# 2008 Scion XB



## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

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I've spent several months looking for the right car and this 2008 Scion XB is what I ended up with. This car has really surprised me. I did not expect to like it as much as I do. I was looking for something with a bit more room then my old Volvo sedan, a little bit taller to see over the hoods of big SUV's when pulling out of parking lots, better fuel economy, and reliability. This fit perfect. I had read that with the extra 500lbs added to the newer models they lost the "go cart" feel to them. Coming from the Volvo this thing is like a turbo charged go cart. Everything feels very light and quick. There is so much room up front (and in back) I thought I would feel "disconnected" from the car, but after driving it that went away really quick. Anyway, on to the plans for the build. I'm planning a 3 way front with Hybrid Audio Legatia L6's, L4SE's and L1V2's. For power it looks like I'll be using a Massive audio Nano Bit BX4 bridged to the L6's, a second BX4 to run the L4SE's and L1V2's, and a B2 for sub duties. I had planned to run the NIB IDMAX12 I already have in the spare tire well but I would have to raise the floor a couple inches which I don't want to do. So time to start hunting for another sub(s). I will be using my old Pioneer double din in the beginning but will switch it out later. Looking forward to all comment and suggestions.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Did the Big 3 this morning. 

Engine to frame.







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Added power wire to Alt.









Cleaned up the factory wires









Battery terminals and you can see a little of the battery to frame









I wanted it to look factory and think it came out good.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Pretty clean start so far! Definitely liking your plans for the install.


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## trojan fan (Nov 4, 2007)

FYI- if your XB has not had the piston assembly replaced, keep a close eye on the engine oil level.....Good luck with your build!

Will Scion follow Toyota's TSB release for oil consumption? - Scion xB Forum : 2nd Gen Scion XB Forums


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Thanks, "clean" is what I was going for. And I will be watching my oil closely! I should add that the added power wire is only 4ga, but because I'm still using the factory power wire (6-8ga) I upgraded the grounds to 0ga.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Got the fuse holder temperately placed and 0ga power wire ran last night. The fuse holder is on the list to be replaced at some point. The battery will stay for now as long as if enough for the system. If I find money burning a whole in my pocket I might pick up a die hard platinum. 








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The power wire passes along the rear of the engine compartment and threw the firewall on the passenger side.








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From there it go to the kick panel and down the passenger side. 








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It's just tucked under the rear seat for now. When I remove the interior I will find a way to run it threw the rear panel.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

I like "clean" installations. Will be watching this one closely, for inspiration on mine


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

chithead said:


> I like "clean" installations. Will be watching this one closely, for inspiration on mine


I also started a Scion XB install tips thread. Feel free to hijack the thread and ask any questions about the XB's.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ar/144214-2008-scion-xb-tips.html#post1825490


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Oh, we actually have a Subaru Forester. But, I want it to have as much of a factory look as possible.


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## SciPunk (Jan 12, 2013)

Well I will be watching this!

Looking great man.


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

looks like a good start, i love my xb, its the 2012 hot lava rs9.0. I deadened roof, doors, back door and part of floor right after buying it. Then Have done several different systems and just took out 2 fi bl 18's walled in it. Now Im doing something cleaner, and more simple build.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

b.w.1974 said:


> looks like a good start, i love my xb, its the 2012 hot lava rs9.0. I deadened roof, doors, back door and part of floor right after buying it. Then Have done several different systems and just took out 2 fi bl 18's walled in it. Now Im doing something cleaner, and more simple build.


Any pics? How was removing the headliner? Just shutting the doors I can hear how badly the roof needs to be done. Did you just use tiles or ccf & mlv?


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

i used almost 3 boxes of stinger roadkill extreme. Close to 2 boxes just on the roof because I knew I was doing a wall build. I have been running pioneer components til now and Im working on taking everything out now for the rebuild. Let me find pics and i will post them


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

Headliner removal wasnt terribly bad, just keep up with all parts taken out. 










some stuff I painted to match exterior










rewrapped arm rest because stock material was too thin










2 FI BL 18's in a tline wall built to play 26-70hz


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)




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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

b.w.1974 said:


> Headliner removal wasnt terribly bad, just keep up with all parts taken out.
> 
> 
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> ...


 Very cool! Thanks.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

So I decided to make my idmax12 fit and started on the enclosure. I started with some 1/2" MDF and made it fit in the floor. 








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Then I built the top section of the enclosure out of 3/4" MDF. After securing it to the 1/2" base I used a router to punch out the center.








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Next I taped off the spare tire well and put down a couple layers of thick mat. This is the first time I've spayed the tape with cooking spray. I found it a bit tricky to get the glass to lay down flat and ended up with some air bubbles. The spray made it easier for the glass to lift up. Next time I will use much smaller pieces of fiberglass, should help. But in the end it come up really easy without all the tape stuck to the back.








