# 2005 Altima upgrade



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

*[B]2005 Altima upgrade[/B]*

I bought this car in 2005 as a base model 3.5s tiptronic. I new I was gonna have some fun with it hence the base model. First off I bought the cheapest and loudest system I could afford at the time - Audiobahn. Put the beefiest speakers and a set of 10" excursion subs mated with matching powered amplifiers. I built the enclosure with 2.5 cu. ft. per driver, and tuned it for 25hz!  lol! At the time I just listened to hip-hop music and wanted the lows.
View attachment 16911
View attachment 16910
Well 5 years later I've grown up quite a bit and to be quite honest - the car sounds like sh#!. I've decided to do away with the factory appeal and make some custom door panels and A pillars. I've got 3 sets of Image Dynamics CTX65cs speaker for the doors, and 2 Audiobahn subs. Say what you want - I actually welcome the criticism but I know how cheap they were, how awesome looking they are, and how well I can design an enclosure. Plus inverted they'll look show worthy. I'm just a little stumped on the amps - I've been thinking the new line of hifonics, they seem pretty decent - anyone here have exp. with one of them yet?

Here are a few other things I've upgraded...
View attachment 16920
View attachment 16921
View attachment 16913
View attachment 16914
View attachment 16915
View attachment 16916

View attachment 16918
View attachment 16919


----------



## emperorjj1 (Sep 10, 2008)

looks good man


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

The beefy subframe




















Factory manifold with pre-cat



























I installed OBX headers the first time but later swapped them for Megan racing headers with long runners 









These are the Megan racing headers


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Now the fun part... putting it all back together without any 'extra parts'!:laugh:


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

The next step was suspensions and exhaust









Tein suspension I sanded and repainted - it used to be green! KYB struts and those hugely inadequate factory brakes:









Magnaflow exhaust


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Now to upgrade the ECU and unleash the full potential of this family sedan



























So by default this car is tuned too restrict the throttle body from opening fully, Technosquare fixed this as well as removed the speed limiter and raised the rev limiter to 7200 rpm.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Last but certainly not least, the AP 4-piston Brake kit finally came in 









The front factory caliper









G-ridge ss brake lines









13.5" rotors up front, 13" rotors in rear


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Factory dash trim









After installing aluminum trim kit 


















The best part of this was also the most difficult, the factory gauge cluster was orange and I really don't like orange unless it's for breakfast. I picked up an LED kit from mexico for a few bucks and went to work. It took about 8 hours of soldering to mount the 40 miniscule LED's while holding them in place with tweezers, I got so in to it I forgot to take pics...









This is the system I built in 2005... its been sold already and i'm about to demolish it


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Some finished pics...


----------



## ikoolguy (Oct 23, 2009)

i love  the trunk's lay out!


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Haha thanks, I'm a little sad I'm going to rip it all out but the system i have planned is 10 times better


----------



## SpecV (Mar 26, 2009)

Awesome car man and great work. I such a soldering and have already trashed two sets of HVAC controls in my sentra trying to put in LED's. I was sad to see the altima is an autotragic though.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Yeah traffic sucks and I spend a lot of time in it so manual isn't feasable, plus its a family car and the girlfriend drives it a lot, now if it was a 'vette!


----------



## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

I really like how you integrated the sub enclosure into the false floor. Nice, you still have plenty of trunk space left over. How much height do you have between the false floor & top of the trunk?


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I'm not sure the height between the sup floor and top of trunk but I only raised the false floor 5 inches from factory. I still have room for IKEA!  Gotta keep the woman happy! The new system is going to use up most of the trunk space unfortunately but I want this car to be fully show worthy. I'll take lots of pics when I start the demo/install.


----------



## Toys7505 (Jul 1, 2008)

Props on the blood, sweat, and tears you have put into the car - quality thought out upgrades!! Looks like your missing a lug nut on the last pic?!?!
Keep us updated on the progress.....


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

lol! Good call on the lug nut I actually had to get longer studs to fit the wheels and spacers just to clear the brakes. I'ts all good now though


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Ripped out the system on sunday... next the interior is coming out.































































http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj125/josharens/Altima project car/img237.jpg


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Finally, ready for a fresh install...


