said:


> i love everything but the acrylic vw pattern. the asymmetry just throws me off. def in for more though!


It's actually perfectly symmetrical... It's the amp sizes that's throwing you off. 

I would rather have the logo dead center in the car, instead of in between the amps...


----------



## Noobdelux

darn nice car you got there : ) i bumped my own mk v thread

btw il post up a shot later today on where i put my circut breaker if you havent found a nice spot, btw another one put it inside the fusebox in the front side of the box. removed the plastic so he got at the metal bars for the fuse box and ran from there.


----------



## damonryoung

Noobdelux said:


> darn nice car you got there : ) i bumped my own mk v thread


Thanks! I had definitely checked out your thread during the build!


----------



## Noobdelux

DRTHJTA said:


> Thanks! I had definitely checked out your thread during the build!


darn you where too fast replying hah.. forgot something and added to my post and it chrashed the page lol.. annyhow i found once a photo of somone conecting the power wires from inside of the fusebox, in the front side of the car, he had removed all the plastic so he got in to the bus bar(?) of the fuseholder it self..


----------



## Noobdelux

btw the old thread is arround somewhere as well. my amplifiers where too big to be able to have them in the oem plastic as you did


----------



## fahrfrompuken

If you check out my build log, I put the circuit breaker on the front of the fuse box using nylon hardware so it would not contact the metal strip behind it. Worked pretty well. I will be interested to see what you come up with...

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


----------



## JORGEFLG

Great work! a like a lot vw logo on amplifiers rack...
We are on the lookout for any update


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> If you check out my build log, I put the circuit breaker on the front of the fuse box using nylon hardware so it would not contact the metal strip behind it. Worked pretty well. I will be interested to see what you come up with...
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


I looked through you thread and see that you upgraded to 0awg, but didn't see any pics of the main fuse holder... 

Also, I've got an idea of how to make the fuse holder work... Let's see if I can make it happen.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

I used a Stinger 200A CB, not a fuse. I just looked and there were no pics of that. I will snap a pic on my way out today and upload it in the build log. Damn, I thought I had that in there... Sorry about that.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


----------



## Noobdelux




----------



## damonryoung

We've got power!!











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Lunchbox12

Muahahahaha! It's alive.....ALIVE!!!!


----------



## damonryoung

Lunchbox12 said:


> Muahahahaha! It's alive.....ALIVE!!!!



And, much like Frankenstein's monster, it is a little rough around the edges right now. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## [email protected]

moar pics, moar pics!!!!


----------



## damonryoung

Boar pics?? 

I've got some more pics to share later this morning. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

Awesome news!
Did you find a spot for the controller?


----------



## damonryoung

I have decided to go with the location under the HVAC controls. It's not difficult to reach and it's out of the way. I still haven't fabricated that (along with the back cover) but that's coming before our next GTG in March. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

So, while I do have sound, this is still a bit away from being finished. I want to at least get a basic tune before I go and finish this thing out just in case I find something that I don't like...

Here's what I ended up doing for the main fuse.
I used some basic 3/4"x1/8" aluminum stock and cut it down to size and drilled holes for the fuse holder and the OEM bolts I used to mount this to the car...



Then I shot it with some black paint...


Mounted to the car...



Main power from the fuse box...


I have a strong feeling that I will revisit this in the near future. While it is solid, I'm sure the paint will not last long and it's not that "pretty" 

Finally, I was able to get to the back and wire the distro block up...




I kinda feel like I'm missing something.... I do need to get a pic of the whole back end as it stands now and can do that this evening... We are driving to Phoenix this weekend, so I'll get roughly 12 hours (round trip) to figure out where the "holes" are... I hope to have the crossover points and phasing figured out tonight.


----------



## tjswarbrick

Black paint!
I left my fuse block bracket in bare aluminum, and it kinda sticks out.
Of course, for it to blend, I'll need to find some factory red. Still looking for a second attachment point - I really only see one ner the battery under my hood.

Lookin' good, Damon. Glad you can get some music out of it for the long drive!


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> Black paint!
> I left my fuse block bracket in bare aluminum, and it kinda sticks out.
> Of course, for it to blend, I'll need to find some factory red. Still looking for a second attachment point - I really only see one ner the battery under my hood.
> 
> Lookin' good, Damon. Glad you can get some music out of it for the long drive!


Maybe you could have your aluminum anodized red... It won't be an exact match, but I'm sure it would blend better...

Last night I spent about 2 hours setting the crossovers, phasing and levels... Without EQ or TA, I think that it sound pretty good! I'm getting a good blend from the midbass to the sub, which I find difficult to do most of the time...


----------



## tjswarbrick

DRTHJTA said:


> Maybe you could have your aluminum anodized red... It won't be an exact match, but I'm sure it would blend better...
> 
> Last night I spent about 2 hours setting the crossovers, phasing and levels... Without EQ or TA, I think that it sound pretty good! I'm getting a good blend from the midbass to the sub, which I find difficult to do most of the time...


That is often the hard part. And just when you think you have it right, the song changes and it's off a little again...
I had to bring the midbass back up just the slightest hair this morning for the exact same reason. Sounds perfect now. We'll see what happens when I change discs...


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> This is where I am planning on mounting the RUX... Just gotta figure the best way to make it look right...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any input on this would be appreciated...


Hey Damon, I followed you over here from the Vortex forum....haven't signed up there yet, haven't bought my JSW yet :blush:

But I have worked in 12vt before, tho I've been out longer than I was in. 

ANYWAY....where are you mounting the PXA-H800? I didn't think I'd seen it in the photos yet. Noticed you were running high-level to the back, so figure it's close to the amps. 

I've never seen the RUX or PXA in person, but after reading the Alpine site, sounds like a great option when leaving in the factory head-unit. I haven't paid close enough attention, does your JSW have the Navigation head-unit?

At this point I've got tons of questions about my pending JSW purchase, but I won't say more than that here.....this is about your system.

*HURRY UP AND FINISH ALREADY *


----------



## damonryoung

Just pulled in to Phoenix and after playing music the whole way the amps are only warm to the touch. That is even with them being "trapped" in their cubby. 

Also, I found an added benefit to putting an enclosure that covers the whole wheel well. It has seemed to cut out a lot more road noise! 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> Hey Damon, I followed you over here from the Vortex forum....haven't signed up there yet, haven't bought my JSW yet :blush:
> 
> 
> 
> But I have worked in 12vt before, tho I've been out longer than I was in.
> 
> 
> 
> ANYWAY....where are you mounting the PXA-H800? I didn't think I'd seen it in the photos yet. Noticed you were running high-level to the back, so figure it's close to the amps.
> 
> 
> 
> I've never seen the RUX or PXA in person, but after reading the Alpine site, sounds like a great option when leaving in the factory head-unit. I haven't paid close enough attention, does your JSW have the Navigation head-unit?
> 
> 
> 
> At this point I've got tons of questions about my pending JSW purchase, but I won't say more than that here.....this is about your system.
> 
> 
> 
> *HURRY UP AND FINISH ALREADY *



You know I was in the same boat with being in the 12V industry. It had been many years before I picked it back up as a hobby. 

Below you'll see a cell phone pic of where I've mounted the H800. This area will be made pretty in the coming month. 










I really like the H800 so far. Once I learned the menu structure, I found it easy to navigate. Also, it is very flexible. 

I did swap out my RCD-510 for an RNS-510 to incorporate the nav in the head unit. 

You have a PM!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

I had to hunt down some demons in the LEDs... 

Eradicated!!







While going through my camera, I found this pic from when we got stuck on the interstate outside Albuquerque back in November.


----------



## eddieg

Nice install! 

A duck vader just for you!

äåòáøú ìãó àçø


----------



## Lunchbox12

DRTHJTA said:


> I had to hunt down some demons in the LEDs...
> 
> Eradicated!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> While going through my camera, I found this pic from when we got stuck on the interstate outside Albuquerque back in November.


looking v slick! Love the color changeability Damon, just like choosing different lightsabers! Not that Darth would ever f*&$%n do that.


----------



## damonryoung

Lunchbox12 said:


> looking v slick! Love the color changeability Damon, just like choosing different lightsabers! Not that Darth would ever f*&$%n do that.


Thanks JJ!!

So I spent the last two days finishing up the fabrication portion of this build...

First up is the cover for the back... I missed a couple steps in the beginning...

You can see that I already cut the shape out here and was setting up to cut a hole out for the sub to breathe...


Using this awesome double-sided tape that JOey turned me on to... (You'll see it a lot in the pics from this weekend)


Found some expanded metal and the local Home Depot for the grill...


Couple pics of the grill flushed into the cover...



And all carpeted!!


----------



## damonryoung

Now to the piece that I have done my best to avoid... The trim for the RUX...

First off I want you guys to know that I tried this or messed this up at least five time...


Also, don't take 40 grit to your hand...


Originally I had intended on using the holder that I got with the RUX...

but the piece was too brittle so I went a different way...

Of course I missed some pics from the beginning  But the way I finally decided to do this was to make a back piece of 1/2" MDF with a cut out for the RUX in 1/4" on top...



Trying to get a feel of how this would look...



I then added a way to pull this out since I would be press fit...




I then carpeted the back in carpet to help with the press fit. Then made a template for the trim...


I needed to figure out a way to cut the opening as straight as possible without using a Fukuda Tool





I transferred that piece to 1/4" plexi...




Added magnets to both sides for added support...


Filling in the front side of the plexi where I drilled pilots for the magnets... (Thanks again to JOey)


Then sanding the filler...


Ready to paint...




Finally!! It's not perfect, but I'm good with it for now...


----------



## REGULARCAB

Nicely done sir! The one thing I have always avoided was dash pieces.


----------



## [email protected]

Lookin' good!!!!!!


----------



## tjswarbrick

Very nicely done, Damon.
I don't know what your trick was, but those cuts look professional.


----------



## vwdave

Wow that looks great. I'm looking forward to seeing it in a couple of weeks.

Huge progress from when we met a few months ago.


----------



## toysoldier3646

lookin good. I think I recognize those old headlights of mine lol

not sure if you mentioned this but does the plastic trim for the rear storage by the seat back remove separately from the other compartment? I haven't had a chance to really inspect on my jsw


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks everyone! 

I now think I've got a little demon living in one of my amps. Hope to have a solution soon. 



toysoldier3646 said:


> lookin good. I think I recognize those old headlights of mine lol
> 
> not sure if you mentioned this but does the plastic trim for the rear storage by the seat back remove separately from the other compartment? I haven't had a chance to really inspect on my jsw



They are!

The cubbies come out in four total pieces. There is a lid over each compartment. Then the support for the lids is split down the middle of the car. Seven screws for the lids and two nuts for the support. 

Hope that is the answer you're looking for. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## optimaprime

Dude that's pretty !


----------



## toysoldier3646

DRTHJTA said:


> They are!
> 
> The cubbies come out in four total pieces. There is a lid over each compartment. Then the support for the lids is split down the middle of the car. Seven screws for the lids and two nuts for the support.
> 
> Hope that is the answer you're looking for.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


excellent, exactly what I wanted to hear, thanks


----------



## damonryoung

So I've been in this parking garage (I live on a pretty busy street) for the last couple hours trying to dial this thing in. 

I've got this pretty nasty hump in the 200hz range and was wondering if that was some function of the "enclosure" (door)? My mid bass plays from 71-315, so it's pretty much all in that driver. I am able to tame it with the EQ, but not too happy with the large cut. But that's what the EQ is for, right?

Once that is tamed, the mid bass makes pretty good impact and the midrange is able come through much better. 

I have a feeling I'll need a lot of input at this GTG coming up...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Dylanmott

love it man, all i'd say is find the oem paint from the center console forthat head unit panel


----------



## damonryoung

Dylanmott said:


> love it man, all i'd say is find the oem paint from the center console forthat head unit panel


Thanks Dylan... It's actually a lot closer in person


----------



## damonryoung

Noticed some condensation on the inside of the windshield this morning. So I did some investigation and saw this...










These pano roofs are notorious for leaking and we got plenty of rain over the weekend. 

Looks like I've got a project for this evening. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## REGULARCAB

I hate leaks, hopefully you caught it before your car smells like a wet dog. I waited too long once.... once


----------



## quality_sound

First thing, check the drains in the A- and D-pillars. If those are clear, lube them with some petroleum jelly to keep them from sticking in the future. If they're not clear squeeze them to open them up and drain them. Not uncommon for leaves to build up in them. The drain ends should be black in the A-pillars and the tubes in the D-pillars are typically green and are visible on both sides of the hatch. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> First thing, check the drains in the A- and D-pillars. If those are clear, lube them with some petroleum jelly to keep them from sticking in the future. If they're not clear squeeze them to open them up and drain them. Not uncommon for leaves to build up in them. The drain ends should be black in the A-pillars and the tubes in the D-pillars are typically green and are visible on both sides of the hatch.
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk



Thanks Paul. I might need a little more help once I'm ready to tear this thing back apart to find the source. Luckily I don't think we're expecting rain for awhile now. 

It appears the water pooled up in the spare tire well only and came from the passenger's side. The only casualty was some ensolite which I have plenty of. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## quality_sound

Sounds like a disconnected drain or, if the rear washer reservoir is on that side, it might be that hose that's disconnected. Did it smell like VW washer fluid or water? If it's water I'll bet the drain is disconnected, especially if the headliner isn't wet.


----------



## vwdave

Damn, sorry to see about the leak. I can't wait to hear your car at the meet.


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> Sounds like a disconnected drain or, if the rear washer reservoir is on that side, it might be that hose that's disconnected. Did it smell like VW washer fluid or water? If it's water I'll bet the drain is disconnected, especially if the headliner isn't wet.


Definitely did not smell like washer fluid... and the headliner is not wet... Will I need to access the drain from inside the vehicle?


----------



## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Damn, sorry to see about the leak. I can't wait to hear your car at the meet.


I figured it was coming at some point... Just glad we don't get that much rain. 

On a positive note, I had a chance to figure out something that had been bothering me since I messed with T/A... The center image was just not there, my wife even made a comment about it...  Checked the phasing and my midranges were off and now I've got a better center image!


----------



## quality_sound

DRTHJTA said:


> Definitely did not smell like washer fluid... and the headliner is not wet... Will I need to access the drain from inside the vehicle?


Yep. You're going to have to pull the side panel off. Which I think means you're going to have to remove the floor pieces as well.


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> Yep. You're going to have to pull the side panel off. Which I think means you're going to have to remove the floor pieces as well.


Yes it does.... It's funny, I've already considered losing the spare all together and using the entire well for the sub, dsp, and distribution block. That gives me a perfect excuse to pull this out to fix the drain and rebuild the back. We shall see...


----------



## diy.phil

Is there actually a water trail leading into the spare tire area? Or was it some splashes from the road/tire/underbody into an opening/hole near that area? Did you add any holes for grounding or mounting stuff in that area? (Also try to use a garden hose to spray from the bottom/underbody or outside wheel wells to see if any water makes it in.) Good luck on tracking it down!


----------



## quality_sound

He would have had to have cut a HUGE hole for that much water to come in. Only other possibility is taillight seals.


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> Yes it does.... It's funny, I've already considered losing the spare all together and using the entire well for the sub, dsp, and distribution block. That gives me a perfect excuse to pull this out to fix the drain and rebuild the back. We shall see...


*Honestly, how many times does the spare get used? I've been driving for 25-years....my answer....ONCE!*

*I plan to remove my spare, stereo and suspension pieces-parts will take the place. I've even considered cutting the spare-well out, widening the space to use the large opening between the ride side frame and the well.....or maybe just install an airtank under the car* <shrug>


----------



## kwhitelaw

DRTHJTA said:


> Yes it does.... It's funny, I've already considered losing the spare all together and using the entire well for the sub, dsp, and distribution block. That gives me a perfect excuse to pull this out to fix the drain and rebuild the back. We shall see...


While you're in there, I'd fix both rears (even if only one is leaking), and then do the fronts next time you have the A pillars out. I had my front right and rear left drains leak, decided to just take care of them all.

You'll be able to see a small gap where the hard plastic fitting meets up with the pliable drain hose. I just siliconed it all around, then once dry, taped it up. No problems in over a year since.


----------



## damonryoung

kwhitelaw said:


> While you're in there, I'd fix both rears (even if only one is leaking), and then do the fronts next time you have the A pillars out. I had my front right and rear left drains leak, decided to just take care of them all.
> 
> You'll be able to see a small gap where the hard plastic fitting meets up with the pliable drain hose. I just siliconed it all around, then once dry, taped it up. No problems in over a year since.


Good point! Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup:


----------



## quality_sound

You shouldn't have to remove the A-pillars to check those. It wouldn't hurt to check the hose condition, but to clear the hoses you shouldn't need to pull the pillars and we all know how much they suck to reinstall. lol

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

Name tag attached! That's better!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

What comes next?....


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

Oooh, I know, I know.


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Oooh, I know, I know.



As you should since you've had a little experience with this product. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

Well, that was quick.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Well, that was quick.



You know how GTGs work... 

But, in all actuality, this will replace the weakest link in my system. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> You know how GTGs work...



Exactly Dustin...get with the program. 

Damon, are you going to add a CD changer too?


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Damon, are you going to add a CD changer too?



I have considered it... I know it would make life in the lanes easier, along with GTGs. 

Any recommendations?


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> I have considered it... I know it would make life in the lanes easier, along with GTGs.
> 
> Any recommendations?
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...



Yep. Check the Smart's build log. Our main motivation was for GTGs actually, since when Gary first listened to the Smart he brought his stack of discs and there was no place to put them.

But basically, try to track down an Alpine S624 like in my sig along with an RF unit that I posted about in the smart's build log. You can basically toggle between the changer and the pure i20 as source inputs with the two optical ins of the h800.


