# 2006 Civic EX Coupe Install



## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

This is copied and pasted off my thread on 8thCivic.com.

I finally had some time to work on my car this last weekend. Here are some semi-interesting pics.









Cleaned up the wires behind my head unit. I had a wire or two ticking against something. How annoying.









New head unit installed. *Alpine IDA-X100*. So far, much better than the IDA-X001 unit. The interface is pretty good. Slight lag on songs every once and a while, but acceptable. Getting closer to the iPod interface.









Alpine *PXA-H100* unit. This does all the more advanced sound processing features that Alpine didn't include with the head unit. Its like I had to pay more to tweak the mids, seriously.

I installed this on top of the stock amp for easy access to run the imprint tuning if I feel like it. I plan on manually tuning to get my chops in order.

*Features:*

parametric and graphic EQ
time alignment
active crossovers (3 way)
imprint tuning
4 volt output

The little LCD screen shows a graphic layout of the car when using the time alignment. Pretty cool.









I did my doors a long time ago, but never posted a pic.









Gutted the interior so that I could lay down some sound dampening and ensolite. To be honest, it was much easier than I thought, just took some time.









The back seat, where love making may occur in the future. Probably not...









Car work is a good time to catch up on some podcasts.









Some Raamat and ensolite.









Almost done.









Done with the interior cabin.









Trunk lid done. Any thoughts on how to finish this off so it looks more OEM?









Damn, was running low on raamat and ensolite. I'm completely out except for a 1' x 1' square of each just in case I need it for something else. I doubled up on the important areas, so hopefully that does the trick.

*To do still:*

hook up new PDX amps (damn these look sweet)
Big 3 upgrade
build box for IDMAX 12 v3
drink a beer


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Looking good, man.

Might I suggest a product such as Luxury Liner for the wheel wells at least? Those, for me, are the most problematic areas with noise coming through. The deadener helps, but you really need a material designed to 'catch' ambient road noise and that stuff works friggin' wonders.


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## Dougie085 (May 2, 2006)

Leo Laporte huh?


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## dvsadvocate (Mar 17, 2008)

For the trunk lid I suggest cover it with suede or carpet. Lots of guys here in the Philippines do that and it looks real neat.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Or, you can cover with some overkill. I suggest buying the clips that fit the trunk lid holes and clipping the overkill once you've sprayed it in there.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

Dougie085 said:


> Leo Laporte huh?


Yeah, he's considered the father of podcasting.

If you're into tech news, Leo is the man.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

bikinpunk said:


> Or, you can cover with some overkill. I suggest buying the clips that fit the trunk lid holes and clipping the overkill once you've sprayed it in there.


I have will have a bunch of carpeting left after my box, so I will probably give that a shot first to see how it turns out.

However, I'll have to double check, but on the coupes I don't think there are clips for the trunk lid. I know for sure there are on the sedan.

I think I'm going to need some of that LLP. Is that stuff compressable enough to put a layer in my doors? They could use a touch more.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

You'll have a VERY hard time getting LLP to hold on a vertical surface. I've all but decided not to even try. Someone here tried using liquid nails and they said they had to hold the LLP in place while it dried.


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## SynergySOUND (Jun 23, 2008)

That's a lot of damping but will be well worth the effort. Looks great! Can't wait to see the end results.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

If you're a civic owner, this isn't enough.

Its quieted down the internal cabin a lot, especially on the highway, which is 98% of my commuting.

However, I want more...

I'm plan on mounting my amps tonight and grounding the battery with some bigger wires.


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## Duce2k (Mar 18, 2008)

Looks great so far


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## honda (Oct 7, 2007)

how many square feet of dampener did you use
got same car


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

honda said:


> how many square feet of dampener did you use
> got same car


In total, I've used 2 x rolls of Raamat (128 sqft total) + 6 yards of ensolite.

I wasted a bit as I re-sealed my doors, so I had to pull off some of the ensolite and original dampener on there. If I hadn't, I could've done a better job on my trunk floor.


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## honda (Oct 7, 2007)

thanks for info got to get started on my civic just not quite willing to take a part a new car


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

Finally finished mounting my amps. Mounted on the back of the seat, so nothing too special, however both amps fit, which was nice.