----------



## Ankit69 (Oct 13, 2009)

wow love the install so far.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

A race night out before we start adding weight...


----------



## scooter99 (Dec 21, 2008)

OK I'm in!


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

We made two more passes just to be sure...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Well finally I had some time to do a little on my baby this weekend. I'm torn between a few projects right now but got fed up with the s!*tty sound of the old speakers, they were giving me a headache. So, I figured why not deaden the doors and throw a set of the new speakers in until this cars back off the road and I can make some 'glass' door panels.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Now time for my favorite... carpet underlay! 










Here is the first set Image Dynamics CTX65cs going into the doors... 2 more on the shelf for later.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

The other door...


















Now I know everyone says not to mount crossovers in the doors but howabout the door panels? I plan to do something real cool later but for now this is perfect.










Now back to the Honda, I've got the top half of the motor out and ready to put it back together so this one's gonna be on hold for a little while again.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I'm a little bored of the flashy look and want to attract less attention these days. My brother did a quick Photoshop on the car and this is roughly what's it's gonna look like.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Well I blew the alternator 2 weeks ago and ordered a 240 amp from DC Power, problem is they don't stock them anymore! So I'm being upgraded to the XP series - 270 amps! As soon as it's here I can finally start gutting the interior out and begin  My lil civic is running now so this car is going back in the garage...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

It took 3 weeks to get the alternator built for me but here it is, hopefully I'll get to install it this week, just have to finish tiling the bathroom first...


----------



## scooter99 (Dec 21, 2008)

Wow that's purrrrdy!!


----------



## Blancolex300 (Dec 9, 2009)

Great lookin wheels!


----------



## scooter99 (Dec 21, 2008)

Can't see the wheels, picture is too small.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

A good size rock got the better of my grill on the highway so I had an excuse to order the black one, got the grill in Sunday, new wheels in last night... I'm getting excited!


----------



## emperorjj1 (Sep 10, 2008)

it looks better but seems like its missing something. logo in the middle maybe? bottom grill too? idk


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

emperorjj1 said:


> it looks better but seems like its missing something. logo in the middle maybe? bottom grill too? idk


Yeah the bottom grill is going and the roof and mirrors are getting vinyled black. I love the new grill but it sure looks odd by itself.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I got my wheels just need to mount some rubber on them


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I got the alternator and wiring installed this weekend...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I replaced the factory 4 gauge with some 0 gauge welding cable - 1100 strand!



































I also found my ground to the engine had worn completely apart, probably from engine torque so I gave a little extra slack on the replacement cable.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

All the wiring re-wrapped in heat shield and 2+ layers of electrical tape


----------



## jorgegarcia (Mar 8, 2008)

Good job, love it when someone actually DIY's their cars. 

You've reminded me to check my electrical system and wiring before upgrading my install; It was all the rage a couple of year's ago but it has calmed down.


----------



## jivitup (Nov 2, 2009)

Everything looks good so far. I'm waiting till christmas time to start redo my system on my 05 Altima.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I'm finally getting some time to work on this thing again, when I'm not at work or in the kitchen whipping something up I rarely have energy to work on projects and this one need to be completed in the next few months. I'm first gonna sound deaden this car on a budget - 80 sq. ft. of Damplifier, and 30 sq. ft. of purple carpet underlay, the thin stuff.


----------



## jivitup (Nov 2, 2009)

Hows that dc alternator working out?


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

jivitup said:


> Hows that dc alternator working out?


I haven't had a chance to run any stereo off it yet but charging the battery it's amazingly quick. I could barely start the car after installing as the battery was near dead, turned it off after a couple minutes and when I restarted it started as powerfully as a fresh charged battery! I'll update on voltage levels at idle with the system full volume when the build is complete. I've got 2 volt meters going in here - for the front and rear batteries.


----------



## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Looking forward to more progress.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I adjusted the trunk lid tighter when I installed the first sound system to contain the sound pressure but ended up with a trunk lid that would not stay open. I finally had enough of getting hit in the back of the head and bought some gas struts. Now when I open the trunk remotely... Whooosh!