----------



## rton20s

papasin said:


> Exactly Dustin...get with the program.


Oh, I've been a member of the GTG Upgrade Program for a while now. That is how I ended up with a set of C6s, a Black 12 and a dedicated subwoofer amp.


----------



## papasin

rton20s said:


> Oh, I've been a member of the GTG Upgrade Program for a while now. That is how I ended up with a set of C6s, a Black 12 and a dedicated subwoofer amp.


We've talked about what you need next, so I won't clutter up Damon's thread.


----------



## TheDavel

I've had my i20 in my car for months, only used it to verify it worked... I planned to have a 5S by now, but haven't got it. At you going to do a specdock as well?


----------



## damonryoung

TheDavel said:


> I've had my i20 in my car for months, only used it to verify it worked... I planned to have a 5S by now, but haven't got it. At you going to do a specdock as well?












^^^ in true Darth fashion! 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

That's no moon...

Sounds fun, Damon. Keep us posted!


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Yep. Check the Smart's build log. Our main motivation was for GTGs actually, since when Gary first listened to the Smart he brought his stack of discs and there was no place to put them.
> 
> But basically, try to track down an Alpine S624 like in my sig along with an RF unit that I posted about in the smart's build log. You can basically toggle between the changer and the pure i20 as source inputs with the two optical ins of the h800.


So, I picked an S624 up last night with the RF modulator from some guy in Cerritos last night.  Thanks JT!

While there I was able to kick a couple ideas off him for the iPad mount and believe that I have a game plan for that once I get there... 

Also, I had him give the car a listen. I felt that something was definitely off, but I think I had convinced myself that it was ok. Well, it didn't take long for him to confirm what was wrong. On the way home I made the decision to re-tune from scratch and, for some reason, decided to do that last night... Pulled into my tuning haven around 9:30 and left around 1ish... 

I definitely feel better about my center image and the upper end. Mrs Papasin made the comment when listening to my car at the GTG that the lower end seemed exaggerated and I believe that was due to my midbass over taking the rest of the system more than my sub being too loud (although that did have something to do with it) 

I'm looking forward to getting more feedback this weekend at the MECA comp in Fresno!


----------



## damonryoung

When you know your abilities are not up to a task, you farm out that task to a master.... Thanks JT!!










I'll add more pics later. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

Oh wow. Very nice. Good to have access to a master. You got me thinkin' V-Dub for my next car again.


----------



## papasin

Just like it rolled out of the dealership. For me, it's making it look that clean and integrated which makes it that much more impressive. I'm not big on bling. Clean and understated is where it's at. And yes, JT is a master.


----------



## quality_sound

I like it. I have an iPad in my STI right now but I may pull it out. I'm only using it like an iPod anyway. Decisions decisions 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> Oh wow. Very nice. Good to have access to a master. You got me thinkin' V-Dub for my next car again.



We love this VW... We like the look of the MKVII wagon too... But we'll be keeping this one for a long while. 



















Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## diy.phil

^beware.. you can put an unlimited number of amps and subs in that wagon! 

Your new dash/mount looks very nice/pretty!


----------



## quickaudi07

Hey guys I have a quick question, i was wondering if they have any dock for Galaxy Android that could be used and have optical output like they have for apple product?

I currently have Windows 8 tablet 11.6" in my car, and its going int o plug and play device that has optical output to my H800 same processor that OP does, im just not a big fan of apple product, is there anything for Galaxy stuff?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

quality_sound said:


> I like it. I have an iPad in my STI right now but I may pull it out. I'm only using it like an iPod anyway. Decisions decisions
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


STI? WTF???


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> We love this VW... We like the look of the MKVII wagon too...


Right now, I'm debating the 2014/2015 wagen question. Order 2014 now, get early July. Wait for May, order 2015, get in August....the tough part is knowing which I like the look of better.

*Very nice update Damon* :rockon:


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> Right now, I'm debating the 2014/2015 wagen question. Order 2014 now, get early July. Wait for May, order 2015, get in August....the tough part is knowing which I like the look of better.
> 
> *Very nice update Damon* :rockon:


That is a tough decision... I was one of the early adopters of the MKV.5 Wagens, so I would probably lean towards the MKVII 

Keep an eye out, I've got some more changes in the near future that will need to done before my next competition in May!


----------



## rton20s

The dash looks awesome. JT did a great job. I definitely need to give the car a listen at the next comp.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> The dash looks awesome. JT did a great job. I definitely need to give the car a listen at the next comp.


I need to listen to your's too! We keep saying that...  Definitely needs to be a must at the next event!


----------



## rton20s

Indeed. I need to spend some more time on mine, and get my CCF and MLV ordered. Hopefully find some time that works for Jim for him to go over the tuning (or lack thereof) as well.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Do you have a head unit in there or are you all tablet - based at this point?


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> Do you have a head unit in there or are you all tablet - based at this point?


Tablet through a Pure i20... I will be installing an Alpine S624 changer for the times that I need to play a CD (comps and GTGs).

Will you still be competing in Street this year?


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Nah, moving up this year. I will either be in Mod Street or Mod. In IASCA I'll be in Amateur. How about you? Will you be competing?


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> Nah, moving up this year. I will either be in Mod Street or Mod. In IASCA I'll be in Amateur. How about you? Will you be competing?


I entered my first comp of the season two weeks ago... I won and got last place all at the same time... 

I technically could be classified in Street, but there is a chance that I move my midbass to the kicks which would move me up to ModStreet. So, that's where I competed and plan to do so the entire season.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Cool. You have the mid basses in the doors now? I competed all last season with my drivers in the stock locations. Getting rid of buzzing door panels with 8s in the doors is tough man.


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> Cool. You have the mid basses in the doors now? I competed all last season with my drivers in the stock locations. Getting rid of buzzing door panels with 8s in the doors is tough man.


I do and I'm finding that out as I go along... Are you moving yours to the kicks? I've considered it, but wasn't sure if I would just be changing the location of the resonance from the doors to my feet...


----------



## fahrfrompuken

It would be easy to keep the kicks from resonating... easier than the doors for sure. I have a manual transmission so I am going a different direction...


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> It would be easy to keep the kicks from resonating... easier than the doors for sure. I have a manual transmission so I am going a different direction...


I, too, have a manual... I shall be on the lookout for your build updates!


----------



## damonryoung

Last picture of this setup...











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## mikey7182

What happened? Have something else in the works?


----------



## damonryoung

mikey7182 said:


> What happened? Have something else in the works?



Both... I had a sunroof leak awhile back, so I've tracked that down today. Win! While I had everything torn out, I am adding a sub and changing the look up in the spare tire well. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## jtaudioacc

plenty of room for (2) 15's!


----------



## damonryoung

jtaudioacc said:


> plenty of room for (2) 15's!



Not under in that wheel well! I'm lucky the subs I use don't take up too much space...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

That green hose had come out of the flex connector... Fixed with plenty of silicone. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## TheDavel

jtaudioacc said:


> plenty of room for (2) 15's!


He can fit 2 in the wheel well... He just needs encouragement... I fit 1 with ease... My amps and processor are just above it. You can do it!


----------



## damonryoung

TheDavel said:


> He can fit 2 in the wheel well... He just needs encouragement... I fit 1 with ease... My amps and processor are just above it. You can do it!



You say no problem, yet that 15 looks like it takes up the whole well! Looks great though!!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## fahrfrompuken

TheDavel said:


> He can fit 2 in the wheel well... He just needs encouragement... I fit 1 with ease... My amps and processor are just above it. You can do it!


Really nice looking install. How are the amps suspended over the sub? I see the perforated metal so the amps can breath... how does the sub fire into the cabin? Sorry, hard to see in those pics.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


----------



## TheDavel

fahrfrompuken said:


> Really nice looking install. How are the amps suspended over the sub? I see the perforated metal so the amps can breath... how does the sub fire into the cabin? Sorry, hard to see in those pics.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


I'll take some pics and post them in my thread so I don't thread jack 2 much... I built a metal frame and surfaced it with expanded steel, did a few other things to that then carpeted it with non backed carpet so the sound/heat could pass through...


----------



## damonryoung

I got the well taped and one layer of glass up today. Hoping I can finish the glass before the weekend. 











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## TheDavel

Pm me if you want your glassing time cut in half at a minimum...


----------



## damonryoung

TheDavel said:


> Pm me if you want your glassing time cut in half at a minimum...



Always up for helpful tips! You have a pm. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## hot9dog

I cant wait to see the finished product!!!


----------



## vwdave

Damn Damon, how did I. Is that you added an iPad to the dash? JT is the man, he knows what he's doing for sure.

Do I have the last Vw in so cal without a tablet in the dash? Lol

Can't wait to see what else you have in store. I hope I can make it in May to at least see you clean up...even if I'm out of the competition.


----------



## Chaos

The constant evolution of the true DIY approach is always the most enjoyable to read about, and this is a great example of the process.


----------



## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Damn Damon, how did I. Is that you added an iPad to the dash? JT is the man, he knows what he's doing for sure.
> 
> 
> 
> Do I have the last Vw in so cal without a tablet in the dash? Lol
> 
> 
> 
> Can't wait to see what else you have in store. I hope I can make it in May to at least see you clean up...even if I'm out of the competition.



Maybe not the only one, but close! 

This reminds me, I said I would add some build pictures JT sent me... Let me did those up. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Chaos said:


> The constant evolution of the true DIY approach is always the most enjoyable to read about, and this is a great example of the process.



Thanks Chaos! I think the constant evolution for me is the fact that I like to build stuff!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## quickaudi07

vwdave said:


> You aren't going to suggest he adds more hardener to the resin are you? It might work, but it gets REALLY hot when you do that. If there's another way I'd love to know it, although I am never in a hurry when I glass.


Dave,, so far great work 

I use this when it comes to resin and hardener, Wahoo International, is a leading manufacturer of UV cure resins. Sometimes called radiation curable resins. Solarez Polyester, ZEROVOC Epoxy Styrofoam Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) safe resins, Vinyl Ester, Microlite-white, Sponge-Rez and Neo-Rez.

You could also use hardener to cure even faster at spots where sun wont hit it. something to look in too, it works great, I build my box with in 3h.

Just fyi, you need UV Light or Sun to get the cure done fast!,
Make sure not to do it in the sun! is the main key, it also has a very low odor smell, nothing like regular fiberglass product!

If you need more info on the product, than please let me know, I strongly recommend it to anyone that needs to get things done quickly and not wait 3-4 for it to dry.

Hope it helps


----------



## damonryoung

Pics as promised....










































































































So, as you can probably see, it's press fit into its "cradle". Then the bezel snaps into the factory clips and holds it tightly from the front. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## TheDavel

Looking great! I'll call you in a few-


----------



## damonryoung

New power!!










Glass is done, just need to get it out and finish it. Gotta get it playing by our comp/GTG on the 10th. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

Nice. 3000W in a super compact form factor. Should get loud!


----------



## req

wow. that ipad mount looks impressive!

that would be something that would EASILY be 3D printable...

very very cool - looks like it came with the car man. AWESOME.


----------



## damonryoung

req said:


> wow. that ipad mount looks impressive!
> 
> that would be something that would EASILY be 3D printable...
> 
> very very cool - looks like it came with the car man. AWESOME.


You have a way to scan it?


----------



## hot9dog

DRTHJTA said:


> New power!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glass is done, just need to get it out and finish it. Gotta get it playing by our comp/GTG on the 10th.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Oh maaaannnn.... ever since i sat in your car- it made me think about redoing the gti... now your showing pictures of your new amps.... its making me want go over board with my ride now.... i promised my wife and the credit card companies i would be a good boy. Damn- here i go again . Lol. Im watching this one! Hahahaaa


----------



## tjswarbrick

Wow Damon. That's quite a switch since the beginning. Coming along very nicely. Looking forward to completion - and hearing it this summer.


----------



## rton20s

Very nice. What made you choose the Alpines over the PG SDs you already had? What is your plan with the SDs?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Very nice. What made you choose the Alpines over the PG SDs you already had? What is your plan with the SDs?


When I decided to add another sub, I wanted more power. I wasn't going to be able to fit another SD back there... I found these at a good price and they match the processor 

I will be selling the SDs, but I want to make sure that I've got everything sorted out with the install of the PDXs before I do that. I think the SDs are very good for their size and price!


----------



## papasin

rton20s said:


> Very nice. What made you choose the Alpines over the PG SDs you already had? What is your plan with the SDs?


You really have to ask that question? lol 

What is it they say...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let's see, iPad mini in dash, check. Processor, check. CD changer and controller, check. Matching amps, check.

I'm just waiting for an amp rack to match this car we know about...  :laugh:


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> When I decided to add another sub, I wanted more power. I wasn't going to be able to fit another SD back there... I found these at a good price and they match the processor


Makes sense. Seems those second gen PDXs perform quite well. And it is hard to beat that much power in such a small footprint. 



DRTHJTA said:


> I will be selling the SDs, but I want to make sure that I've got everything sorted out with the install of the PDXs before I do that. I think the SDs are very good for their size and price!


I'd love to grab that 1300.5 for the wife's car, but she would probably want to kill me if I did. I already have one 5 channel amp waiting to go in that has just been sitting on our kitchen table.


----------



## damonryoung

Small update. I have been missing a few pictures due to wanting to get this thing done by early next week. 

So many lessons learned on this part of my build. Thanks to TheDavel for the pointers before and after I made a mess of this thing.  Good news, I got it out of the car without breaking anything. Bad news, it took many tries and much frustration. 

Once out, I made a template for the the top of the enclosure. 










Then I did a mock up for what will be on display. 










That's the basic layout, but the H800 and distributions will be elevated. 

That's it for today. I hope to finish the top up tomorrow or Thursday and get it attached to the glass. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> You really have to ask that question? lol
> 
> What is it they say...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let's see, iPad mini in dash, check. Processor, check. CD changer and controller, check. Matching amps, check.
> 
> I'm just waiting for an amp rack to match this car we know about...  :laugh:


I just saw this... :laugh: I might have taken some cues from that vehicle... :thumbsup:

Also, there is a chance that the rack will look somewhat similar.


----------



## JayinMI

Which Dayton subs are those? I saw talk of doing 2 15's, so I was curious. iPad dash bezel looks awesome. The more of these I see, the more I want one.

Jay


----------



## req

DRTHJTA said:


> You have a way to scan it?


no i do not, but it does not look like it would be to terribly hard to make the back-plate where the ipad mounts... the hard part would be making the front plate with the friction clips because obviously you had to change the opening size.

man... that would be a serious money maker if one were able to sell an ipad mini in-dash mount that was drop-in like you made... jeesh.


----------



## damonryoung

JayinMI said:


> Which Dayton subs are those? I saw talk of doing 2 15's, so I was curious. iPad dash bezel looks awesome. The more of these I see, the more I want one.
> 
> 
> 
> Jay



They are the HO 10s... There was just peer pressure to fit 15s


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## UNBROKEN

You gonna be all set for the 10th?


----------



## JayinMI

DRTHJTA said:


> They are the HO 10s... There was just peer pressure to fit 15s
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Gotcha. I have 1 of the HO 10's, and will be running it in about .65-.7 cu ft sealed with about 400 Watts going to it. What are your plans for yours, enclosure-wise?

Jay


----------



## damonryoung

UNBROKEN said:


> You gonna be all set for the 10th?



I will definitely have sound. I may not have enough time to make the pretty pieces. 

Hoping that Jim will be able to squeeze me in next week. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Got a little more done tonight. Started by mounting the t-nuts for the subs. 



















Once that was done, I moved to making the baffle permanent. 

This is the center brace and the pass through for the mounting means, which is how the factory spare was secured. 










Glued down...



















Finally, I went to filling the edges. 



















That's how I've left it for now. I'm hoping to have this portion done before the weekend so I can focus on getting the wiring finished in the vehicle Saturday or Sunday. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

JayinMI said:


> Gotcha. I have 1 of the HO 10's, and will be running it in about .65-.7 cu ft sealed with about 400 Watts going to it. What are your plans for yours, enclosure-wise?
> 
> 
> 
> Jay



Based on WinISD, I've got both of these in a 0.65 ft^3 enclosure with roughly 1300 watts. I previously had 1 in a 0.325 ft^3 enclosure with 500 watts and I liked the way it played. Hoping I like this enclosure too. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## JayinMI

Yep, they model decently in about .3ft sealed, which would be awesome...but then I heard Stakele's up front setup and he said (IIRC) that he was in about .7, and since my enclosure has about that much airspace (I designed it that way, so that I could run some other subs in case the Dayton didn't do it for me.) I'm gonna give it a shot. If I feel it really needs more power, I might swap one of my old Sony Mobile ES amps for an Arc KS300.2 and go to about 700 watts.

Coming along nicely, btw.

Jay


----------



## tjswarbrick

Looking good, Damon. 2 10's, not isobaric, in .65ft? That's awesome! Now I really want to hear it when you're done.


----------



## damonryoung

Little update before I go outside and fry...

Had the factory battery die on me this week. It was four years old, so it was time anyhow. Picked up a Duralast Platinum AGM. I thought my lights seemed brighter right away, but accredited it to the placebo effect. Then we drove with the AC yesterday and noticed that the lag we had grown accustom to with the AC on was gone. The wife was the one to bring it up so I know that wasn't placebo!

I need to have this playing music by EOD tomorrow so I can get someone to put their ears on it Monday. 

I'll be back with a build update this evening!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Don't you love those days when you work all day and it looks like you did close to nothing? That was today. 

Today's focus was running permanent wiring for my accessories and putting everything ahead of the seats back together. (The wife likes that) 

Got the Pure i20 held down in place. 


