When I build my sub box, I plan to have a vanity plate or something section off the trunk, so the wires or amps won't be seen.









I tossed my old JL 10W3v2 in the trunk until I install my new sub, so this is only temporary.

Actually, it sounds pretty good. Makes me second guess if an IDMAX12 is going to be overkill.









And here's my partial Big 3 upgrade. I only added bigger grounds with some extra 4 ga scraps.

I used a dremel with a wire whisk attachment (not sure what you'd call it) to clean off the paint and to shiny up the battery terminals and cable connections.

No issues with dimming or large voltage drops yet...

I am still playing around with my front stage and am having some issues with the tweeters breaking up a bit at high volumes, so once I get that completely figured out I will be fairly happy.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

Finally finished off my box and installed my IDMAX 12.

I've come to the conclusion that my box making skills are pretty weak. Its probably because of the angled back that made things difficult. The box is approximately 1.5 cuft made from 3/4" MDF. Right now its sitting in front of my amps for some protection, but need to pick out a grill.

Now the IDMAX. This sub kills. Its deep and focused. Plenty of volume for me (for now that is). I'm only powering it with a PDX 1.600, so the sub is barely working up a sweat.

I'm hoping to build some sort of vanity cover or something in the near future to clean up the look of the trunk.


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## 1zach4 (Feb 13, 2008)

just an idea to seal of the trunk and clean it up. This is what I did in my old 06 ex coupe.


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## SRim23 (May 24, 2007)

FunkPnut said:


> If you're a civic owner, this isn't enough.
> 
> Its quieted down the internal cabin a lot, especially on the highway, which is 98% of my commuting.
> 
> ...


definitely need alot for civics. i dont know for sure on the newer ones but my 05 has dynamat extreme covering the trunk, doors and its still a rattle trap. much better than my 01 was but i need to add at least another layer to the trunk.


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## mojako (May 27, 2005)

you can cover your trunk lid with something like this










this is OEM here in the Philippines. Maybe you can get it from like hondapartsdeals.com


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## 1zach4 (Feb 13, 2008)

they only make it for the 4-door civics. There is nothing to date for the coupes so you will have to make something. I had 2 layers of xtreme on every panel of my civic except my trunk lid because I didn't know how to hide it.


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## mojako (May 27, 2005)

not available for coupes? wow, that sucks. Carpet will probably do.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

1zach4 said:


> just an idea to seal of the trunk and clean it up. This is what I did in my old 06 ex coupe.


Oddly enough I was going to pretty much copy that trunk install, probably won't be as pretty, though.

Its too bad about the trunk lid cover...


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

covered mine with carpet over cardboard backing...


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## rain27 (Jan 15, 2009)

nice pics...did the sound deadener make for a quiet ride? was it worth the effort? did the big 3 make any noticeable difference?


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

rain27 said:


> nice pics...did the sound deadener make for a quiet ride? was it worth the effort? did the big 3 make any noticeable difference?


The ride is quieter and the bass sounds much better in the cabin, but lets be honest, its a Civic and it could always be quieter. I still get road noise to a lesser degree, especially from the floor and wheel wells, so those could use a little more TLC in the future. I'd like to try some of this Luxury Liner Pro for the floor in the spring time to see if that does the trick.

I only did a partial Big 3 (no alternator connection) and it seems to be doing the job. I didn't have dimming before, but I definitely don't have it now. Maybe because of the efficiency of the PDX's. However, my car always fires up right away. It took 20 minutes to install and clean polish up the battery terminals and I had some extra 4 Ga laying around, so why not...


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## benthe8track (Nov 23, 2008)

stinky06 said:


> covered mine with carpet over cardboard backing...


How did you attach the carpet/cardboard to the trunk lid?


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

benthe8track said:


> How did you attach the carpet/cardboard to the trunk lid?


I would also like to know. That would help finish the look of my trunk.


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

i used black oxide trim screws , around the perimeter of the trim panel .... but you could always use those push-in plastic ''christmas tree'' type fasteners...you just have to drill a lil bigger. btw>the cardboard that i used was from an arts supply store. it's 1/16th thick and very stiff.
if you start your cut-outs around the hinges, you will have a reference point to come back to everytime you remove the panel to do some trimming.
the main reason for my panel was to hide the dynamat that is installed underneath the trunklid.