----------



## jivitup (Nov 2, 2009)

So are you going to remove those two thin bars that connect the hinges together? What are the specs on those struts??


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

jivitup said:


> So are you going to remove those two thin bars that connect the hinges together? What are the specs on those struts??


I got the struts from a Civic Del Sol's trunk, I actually did remove the bars initially but unfortunately the struts can't support the weight of the trunk alone with all the sound deadener in it. I could have mounted them differently and perhaps got better leverage however this way they're invisible and don't interfere with the trunk space.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

...did a bit more sound deadening today, and covered the roof and mirrors with vinyl to see how I like the look before painting or covering in carbon fiber.

























































I think the next week I might be either working on the sub enclosure or sound deadening inside the cabin. The fun is just getting started!


----------



## trumpet (Nov 14, 2010)

In my opinion if you're going with a black theme you need to continue with the hood and trunk lid. Right now it looks like you couldn't afford to get replacement side mirrors paint matched and you're hiding hail damage on the roof. The underhood wiring and sound dampening work looks good.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

trumpet said:


> In my opinion if you're going with a black theme you need to continue with the hood and trunk lid. Right now it looks like you couldn't afford to get replacement side mirrors paint matched and you're hiding hail damage on the roof. The underhood wiring and sound dampening work looks good.


Thank God that's only your opinion! I think about 25% of car people are actually familiar with the Euro look versus the Japan racer look. Mercedes has brought this trend back with the new line of E-class. I like the integration of black between the windshields as it gives a stealthy look to the car. The vinyl is off now and the roof is gonna be gloss black and the mirrors carbon fiber - but that's going to be a challenge!


----------



## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Pretty cool.

What time did you get at the track with that technosquare ecu? How did you even get that? Are you local to them? Best I was able to get with mind with an exhaust was 14.5.

Keep the pics coming.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

AAAAAAA said:


> Pretty cool.
> 
> What time did you get at the track with that technosquare ecu? How did you even get that? Are you local to them? Best I was able to get with mind with an exhaust was 14.5.
> 
> Keep the pics coming.


Thanks! 14.4 consistant with the wheels weighing about 65lbs each. I should be able to make a better pass with the new wheels weighing in at 42lbs. I sent the ECU to Japan where they raised the rev limiter to 7200 rpm and removed the speed limiter. Have you found it hard to launch without excessive wheel spin?


----------



## AAAAAAA (Oct 5, 2007)

Wheel spin is always an issue yeah. It's hard to stain in first longer and just lift off the gaz instead of just shifting into 2nd.

I should have a better time next year as well since I have good tires now and a CAI.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

The weather is finally warming up and I can get back to working on this car. I took the front doors apart again and put a layer of carpet underlay glued to outer door. I'm hoping this will help with outside noise as well as improve mid-bass.








Next the rear doors, damplifier and underlay with PL premium, I'm still contemplating how I'm going to completely seal the rear doors.







[/url]















I wasn't sure about the headliner coming out as other's have said it wouldn't be possible, however it came right out!















I'm looking for some faux suede to cover the headliner and A/B/C pillars with but I got the damplifier on for now.








1 layer of damplifier on the back seat area in all the resonant spots.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I know I'm not making any headway with the stereo yet but I'm getting to it soon! In the meantime I covered the headliner with some micro-suede.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

New TV mounted...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

New suspension, it now sits at a perfect height to clear speed bumps and rides much smoother.


----------



## madhouse12 (Oct 13, 2011)

wouldnt the carpet underlay soak moisture and retain it? you might have rust problems later on. we get another type of underlay here that does not retain water. should look into that.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

madhouse12 said:


> wouldnt the carpet underlay soak moisture and retain it? you might have rust problems later on. we get another type of underlay here that does not retain water. should look into that.


No a lot of installers I know use this as it's closed cell foam and is designed to be resilient against mold/mildew/moisture. Hence why it's used under carpet. It's pretty much identical in properties with most sound deadeners but can be picked up for free from most flooring stores. Perhaps if it was a Ferrari or high end sports car I would go all out but not a car I'll likely pass on within the next 5+ years. Thanks for the concern though.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

So I finally have weather and time to get this car going for summer. I finished my bike's rebuild so no more excuses...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

And tomorrow's another day.