Next a put the changer in the space that was vacated by the factory bluetooth module. 










What you can see of it when the seat is in a normal position. 









(Sorry for the dark pics)

This mess is where all my accessory power is run to. 










By tomorrow night, there should be some audio coming from here. 











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

I have sound again! It only took me until 1:30am to get there.  Anyhow, besides beauty panels the only thing I'm waiting on are custom RCAs to clean up some of the mess. Again I missed far too many pictures along the way. 

I started the day off by making stands for my distro blocks and H800










Next I carpeted the top of the enclosure and added the stands. 


















Then input that into the car. 










One final pic of it installed around midnight. (Really crappy lighting)










So, the parts I missed. For the amps, I just cut a piece of 1/4" MDF and carpeted it so they would have something to hold on to. It is super tight in that cubby now. I made a stand for my fuse block that also houses my LED controller for those beauty panels in the future. 

Tonight someone with better ears than I will be tuning this thing!

I promise better pics once I get things in better order. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

Awesome progress. I look forward to hearing it this weekend!


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Awesome progress. I look forward to hearing it this weekend!


Yeah, maybe we can listen to each other's cars for the first time... :laugh:


----------



## rton20s

Yup, just in time for me to change it again after the comp.  I think I'm going to end up moving my tweeters to my A pillars.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Yup, just in time for me to change it again after the comp.  I think I'm going to end up moving my tweeters to my A pillars.


I'm bracing myself for a few helpful comments from Jim tonight...


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> I'm bracing myself for a few helpful comments from Jim tonight...


He was a HUGE help for me. I'm hoping to get some actual extended listening time in my car tonight. He helped me not only identify issues I was having, but also what was causing them. 

Also, make sure your amp switches are all in the right position. For instance, "L+R MONO" vs "BRIDGED (R IN)." Not surprisingly, it makes a difference.


----------



## papasin

rton20s said:


> Yup, just in time for me to change it again after the comp.  I think I'm going to end up moving my tweeters to my A pillars.


Go sails. You'll thank me later.


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> Yeah, maybe we can listen to each other's cars for the first time... :laugh:


I'm looking forward to hearing both your guys' vehicles...and hopefully, as a spectator for a change. 

In all seriousness, I do like judging...but also want to just hang with the team too.


----------



## rton20s

papasin said:


> Go sails. You'll thank me later.


I know your end game. There will be no mids in the kicks.  Threadjack over.


----------



## papasin

rton20s said:


> I know your end game. There will be no mids in the kicks.  Threadjack over.



Nothing to do with MY end game, more to do with knowing others who have tried that for your exact vehicle and the results they have encountered. I will message you as to not thread jack further...


----------



## quality_sound

Agreed. Sails in a MkV or MkVI DRAMATICALLY widen the stage. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> Agreed. Sails in a MkV or MkVI DRAMATICALLY widen the stage.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Mine are in the factory sails, that was for another car...

I got extremely positive feedback last night concerning my install, which includes the factory locations in this car!

Now, I just need to get my RCAs in and tidy up a little for this weekend.


----------



## papasin

Looking forward to hearing it this weekend! And so long as it is playing, it's not a beauty contest unless you are competing install.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

quality_sound said:


> Agreed. Sails in a MkV or MkVI DRAMATICALLY widen the stage.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


What about tweeters in the a-pillars. What kind of results have you seen?


----------



## rton20s

papasin said:


> Looking forward to hearing it this weekend! And so long as it is playing, it's not a beauty contest unless you are competing install.


Fortunately, this is quite true!


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> What about tweeters in the a-pillars. What kind of results have you seen?


That was a threadjack...  My tweeters are in the sail panels, in fact all my drivers are in factory locations.


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Looking forward to hearing it this weekend! And so long as it is playing, it's not a beauty contest unless you are competing install.


This is true, I wouldn't want to show anyone the work I've done so far in the back in its current condition.


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> That was a threadjack...


Jerks. 



DRTHJTA said:


> My tweeters are in the sail panels, in fact all my drivers are in factory locations.


Would you then qualify to compete in Street? Did you move up in class just in case you decided to change things up later?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Jerks.


Just a little jab... 



rton20s said:


> Would you then qualify to compete in Street? Did you move up in class just in case you decided to change things up later?


I would qualify for Street. At the Fresno comp, I had a thought that I might move the midbass to the kicks. I'm not so set on that now since Jim couldn't find any fault in their current location. We talked about moving to Street, but I would lose the points I gained in Fresno. So, I'll just stick it out in Mod Street for the season.


----------



## papasin

Just to clarify though, even putting tweeters in the a-pillars (vs. the sail factory locations) would still be street or mod street. Main difference between street and mod street as I see it is that mod street allows you to put 6.5" drivers in the kicks.


----------



## rton20s

papasin said:


> Just to clarify though, even putting tweeters in the a-pillars (vs. the sail factory locations) would still be street or mod street. Main difference between street and mod street as I see it is that mod street allows you to put 6.5" drivers in the kicks.


I actually just re-read the rules and it doesn't appear that there is any limitation on tweeter locations in Street. 



MECA 2014 Rulebook said:


> 7. Only factory speaker locations are permitted for speaker upgrades, *except for tweeters and subwoofers*. Factory speaker locations may be trimmed to fit same size replacement speaker (cone area). In no case can more than .5" of total diameter be removed. Oval speaker locations are the exception. For example a 5x7 speaker can be replaced with a 5' speakers. Speakers must be mounted in factory manner. The use of spacers and baffles are permitted.
> 
> 8. Optional pair of tweeters. The manufacturer must specify tweeter diaphragm or cone size is 2" or less. *Tweeters may be flush, surface or mounted in custom pods.* Pods must resemble a factory appearance. The use of factory style fabric is allowed on A-pillars, modified to accept tweeters. *Cutting of plastic is allowed for this install.*


----------



## papasin

rton20s said:


> I actually just re-read the rules and it doesn't appear that there is any limitation on tweeter locations in Street.


Be careful. You don't want to run into the surface mounting dash incident 3 or so years ago at World Finals... (it moved a competitor from street all the way to MODEX) 

(sorry DRTHJTA for all the tangents)


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Be careful. You don't want to run into the surface mounting dash incident 3 or so years ago at World Finals... (it moved a competitor from street all the want to MODEX)
> 
> (sorry DRTHJTA for all the tangents)


That sucks!

No worries, I was just giving Dustin a hard time earlier...


----------



## rton20s

papasin said:


> Be careful. You don't want to run into the surface mounting dash incident 3 or so years ago at World Finals... (it moved a competitor from street all the way to MODEX)
> 
> (sorry DRTHJTA for all the tangents)


I make a living working within and around rules.  Authority Having Jurisdiction can be a real pain though when they go rogue. Shoot me a PM or a link to this. I'm not familiar. 



DRTHJTA said:


> That sucks!
> 
> No worries, I was just giving Dustin a hard time earlier...


This will all end up buried in the thread when your next round of build log pics go up anyway.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> I make a living working within and around rules.  Authority Having Jurisdiction can be a real pain though when they go rogue.


Tell me about AHJs...  They can take any design and turn it on its head by interpreting a code/rule differently. I had one University recently that basically made a manufacturer add something to their product and have it re-listed with UL because they read a fire code differently. This is a product that they had been selling and installing for nearly two decades without comment, but it only took one person's interpretation being different...


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> Tell me about AHJs...  They can take any design and turn it on its head by interpreting a code/rule differently. I had one University recently that basically made a manufacturer add something to their product and have it re-listed with UL because they read a fire code differently. This is a product that they had been selling and installing for nearly two decades without comment, but it only took one person's interpretation being different...


Since the OP is chasing rabbits... AHJs seem like my daily nightmare. We have one local AHJ right now preventing us from getting an entire new middle school design approved because they want to leverage state money to develop local infrastructure. None of it actually having to do with code compliance. 

And on the flip side we have the state AHJ completely misinterpreting code and costing school districts (tax payers) tens of thousands of dollars per project to include fire protection measures that are absolutely unnecessary. That one we took all the way to our do nothing, lip service spewing state assembly person. Yeah, you can guess what kind of results we got from that. 

OK... more Jetta build pics! Oh, and which HO 10s are you using? SVC or DVC?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Since the OP is chasing rabbits...
> 
> OK... more Jetta build pics! Oh, and which HO 10s are you using? SVC or DVC?


OK, back on topic it is! The HOs are SVC run parallel at 2Ω... I promise more pics in the coming days...


----------



## TheDavel

Looking great, excited for more!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Dude, I am so sorry to thread jack. Just trying to get me some details on sails versus pillars. PM me if any of you have useful opinions or information. Thanks.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.


----------



## TOOSTUBBORN2FAIL

Sorry Damon, one more thread jack.



As soon as I'm up and running, I'll make sure you have a way to play it in your car.


----------



## damonryoung

Sweet! I look forward to it!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

So I tend to not keep my shop clean while working and end up with messes like this...










This definitely leads to much frustration while working when I'm not able to find something I need...

So, before I did anything further, I needed to clean up. 










It's a start... I got most of the trash out and the boxes in the lower corner need some organizing. 




Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Oh! This weekend I competed in my second event of the season. While I didn't win my class, I did improve and know the areas this install can improve in. 

More to come on that later!!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## palldat

DRTHJTA said:


> Oh! This weekend I competed in my second event of the season. While I didn't win my class, I did improve and know the areas this install can improve in.
> 
> More to come on that later!!
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


I thought your system sounded good before. It sounded great this past weekend. It is very nice on the eyes too. Very nice work all the way around.


----------



## damonryoung

palldat said:


> I thought your system sounded good before. It sounded great this past weekend. It is very nice on the eyes too. Very nice work all the way around.


Thanks Paul! I totally missed out on hearing your new tune! Next time around for sure!


----------



## palldat

DRTHJTA said:


> Thanks Paul! I totally missed out on hearing your new tune! Next time around for sure!


Anytime. 

Love to see the finished product. The upgrade looks great.


----------



## mikey7182

I enjoyed yours as well when I listened to it here in Phx. Did you end up adding the second sub? 

And I want a copy of that Epica album!!


----------



## damonryoung

mikey7182 said:


> I enjoyed yours as well when I listened to it here in Phx. Did you end up adding the second sub?
> 
> And I want a copy of that Epica album!!


I did and I will add some more pics once I take some decent ones and finish the beauty panels...


----------



## damonryoung

Did a little work tonight on the panels...


I don't have a good way to get 4' wide sheets to the house, so I had to manufacturer one...








I, also, needed to make feet for this panel









While that was setting up, I worked on the fuse box

































I got those carpeted and should have that finished tomorrow. 

While I was there I made sure my light circuit was operating. 









I keep saying this, but I promise to take some pictures with my SLR soon...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## TheDavel

More please!!!


----------



## rton20s

Nice progress Damon. 

You need more clamps.


----------



## damonryoung

A little more work done tonight. 

Got the fuse block pieces in...









Then went to work getting the main piece down to the right size... I used both the factory cover and the piece I had made before to get this one good...

































Then I got the feet on in the right places. Foam tape for the win!




















Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Made a lot of circles tonight.  I invested in two jasper jigs a couple weeks ago, someone wanna tell me why I didn't do that earlier?

Cut an opening in the cover piece. 









Made a grill.

















Rabbeted the opening to accept the grill. 

















Made the expanded metal sit flush. 

















I glued that down, then painted the underside of the cover and left it at there. 

That may be it for the week, hope to get a couple hours on it this weekend. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## diy.phil

oooooh nice!!!


----------



## vwdave

Looking awesome. What amps are you using now? I see you are selling the ones that I heard in your car. It sounded great with those so I can't imagine what's next.

When I got my jasper jig I also wondered why I waited so long to get it.


----------



## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Looking awesome. What amps are you using now? I see you are selling the ones that I heard in your car. It sounded great with those so I can't imagine what's next.
> 
> 
> 
> When I got my jasper jig I also wondered why I waited so long to get it.



I've got three Alpine PDXs wedged into the same space. That will be the last area that will get a beauty panel. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

Looking really good.
Jasper Jig you say? Sounds like a great idea for next time!


----------



## TheDavel

Looking great!


----------



## vwdave

DRTHJTA said:


> I've got three Alpine PDXs wedged into the same space. That will be the last area that will get a beauty panel.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Awesome. I can't wait to hear it.

I've got a revamp again in store. I was so embarrassed of my system at the last meet. Hopefully I can get my potential out of my equipment with the right combo of processors.


----------



## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Awesome. I can't wait to hear it.
> 
> 
> 
> I've got a revamp again in store. I was so embarrassed of my system at the last meet. Hopefully I can get my potential out of my equipment with the right combo of processors.



Look forward to what you have in store, Dave!

Tonight I came one step closer to finishing this... Did lots of carpeting...










































Now to the grille...




































Then, wait for it...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Lights!!


----------



## vwdave

Looking great. Those jasper jigs are awesome. I want to play with mine some more.


----------



## tjswarbrick

Very cool. Looks good.


----------



## JayinMI

I see a lot of DIY guys who don't want to buy routers/circle jigs/etc....but it makes such a HUGE difference! It is by far my favorite tool to use.

Nice work. 

Jay


----------



## Golden Ear

I can't believe I never saw this build log! I'm gonna go back to the beginning and check it out. I've seen and heard the car in person and it's very cool. Nice work Damon!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Looking good man. Great work and attention to detail. Pack that car in your suitcase when you fly out here so I can hear it!


----------



## TheDavel

Looks really good man!


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks guys!



JayinMI said:


> I see a lot of DIY guys who don't want to buy routers/circle jigs/etc....but it makes such a HUGE difference! It is by far my favorite tool to use.
> 
> Nice work.
> 
> Jay


It would be at the very top of my list if I were to start over and I can see myself using them quite a bit.

I wouldn't mind having something like the Fukuda jig, but that one will be reserved for times I really would use it a lot...


----------



## damonryoung

Took the car in to have the 70k service done and told them to check out a slow leak I had in one of the tires... They found a crack in that rim...

Guess who's getting new wheels??


----------



## rton20s

Just have them go ahead and upgrade you to a nice set of Lakeville or Mallory wheels.


----------



## quality_sound

See if they can find a set of Helios. ;-)

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

I really like Helio's, but I'm staying with an 18" rim and I would like to keep them black too...


----------



## quality_sound

Then the black Karthoums are where I'd look. I loved them on my MkV. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> Then the black Karthoums are where I'd look. I loved them on my MkV.
> 
> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


That's what I've got on here now! 

I think I'm just ready for something different... Considering some V710s...

V710 - Textured Matte Black by VMR Wheels, on Flickr


----------



## quality_sound

Those would look great as well. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## papasin

Lots of unexpected things of late eh?


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Lots of unexpected things of late eh?



Unexpected things happen... The key is to be in a position to either rectify or take advantage of those situations!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> That's what I've got on here now!
> 
> I think I'm just ready for something different... Considering some V710s...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> VMR Wheels


Those are so pretty....that's why I went with these:









chose these because they're like half price of the VMR's.....sadly, my 18x8's with et35 are going to have to go bye-bye.....I should have gone with et45, as I plan to add air suspension.


----------



## fniess3

Oh man. Those wheels…….so beautiful!! Makes me want to go buy a car I can put them on, just to have an excuse to buy the wheels!

Your install is impressive, btw. Do you have any plans for the plexi, like you did in the last install?


----------



## req

im a big fan of the BBS fork, but i love wheels with center lug nut caps to cover up all that nonsense in the middle... it seems rim companies are not making them like that much anymore.

im having some custom wheels done up (its a gift to myself lol. ive been saving up). pictures in my thread.



very nice wheels tho. they will look great with some coilovers.


----------



## damonryoung

fniess3 said:


> Oh man. Those wheels…….so beautiful!! Makes me want to go buy a car I can put them on, just to have an excuse to buy the wheels!
> 
> Your install is impressive, btw. Do you have any plans for the plexi, like you did in the last install?


I have ordered the wheels and hope to have them on this week!

Thanks Fred! I don't think this iteration will have quite the flash as the last one... maybe we'll figure something out in the future!


----------



## damonryoung

req said:


> im a big fan of the BBS fork, but i love wheels with center lug nut caps to cover up all that nonsense in the middle... it seems rim companies are not making them like that much anymore.
> 
> im having some custom wheels done up (its a gift to myself lol. ive been saving up). pictures in my thread.
> 
> 
> 
> very nice wheels tho. they will look great with some coilovers.


I saw your 80s Pontiacs... Definitely will be a one of a kind set! Really want to see how they turn out!

Coilovers are starting to creep into my mind... I just don't care to get stupid low.


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> I saw your 80s Pontiacs... Definitely will be a one of a kind set! Really want to see how they turn out!
> 
> Coilovers are starting to creep into my mind... I just don't care to get stupid low.


Hey! There is nothing wrong with stupid low. 

The nice thing about coil overs though is that you can set your height to whatever you want it to be. You don't have to go to the extreme of what a given set offers in the way of drop... the way some of us do.


----------



## cobb2819

DRTHJTA said:


> Coilovers are starting to creep into my mind... I just don't care to get stupid low.





rton20s said:


> Hey! There is nothing wrong with stupid low.


What do either of you know about stupid low?


----------



## rton20s

cobb2819 said:


> What do either of you know about stupid low?


Nothing I guess. 









Just to be clear, this was the day I decided to remove the air suspension. You've seen how it sits now.


----------



## damonryoung

I personally know nothing of stupid low... Never been my cup of tea...

Now this, I know something about...


----------



## rton20s

I had a '79 beater Bronco for a year out in Iowa that was a complete pain in the butt, but an absolute blast. 