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## rain27 (Jan 15, 2009)

Why did you choose to put the deck on the bottom din?


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

rain27 said:


> Why did you choose to put the deck on the bottom din?


Its easier for me to control the deck from the bottom din, plus I don't really think it looks any better in the top din. I've tried both.


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## SRim23 (May 24, 2007)

benthe8track said:


> How did you attach the carpet/cardboard to the trunk lid?





FunkPnut said:


> I would also like to know. That would help finish the look of my trunk.


instead of drilling holes i installed a layer of dynamat and then took 3m spray glue and glued the carpet to the dynamat. worked like a charm and no extra holes in my trunk.


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

SRim23 said:


> instead of drilling holes i installed a layer of dynamat and then took 3m spray glue and glued the carpet to the dynamat. worked like a charm and no extra holes in my trunk.


i thought of that also ,but in my case it wasnt practical ,since i rigged an electrical door lock actuator on my lid and i need to be able to service it if it fails. 
4 door owners can buy the trunklid liner directly from honda...seems they forgot the coupes  ...


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## keep_hope_alive (Jan 4, 2009)

Thanks for the link for the Honda parts website! 

i like the cardboard/carpet idea for the trunk lid. 

Luxury Liner Pro is the way to reduce road noise.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

The audio bug has recently re-bit, so I've decided to revamp my install a bit.

*Overview:*

install Luxury Liner Pro to reduce road noise
fiberglass subwoofer box and amp rack into sides of trunk
move tweeters to A-pillars
fix rear headliner rattle from sub
clean up wires

*New equipment:*

replace Alpine PDX 4.100 and 1.600 with JL HD600/4 and HD750/1
replace Rainbow SLC 265 with Image Dynamics CXS64 v.2
possibly replace Alpine IDA-X100 with IDA-X305 (X305 supports iPhone)


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

*Luxury Liner Pro Install:*
I actually installed this stuff a couple of weeks ago and has made a difference with road noise entering into the car.




























The edges of the Luxury Liner Pro was sealed up better than what is shown in the pics. I still have a bit left that I might try shoving it further up the firewall as I still get some road and engine noise there. Not sure if there really is much that I can do about that without ripping out the entire dash.

Re-ran my speaker wires and some better noise canceling RCA's down the center to the trunk.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

*Fiberglassing:*
My current project. First time trying with the help of a friend.

My thoughts are to build an amp rack on the driver side corner of the trunk and to hold my JL HD600/4 and HD750/1. Then add a trim piece to hide the amps. The opposite will be a sub enclosure for my IDMAX.



















Molds in progress. Damn, this is going to take forever to cure since its cold outside.



















That stick is helping to hold an upside down part of the fiberglass mold.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

A quick update on my very slow moving build.

Just about done with my first fiberglass sub enclosure. The temps locally in MN have been changing a lot and recently has stayed warm enough to finish my enclosure.

My first mold of the trunk hardened warped, so I re-did it and didn't take any pics because of the lack of a working camera. Just ignore the previous post's pics.

wrapped in fleece









after resin hardened









finished with additional layers on the fleece and used some Evercoat Everglass to fill in any small gaps between the enclosure and trunk









sanded









wrapped in carpet from PartsExpress









Hopefully I'll have a chance to actually hook up the sub sometime in the next few days. However, for my first attempt at fiberglassing, I'm pretty happy with how the results came out thus far.


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Looks good man, have you noticed SIGNIFICANT improvements in road noise?


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

Thanks

Road noise has decreased. My tires are harder and bit noisy, so hopefully quieter tires will help even further when I get new ones in the future.

On a sad note, I can hear some of my rattles much more distinctly. Damn these Civics!

Next time though, I'm getting an Accord something that is better insulated.


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## mellowbob (Jul 2, 2009)

I've found the rattles pretty easy to fix in these 8th gen Civics. Most of my rattles were fixed by using a small piece of ensolite right over the clip holes and just push the clip into it. Most of my rattles are gone except for a rattle right behind the right rear light pod.


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## FunkPnut (May 16, 2008)

My car has 80K miles on it, I drive a lot, and these crappy MN roads with the super hot summers, and freezing cold winters only exacerbate the rattles.

Maybe its not my car, but my locale.


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