----------



## emperorjj1 (Sep 10, 2008)

ouch


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Cleaned the panels up and got the baffles in place


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

It's coming along slowly but surely and I'm trying get gain some good exp with this install. Here are Sundays updates...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

trumpet said:


> In my opinion if you're going with a black theme you need to continue with the hood and trunk lid. Right now it looks like you couldn't afford to get replacement side mirrors paint matched and you're hiding hail damage on the roof. The underhood wiring and sound dampening work looks good.


Your comment still gets a chuckle out of me... I have to say that as good as the Mercs look with the 2 tone theme after trying the vinyl I know the black wheels and grill are enough accents for me. No 'hail' damage here!


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

2 coats of Duraglass on now


----------



## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

You should pull that carpet underlayment out. All it's doing it taking up airspace. Which bring my to my next question. Why take the time to essentially make an enclosure on the door and then cut a hole in the back?


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

quality_sound said:


> You should pull that carpet underlayment out. All it's doing it taking up airspace. Which bring my to my next question. Why take the time to essentially make an enclosure on the door and then cut a hole in the back?


Good points, so I didn't build them as self contained enclosures but simply as a way to mount them to the door cavities. The first door pods I ever made where sealed and when I brought it to a friend who competes locally in SQ the first thing he said was vent the pod into the door. Being as there is probably less than .25 cu. ft. in the pods they can't develop any proper tonal frequency or midbass. As far as the underlay this was just personal experience - the previous pods I made sounded really good after porting them into the door but even better after deadening them. I just wish I had more time to spend on this...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Here's one panel finished with black suede, I couldn't find a close enough match in the grey. After all the panels are finished I'm going to make some grills for the speakers and covers for the crossovers.


----------



## mrm1776 (Oct 30, 2010)

The crossovers in the door panel actually look pretty good. Any reason you chose to go with a passive setup instead of an active setup?


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Thanks, I've never done an active setup but it is peaking my curiosity...


----------



## emperorjj1 (Sep 10, 2008)

ya looks good well it will once u have a cover for the crossovers


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I almost finished the other panel this weekend and started on the trunk.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

So the midbass from these drivers is so powerful they drown out the one 12" sub I was running almost entirely - and this is only with the one set installed! I have to say I'm not thoroughly please with the construction of these Image Dynamics components and I'm sure the higher series are built better but I had to re-glue the surrounds to the baskets as they where separating right out of the box and had to re-solder one of the crossovers and glue all the crossover boards back into the cases as they where loose also. But the sound they produce is fantastic! I'm running them with the HU crossover set at 60htz and the amp in full range...


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I ran the cables and it's coming along but it's not near as neat as I would like it to be yet.


----------



## abdulwq (Aug 17, 2008)

nice ride...nice work done


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Thanks 

I made a custom air intake as the AEM intake sucks (water), and it was only 2.5" ID so quite restricting on the air flow. I pieced together a 3 1/8" custom intake with a S&B filter and wow does the car ever run better! Also a fraction of the AEMs price. 









I also did away with the Clarion HU last year in favor of the Kenwood Excelon series and have been quite happy with it so far. Mounted the bluetooth on the sunglass holder and works wonderfully and I quite often do on call support and this way I can take calls while driving risk free.
















Here are the early beginnings of the sub enclosure - I spent few hours this evening laying down some cloth and resin on the inside but didn't take any pics yet - I will later.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Also I made the box in such a weird shape to maximize the area available while still being able to easily remove the box for camping, snowboarding, or a road trip.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

The box is finished and in place - 5 ft. cu. and tuned to 35htz. I just need to secure it with some brackets mounted to the chassis. A couple finishing pieces on the floor and around the trunk and this will be complete. I'm not a big Audiobahn fan but I spent $140 on subs, they only weigh 10lbs each, and I love the sound of paper cones. Eventually I might look into replacing them with some JBLs or something but for now this works and the baskets look cool.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Well I ripped it back out and took the face off it. I'm reducing the size to 4.5 cu/ft and changing the port to 1/4 mdf and 2 inches shorter - it had too much low end and was lacking the upper range. Also I have to say the difference is night and day b/t running my other sub at 4ohms and these at 1ohm. I would like to find some high powered single 4 ohm subs to get a 2ohm load on the amp and a bit more clarity from the lows at high volume.