I've always wanted to buy a first gen and do something like this. (Partially just to piss off the purists and off road guys.  )


----------



## JayinMI

Do it! And swap in an LS Chevy motor. lol

Jay


----------



## JayinMI

quality_sound said:


> Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


How do you like the Moto X? I'm considering it for my next phone.

Sorry for the hijack.

Jay


----------



## rton20s

JayinMI said:


> Do it! And swap in an LS Chevy motor. lol
> 
> Jay


Now _*that*_ is blasphemy. Make it a new Ford Coyote.


----------



## Golden Ear

18" black swangas, nuff said


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Damon, it was a pleasure to meet you this weekend. I hope that we made you feel welcome and that you had an enjoyable time out here in Texas. You have inspired me by traveling out to visit us. I might have to do the same even if I don't bring my car with me.


----------



## JayinMI

rton20s said:


> Now _*that*_ is blasphemy. Make it a new Ford Coyote.


That was the point. Lowered, classic Bronco powered by Chevy? Only thing better would be if it were channeled over a Toyota frame. lol

Jay


----------



## quality_sound

JayinMI said:


> How do you like the Moto X? I'm considering it for my next phone.
> 
> Sorry for the hijack.
> 
> Jay


I despise this thing. Even more than my GS4. I really just hate Android. Nothing EVER works right and you have to download apps just to make the basic phone operate properly. 

**** that noise. I'm going back to Apple. 

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> Damon, it was a pleasure to meet you this weekend. I hope that we made you feel welcome and that you had an enjoyable time out here in Texas. You have inspired me by traveling out to visit us. I might have to do the same even if I don't bring my car with me.


Rick it was great meeting you too! I somehow missed getting any pictures of your install!! You guys are more than welcome out here anytime!


----------



## fniess3

DRTHJTA said:


> Thanks Fred! I don't think this iteration will have quite the flash as the last one... maybe we'll figure something out in the future!


I had a dream about this last night. Might be too much for a car (or a little nerdy) but here is my logic:

DRTHJTA= Darth Jetta= Star Wars Fan + Black Jetta
Darth Vader + Big ass powerful sphere= Deathstar
Star Wars Fan install with big circle of plexi housing powerful audio components= An etching of the Deathstar?


----------



## rton20s

The next DRTHJTA enclosure?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> The next DRTHJTA enclosure?


You guys have seen me working on Bluetooth speakers and this thought crossed my mind... I've already purchased polystyrene balls to glass... We'll see if it ever comes to fruition though.


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> You guys have seen me working on Bluetooth speakers and this thought I crossed my mind... I've already purchased polystyrene balls to glass... We'll see if it ever comes to fruition though.


Nice. If you build one, the first track to play through it should be The Imperial March.


----------



## vwdave

DRTHJTA said:


> I have ordered the wheels and hope to have them on this week!
> 
> Thanks Fred! I don't think this iteration will have quite the flash as the last one... maybe we'll figure something out in the future!


That's awesome, can't wait to see your car with those wheels. I've been through the wheels thing, the lowered thing, and the performance thing. It's very fun to do on a weekend car but I'm not a fan of doing it on a daily driver.


----------



## damonryoung

Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

Nice shoes


----------



## [email protected]

pppeeerrrtyyyy!!!!!!!! 





DRTHJTA said:


> Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

What size did you go with? Have you selected tires yet? If they have the size you need, I have been very happy with the Continental Extreme Contact DWS.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> What size did you go with? Have you selected tires yet? If they have the size you need, I have been very happy with the Continental Extreme Contact DWS.


They are 18x8.5 ET45, while the Khartoums are 18x8 ET50. The really good news is that I'll be shaving roughly 5lbs per wheel! 

I still have about half of life left on my current tires. But the DWS are high on my list once my current ones are done.


----------



## JayinMI

I concur on the DWS tires


----------



## damonryoung

Again I came through with some crappy pics...


















I need to find some black wheel lugs... Also, I bought some duplicolor for my hubs and calipers. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Coppertone

Very nice, I run 18x8.5 ET 36 on my car. My tires are Continental Extreme DW 245/45/18 summer only tires. The grip in wet and dry is phenomenal. I used to run DWS on my winter wheels but even with awd during our NJ snow, traction wasn't the best so I've since gone to a dedicated winter only tire. Again the wheels and car look great paired together.


----------



## papasin

That's gotta be another 3 points on the scoresheet.


----------



## rton20s

Very nice Damon... but definitely in need of an altitude adjustment now.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Very nice Damon... but definitely in need of an altitude adjustment now.


I know, I know... That'll come at some point...


----------



## rton20s

Switching to old school A/B amps in the hatch might be good for a 1/2" in the rear.


----------



## req

neeeeds mooooarrrrr looowwww!!

Matt’s Candy MK6 JSW | AirSociety


----------



## toysoldier3646

req said:


> neeeeds mooooarrrrr looowwww!!
> 
> Matt’s Candy MK6 JSW | AirSociety


this haha


----------



## damonryoung

Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> Beware of autocorrect...


Wish I could have listened! Congrats!

Oh, and the girlfriend loved your wheels!


----------



## charliekwin

Thanks for the seat time today, it sounded great! Congratulations... well deserved!


----------



## leepersc

DRTHJTA said:


>


I love the choice of Alpine Equipment. Very nice install!


----------



## UNBROKEN

Congrats again, Damon.


----------



## MrsPapasin

Congratulations, Damon!


----------



## palldat

Congrats...sorry I didn't get a chance to hear. have t catch up with you offline


----------



## tjswarbrick

Awesome!

Congrats, Damon.
You still coming north in August? I'd love to hear it.


----------



## rton20s

As the others have said, congrats on the win yesterday! Great getting to hang out yesterday and even swap some ice cream secrets.


----------



## palldat

rton20s said:


> As the others have said, congrats on the win yesterday! Great getting to hang out yesterday and even swap some ice cream secrets.


I am glad you got your due. You seem to work hard and seem to be very passionate about what you do.

You deserve it.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Congrats Damon. I hope it was a good show.


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks everyone, and special thanks goes out to BigRed for making it sound it's best!!


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> Awesome!
> 
> Congrats, Damon.
> You still coming north in August? I'd love to hear it.


That's still the plan! Look forward to another GTG at SiS...


----------



## damonryoung

A couple vacation photos of Darth...


----------



## Golden Ear

Looks nice! I've always liked those wheels. :thumbsup:


----------



## DLO13

Just want to go on record and say this guy has the cleanest, most stock looking ipad install i've ever seen. EFFING AMAZING


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> Just want to go on record and say this guy has the cleanest, most stock looking ipad install i've ever seen. EFFING AMAZING



Yup, JT is the man!!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## cobb2819

DRTHJTA said:


> Yup, JT is the man!!
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...



Agreed!!!


----------



## papasin

^^ x3


----------



## quickaudi07

DRTHJTA said:


> Beware of autocorrect...


What kind of rims are these ??
NICHES???
This is what I got


----------



## Yawar538

Those wheels are amazing. Bronze would look dope!


----------



## damonryoung

quickaudi07 said:


> What kind of rims are these ??
> NICHES???
> This is what I got



They are VMR... I like yours too!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Just a couple more from today... 



















In the next couple weeks I will need to start on a new cover for the entire back end. This cover will have fans to help with the air circulation for the amps...


----------



## hot9dog

I like the vacation pics!


----------



## vwdave

Car is looking nice, as usual. I'll stay tuned to see the new beauty board.


----------



## damonryoung

Got started on the final cover for the back end...

I'm using 3/4" MDF for the top piece. 









Transferred the factory curve...

















Since I really don't have a good way to get full sheets, I've gotta make do. I cut another piece to make up the difference and test fit the two...













Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

I had to make room for the child seat tie downs...

















I was able to connect this piece to factory screws...

























You can see here the space I need to make up to cover the amps flush...

















Cut the pieces to cover the amps out of 1/4" MDF and 1/4" plexi...









Finally for today I made the openings in each to display the power...

























That's it for today! Hoping to have this done by the end of the week 



Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

very excited to see how this turns out! 
Now go clean up those perdy PDX amps.


----------



## vwdave

Looking great. I hope to make it out to a meet soon to have a look and listen to the revisions.


----------



## Golden Ear

I know this is gonna look good. I remember seeing your car for the first time in Fresno I was very impressed by the fact that you had done everything yourself. Can't wait to see the final product!


----------



## edouble101

:lurk:


----------



## TheDavel

plexi!


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> very excited to see how this turns out!
> Now go clean up those perdy PDX amps.


Yeah, I hate having them dirty... At least I'll now be able to display them properly!



Golden Ear said:


> I know this is gonna look good. I remember seeing your car for the first time in Fresno I was very impressed by the fact that you had done everything yourself. Can't wait to see the final product!


Thanks Dom! Will you be at SiS in a couple weeks?



TheDavel said:


> plexi!


and with that always comes lights!!


----------



## Golden Ear

DRTHJTA said:


> Thanks Dom! Will you be at SiS in a couple weeks?


Planning on it. Hopefully nothing else comes up.


----------



## palldat

Golden Ear said:


> Planning on it. Hopefully nothing else comes up.


Did JT finish your vehicle?


----------



## MrsPapasin

Very cool, Damon! Looking forward to seeing this at SiS!


----------



## Golden Ear

palldat said:


> Did JT finish your vehicle?


Not yet. I'm hoping to drop it off to him in a couple weeks. I'm very excited!


----------



## palldat

Golden Ear said:


> Not yet. I'm hoping to drop it off to him in a couple weeks. I'm very excited!


Sweet...I thought it was there already. What is he doing?


----------



## damonryoung

Update from the last couple of evenings... After the amp covers were cut, I went to finishing the top that is screwed into the vehicle...

This piece has four fans in them and I needed to accommodate them. Now, if you've followed along here or on any other of my builds, you will have seen me "make do" with the tools I have. This is mostly because I'm too lazy to drive half a mile to the store to get the correct tool. 










That's right! Instead of going and getting a hole saw, I used a router bit in my drill to make the hole large enough. 

Things always look better with a round over...

















I got that carpeted and moved on to the amp cover... Here I rabbited this so that I could carpet it and not have it interfere with the plexi that is attached below...










Wouldn't you know that I stopped taking pictures at that point Monday. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

That brings us to tonight. First I got the fans wired up...










Then I got the LEDs wired. No pictures there either. 

But who cares, right? I got the pieces installed and...

















I still need to finish the back half of the cover. That should be as simple as gluing my pieces together, cutting holes in it and carpeting it!

I, also, picked up some more black tech flex to cover the wiring in the wheel well so it won't show up as easy under the LEDs. 

Almost there...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## palldat

Looking really good.


----------



## tjswarbrick

Keepin' it clean.
Should look great once the wires vanish.
Looking forward to seeing it in person...


----------



## rton20s

It is looking great Damon!


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks all! I promise to take some quality pictures some day... I have the ability, I promise...


----------



## REGULARCAB

Its people like you that make me constantly look at what I've built and think... I can do better, I can make this a show piece as well as functional, they are watching me :laugh:

I like it :thumbsup:


----------



## Golden Ear

palldat said:


> Sweet...I thought it was there already. What is he doing?


Going to be doing almost everything...basically a complete build. Should be cool

This is looking amazing, Damon!


----------



## damonryoung

So, I'll start this post by saying that don't put your trust in a cheap jigsaw for straight cuts... I nearly sought out help on the larger piece. 

I started today by tech-flexing all the wiring in the wheel well. Those pics are on another camera and will upload those later. 

The whole time I was doing that, I was thinking of how to do that back piece properly without having a single piece. I grabbed lunch and another couple pieces of MDF and went at it. 

I got the opening for the amps cut and rabbeted...










I was left with round corners and took care of them with a screw driver and hammer. 


























Did the same thing for the opening over the subs...










This time I thought I would use the factory cover as a guide for my router...


























Finally, I put the sticky stuff to work...










That's where I am now. Just need to rabbet the edges and carpet.


----------



## damonryoung

REGULARCAB said:


> Its people like you that make me constantly look at what I've built and think... I can do better, I can make this a show piece as well as functional, they are watching me :laugh:
> 
> 
> 
> I like it :thumbsup:



Thanks!!


----------



## DLO13

LOOKS GEWWWWWD!


----------



## TheDavel

looking really good! I'm excited to see the finished product!


----------



## damonryoung

TheDavel said:


> looking really good! I'm excited to see the finished product!


Well, hopefully the finished product will look like nothing is there... 

After looking at what I did yesterday and the amp cover I did last week, I'm pretty sure I will take another stab at the cover. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but in person you can tell it's not right... I think I've got my process down now, so it shouldn't take very much...


----------



## damonryoung

So here's the finished product!










Super exciting, I know. I redid the amp cover too and, although you can't tell from the pictures, the cuts are much more straighter. 

Last thing I'll leave you with tonight is a comparison of the wiring in the well without and with tech flex...


----------



## tjswarbrick

It looks like nothing is there!

Cleans up real nicely, Damon. Can't wait to see it in person in just a couple weeks.


----------



## TheDavel

It does look very nice! You've done an amazing job on this car!

I may give my false floor another rebuild. I am not completely satisfied with it... the fit is flawless, just needs some minor adjustments to the expanded steel (i have a slight bump in it)


----------



## JayinMI

TheDavel said:


> It does look very nice! You've done an amazing job on this car!
> 
> I may give my false floor another rebuild. I am not completely satisfied with it... the fit is flawless, just needs some minor adjustments to the expanded steel (i have a slight bump in it)


Hit that ish with a hammer! lol


----------



## TheDavel

JayinMI said:


> Hit that ish with a hammer! lol


I tried that over and over but had no success... I need to shrink the expanded steel or cut it to remove about an 1/8" of material, then re-weld the seam.

good bye carpet, back to square one?



end threadjack


----------



## damonryoung

So a non-audio update... I just purchased a set of coilovers to get rid of my 4x4 stance and hope to have them installed by the end of next week!



rton20s said:


> Very nice Damon... but definitely in need of an altitude adjustment now.


----------



## JayinMI

The hatch is coming along! But I think one of my favorite things about this build is that you are doing really well in competition with Dayton equipment.

Jay


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> So a non-audio update... I just purchased a set of coilovers to get rid of my 4x4 stance and hope to have them installed by the end of next week!


Excellent news! 

The hatch is looking great. Super stealth. We'll have to park all the coilover cars together at the next SoCal GTG. 

Which coilovers did you order?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Excellent news!
> 
> The hatch is looking great. Super stealth. We'll have to park all the coilover cars together at the next SoCal GTG.
> 
> Which coilovers did you order?


So I ended up with JOM coilovers. I got them at a good price and there have been quite a few Dubbers that liked theirs. I'm not tracking it, so I wasn't interested in dumping a bunch of money in the suspension... although I picked up a rear sway bar too...


----------



## TOOSTUBBORN2FAIL

I need to take another listen, I'm not sure when ill next be able to make it though. Things hit the fan pretty good here. Good news is, whenever the next time I make it is, ill have a cd for you.


----------



## damonryoung

TOOSTUBBORN2FAIL said:


> I need to take another listen, I'm not sure when ill next be able to make it though. Things hit the fan pretty good here. Good news is, whenever the next time I make it is, ill have a cd for you.


I look forward to that!


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> So I ended up with JOM coilovers. I got them at a good price and there have been quite a few Dubbers that liked theirs. I'm not tracking it, so I wasn't interested in dumping a bunch of money in the suspension... although I picked up a rear sway bar too...


Not familiar with JOM, but even more expensive coilovers can have their quirks. My Ksports have gotten noisy over time. I'm probably due for some maintenance. 

Maybe a we can go for "rolling demos" at the next comp? Check out the coilovers and the stereo at the same time.


----------



## MrsPapasin

rton20s said:


> Not familiar with JOM, but even more expensive coilovers can have their quirks. My Ksports have gotten noisy over time. I'm probably due for some maintenance.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe a we can go for "rolling demos" at the next comp? Check out the coilovers and the stereo at the same time.



Can I join in on this too? I have Bilstein coil overs. Lol 

Damon I like what you're doing with your car! Lots a great things going into it. Great job!


----------



## rton20s

MrsPapasin said:


> Can I join in on this too? I have Bilstein coil overs. Lol
> 
> Damon I like what you're doing with your car! Lots a great things going into it. Great job!


Bilstein? High class! You qualify.


----------



## damonryoung

MrsPapasin said:


> Can I join in on this too? I have Bilstein coil overs. Lol
> 
> Damon I like what you're doing with your car! Lots a great things going into it. Great job!


Thanks! I've got one more thing that I plan on doing before heading up to SiS... It's temporary, but sure to turn some heads...


----------



## DLO13

now that your done with yours... when we getting together?


----------



## TheDavel

I'm excited for this thing to drop! Congrats on the coilovers. I'll pick your brain when you've had them a while.


----------



## MrsPapasin

DRTHJTA said:


> Thanks! I've got one more thing that I plan on doing before heading up to SiS... It's temporary, but sure to turn some heads...



Wow! There's more? Looking forward to it!


----------



## sakata

Very nice!!!


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> So I ended up with JOM coilovers. I got them at a good price and there have been quite a few Dubbers that liked theirs. I'm not tracking it, so I wasn't interested in dumping a bunch of money in the suspension... although I picked up a rear sway bar too...


A couple wagons are notorious for having a "Floaty" feeling in the rear because of the suspension. Did/does the VW have this now?


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> A couple wagons are notorious for having a "Floaty" feeling in the rear because of the suspension. Did/does the VW have this now?


It's not horribly "floaty", but this thing has massive understeer.... Most guys with these wagons have been super happy with coilovers and a rear sway bar... The only other thing that was recommended that may be down the road would be control arms...

I look forward to taking this through the canyons soon...