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Then i placed the base board and enclosure on top to test fit for the sub.








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I then cut some strips of 3/4" to fill in the big gaps between the base and tire well.







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Then laid down 3 more layers of fiberglass with the enclosure in place.







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After letting it dry it popped right out.







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Tomorrow I will work on removing the extra fiberglass from the original layer. Then fill in the gaps with kittyhair/resin mixture, and add a couple more layers to the inside.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Got the box finished and built a trim panel. Got them both covered in black carpet. 







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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

Very nice looking work so far!! That came out super clean.


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

looks great, something like what I am working on except I am fiberglassing inside of spare tire this time for 1 10w6v3


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

thanks guys! Today I got my temp. head unit installed and ran RCA's/remote wire so I was able to hook the idmax up to half of my massive BX4 (my second BX4 and B2 mono amp should be here soon). Sounds pretty good so far. Huge improvement over my JL13w3 in my previous car. I think the next projects will be to get an amp rack set up and lay some dampening material to the floor.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Finished up the false floor today.








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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

I gotta say that idmax is impressing me more and more each time I listen to it. Can't wait to get my Massive B2 mono amp to double the wattage going to it. These tiny little Massive Nano Bit's are pretty impressing me too. My original plan was to run DLS Ultimate amps but after winning the BX4 in Massive's giveaway contest I thought I'd give them a try. I know they test for wattage using a speaker instead of a resistor but half of the BX4 (480w MAX) does a pretty good job with the idmax.


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

looks great, where did you mount your amps at


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

b.w.1974 said:


> looks great, where did you mount your amps at


^^^ X2 please as I also have one BX4 and one BX2....


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

I only have the one amp right now so I just quickly mounted it on the base board right in front of the sub enclosure. Once the other two amps show up I'll finish off the amp rack which will go in the same spot.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Just a quick shot of how the amp rack is going. I put a lip half way up so there will be a bottom section for the DSP and power distribution and top half for the 3 amps. 








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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

My second BX4 and B2 arrived today. I quickly swapped out the BX4 that was running my sub with the B2 mono. I have to say I am even more impressed with these amps. Only had a few minutes to play around with it tonight and I'd say the B2 has plenty of power for the idmax.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

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## southpawskater (Feb 17, 2010)

LOL are you sure those are amps and not crossovers???? Its coming together really well keep it up sir!


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

I have the BX4 and if it doesn't sell, then I'm dying to install it in something.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Yes they are amps, and impressive for the size.  Started work on the pillars the last couple days. 

Some MDF rings out of 3/4".







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A quick test fit.







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And some fiberglass, filler, and lots of sanding.







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I'm planning on putting the tweets in the stock sail panel location about the same angle as the mids. Still need to decide how to cover the A pillars and sail panels, at this point I'm thinking flocking. Might take a trip down to the fabric store tomorrow and look for ideas. I also picked up a Kenwood DDX719 and a 3sixty.3 and should have those installed within a week or so. I also have to get the L6's installed in the doors and get started on deadening the hollow box.


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Flocking would be easiest with a panel that curved.. Or grill cloth


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

south east customz said:


> Flocking would be easiest with a panel that curved.. Or grill cloth


Grill cloth is what I was going to look for at the fabric store tomorrow. I'm also going to do some research on flocking tonight. How well does flocking hold up over time?


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

If the surface is good it holds up well.
What color grill cloth u want?
That's easiest.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

south east customz said:


> If the surface is good it holds up well.
> What color grill cloth u want?
> That's easiest.


I'm thinking either grey (what they were originally) or black. And thanks again for all the help. Great guy to deal with here people!


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

I'll send u some black tomorrow..
It works best... Pm me if u want details lol


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Thanks, really appreciate it. I was leaning towards black. I'm guessing it would be best to spray them black before applying the grill cloth?


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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Yes that is correct.
They'll look good in black. Won't stick out as much.


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

Those pillars look great, what size speaker is that in there?


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

b.w.1974 said:


> Those pillars look great, what size speaker is that in there?


Hybrid audio L4SE's, Thanks


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Spent a good amount of time today becoming best friends with a can of sand able primer and some 220 grit. Pretty happy with the results. 








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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Got the tweeter pods finished today. 








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## sinister-kustoms (Jul 22, 2009)

Pillars look great! I still can't get over how small those Nano Bit amps are!


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

sinister-kustoms said:


> Pillars look great! I still can't get over how small those Nano Bit amps are!


Thanks, looking forward to getting everything hooked up and giving the nano bits a real test.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Still to do:
-wrap and mount sail and a pillars
-mount midbasses in doors
-run 12ga speaker wire
-install new head unit (should be here tomorrow)
-lots of sound deadening
-finish wiring up 3sixty3 and amps

Thinking about another week to get it all finished up.