----------



## Ankit69 (Oct 13, 2009)

nice ride coming along nicely.


----------



## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

woah.. how many cubes!!


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Thanks for the compliment.  So I ripped the front of the box off, rebuilt the port using 1/4" mdf reinforced with 1 layer of glass, measured the box volume with packing peanuts and it came back minus the woofers @ 4cu ft. I tuned it to 38htz and here is the updated box.









My new problem is I bought 2 woofers, one was new and the other used - I blew the used one last friday smoke and all! I've ordered a replacement and it should be here in a day or two. I really want to pick up some IDQv3 subs but they're out of my budget for now.

I also installed the bass knob and a volt meter in the top dash compartment, fabbed a small bracket for the meter out of aluminum, sanded it and painted it.
















Installed - so this thing reads 15.3v when I start the car and and stays at 14.9v till the bass is hitting hard.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

So I rippe the cone of the woofer as the voice coil is definitely blown and a wire from it was hanging out. The smoke smell was so strong the garage stinks now!
















Getting the comps in the rear doors as well and there is a ton of space behind the panel! I removed the factory pocket inserts and am replacing them with the grill covers from the front door panels - direct fit.
















Wrapped the center insert in black suede again and voila!









I made some baffles from 1" mdf and urethaned them to the door. Once they cure I'll fasten them with bolts and waterproof them.









Once again these CTX65 components sound great but are put together poorly. The crossover board basically fall out of their shells so I hot glued them back in, then for added good measure I used epoxy to reglue all the crossovers electronics to the boards as 1 fell off and I had to re-solder it. These should be secure now.























I get to pick up the replacement sub today and I have to say I these amps are mediocre at best, I've had to play with the EQ on the deck quite a bit to get this new Hifonics amp to sound remotely as good as my PDXs do.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

I finished 1 rear door, very simple but it gives a very nice rear fill and the back seats will be the place to be once the other door is done - I need a chauffeur!


----------



## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

Awesome work on those door panels. I also really like the brakes. The exterior touches are cool, but did you ever tint the front windows? That would really set it off.


----------



## Vital (Feb 23, 2010)

Freaking awesome built!!
Are you on NissanClub forum? Just about all Altima guys are there.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Wow, I just realized there were posts on here, sorry for the late reply, I guess work and travel has been keeping a guy too busy. Yes I would like to tint the front windows but where I live it's technically illegal. I know lots do it and I had them done on my TSX but I did get hassled a few times. Thanks again for the compliments, a lot of blood and sweat went into this, no tears and very little blood actually just a lot of sweat. B)
I also just joined the NissanClub forum but obviously I don't have much time for forums - oh well. Cheers!


----------



## Vital (Feb 23, 2010)

internationlriders said:


> Wow, I just realized there were posts on here, sorry for the late reply, I guess work and travel has been keeping a guy too busy. Yes I would like to tint the front windows but where I live it's technically illegal. I know lots do it and I had them done on my TSX but I did get hassled a few times. Thanks again for the compliments, a lot of blood and sweat went into this, no tears and very little blood actually just a lot of sweat. B)
> I also *just joined the NissanClub forum* but obviously I don't have much time for forums - oh well. Cheers!


What's your name there??
A lot of good audio info there btw, look around, ask around as most members are very helpfull.


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Same name as here - internationlriders. I'm pretty much done with the audio on this car, just gotta find the time to make some carbon fiber covers for the speakers and x-overs. I would love to upgrade the amps and sub but it's not in my budget as I'm looking to replace this car soon but I really don't want to let it go


----------



## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Also I started on some trim pieces but took the 2 12's out in favor of 1 ten, I like my car to have less weight. What I would really like to put in this car is 1 10" Fi Audio Q series sub built to handle the 2k watts


----------