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> I look forward to taking this through the canyons soon...


The drive up through 152 in a week or so should be fun.


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> The drive up through 152 should be fun.


Is that on the way to San Jose?


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> Is that on the way to San Jose?


Yeah, if you come up on the 5, that'll be a fun stretch.


----------



## tjswarbrick

DRTHJTA said:


> Is that on the way to San Jose?


It is if you come up 5 (or 99.)
If you're going 101, you'll bypass it.
If you really want curvy, just take 1 as far as it'll go!


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Yeah, if you come up on the 5, that'll be a fun stretch.





tjswarbrick said:


> It is if you come up 5 (or 99.)
> If you're going 101, you'll bypass it.
> If you really want curvy, just take 1 as far as it'll go!



Cool... It appears that is how I would be routed... Looking forward to it!


----------



## DLO13

The 1/101 is definitely a fun drive as well. I used to love driving from Santa Cruz to San Jose on the 17. 17 can be pretty scary if the person driving has never driven it before.:laugh::laugh:


----------



## rton20s

As long as I've lived in California, I haven't made a long drive up 1 or 101. The longest has been from LA up the 101 to Pismo. 

My route to San Jose is typically 99 > 152 > 101. I enjoy the stretch of 152 once you get North of 156 if there isn't too much traffic. Between 5 and 156 on the 152 isn't bad either. 152 between 99 and Los Banos is horrible.


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Man, I miss summer times spent at Pismo Beach as a kid. That beach is ginormous when the tide is out.


----------



## tjswarbrick

fahrfrompuken said:


> Man, I miss summer times spent at Pismo Beach as a kid. That beach is ginormous when the tide is out.


We get down there with the family about once a year. It is a great place to visit!
Did it once down 17 from SJ and 1 all the way from Santa Cruz - took a while, but was just beautiful. Sadly drove the wife's Volvo wagon - doesn't have a floaty rear end; it's got a floaty front! Accelerating out of a turn while at speed in that thing is no joke - a couple times it felt like the front wheels were leaving the pavement!
Luckily I get to drive 17 (or 9!) in the Mercedes every once in a while. Good times, if I can get the darn slushbox tranny to behave.


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> As you could tell from the midbass pics, I would need to make some rings to make them fit...


Is that three layers of 3/4" mdf? 

And seriously?? 19 pages and NO pictures of the tweeter sails? Come on, help a brotha out!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If someone were to go with the same speakers in the front doors, but needed to go with passive crossovers, where would you (anyone) recommend starting for parts and the design?? --thanks


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> Is that three layers of 3/4" mdf?
> 
> And seriously?? 19 pages and NO pictures of the tweeter sails? Come on, help a brotha out!
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> If someone were to go with the same speakers in the front doors, but needed to go with passive crossovers, where would you (anyone) recommend starting for parts and the design?? --thanks


That was (3) layers. I cut about 1/2" off the top to make more room for them to play.

My apologies... The new tweeters fit in the factory location without modification. I do think this is probably the weakest link in my system. Whenever I decide to change out these speakers, I will most likely do a better job aiming them.

I seriously considered making my own crossovers in the beginning, but I found that it was going to be a cost that was close enough to the DSP for good parts, that I decided to go active.


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> That was (3) layers. I cut about 1/2" off the top to make more room for them to play.
> 
> I seriously considered making my own crossovers in the beginning, but I found that it was going to be a cost that was close enough to the DSP for good parts, that I decided to go active.


So you had 2.25" but cut it back to 1.75"....ok, that helps me out.

Do you run the mid-bass drivers off one amp, then the mid-range and tweets off the other? Or do you have a left & right amp for the fronts?


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> So you had 2.25" but cut it back to 1.75"....ok, that helps me out.
> 
> 
> 
> Do you run the mid-bass drivers off one amp, then the mid-range and tweets off the other? Or do you have a left & right amp for the fronts?



I use a 5-channel per side for the fronts. The "sub" channel is running the midbass with the other 4 channels bridged to two channels for the tweeter and mid-range.

Are you near San Jose?


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> I use a 5-channel per side for the fronts. The "sub" channel is running the midbass with the other 4 channels bridged to two channels for the tweeter and mid-range.
> 
> Are you near San Jose?


Cool, that makes sense.

No, not that norco....I'm not in the prison either 

I'm from northern colorado....I followed you over to DIY Mobile from VW Vortex. We both drive the JSW


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> Cool, that makes sense.
> 
> No, not that norco....I'm not in the prison either
> 
> I'm from northern colorado....I followed you over to DIY Mobile from VW Vortex. We both drive the JSW


I forgot it was Colorado (brain fart), I guess that means you won't be driving to SJ either for a show in a couple weeks either... 

You just recently bagged your JSW... right?


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> I forgot it was Colorado (brain fart), I guess that means you won't be driving to SJ either for a show in a couple weeks either...
> 
> You just recently bagged your JSW... right?


I did buy the car in Newark, CA (Fremont) so I have been close to the San Jose area with my car, but no. Not coming out there any time soon.

Yes, just bagged it....Air Lift Autopilot v2 controller, air lift front struts, koni rear shocks with air lift double-below bags, two 444 compressors and two 2.5-gallon tanks.

The tanks use my spare tire well, so the amp (planning to install this weekend) will go in the same place yours are and my sub will have to sit out in the open. 

I don't plan to compete....but then, didn't you say that when this started? :surprised: 

oh, the amp....I bought a cheap, 5-channel Rockford....it'll be simple and better than the factory system. Though I'm still using the factory head-unit....nav and such.


----------



## damonryoung

Swapped out the rear sway bar today... Was not the funnest thing I've done since I was by myself without a lift... All in all, it was still a pretty easy mod.


----------



## TheDavel

Nice!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

What size bar did you go with and why? Looking at doing the front and rear sway bars on my JSW soon. Possibly followed quickly by a short shifter.


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> What size bar did you go with and why? Looking at doing the front and rear sway bars on my JSW soon. Possibly followed quickly by a short shifter.



I went with the 22mm from H&R. I set it on the "softest" setting. It's noticeably tighter, although I haven't pushed it in corners yet. 

From most of what I've read, the front bar is not as noticeable a change. 

I would be interested in what you think of the short shifter once you do it.


----------



## NorCO_1806

I love the sigma six short shifter. Though honestly, it's been installed so long I don't quite remember the factory shift feel. 

If you've watched the diesel geek install video, it honestly takes just about as long to install as it does to watch. 

I totally tore my JSW apart yesterday evening, running wires for my "simple amp install"  I'll be finishing that up today....I hope!


----------



## damonryoung

Something my sister sewed up for me...


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> Something my sister sewed up for me...


So you won't have to brush off snow and scrape ice??

Or so it's more like being inside Darth's helmet? ---you need air ride...to emulate the breathing!!


----------



## REGULARCAB

Dudes in LA, I would assume its for the sun?


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> So you won't have to brush off snow and scrape ice??
> 
> Or so it's more like being inside Darth's helmet? ---you need air ride...to emulate the breathing!!





REGULARCAB said:


> Dudes in LA, I would assume its for the sun?


Yeah, snow and ice is not much of a problem here... It does tend to get warm in the car during demos....

Michael, did you notice anything different with the window trim??


----------



## DLO13

i honestly love this. I think Linda had a really great idea when she came up with this. I may have to end up making one down the road. Did you also use magnets?


----------



## [email protected]

DLO13 said:


> i honestly love this. I think Linda had a really great idea when she came up with this. I may have to end up making one down the road. Did you also use magnets?


It really kind of changes the experience. The first car I sat in with this sort of treatment was Gary Summers car. It sounds corny, but I think the reduction in sensory input helps focus more on the audible..

I emulate it by listening to my truck at nite in the parking lot at work facing away from lights. hahahaa.....


----------



## NorCO_1806

DRTHJTA said:


> It does tend to get warm in the car during demos....
> 
> Michael, did you notice anything different with the window trim??


I knew it was for blocking the sun, but didn't think enough to realize for demos. Makes good sense.

Ah yes, no more chrome. Darth don't do chrome!


----------



## NorCO_1806

[email protected] said:


> I emulate it by listening to my truck at nite in the parking lot at work facing away from lights. hahahaa.....


I do this thing where I close my eyes and focus on the sound. I find it works well


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> i honestly love this. I think Linda had a really great idea when she came up with this. I may have to end up making one down the road. Did you also use magnets?



The magnets are sewn into the hem. The material is similar to what a light jacket (wind breaker) is made from. I had her use two layers of that sandwiched around an emergency blanket. I'm hoping that will help block heat.


----------



## MrsPapasin

Nice Damon! Look forward to seeing the windshield cover and all your recent changes this weekend! Have a safe drive up!


----------



## rton20s

Very cool. I'll have to check it out tomorrow. 

Perhaps I should stop by Target tonight...
Batman Beach Towel - 1 pack : Target


----------



## damonryoung

Coilovers installed, still a little adjustment needed. 










Mileage in the drive to San Jose.


----------



## vwdave

Damn Damon, you've been busy. I really need to make it out to a meet again. I'm sure there's nothing in common with the system that I heard in your car last time I did a demo in it.

The car is looking great and I sure it handles great too. Did your wife make the trip up with you?


----------



## damonryoung

vwdave said:


> Damn Damon, you've been busy. I really need to make it out to a meet again. I'm sure there's nothing in common with the system that I heard in your car last time I did a demo in it.
> 
> The car is looking great and I sure it handles great too. Did your wife make the trip up with you?



Yeah, it's a lot different from when you last heard it. 

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it. Las Vegas is keeping her busy... Shameless plug, check out SLS Las Vegas when you get a chance! Grand opening August 23rd!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Does your wife work for SLS? Cool ass looking hotel BTW.


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> Does your wife work for SLS? Cool ass looking hotel BTW.


To be technical, she works for sbe's hotel group... SLS is just one of their hotel brands... 

Picture I took last night...


----------



## fahrfrompuken

How does she feel about all the time and money spent on that car? Most women don't understand (I think that's because they don't understand men).


----------



## pacemkr

Very clean vehicle, much respect. Love these Sportwagens. Deisel?


----------



## damonryoung

fahrfrompuken said:


> How does she feel about all the time and money spent on that car? Most women don't understand (I think that's because they don't understand men).



She's happy something is keeping me busy and I'm not breaking the bank...


----------



## damonryoung

pacemkr said:


> Very clean vehicle, much respect. Love these Sportwagens. Deisel?



Yup! Love this engine!


----------



## MrsPapasin

Damon, congratulations on the first place win in ModStreet at the MECA comp at SiS! Your car sounds awesome and was my favorite car of the day!


----------



## damonryoung

MrsPapasin said:


> Damon, congratulations on the first place win in ModStreet at the MECA comp at SiS! Your car sounds awesome and was my favorite car of the day!



Thanks Linda! That means a lot coming from you!


----------



## papasin

Scoring aside, your car was my favorite as well...and I think it is fair to say I probably got to listen to the most cars yesterday. 

We also need to talk about Finals.


----------



## DLO13

congratulations on another win, sir!
I really want to hear it next time!


----------



## tjswarbrick

Congrats on the win! Your car did sound fantastic. It was great to see you again - and to see Darth in person. As awesome as your build log is, it still looks better in person.


----------



## jnchantler

fahrfrompuken said:


> How does she feel about all the time and money spent on that car? Most women don't understand (I think that's because they don't understand men).


My greatest fear is that one day I will die, and my wife will sell off my audio gear for what I told her I paid for it.


----------



## DLO13

jnchantler said:


> My greatest fear is that one day I will die, and my wife will sell off my audio gear for what I told her I paid for it.


hahaha


----------



## jnchantler

Oh and I forgot to mention, thanks for the demo Damon. I'd agree it does look better in person!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Congrats Damon. Sounds like the wagon did well. I hope to hear it someday.


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks everyone! This was the best score by far. It was from the same judge too!

Rick, if things shake out, we could be making that trip to Nashville.


----------



## rton20s

Even though I have heard it before, I should have taken the time to get a demo on Saturday. I know things have changed since I heard it in Riverside. 

Congratulations on your win! Despite the lack of competition, the score reflects just how well the Jetta was performing. 

The car also looks great with the new wheels and stance. I got a chance to have a better look while following you in the caravan to dinner.


----------



## papasin

rton20s said:


> Even though I have heard it before, I should have taken the time to get a demo on Saturday. I know things have changed since I heard it in Riverside.
> 
> Congratulations on your win! Despite the lack of competition, *the score reflects just how well the Jetta was performing.*


Uh, yes, in bold is an understatement. The tune has definitely evolved since I first judged it back in Fresno at its debut, where it was a good 9 points lower. Put it this way...it would have been first in ANY class had he chosen to compete it: street, mod street, modified, or modex...and his install would have been eligible for any of them. It was the most dialed in that I've heard it.


----------



## Golden Ear

Like Dustin said, I should have taken a listen to your car on Saturday. After all the race reviews it got in really bummed I didn't. The work you've done looks top notch so keep up the good work. I'll definitely take a listen next time I see you. Are you going to the comp in 2 weeks in Torrance?


----------



## damonryoung

Golden Ear said:


> Like Dustin said, I should have taken a listen to your car on Saturday. After all the race reviews it got in really bummed I didn't. The work you've done looks top notch so keep up the good work. I'll definitely take a listen next time I see you. Are you going to the comp in 2 weeks in Torrance?


I think I'm gonna have to miss that one... I'll be supporting the wife's grand opening the night before in LV...


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> I think I'm gonna have to miss that one... I'll be supporting the wife's grand opening the night before in LV...


I'm not sure if I'll be making that one or not myself. When I mentioned it to the wife yesterday, I got "the look."


----------



## palldat

I'll have to swing by the house to get a listen myself. I didn't want to take away seat time from someone that did not live as close to you as I.


----------



## damonryoung

palldat said:


> I'll have to swing by the house to get a listen myself. I didn't want to take away seat time from someone that did not live as close to you as I.


Paul, you're more than welcome to do so... so is anyone that finds themselves in Los Angeles, for that matter. Just give me a little head's up!


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Cool Damon. Maybe we'll see you out there. Bring as many to Finals as can make it. It is a great time...


----------



## damonryoung

Trying to repurpose something from the original install...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Still need to let it dry completely, then I can hang it. 

On the car, I think I've finally figured out what I am gonna do with the cd changer control. Exploring a couple options on making it work properly, but the plan is to hide it and use the iPad's display in some way. Stay tuned!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## MrsPapasin

That's pretty!


----------



## RocketBoots

Is that going somewhere in the car??



DRTHJTA said:


> Still need to let it dry completely, then I can hang it.
> 
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

RocketBoots said:


> Is that going somewhere in the car??



Nope, the plexi was in the car earlier this year. Then I changed my amps out. I didn't want to get rid of this, so it will now be a piece of garage art. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## RocketBoots

ahh, I C. Dunno if you did that or not, but it's a piece of art epper: I'd try to integrate that back into the car somehow!


----------



## damonryoung

RocketBoots said:


> ahh, I C. Dunno if you did that or not, but it's a piece of art epper: I'd try to integrate that back into the car somehow!


I designed it in CAD, then had Pololu laser cut and etch the plexi.


----------



## damonryoung

Got the changer control hidden and operational... No build pics as I was forced to do it in one night. Here's a little video of it working. 

https://vimeo.com/106529916


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

So, in case you couldn't tell, the "hole" I'm pointing to in the video is the IR receiver...

Sorry the video is so dark.


----------



## JayinMI

For a minute I thought the iPad was controlling the changer, and whoever wrote the app made it look like an Alpine changer controller. Ooops. lol

I assume this is behind the iPad?

Jay


----------



## MrsPapasin

Great job!


----------



## damonryoung

JayinMI said:


> For a minute I thought the iPad was controlling the changer, and whoever wrote the app made it look like an Alpine changer controller. Ooops. lol
> 
> I assume this is behind the iPad?
> 
> Jay


I was hoping to that I could find an app that would control it... It is behind the iPad, but not using the iPad's camera. It would have meant hacking into the dash... No thank you.

I'm using the same wifi device that MrsPapasin is using for her backup camera, just with a different camera. Also, I'm using the IR-x repeater from PAC parts.


----------



## NorCO_1806

So the image on the iPad, in the vimeo, is a camera feed of the actual controller? Very cool! 

If you make Finals, you should share some of your travel path with those of us out of Cali. I'd travel more than a few hours to get a demo


----------



## damonryoung

NorCO_1806 said:


> So the image on the iPad, in the vimeo, is a camera feed of the actual controller? Very cool!
> 
> If you make Finals, you should share some of your travel path with those of us out of Cali. I'd travel more than a few hours to get a demo


That is correct. I feel like it is a temporary solution though... We shall see after Finals. 

As for now, my travel plans are for me to travel from LA to Albuquerque on the 15th of October via I-40. 'Buque to Ft. Smith on the 16th. Then, make the last and short leg to Nashville on the 17th.

My route back will be a lot more relaxed as I plan on seeing friends and family in Oklahoma. I plan on taking the whole week after Finals to get back.

I will be glad to give anyone a demo that is along that path, just let me know.


----------



## damonryoung

So, as for State Finals.... While I am technically the CA Mod Street State Champion, I took it in a walk over as I was the only competitor... Also, my scores did not reflect on what I really think this car is capable. We'll work on a Finals tune that will give me a fighting chance to bring home a World Championship.

Since I lowered the vehicle, I get quite a bit more road noise. I decided to fight that with MLV, more specifically on the floor. That is the one area that I did not put any sort of deadening on in the beginning and I'm hoping this will quiet it down.


----------



## ErinH

You'll be at finals?... sweet! Save me some demo time, please.


