# 2009 Nissan Altima project build log



## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

While I've installed in the past, this build will be my first pass where I am aware of the mistakes I made in previous installs. I'm not going to claim any kind of Car Audio Prowess, but at least now in my old(er) age, I have a better sense of patience and thinking than I have in the past. I am starting fresh, with a new car that I bought hot off the lot a year ago, so I hope this build will give an insight in the whole process from start to finish on a system... and I mean from start (purchase of car) to finish (last components going in).

My Tastes include a wide range of music, from bluegrass to rock to rap to blues... I listen to everything. I hope this install will allow me to meet the needs of this range of tastes. Without further adieu then, let's get on to the install.

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I've not set my components in stone... although some items are already definitely going in:
IDMAX Subs
116sq ft Second Skin Damplifier Pro, HeatWave & Overkill (Thanks SO much to Ant over at Second Skin for an INCREDIBLE deal on this)
Stinger Wiring


First and foremost, I would like to share the canvas:

2009 Nissan Altima 2.5SL Sedan
  

  

At Least for a while, I will be sticking with the stock head unit. Yes, it's Bose. No, I don't need to be told your opinion of it dead_horse. I'm working to replace the entire stock system, but I need to eat first, so it's going to take some time.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

For this install, I wanted to go more towards the SQ side, so I had my heart set out on an IDQ. After looking around the classifieds for a while, I was coming up empty. I then ran across a pair of 10" IDMAX subs at an awesome price, and I just couldn't pass them up, so I jumped on it. A little dip in the wallet later and I had these (2) beautiful subs at my doorstep.

I actually had (2) 12" IDMAX V.2 in a previous vehicle and LOVED them. I eventually traded them in for a JL Audio 12W6, which was great, but (in my ears) sound as good as those IDMAX subs did. I hope the 10" subs will take up the slack that I've been feeling in the bass department of the stock system.

I know that the 'right' way to upgrade is to upgrade the front speakers first. I'm sorry to disappoint, but it was soo much cheaper for me to add a sub (or 2) than go straight for front stage, so I went with it.

  

  

At around 25-20 lbs each, these will definitely put a hurting on my gas milage!


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

I read up a bit on the stock head unit and found that I could connect RCA pigtails to the existing harness. For a new car, I was looking to do as little splicing as possible, so I had the 'great' idea to build a harness using an aftermarket deck harness and a reverse harness. Using this, I could add in RCA wires to the stock head unit without having to cut any wires.

It was really a proof-of-concept if anything, there were issues in the fact that the harnesses did not have enough wires (they were missing stuff like Speed Sensor and other items).

I started out with a Metra 71-7552 harness and a pair of Metra 70-7552 harnesses (this was because they did not have enough wires in the harness).
 

I needed to transplant some wires between the 70-7552, so using a paper clip I pulled some wires out and did just that, filling in the missing wires from the 70-7552.
 

Using a Y adapter, I cut pigtails (2 for each channel) and soldered them into the corresponding wires from the harness. Yes, my soldering job kinda sucked here, but I was mostly trying to see if it would even work.
 

Heatshrink everything nice and tight and you've got a jumper harness that connects to the stock deck, to the existing wiring and has RCA pigtails coming off.
 

*The good*
• It works for getting signal both to the pigtails and to the stock amp!

*The issues*
• The Metra Kits, even when using multiple harnesses on the female side, was STILL missing wires for the male end (speed sensor and some other items, I'm not sure if those were even used though, because they don't show up in the Nissan maintenance manual). 
• I could not find a way to get the male end open to add new wires into the harness

I'm still on the lookout for a set of harnesses with all the wires that I can do this with. I opened my head unit and was planning to install directly to the motherboard as well, but the spot is extremely tiny as far as soldering goes. I got a new soldering iron recently so it might be worth taking another look.


Up Next.... Power Wires


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## TREETOP (Feb 11, 2009)

Tuning in for this, these cars are set up well for audio and have a lot of potential.