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## mumbles (Jul 26, 2010)

Gotta say I'm quite impressed with what you've accomplished! Nice work.


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## southpawskater (Feb 17, 2010)

Looks pretty damn good. Are you going to have it playing by this weekend?


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Thanks, Got the Kenwood DDX719 installed the other day. So far pretty happy with it. Not a lot of EQ and crossover adjustment but that's what the 3sixty is for. Pulled the interior out today to lay down some STP gold, CCF, MLV. Didn't get any pictures taken as I was fighting the rain and the clock. Had to get it all back together in time to pick my son up from school. I'm hoping to have it up and running by Saturday, but we will see.


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## b.w.1974 (Feb 12, 2013)

awesome job so far


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

My Dayton UMM-6 showed up about an hour ago so I decided to play around with REW. 








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## ALL4SQ (Mar 28, 2009)

That turned out great. Nice use of space. 

Looking forward to seeing you at some local shows this season.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

ALL4SQ said:


> That turned out great. Nice use of space.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing you at some local shows this season.


Thanks. I've looked at your site and it is very impressive. I'm definitely looking forward to attending some show, meeting new people, and demoing some properly tuned cars. Really trying to make it to Spokane on the 30th. Not expecting to do very well but I'm sure I will learn a lot.


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## fast4door (Aug 2, 2012)

Subscribed I am liking what you are doing for sure the MR. Clean install


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Got the A pillars covered in grill cloth today, thanks once again south east customz. All the speakers are installed, 3sixty3 installed after a couple small problems, and got the 3sixty3 remote installed. Not too happy with the amp rack. Even with the tiny amps it just seems way too cluttered. Thinking about moving a couple of amps to under the rear seat. 








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## south east customz (Jan 17, 2011)

Told you the black would look hot!


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## Lou (May 23, 2009)

any pics of the midbass in the doors and the process?


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Lou said:


> any pics of the midbass in the doors and the process?


Sorry, no pictures of the midbass. It was raining out and pretty straight forward. Pulled the door panel, used the factory speaker to make a ring out of 3/4" MDF, bolted it up. Tons of room since the window doesn't go do that far. A couple other people have build logs with pics.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Been playing around with REW and housecurves for awhile now. Was never really happy with the results and always ended up resetting the EQ at the end of my tuning session until today. I didn't have much time so instead of using "smooth 1/6" or "smooth 1/12" I went with "smooth 1/2". Auto EQ only spit out about 5 filters. After entering those filters into my 3sixty3 I took new measurements and ran it again. I did this a half dozen times or so and each one would only give me about 5-7 new filters to add. I thought it sounded better then any other attempt in the past but wanted to see what it looked like at 1/6 and 1/12. After taking some final measurements, averaging, and smoothing to 1/6 and 1/12 I was surprised to find it looked better then ever before.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

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## HondAudio (Oct 19, 2006)

evangojason said:


> Got the A pillars covered in grill cloth today, thanks once again south east customz. All the speakers are installed, 3sixty3 installed after a couple small problems, and got the 3sixty3 remote installed. Not too happy with the amp rack. Even with the tiny amps it just seems way too cluttered. Thinking about moving a couple of amps to under the rear seat.
> 
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> ...


Those seats look comfortable. Do you think they'd bolt into my 2006 xB?


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## adamand (Apr 19, 2009)

Sub'd for the project! Love to see the car at a show this year.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

adamand said:


> Sub'd for the project! Love to see the car at a show this year.


I plan to be at Soundwerks in Marysville this Sunday!


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Took 1st place in IASCA Amateur SQ today! I was really overwhelmed with positive feedback and met a lot of really cool people. Got a score of 219 and couldn't be happier about my first meet.








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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

Thats awesome...congrats on the win. I'm starting to like the massive amps


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## Shinju (Jul 11, 2008)

Saw and heard this in person yesterday, you have a very good start on an amazing platform!

I am glad my xB build inspired you to take yours to the next level!

Looking forward to seeing and hearing your progression 

-j


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## adamand (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks again Jason for letting me listen to the system! Congrats on the 1st place finish! First time out! 

Who's grey T-bird was that? I enjoyed listening to that car too but didn't get his name.

I'm excited to get my system wrapped up. Maybe I'll see you in the competition lanes... adam


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## Shinju (Jul 11, 2008)

Drew was the owner of the Grey T-bird.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

adamand said:


> Who's grey T-bird was that? I enjoyed listening to that car too but didn't get his name.


The green T-bird was Drew Snapp's.

Thanks guys, it was nice to finally meet some people from DIYMA. Most people just shake their heads and think I'm nuts when they see what I've done or I try to explain it to them. Definitely going to try to make it to the rest of the NW meets this summer and gather some points.