----------



## damonryoung

ErinH said:


> You'll be at finals?... sweet! Save me some demo time, please.


Of course! noonish work for you?


----------



## fahrfrompuken

Duplicate post


----------



## ErinH

DRTHJTA said:


> Of course! noonish work for you?


sure!


----------



## bertholomey

It was great meeting you Damon and your wife Nicole. I really enjoyed hanging out with you, and I hope there will be another opportunity soon. I love the VeeDub - fantastic car, amazing system! Thank you for the awesome demo. Have a safe journey back to Cali!


----------



## MrsPapasin

Damon, drive safe home! Your VW rocks! Thanks so much for your support in WCA, car audio, and for your friendship! Also thank you to the girl with the pink shoes for hanging out and entertaining my little kids especially the little one.  See you and Nicole back in Cali!


----------



## ErinH

Hey, dude! Thanks for the seat time. It was cool to get to listen to some new cars this year and I am happy you were able to make it out! I must say, the camera on the cd chnager displayed on the iPad was so sweet, I snapped a picture with my phone so I could share with some buddies. I remember I commented on it and you seemed to act like you thought it was a bit hokey, but man, I thought it was a really cool idea! 

Nice meeting you. Hope you were able to enjoy the CD... don't judge me, please. 

Be safe, man.


----------



## damonryoung

bertholomey said:


> It was great meeting you Damon and your wife Nicole. I really enjoyed hanging out with you, and I hope there will be another opportunity soon. I love the VeeDub - fantastic car, amazing system! Thank you for the awesome demo. Have a safe journey back to Cali!


Jason, it was great meeting you as well! I hope that we're able to share progress in our vehicles in the future! Also, thanks for sharing your demo CD! I definitely went back to that Tool track a couple times!



ErinH said:


> Hey, dude! Thanks for the seat time. It was cool to get to listen to some new cars this year and I am happy you were able to make it out! I must say, the camera on the cd chnager displayed on the iPad was so sweet, I snapped a picture with my phone so I could share with some buddies. I remember I commented on it and you seemed to act like you thought it was a bit hokey, but man, I thought it was a really cool idea!
> 
> Nice meeting you. Hope you were able to enjoy the CD... don't judge me, please.
> 
> Be safe, man.


Thanks Erin... We'll see how long I keep it around. The CD was worth jamming to most of the way to Arkansas last Monday!


Overall this trip was a learning experience! There will be a few changes in the near future to improve upon what I currently have... stay tuned


----------



## JayinMI

Which Tool song? I like a lot of their stuff, but for some reason haven't bought anything on CD since Aenima.

Jay


----------



## bertholomey

JayinMI said:


> Which Tool song? I like a lot of their stuff, but for some reason haven't bought anything on CD since Aenima.
> 
> Jay


I had this one on my Finals disc


----------



## JayinMI

Have you heard their cover of Dream Theater's, "Pull me Under?"

They do a bunch of them. They're pretty good.

Jay


----------



## damonryoung

JayinMI said:


> Have you heard their cover of Dream Theater's, "Pull me Under?"
> 
> They do a bunch of them. They're pretty good.
> 
> Jay


You can download their tracks from the website below for free.

O'Keefe Band Camp


----------



## mrstop

DRTHJTA said:


> You can download their tracks from the website below for free.
> 
> O'Keefe Band Camp


That's awesome. I live close by and never heard of this.


----------



## shinjohn

Damon,
I just had to do a quick shout out because I was so impressed by you and your system.
You are one of the guys showing that the "DIY" way is still alive and well. Love the driver selection, iPad setup, and great fabrication. Bravo!!!!!

The system sounds great, no question. I don't think I've ever heard a car with mids in the stock door location that sounded so great. I was in such disbelief that I had to reach down and cover the left mid with my hand to convince myself that it was really there doing what it was doing. The up front sub, man you just gotta carry through!  I didn't hear it in the back, but it's great up there. You are already on the dark side, keep going, LOL!

Anyhow, thanks for the demo, and it was great getting some Boba with you! I hope you are a Boba convert now, haha!  Take care and hope to see you again at another meet soon!


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks Shinjohn! I'm definitely more likely to search out boba now that we've been introduced. There's plenty of opportunity nearby. 

So, to follow up on what Shinjohn said about my sub...










I know it's horribly dark, but it's a temporary box to test it out. If I end up liking it, we'll work on getting it permanent. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## bertholomey

shinjohn said:


> Damon,
> I just had to do a quick shout out because I was so impressed by you and your system.
> You are one of the guys showing that the "DIY" way is still alive and well. Love the driver selection, iPad setup, and great fabrication. Bravo!!!!!
> 
> The system sounds great, no question. I don't think I've ever heard a car with mids in the stock door location that sounded so great. I was in such disbelief that I had to reach down and cover the left mid with my hand to convince myself that it was really there doing what it was doing. The up front sub, man you just gotta carry through!  I didn't hear it in the back, but it's great up there. You are already on the dark side, keep going, LOL!



I completely agree with Shinjohn! I was blown away during my demo at Finals. I loved the sound, and I was also mystified as to how it pulled off some of the wonderful things I was hearing. Great job!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## JayinMI

As someone who uses speakers from Parts Express, I was quite impressed as well at Finals. That was also the first time I heard an up-front sub setup (several, actually) and I can see why it would be worth the effort.

Jay


----------



## bigbubba

bertholomey said:


> I had this one on my Finals disc


THAT is the coolest thing I've seen in a while!  So many really great songs done very, very well!


----------



## papasin

Definitely lots of bad influences on this forum. (Richard is looking around). (Looks in the mirror). (Says to himself, nope, not me).   

Your score at the most recent comp is well deserved. Time to play with the big boys.  Carry on good sir!


----------



## damonryoung

bertholomey said:


> I completely agree with Shinjohn! I was blown away during my demo at Finals. I loved the sound, and I was also mystified as to how it pulled off some of the wonderful things I was hearing. Great job!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





JayinMI said:


> As someone who uses speakers from Parts Express, I was quite impressed as well at Finals. That was also the first time I heard an up-front sub setup (several, actually) and I can see why it would be worth the effort.
> 
> Jay


Thanks fellas! It would be remiss of me not to give a large amount credit to Jim (BigRed) for the tuning of my rig.


----------



## Golden Ear

BigRed is truly a master at tuning. He did my Tahoe when JT finished the build and I couldn't be happier. I'm hoping he'll be able to help with my truck when it's done.

I need to hear your car again, Damon. Hopefully I'll see you at a comp or gtg soon.


----------



## quality_sound

The last truck if Jim's I heard was his Dodge WAY back in like 08 or 09 and it sounded awesome then too.


----------



## damonryoung

It's funny how easy the stuff comes out...











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

Two 15s going in?


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Two 15s going in?



Alright DaveL... 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Makes a tidy little package. 











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

3000W mini-tower


----------



## tjswarbrick

Moving the HO's to the front?


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> Moving the HO's to the front?



That's not in the current plan. I am going back to one sub, since this enclosure was a little tight for two. So while doing that, I thought I would put the power on display. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

Pretty.
But 2 sounded so right in there.


----------



## JayinMI

It really did. 

Sticking with one of your Daytons or going up to a 12 or something?

Jay


----------



## Golden Ear

DRTHJTA said:


> Alright DaveL...
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


1 15?


----------



## DLO13

I vote....22


----------



## damonryoung

Golden Ear said:


> 1 15?


If I keep finding moisture in that wheel well, I might have to do IB.


----------



## hot9dog

T-line 15" is my vote for your next direction...... but then again- im also crazy. Lol


----------



## hot9dog

Its a wagon.... youve got the room! (Said in a monster truck announcers voice)


----------



## rton20s

I look forward to seeing and hearing what you have planned next. I'm sure it will look great. It always does.


----------



## diy.phil

^^^^whoa that 22 requires a city permit!!


----------



## damonryoung

Put in a little work this evening. Nothing really to show here. Mainly pulling wires out of their old spot and into their new spot. Hope to have the layout worked out tomorrow for the cubby and be ready to do fab work on the enclosure by the middle of the week. 

Also this weekend I installed OEM Xenons. Such an improvement!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Darth got a big sister today...










Now that that's out of the way, I can finish the work I started in the wagon...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## JayinMI

That for you or the wife? lol
What did it replace?

Jay


----------



## papasin

Another car with great stock locations. Can't wait for the build on that one.


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> Darth got a big sister today...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, I can finish the work I started in the wagon...
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Holy.... Nice


----------



## damonryoung

JayinMI said:


> That for you or the wife? lol
> 
> What did it replace?
> 
> 
> 
> Jay



It is for Nicole... We've been a single car family for over two years! She was finally ready to have her own car again. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Another car with great stock locations. Can't wait for the build on that one.



All I told her that I wanted to do to this thing was the exhaust... We'll see. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

My brother has a Cayman Black Edition (only 500 made iirc). There should be enough room for 8s in the lower door, 4s in the upper door, tweeters in the sails. He already picked up a JL stealth box which I believe has a 13tw5 for the hatch. Should sound ok too.


----------



## Golden Ear

Those stock location gotta sound mighty tempting


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> All I told her that I wanted to do to this thing was the exhaust... We'll see.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


It just dawned on me. You are a brilliant man sir.

Honey, I can't hear the stock stereo over the exhaust... :surprised:


----------



## charliekwin

DRTHJTA said:


> Darth got a big sister today...


Nice ride! Congrats!


----------



## JayinMI

DRTHJTA said:


> It is for Nicole... We've been a single car family for over two years! She was finally ready to have her own car again.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Well...Go Big or Go Home. lol

Jay


----------



## bertholomey

DRTHJTA said:


> Darth got a big sister today...
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, I can finish the work I started in the wagon...
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


I have a friend who has owned 7 Audis and was going to get his 8th.....his dealer friend mentioned the Panamera, and my friend demurred about the price......his dealer friend told him that it could be made to be comparable.....gave him the test drive, and that is all it took. He loves it! 

That is a beautiful car - should be a lot of fun to drive - and a great vehicle for years to come


----------



## damonryoung

bertholomey said:


> I have a friend who has owned 7 Audis and was going to get his 8th.....his dealer friend mentioned the Panamera, and my friend demurred about the price......his dealer friend told him that it could be made to be comparable.....gave him the test drive, and that is all it took. He loves it!
> 
> That is a beautiful car - should be a lot of fun to drive - and a great vehicle for years to come


It came down to the Panamera, A7, and a Ghibli (big stretch)... While the Ghibli was the most beautiful of the bunch, but the interior was a major let down. Pretty sure there is some Chrysler influence in there. We drove the A7 before the Panamera... once we did drive the Porsche we didn't leave the dealer until it was ours.


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> It came down to the Panamera, A7, and a Ghibli (big stretch)... While the Ghibli was the most beautiful of the bunch, but the interior was a major let down. Pretty sure there is some Chrysler influence in there. We drove the A7 before the Panamera... once we did drive the Porsche we didn't leave the dealer until it was ours.


Does the Panamera feel as big as it looks when you drive it?


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> Does the Panamera feel as big as it looks when you drive it?


Only when we go to park it...


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> Only when we go to park it...


Haha. 

One of the directors over here has wanted a Cayman for a while. He makes more than enough money and could easily go pick one up, but his wife wont have it. She wants a 4 door and keeps saying to pick up one of these... He is worried it's too big.


----------



## tjswarbrick

Saw a 911 yesterday with my 9 year old. She isn't usually very interested in cars, but asked if I wanted a Porsche, and I said I'd love one. But she's concerned about where she'd sit (thinks my C-Class is just barely big enough. Kids.) But I told her there IS one with 4 doors. She said I should buy that. I told her they're kinda pricey. So she informed me that she's going to get a Porsch when she grows up. Maybe when she's 24.

Just wanted to chime in with Congrats on the Porsche, Damon.


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> So she informed me that she's going to get a Porsch when she grows up. Maybe when she's 24.
> 
> Just wanted to chime in with Congrats on the Porsche, Damon.


Gotta dream big! Thanks!


----------



## rton20s

Diggin' the Panamera. Congrats on the score! I look forward to the build log.


----------



## damonryoung

I've been doing a little work here and there. I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

First I tore the carpet off the enclosure and cut up the old face...









Once that was cleaned up enough, I built the puzzle pieces to fill in the new top. 









Got the pieces glued down...









This morning I filled in the gaps and sealed the underside. 









I'll go back out in a couple hours for a light sand and then carpeting. Then a couple hours of wiring and I'll have music in Darth again for the first time in months!





Of course I'm already scheming something completely different with drivers now that I don't have to worry about having our only car town apart. But that'll be a few months down the road. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

Stacking the odd now?


----------



## damonryoung

I am stacking the PDXs now... Should look better than the H800 and distributions that were there before. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

It's all installed!! 


























































Of course I forgot to buy a simple fuse for my accessory feeder! Once I get that, I'll get things running for real!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## JayinMI

Went down to 1 sub? Still the same size box?

Jay


----------



## DLO13

The amps look awesome. Super clean. 
Blue glow should look cool too. 

Any thought of making a pressure fit cover for the fastener?


----------



## damonryoung

JayinMI said:


> Went down to 1 sub? Still the same size box?
> 
> 
> 
> Jay



That is all correct. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> Any thought of making a pressure fit cover for the fastener?



It's really tight, I don't think I could squeeze anything in there. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

DRTHJTA said:


> It's really tight, I don't think I could squeeze anything in there.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


That's too bad. It looks supremely clean otherwise.


----------



## damonryoung

tjswarbrick said:


> That's too bad. It looks supremely clean otherwise.



You guys are gonna make me figure something out...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> It's really tight, I don't think I could squeeze anything in there.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Is it just Me...it can't be.


----------



## damonryoung

Finally bought a fuse this evening...


























Also, I thought I would kinda show where all the rest went. 











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

Looks good!! How's it sound!?


----------



## damonryoung

The mids up sound like normal... Need to work through the midbass and sub. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Re-purposed the other sub...











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

Home theater? 

How's the car? Tune any more?


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> Home theater?
> 
> How's the car? Tune any more?


Yeah... I updated a thread I started years ago for the first set of speakers I built for the house... >>Transmission Line<<

I've been a little dismayed with the lack of midbass, so I've decided to let a professional do it... Just need to coordinate with him.


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> Yeah... I updated a thread I started years ago for the first set of speakers I built for the house... >>Transmission Line<<
> 
> I've been a little dismayed with the lack of midbass, so I've decided to let a professional do it... Just need to coordinate with him.


kicks?!?!!


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> kicks?!?!!


Not yet and not that professional. I'll work on the tune more before I work on the install... Although I've already started acquiring new drivers. I have a feeling that I will go through the summer with what I have and work on it again in the fall. 

We'll see.


----------



## damonryoung

Did some more critical listening tonight and, for technical listening, it's really close. 

I think what I'm missing is more impact in non-technical listening. We'll see if I can figure it out as we go along. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

I'll just leave this here...










I'll be back with the build portion in a few days. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## papasin

Spent too much time in Mikey's car?


----------



## Golden Ear

DRTHJTA said:


> I'll just leave this here...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll be back with the build portion in a few days.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


:surprised:


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Spent too much time in Mikey's car?


I was already headed down that road... his demo just made my mind up about my sub...


----------



## cobb2819

DRTHJTA said:


> I was already headed down that road... his demo just made my mind up about my sub...


His demo made up MY mind about that sub!!! Not to mention i'm gonna be spending like 12 hours in that car this weekend...I'll let you know how I survived.


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> I was already headed down that road... his demo just made my mind up about my sub...


only (1) 18"?


----------



## rton20s

So... will you be attempting IB in your wagon or are you going to build a *HUGE* enclosure? 4 ft^3 ea. recommended sealed enclosure?! 

Nevermind. I thought the two lines indicated two subwoofers. I should have looked more closely. I look forward to seeing how you plan to build the enclosure.


----------



## hot9dog

Oh hell yes! Here we go!!! Lololo


----------



## req

looks familiar


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> So... will you be attempting IB in your wagon or are you going to build a *HUGE* enclosure? 4 ft^3 ea. recommended sealed enclosure?!





req said:


> looks familiar



You know what they say about flattery.... 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> You know what they say about flattery....
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Nice, I look forward to seeing how you execute this. Will yours be the first Sportwagen to go IB to your knowledge? I've contemplated attempting IB in my xB several times, but still haven't made any attempt. It would likely be far easier to make happen in my case than yours.


----------



## nadams5755

neat.


----------



## mikey7182

papasin said:


> Spent too much time in Mikey's car?


I'm not sure that's possible.


----------



## damonryoung

Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## hot9dog

Is this some sort of teaser????? Lol


----------



## damonryoung

hot9dog said:


> Is this some sort of teaser????? Lol


It's here!! I hope to have it mostly finished today...


----------



## JP Fabrication

Ok, that was 6 hours ago. Done yet? Can I come check it out


----------



## damonryoung

JP Fabrication said:


> Ok, that was 6 hours ago. Done yet? Can I come check it out



Patience my son.  

I've got the main part of the baffle complete. The piece that meets up with the door will have to be separate, otherwise it won't go in the vehicle. That piece is giving me a bit of trouble. 

Once that piece is complete, I need to fabricate something to allow for the baffle to tie into the factory tie down locations. 

Then I'll have to build a grill, which will come after I've got it in and playing...

This sub is very well built...










Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

So, I guess I'll go ahead and update this since I have been talking about it recently...

Started off last weekend just figuring out the shape of the baffle.




Transferred that to a second layer...



The back of the baffle had to be shaped to fit with the D pillars






A little 40-grit later...


----------



## damonryoung

Then, I moved on to making openings and adhering the to 2 layers together (1.5"). These pieces will sit above the mounting position of the sub.

The bottom layer of these two will be seen, so I added some vinyl. Maybe too much, but I wanted to keep the surface even.




You know it's hard for me to do something without some sort of LEDs 



The bottom 2 layers (where the sub will be mounted) was then fabbed up and painted with Duratex.



Next, I moved on to fabbing a piece to meet up with the back of the seats.


----------



## damonryoung

The sub came this weekend, thought I would show it off a little...






Once I had it out of the box, I went to getting the mounting correct.



This thing is damn near 1.5" tall!




Also, get the t-nuts in to connect my 2 separate double layer pieces together (if that makes any sense)


----------



## damonryoung

Now, I need to finish the back piece that will come into contact with the hatch door.

Huge hole...




Just about got it figured out...




That's where I am right now. Not too far off, but you know how the finishing touches tend to take up soooooo much time. The main goal is to have it done and tuned before the show on the 20th.


----------



## DLO13

Looks awesome!
You are moving along quickly. Can't wait.


----------



## Coppertone

Loves me some Vw greatness....


----------



## rton20s

Wow Damon, that is pretty Epic! I'm guessing you'll have this in and playing for Anaheim? I have got to get a demo. 

I don't know if I missed it, how is the baffle anchored to the car? Is it simply friction/pressure fit or are there anchor point you plan to bolt to?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Wow Damon, that is pretty Epic! I'm guessing you'll have this in and playing for Anaheim? I have got to get a demo.
> 
> I don't know if I missed it, how is the baffle anchored to the car? Is it simply friction/pressure fit or are there anchor point you plan to bolt to?


I haven't gotten it completely hashed out, but there are (2) factory tie downs on each side of the vehicle. They both bolt into metal behind the plastic. The plan is to (at least) take advantage of (1) on each side. I may have to have someone weld something up to take advantage of the other one...

The baffle and sub will weigh in at around ~80 pounds...


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> The baffle and sub will weigh in at around ~80 pounds...





So, what was it about hearing this setup in Mikey's car that made you make the change?
What was it that made you say "i need that sub and I need to go IB"?


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> So, what was it about hearing this setup in Mikey's car that made you make the change?
> What was it that made you say "i need that sub and I need to go IB"?


Like I've said... I was already heading down that path. It was merely confirmation...

Also, with the wife getting her own vehicle, I can branch out a little more with the install and this was the first step in that direction.


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> Like I've said... I was already heading down that path. It was merely confirmation...
> 
> Also, with the wife getting her own vehicle, I can branch out a little more with the install and this was the first step in that direction.


Welp, I've yet to hear an IB setup that I thought sounded as good as a sealed setup. lol

I am excited to hear it!

When you getting those pro audio mid bass?


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> I haven't gotten it completely hashed out, but there are (2) factory tie downs on each side of the vehicle. They both bolt into metal behind the plastic. The plan is to (at least) take advantage of (1) on each side. I may have to have someone weld something up to take advantage of the other one...
> 
> The baffle and sub will weigh in at around ~80 pounds...


Makes sense. Every time I start contemplating IB in the xB again, I picture building a steel bridge with driver reinforcement rings from one side of the car to the other on some exiting anchor points that would set the baffle about even with the top of the seat. 

Are you taking any measures to seal the perimeter of the baffle or the joints between each of the back the seats and the body panels?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Are you taking any measures to seal the perimeter of the baffle or the joints between each of the back the seats and the body panels?


Nothing major. Just not leaving any gaping holes...


----------



## palldat

DRTHJTA said:


> Nothing major. Just not leaving any gaping holes...


Why not use steel cables?


----------



## damonryoung

palldat said:


> Why not use steel cables?


To connect to the tie downs? I will definitely have to look into that!


----------



## palldat

DRTHJTA said:


> To connect to the tie downs? I will definitely have to look into that!


No? from the woofer to the edges of the baffle. You should be able to use a lighter weight baffle and have the tension of the cables be your reinforcement.


----------



## damonryoung

Like post-tension concrete... Only, I'm way beyond re-doing that. I'm not too concerned with the weight of this anyhow....


----------



## damonryoung

A little more work tonight. I got the wires run all neat like in the baffle, so that they aren't seen. 


It started last weekend when I made room for a barrier strip in the middle for the LEDs


















I, also, rabbeted the edge to make a "conduit"










Then tonight I made room for the sub wire to the barrier strip. 


















All tidied up!










Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## req

awesome damon!!!

get it done already!


----------



## damonryoung

There's probably no way I'll be able to tell a difference...



















It's go time... Wish me luck getting this beast in the car. 

Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## hot9dog

"HAMMER DOWN!!!" Saying that with the main theme song from smokey and the bandit playing in the background. "East bound and loaded up and trucking....." give that man a margarita!!!! Lol


----------



## Golden Ear

Dang that's a huge difference! Can't wait to hear it next weekend


----------



## damonryoung

It's alive!!!











Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## req

and what do you think!!??


----------



## damonryoung

req said:


> and what do you think!!??


"Oh! That's what 20Hz feels like in this car..."

That was what I texted someone shortly after getting it playing. I didn't really take much time this weekend to do much with it besides playing with it... But, it will definitely do what I want on the bottom end.


----------



## quality_sound

Niiiiiiiice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Kazuhiro

just read the whole thread start to finish. Each configuration, its masterpiece after masterpiece with you haha.


----------



## damonryoung

Ok... Let's go back a bit and show how I got here. 

After a lot of going in and out to the vehicle, I got a piece of cardboard that match the shape of the hatch. 









Transferred it to wood. 









Also, this piece seemed that it would need a little more support, so I ripped a couple pieces of MDF to help. It might be a little hard to see, but they're there. Just painted black. 









Next I figured out where the brackets needed to go. 









And made provisions between my layers using a razor blade. 









Since I was removing my old sub, I needed to fill the void. I moved my changer there instead. 

































I didn't take a pic of that piece carpeted or installed, but you can see it peeking out in this pic. 









The only things left are the mounting screws for the whole baffle (I had to special order them) and the grill. I want to play with it awhile to make sure I have the height correct of the speaker playing. 

I'll get some better pics soon. 








Also, I'm not super happy with the mounting holes showing through the back piece. I'll have to figure something out. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Kazuhiro said:


> just read the whole thread start to finish. Each configuration, its masterpiece after masterpiece with you haha.



Thanks!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

Looking good Damon. I can't wait to check it out this weekend.


----------



## MrsPapasin

Neato! Looking forward to seeing it this weekend.


----------



## damonryoung

Small update to tame the LEDs around the sub

Got pieces of acrylic in today. 

















Took some 320 grit to the inside edge to make it a little more opaque. 
The top piece here has been sanded...









Added a little glue and here we go!










Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

In case anyone was wondering... The RS75 will play from 90-315Hz at 500w for a bit... ?


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## tjswarbrick

DRTHJTA said:


> In case anyone was wondering... The RS75 will play from 90-315Hz at 500w for a bit... ?
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Oops...


----------



## DLO13

How is the view in your mirror?


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> How is the view in your mirror?


I'll take that shot today... I haven't lost any line of sight, but I bet it would be really distracting if I drove around with the lights on.


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> In case anyone was wondering... The RS75 will play from 90-315Hz at 500w for a bit... ?
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Oy! That is one tiny midbass you've got there. 

No damage, I hope. Or was "a bit" just long enough to kill it?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Oy! That is one tiny midbass you've got there.
> 
> No damage, I hope. Or was "a bit" just long enough to kill it?


It's still alive and kicking!! I was concerned for a second though...


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> It's still alive and kicking!! I was concerned for a second though...


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> I'll take that shot today... I haven't lost any line of sight, but I bet it would be really distracting if I drove around with the lights on.


LOL. you just need to let it pulse to the music and maybe have it alternate red and blue.

or Tap into your break lights and really go nuts (the inner party animal in me) 

The lighting looks good. The acrylic definitely helps. But please, I beg you, cover the factory bolt thingy!:laugh:


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> But please, I beg you, cover the factory bolt thingy!:laugh:


I just ordered some more carpet so that I can make you feel better...


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> How is the view in your mirror?






















Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

So... fab work on the port this week?


----------



## damonryoung

After getting judged this weekend, I went to retrieve the judge's CD and noticed that my amps were super warm. James had a infrared thermometer and shot the amps... a nice and toasty 150°.

So the list for things to do are as follows:
1. Add a push/pull fan system to the amp area.
2. Finally install the CD Changer controller display somewhere.
3. Eliminate the slight resonance I have in my doors.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> So... fab work on the port this week?


Oops... I forgot to add that to the list...


----------



## quality_sound

Does yours have the metal of FRP regulator? Being a MkV it should be metal and with the removable skins it shouldn't take long to track down the issue.


----------



## damonryoung

quality_sound said:


> Does yours have the metal of FRP regulator? Being a MkV it should be metal and with the removable skins it shouldn't take long to track down the issue.


Yup... I've had the skins off a few times. I'm pretty sure it's the regulator though. What was your remedy for this?


----------



## quality_sound

DRTHJTA said:


> Yup... I've had the skins off a few times. I'm pretty sure it's the regulator though. What was your remedy for this?


Deaden the living piss out of it, both sides. Really, adding mass is all you can really do. Oh, and make sure everything is bolted to the regulator panel firmly. On mine the window motor was able to be tightened up a bit.


----------



## damonryoung

So the time has come to open the doors back open and take care of this...

While I'm there...

















It'll take a little more effort to deal with the depth, but I'm hoping it's well worth it in the end. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

Pro audio 8?


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> Pro audio 8?



Not exactly. It's something I wanted to try and it doesn't set me back much...


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Brian_smith06

Looks like a silver flute


----------



## damonryoung

Brian_smith06 said:


> Looks like a silver flute



Ding ding ding!! I couldn't resist. I've had really good luck with them in the house and I'm gaining quite a bit more surface area over the Daytons. 

Also, the specs fall right in line with what I was looking for. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## ssmith100

Damon,

You should give the 7" Scan speak revelators a test. I can't tell you how much of a difference they made in my car. 

I bought the: (Model 18W/4545)

My mid bass is outstanding with these drivers.

Shane


----------



## damonryoung

Thanks Shane! If I am unhappy with this SFs I will definitely look into the Scans.

I started hunting down any sort of vibrations last night and it looks like I'll need to take the outer door skin off again. While not difficult, I'm not keen on doing this. Hopefully this will make the last time I have to do it. :thumbsup:


----------



## rton20s

I knew that was a Silverflute as soon as I saw it!  Very interested to see what you think since we'll probably be getting a set of 6.5s for my brothers truck.I definitely need a demo at the next GTG or comp! 

Is this just for testing or do you plan to stick with 8s and moving back up to Mod Street?


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> I knew that was a Silverflute as soon as I saw it!  Very interested to see what you think since we'll probably be getting a set of 6.5s for my brothers truck.I definitely need a demo at the next GTG or comp!
> 
> Is this just for testing or do you plan to stick with 8s and moving back up to Mod Street?



Always welcome to listen!

Move? I'm not sure that is have to unless I'm missing something. I won't be cutting anything...

Edit: guess I'll be moving up, although that rule could be written a lot better. 

Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

Did the majority of the work needed on the doors Saturday. 


Door skin off... Again









Deadened the piss out of the regulator and locking mechanisms. Didn't quite get the pics I should've though. 

Then I moved on to mounting the mid bass. Cut a bunch of circles. 

Held on ring in place to mark the mounting holes. 

























After drilling all the holes, went to gluing these suckers together. Once they were dry I worked on shaping them to be pretty. 

Before and after









Drilled pilot holes for the speaker mounting. 

















Then I coated them in resin to help with the elements. 









Then added some CCF to the back to help sea and decouple the mounts from the door. 









Did a little soldering and installed the passenger door. 

















I got all the way through putting the door back together and had a piece of the door handle fall out of place. That was after dark and I decided I had enough for the day. I need to open the door back up to get to it. So, I'll do that this week and do the same thing on the drivers side. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## DLO13

Looking good!


----------



## rton20s

As much as people complain about the complexity of working on VWs, I sure do envy the ability to pull the door skin off! I'll leave it to the VW owners to decide if the rest of he headaches are an even trade for that convenience. 

Nice progress.


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> As much as people complain about the complexity of working on VWs, I sure do envy the ability to pull the door skin off! I'll leave it to the VW owners to decide if the rest of he headaches are an even trade for that convenience.
> 
> Nice progress.



I actually find this particular vehicle very easy to work on. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## vwjmkv

how deep are those?
i was barely able to fit the Dayton 8" in there. there is maybe a few mm between the back of the speaker and the window mechanism in mine.

i personally don't mind working on my MKV VW. then again its pretty much the only car i've actually done a full multiple amp, sub, etc setup in. my other cars i just upgraded the speakers and HU.


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> I actually find this particular vehicle very easy to work on.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


That gives me some reassurance in case the wife decides she still wants to go the Jetta route. Even though she is looking at a newer model in the MKVI. 

As much as I dislike doing it sometimes, the Scions have proven remarkably easy to work on. I doubt whatever we get next will be as simple.


----------



## rton20s

vwjmkv said:


> how deep are those?


To quote Madisound... "86mm depth from back of flange." (3.385")


----------



## vwjmkv

thanks ! those are pretty deep!


rton20s said:


> To quote Madisound... "86mm depth from back of flange." (3.385")


were the Dayton in the car also the 8"? or 7"?

i wish i knew more about these silver flutes before i bought the Daytons i have now. i keep reading about them all over the forums, and they're only $40?!?! i paid $60 for the daytons


----------



## damonryoung

vwjmkv said:


> thanks ! those are pretty deep!
> 
> 
> were the Dayton in the car also the 8"? or 7"?
> 
> i wish i knew more about these silver flutes before i bought the Daytons i have now. i keep reading about them all over the forums, and they're only $40?!?! i paid $60 for the daytons


I had the RS180 (7") in before.

There's about 1/4" left behind the magnet to the window guide... I ended up with a 2" baffle, which was basically the same size as the baffles for the Dayton's.


----------



## damonryoung

Here's a picture of the two drivers side by side in profile. 










Not a lot deeper... maybe an 1/4"


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## vwjmkv

how do you like the silver flutes compared to the Daytons?


----------



## damonryoung

I don't have an answer yet... I've only got the passenger side in at this point. Should have it all installed this week, then we'll see...


----------



## vwjmkv

good deal, ill be paying close attention. awesome build so far!


DRTHJTA said:


> I don't have an answer yet... I've only got the passenger side in at this point. Should have it all installed this week, then we'll see...


----------



## vwjmkv

this is what I'm after in my Jetta! 
but probably a mini. 

i saw that you've had some leaking problems way back when. I've noticed that when i use the AC i get the passenger foot well flooded. any ideas? how do i get to the AC drain? or d i need to take it to VW?



DRTHJTA said:


> When you know your abilities are not up to a task, you farm out that task to a master.... Thanks JT!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll add more pics later.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

vwjmkv said:


> this is what I'm after in my Jetta!
> but probably a mini.
> 
> i saw that you've had some leaking problems way back when. I've noticed that when i use the AC i get the passenger foot well flooded. any ideas? how do i get to the AC drain? or d i need to take it to VW?


That is a mini... :thumbsup:

I've never had a problem with the AC drain, so I probably couldn't be of much assistance.


----------



## vwjmkv

hey man, I've been all over this thread today. how much space do you have behind these mids? do you think you could have gotten away with the 
RS100-4s instead of the RS75-4s?? 

i read the depths are 1.52" and 1.8" respectively 



DRTHJTA said:


> For the midrange, I needed a baffle to attach it to the door card. (I kinda missed some pictures here.)
> 
> 
> More ensolite to decouple the baffle from the card.
> 
> Attached to the door card.


----------



## damonryoung

There's a cup behind the midrange that's removable. You might be able to line the magnet and that hole up. 

I'll take pictures when I'm back in the doors this week. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## vwjmkv

thanks a bunch. that would help a lot!


DRTHJTA said:


> There's a cup behind the midrange that's removable. You might be able to line the magnet and that hole up.
> 
> I'll take pictures when I'm back in the doors this week.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

I think this car is sealed pretty well...

https://vimeo.com/134849470


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## shinjohn

Damon, lookin' nice..... Have you tested them yet? I can imagine that rattles/vibration won't be your friend.... Hoping you have dead silent doors and hatch area!!!!


----------



## [email protected]

Love the instal and it's iterations! I'll be starting an install on my JSW very soon and I know more now by having been through your thread.


----------



## damonryoung

vwjmkv said:


> thanks a bunch. that would help a lot!



This is a little late, but I just got to this other door. 

This is how the midrange is mounted in the door card. 









This is the inside of the door. 









And here is the backside. This cup is removable, but only from the backside. 









You can see how much my little RS75 pushes up against the CCF inside of that cup. 

Hope that helps!


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## vwjmkv

DRTHJTA said:


> This is a little late, but I just got to this other door.
> 
> This is how the midrange is mounted in the door card.
> 
> This is the inside of the door.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see how much my little RS75 pushes up against the CCF inside of that cup.
> 
> Hope that helps!
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


that helps a lot, ill look into the pricing, and dimensions of the RS75 vs the RS100. i suppose i'd also have to see if getting that little extra surface area if beneficial enough to go through the trouble and potential headaches of trying to fit in the bigger driver. 

how do you like the speakers btw?


----------



## damonryoung

Next project. Keeping things cooler. The lat comp I attended was in June and it was a bit warm in Anaheim. After the judge got out of the vehicle, my amps were super toasty. So, I've decided to add fans and a thermostat to control them. 

First I needed to remove the panel and uncarpet it.  









I cut a couple holes out and rounded the edges over. While I had the router out I decided to remove the lip I had on the larger hole and round that over too. That hole at one point had a grill, but that hasn't been needed since I made the larger panel to replace the factory cover. 

