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## southpawskater (Feb 17, 2010)

Awesome job on the system and on the win! 
I should get the grill cloth for my pillars this week, and I got the dash kit and amp for my sisters car so we have 2 projects for this coming weekend!


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

southpawskater said:


> Awesome job on the system and on the win!
> I should get the grill cloth for my pillars this week, and I got the dash kit and amp for my sisters car so we have 2 projects for this coming weekend!


Thanks, Should be able to head over Saturday around noon. I'll bring the laptop and mic to get you dialed in once the pillars are finished.


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## legend94 (Mar 15, 2006)

b.w.1974 said:


> looks great, where did you mount your amps at



i think he moved them to the ashtray 

this install looks great! congratulations on the first place trophy.


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Great job on your install. Quick question about your pillars. Did you disconnect the air bags? Reason for asking I just picked one of these up. Thanks.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

tintbox said:


> Great job on your install. Quick question about your pillars. Did you disconnect the air bags? Reason for asking I just picked one of these up. Thanks.


No, airbags are still connected. I've spent a lot of time wondering what would happen if they went off. They have a special clip at the top that's suppose to keep them from flying across the car but I don't think it's meant to hold the kind of weight that's been added. Maybe someone needs to get a hold of Mythbusters and have them do some testing.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

congrats on the competition! great looking pillars


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

req said:


> congrats on the competition! great looking pillars


Thanks!


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Quick update, I swapped out the 3 Massive amp for two Phoenix Gold SD amps. Have a SD500.4 (74X4) running the L1v2's and L4SE's and a SD1300.5 (250X2+500X1) running the L6's and IDMAX12. The Massives were powerful little amps but the terminals drove me nuts. I ran 12ga speaker wire that barely fit the terminals and the allen head screws seamed to loosen up. Had to keep tightening them and ended up breaking two of the very tiny allen head screws. Might not have been an issue with smaller wire. I'm also planning a rebuild of my false floor. From the the start I knew I would have to raise the false floor for the IDMAX to fit. But I knew I didn't want a raised floor, so from the start this was a temporary build. It gave me some time to enjoy the IDMAX, try out some amps, and give me some ideas for the real false floor. For new subs I'm thinking Audiomobile. Either two 10s sealed, or one 12 ported. Can't find the specs yet (site isn't up yet) but Bing says the tens like .75cuft each, and read the 12 likes 1.3cuft ported. I think I'm leaning towards the single 12 ported. I'll be sure to post when I start the new floor.


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## tintbox (Oct 25, 2008)

Right on. Thank you for your response. I'll keep you posted on my build as well.


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

Another first place this weekend. Also got to take a listen to Steve McIntyre's Dodge Magnum. Seriously impressive!








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## deeppinkdiver (Feb 4, 2011)

very impressive! Congrats on the 2 first place trophies!

im getting ramped up to do a build in my Scion Xb -09. Im really thinking about trying to fit an 18 into a false floor (severly raised false floor) lol. Couple questions-

Did you ever calculate how much room you gained by utilizing the wheel well?

How much deadener did you go through and was it enough? Hints or suggestions?


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

deeppinkdiver said:


> very impressive! Congrats on the 2 first place trophies!
> 
> im getting ramped up to do a build in my Scion Xb -09. Im really thinking about trying to fit an 18 into a false floor (severly raised false floor) lol. Couple questions-
> 
> ...


Thanks, I've done a complete rebuild of the false floor just haven't had time to put together a build log. The indent where the tire sits gave me .69cuft I believe. 








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I used a bulk pack of STP Gold (40 sqft I think). It did everything I wanted to do, at the time. I plan on going back and adding more in some areas. Doing the roof and front tire wells is a must!!!! My main target when adding more is going to be the front tire wells. Lots of road noise. I'll try to get my new build log up soon.


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## deeppinkdiver (Feb 4, 2011)

evangojason said:


> Thanks, I've done a complete rebuild of the false floor just haven't had time to put together a build log. The indent where the tire sits gave me .69cuft I believe.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Great input, thanks. Did you go inside the doors with deadener? I'm curious what your mid bass results are from your doors vs efforts to get those results.

I was going to do my floor and front firewall/wheel wells first. Sounds like your going back in for a second layer in some areas?


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## evangojason (Feb 12, 2010)

I spent a lot of time and materials on the front doors and door panels. It was well worth it and not an area to skimp on. It's been a few months and im starting to get a little bit of a rattle at high volume so im going to play test tones to target the areas that rattle. I did not go over board on the firewall/foot wells and once the rest of the car was done it's definitely the area that sticks out while driving.


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## deeppinkdiver (Feb 4, 2011)

I finally had the time to deaden my entire car, went through 90 square feet. All flooring covered in ccf and interior back in.. Seems like a different car its so quiet.

working on a plan to do my amp rack under the rear seat~

progress on yours?


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