And with carpet...









I made a video showing the thermostat at work. The little silver thing in my hand is the sensor. And the video gets a little shaky, but that's just me trying to cool the sensor down. 
https://vimeo.com/135823880

I'm finished with the panel, but still need to find a home for the thermostat and give it power. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## [email protected]

I like the revised baffle with the round over! 

Can you tell me if the midrange baffle is the same on both sides of the car? I have only removed my passenger side door and ASSUMED both midranges drivers would be the same. Looking at your pics. has me second guessing that. 

Keep up the great work!


----------



## damonryoung

[email protected] said:


> I like the revised baffle with the round over!
> 
> 
> 
> Can you tell me if the midrange baffle is the same on both sides of the car? I have only removed my passenger side door and ASSUMED both midranges drivers would be the same. Looking at your pics. has me second guessing that.
> 
> 
> 
> Keep up the great work!



Yeah, they're a mirror image. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## bbfoto

Damon, it's looking good!

A few questions...

How much clearance is there behind that OEM midrange "cup" and the window glass?

How much clearance, if any, is there "around" the O.D. perimeter of the OEM midrange cup?

What I'm getting at is...would it be possible to replace the existing OEM midrange cup with something slightly deeper and/or larger diameter, such as a large PVC or ABS pipe end cap, or to make a larger & deeper form-fit cup out of heated sheet ABS or Kydex?

A buddy of mine has this vehicle and I have a spare set of Eton 3-400/A8/MG mids that I'd like to try in that spot.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/approx-3-midrange/eton-symphony-3-midrange-3-401/a8/25-mg-matched-pair/?mobile=0

Also, it might be a good idea in your install to chamfer or at least round-over the back side of the mounting baffle to allow those RS75's to breathe. It makes a noticeable difference with the little Eton's.


----------



## req

im not so sure putting fans in the sub baffle is a great idea, they will most likely act as ports... just a thought. let us know if you notice any negative effects.


----------



## papasin

req said:


> im not so sure putting fans in the sub baffle is a great idea, they will most likely act as ports... just a thought. let us know if you notice any negative effects.



I don't think they are on his sub baffle. If you go back a few pages, his floor has a round cutout as well and I'm pretty sure that is where he is adding the fans. I can see though how this could be mistaken for his sub baffle.


----------



## damonryoung

req said:


> im not so sure putting fans in the sub baffle is a great idea, they will most likely act as ports... just a thought. let us know if you notice any negative effects.






papasin said:


> I don't think they are on his sub baffle. If you go back a few pages, his floor has a round cutout as well and I'm pretty sure that is where he is adding the fans. I can see though how this could be mistaken for his sub baffle.




Yeah, this is the panel that sits over the amps and the big circle is the window into the power.  But, that cutout is 18", so definitely could be mistaken for a sub cutout.


----------



## damonryoung

bbfoto said:


> Damon, it's looking good!


Thanks!



bbfoto said:


> A few questions...
> 
> How much clearance is there behind that OEM midrange "cup" and the window glass?


Not a lot. Maybe another 1/4". One thing that I misspoke about earlier was the depth of the cup. The CCF that is in the cup that the RS75 is pushing against was not all the way against the cup. There was another 1/2" in there.



bbfoto said:


> How much clearance, if any, is there "around" the O.D. perimeter of the OEM midrange cup?
> 
> What I'm getting at is...would it be possible to replace the existing OEM midrange cup with something slightly deeper and/or larger diameter, such as a large PVC or ABS pipe end cap, or to make a larger & deeper form-fit cup out of heated sheet ABS or Kydex?
> 
> A buddy of mine has this vehicle and I have a spare set of Eton 3-400/A8/MG mids that I'd like to try in that spot.
> 
> https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/approx-3-midrange/eton-symphony-3-midrange-3-401/a8/25-mg-matched-pair/?mobile=0


The diameter of the cup is probably 3" and it goes all the way to the edge of the cutout in the metal.

That Eton is a few millimeters thinner that my Dayton, so I bet you'll be able to make it work. You just might need to make sure the alignment is right on.



bbfoto said:


> Also, it might be a good idea in your install to chamfer or at least round-over the back side of the mounting baffle to allow those RS75's to breathe. It makes a noticeable difference with the little Eton's.


I'll give it a whirl the next time I'm back in the door.


----------



## bbfoto

^ Cool. Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions! I might try to fabricate a midrange cup that is kind of a mushroom shape behind the panel to gain some more air space and then add acoustic filler/fiberfill as well. Appreciate the photos of everything, too. Thanks again.


----------



## rton20s

The build is coming along really well. I look forward to checking it out this weekend.


----------



## Jakub220

This thread is definitely an inspiration. So much attention to the details. I love it!


----------



## optimaprime

I thank your fan idea is brilliant!!!


----------



## atownmack

DRTHJTA said:


> Moved on to the doors. First thing was to remove the outer door skin...
> 
> 
> 
> Made sure that it was deadened...
> 
> I think molex should be a curse word...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Test fitment...
> 
> 
> 
> Then on to the real deal...
> 
> 
> 
> Closed up!
> 
> 
> Zipped them up out of the way of the window and ready for when I get to adding the new speakers....
> 
> 
> Back inside, they were tech flexed and shrink wrapped...
> 
> 
> Then on to the obligatory zip tie pictures..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Getting near the end of my day we lost power in the neighborhood, so I had to resort to fire in order to get heat shrink shrunk...


Im doing my 2010 Passat and am hung up on how to best drill through the molex connectors and get the wire through them. What is the best angle to drill them? Should I start from the interior and drill them as one piece or drill them individually? Once you got them drill, how did you run the wires through them? Its got me very frustrated to say the least! Any help is greatly appreciated!


----------



## damonryoung

atownmack said:


> Im doing my 2010 Passat and am hung up on how to best drill through the molex connectors and get the wire through them. What is the best angle to drill them? Should I start from the interior and drill them as one piece or drill them individually? Once you got them drill, how did you run the wires through them? Its got me very frustrated to say the least! Any help is greatly appreciated!


If I remember correctly, I was able to pull the molex out of the door and drill each hole by itself... if was a bit tricky to say the least. I started with a smallish drill bit and worked up from there until the hole was large enough to pull the 16ga wire through. Good luck!


----------



## damonryoung

On a different note, I will pulling everything out of Darth in the coming weeks to get it ready to sell... The whole Dieselgate has got me a bit down... I'm not too concerned with the fact the VW lied, but I am worried that the "fix" will poorly affect the fun-ness of this car. 

Anybody interested in the mount and trim piece for the iPad? Or what about the baffle for an 18" sub? :laugh:


----------



## palldat

DRTHJTA said:


> On a different note, I will pulling everything out of Darth in the coming weeks to get it ready to sell... The whole Dieselgate has got me a bit down... I'm not too concerned with the fact the VW lied, but I am worried that the "fix" will poorly affect the fun-ness of this car.
> 
> Anybody interested in the mount and trim piece for the iPad? Or what about the baffle for an 18" sub? :laugh:


What is the replacement vehicle?


----------



## papasin

palldat said:


> What is the replacement vehicle?



One with a Mark Levinson system I imagine. :laugh:


----------



## palldat

papasin said:


> One with a Mark Levinson system I imagine. :laugh:


Might give me some competition then


----------



## palldat

Porsche Macan S?

Volvo S60 Polestar


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> On a different note, I will pulling everything out of Darth in the coming weeks to get it ready to sell... The whole Dieselgate has got me a bit down... I'm not too concerned with the fact the VW lied, but I am worried that the "fix" will poorly affect the fun-ness of this car.


I guess it is official now. 



DRTHJTA said:


> Anybody interested in the mount and trim piece for the iPad? Or what about the baffle for an 18" sub? :laugh:


I shouldn't even ask. Is yours the same dash as my wife's GLI? Which iPad model is it made to fit?


----------



## damonryoung

No permanent replacement in mind right now. We will be helping a friend out by taking over her lease on a 428. She is moving to NYC and doesn't want to have a vehicle in the city. That should give me some time to find what I really want. 

Either of those you mentioned Paul would be on the short list. Along with a couple older models... TTRS or Z4M coupe. 



rton20s said:


> I guess it is official now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I shouldn't even ask. Is yours the same dash as my wife's GLI? Which iPad model is it made to fit?



It should be the exact same.  I use a mini, first version. Should fit any of the minis though. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> It should be the exact same.  I use a mini, first version. Should fit any of the minis though.


Nevermind. I brought it up and this was her instant response...


rton20s'NotAmusedWife said:


> lol Nope. Don't want one.


This from the woman whose current Rosen head unit is so bad, she would rather listen to music playing from her iPhone speaker sitting in the center console.


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> No permanent replacement in mind right now. We will be helping a friend out by taking over her lease on a 428.



Talk to eling23. If I'm not mistaken he is leasing his as well. I think his sounds pretty ok, considering it is all stock locations.


----------



## damonryoung

I think I listened to Eugene's car at the NASA event... if I did it would've been from the passenger side as I was helping Mike write down scores....


----------



## papasin

DRTHJTA said:


> I think I listened to Eugene's car at the NASA event... if I did it would've been from the passenger side as I was helping Mike write down scores....



You have an h800...time to work on that 2-seat tune.


----------



## quality_sound

I wouldn't worry about dieselgate. I promise you there were times when you were driving and the car was in the "EPA" map and you never noticed it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## eling23

DRTHJTA said:


> I think I listened to Eugene's car at the NASA event... if I did it would've been from the passenger side as I was helping Mike write down scores....


you're welcomed to check it out anytime when you're up in the bay. There's a harness from a forum member Technic from the bimmerforuns that is used to tap the signals from the trunk after you pull out the stock amp so no wires need to be cut. Other than that the most intensive work would be running an extra set of wires to the front if you wanted to go fully active as the stock set up runs the 4" door mids passively w the tweeters. If she has the harmon kardon you'll need the mobridge as well.


----------



## Golden Ear

Why don't you get a Honda crx or gmc safari since you're starting to change your build towards spl?


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


----------



## hot9dog

I secretly hoped that one day I could snap a picture with your black wagon, Mikey's black Passat and my black CC all together..... I always thought that it would make for a great photo opportunity. ( I know, im a weird VW freak) lololololo


----------



## rton20s

Golden Ear said:


> Why don't you get a Honda crx or gmc safari since you're starting to change your build towards spl?
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


Says the guy getting ready to put a W15GTI in his truck.


----------



## eling23

ooooh crx, the car i wanted in HS! it's pimpin!! Im sure Damon can fit his 18" in there and bump some JayZ... biiiiig pimpin spending the g's, chk em out now, big pimpin on b.l.a.d's!


----------



## Golden Ear

rton20s said:


> Says the guy getting ready to put a W15GTI in his truck.



Lol! I'm actually trying to decide now if I want to put both of the 15s in the truck in a ported box with a 4K watt amp running them


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


----------



## damonryoung

Golden Ear said:


> Lol! I'm actually trying to decide now if I want to put both of the 15s in the truck in a ported box with a 4K watt amp running them
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis



That's the Ranger, right?


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## damonryoung

eling23 said:


> you're welcomed to check it out anytime when you're up in the bay. There's a harness from a forum member Technic from the bimmerforuns that is used to tap the signals from the trunk after you pull out the stock amp so no wires need to be cut. Other than that the most intensive work would be running an extra set of wires to the front if you wanted to go fully active as the stock set up runs the 4" door mids passively w the tweeters. If she has the harmon kardon you'll need the mobridge as well.



Thanks for the info! I'll have to check out what's in the car when we take possession I about a month (after we close on our house!)

I've been told I'm not allowed to do anything in it, but I know how far to push these sorts of things.  Anyhow I wouldn't want to do anything near as extensive in this car as I did in Darth. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## Golden Ear

DRTHJTA said:


> That's the Ranger, right?
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...



Yea. Who needs seats? 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


----------



## NorCO_1806

What a sad ending to such a great story. I almost want to buy the entire vehicle, system, TDI and all.

Speaking of, if no one else grabs that iPad mini trim plate, I'd gladly make use of it. 

Me and my TDI wagen are going to hold on for a while longer. Hope for the best I guess.

Can't believe I hadn't logged on here since 2014....I'm slacking on my web forum reading....


----------



## ggk

Don't sell the jetta. CARB does not think there is even going to be a fix. And if you dislike the fix just put an aftermarket tune on it for $500.


----------



## damonryoung

ggk said:


> Don't sell the jetta. CARB does not think there is even going to be a fix. And if you dislike the fix just put an aftermarket tune on it for $500.


Funny you bring up CARB... I recently started a project at the facility that does all the testing for this very issue... They voiced nearly the same thing.

Also, last night the wife mentioned that I could keep it to "just **** around with"... I kinda like the sound of that!  The next couple weeks will determine the ultimate fate of this car... stay tuned!


----------



## papasin

Still waiting for 8s on the dash, or on the headrest. Keeping my fingers crossed.


----------



## hot9dog

With the right tune, the TDI becomes a torque monster....


----------



## damonryoung

papasin said:


> Still waiting for 8s on the dash, or on the headrest. Keeping my fingers crossed.


I'll just install giant headphones!


----------



## damonryoung

hot9dog said:


> With the right tune, the TDI becomes a torque monster....


Malone's Stage 1 brings it over 300 lb-ft... Maybe I'll register it out of state and do a DPF delete and really open this thing up!


----------



## quality_sound

The DPF delete unleashes a crap ton of HP. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rton20s

I like the way this is headed. And with the wife's buy in, no less?!


----------



## damonryoung

It's amazing how quickly it is to take stuff out when compared to how long it took to put it in. 

It's time to put this thing back to as close to stock as possible so that VW will buy it back. 


Beware of autocorrect...


----------



## hot9dog

All things come to an end eventually...still, sad to see the sport wagon go.


----------



## mikey7182

DRTHJTA said:


> It's amazing how quickly it is to take stuff out when compared to how long it took to put it in.


Don't I know that feeling! Time for me to put it all back in again!


----------



## carlr

DRTHJTA said:


> It's amazing how quickly it is to take stuff out when compared to how long it took to put it in.


4 months in - 4 hours out


----------



## req

bummer.


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> It's amazing how quickly it is to take stuff out when compared to how long it took to put it in.
> 
> It's time to put this thing back to as close to stock as possible so that VW will buy it back.
> 
> 
> Beware of autocorrect...


Time for a new wagon?

AMG E63 Wagon


----------



## papasin

DLO13 said:


> Time for a new wagon?
> 
> 
> 
> AMG E63 Wagon



Someone has been looking at MBs lately. 

Sad to see. DRTH sounded very good, but looking forward to the next platform you choose Damon.


----------



## damonryoung

DLO13 said:


> Time for a new wagon?
> 
> AMG E63 Wagon


Don't know that it'll be another wagon... if it was I would seriously look at this...


----------



## diy.phil

I hope the replacement is a Porsche SUV or sports car from the Beverly Hills store!!


----------



## dgage

The good news is DRTH will live on as I will be using his Alpine PDX-V9 amps in my build...when I get around to it.

Hope you're able to get a new ride you like Damon!


----------



## damonryoung

diy.phil said:


> I hope the replacement is a Porsche SUV or sports car from the Beverly Hills store!!


You're associated with BH Porsche? That's where we bought Nicole's Panamera...


----------



## diy.phil

Uh no. They send me emails. I almost wanted one from them. Well... since you know them... you get repeat customer club discount!! Do it!!!


----------



## DLO13

DRTHJTA said:


> Don't know that it'll be another wagon... if it was I would seriously look at this...


I hate you for showing me this.


----------



## rton20s

I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask... 

What are you doing with the iPad dash? 

(Hopefully you already sold it on a VW site.)


----------



## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask...
> 
> What are you doing with the iPad dash?
> 
> (Hopefully you already sold it on a VW site.)


I still have it... I was considering what to do with it...

I would fit very easily into the Jetta...


----------



## Golden Ear

rton20s said:


> I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask...
> 
> What are you doing with the iPad dash?
> 
> (Hopefully you already sold it on a VW site.)






DRTHJTA said:


> I still have it... I was considering what to do with it...
> 
> 
> 
> I would fit very easily into the Jetta...




Oh dang! 


Sent from my mind using telekinesis


----------



## cobb2819

rton20s said:


> I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask...
> 
> What are you doing with the iPad dash?
> 
> (Hopefully you already sold it on a VW site.)





DRTHJTA said:


> I still have it... I was considering what to do with it...
> 
> I would fit very easily into the Jetta...


I've got an AMAS that would work flawlessly in that DSP of yours. Move the 6to8 with AMAS to the Jetta with a couple one series amps, and then time for real amps in the Scion.


----------



## rton20s

DRTHJTA said:


> I still have it... I was considering what to do with it...
> 
> I would fit very easily into the Jetta...





Golden Ear said:


> Oh dang!
> 
> 
> Sent from my mind using telekinesis


----------



## LumbermanSVO

DRTHJTA said:


> It's amazing how quickly it is to take stuff out when compared to how long it took to put it in.


That's the nature of the industry I'm in. On my tour it takes 3-4 days to build the show, and 1.5 days to take it all down and get it back in the truck. A one-off corporate gig I recently did took 29.5 hours straight to build, and a whopping three hours after the show we were closing the doors on the truck and sending the driver away.


----------



## rton20s

cobb2819 said:


> I've got an AMAS that would work flawlessly in that DSP of yours. Move the 6to8 with AMAS to the Jetta with a couple one series amps, and then time for real amps in the Scion.


You're not helping either.


----------



## cobb2819

rton20s said:


> You're not helping either.


Do I EVER?!?!


----------