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## 98kugt (Jul 27, 2007)

Good start so far...interested in seeing what else happens


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Before getting my sound deadening in, I got a free day to work on my car. With no real components available to me, I decided to tackle running 1/0 ga from the engine bay to the trunk. I had some leftover 1/0 ga from a previous install, and had purchased some techflex to give it a 'fresh' look, since it had a few scuffs and bruises.

Anyway, so I went to install the wire, and found out that there was almost NOTHING out there on where to run this stuff, I was seeing lots of mentions of drilling your own grommet and that there's a grommet here and there, but no real definitive answer. SO... I decided to make my own write-up. Yes, there's a lot of pictures of this process, but this might come in handy to someone else down the road.

=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=--=-=

*How to: Run Power Wire in your 4th Gen Nissan Altima Sedan*

*Tools required:*

* Phillips Screwdriver
* Flathead Screwdriver
* 10mm socket wrench/ratchet
* Box Cutter/Razor Blade
* Elbow Grease


*Step 1: Unhooking the battery*

_This is likely the most important step. Unhooking the negative battery terminal will prevent accidental shorting to the chassis, which can fry your equipment! It is best to disconnect the negative terminal first (or if you have to choose just one), to prevent a short to the chassis of the vehicle._


Using a 10mm wrench, loosen the bolt on the negative battery terminal, give the terminal a spin back-and-forth and pull the terminal off. Put the terminal to the side of the battery to prevent it from accidentally touching the battery lead during your install.

(This picture shows the negative terminal being removed. The positive terminal is removed in the same fashion.)


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Step 2: Removing the Driver’s Side lower panel*

_Removing the Driver’s side lower panel is a good idea before you run wire through the grommet. While you can scrape by without, removing the panel (and a few accessories goes a LONG way to increasing the access to these tight spaces._


First, remove the cover to the left of the dashboard by gently sliding a flathead screwdriver into the crack until you can get a finger-grip on the edge. Pull the cover towards the outside of the car and it will ‘pop’ out.


Next, remove the fusebox cover to the left of the steering wheel to reveal a screw to the right of the fuses.

Once you have removed this screw, you can pull the lower panel off, first from the lower portion towards the seats, and then from the upper section.

Once you have the panel removed, we need to remove some wiring that is attached to the panel. First, remove the lower computer hookup by pushing down on the tab and pulling it out of it’s holder. Next remove, what I believe to be, the temperature sensor to the right of the panel by removing a single screw and pulling it off.
 

The only remaining piece is to remove the button panel and emergency key reader to the left of the panel. This is removed by using the tabs to remove any button wires, and unscrewing (2) screws, one on the top, one on the bottom. Pull this off and place it on the steering wheel column to get it out of the way.
  

For maximum comfort, remove the hood popper from behind the lower panel by unscrewing the (2) nuts that hold it to the bracket (10mm I believe).
 

Once you’ve got all of these components off, you should have easier access to the firewall location.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Step 3: Running through the firewall*

_While there are plenty of spots to run wire through the firewall, including drilling a new hole and installing your own grommet, there’s a great stock location that will accept the thickest wire you will likely run (1/0 ga). If I can offer any advice here, just be careful, you’ll be working in a tight space with a razor blade, and sharp edges all around. Most likely, you WILL scrape/cut yourself on something, much less if you get too hasty._


First you need to identify where the grommet is. Crawl up under the dash and look up, you will notice that the carpeting ends about a foot up into the firewall and there is some under-carpeting that goes up into the dash the rest of the way. Feel/look a few inches to the left of the Emergency Brake bracketing and you will feel a budge about the size of a tennis ball with some wiring coming through the under-carpet, that’s the grommet!
Get your bearings on where the wiring is coming out, grab your razor blade and start cutting around the grommet itself. There’s not a lot of wires running around the grommet itself, only through it, but be careful! I found the best ‘technique’ was to score a semi-circle around the grommet and then get my hands in there to pull at the carpeting until I had the grommet exposed. The under-carpeting is fairly thick, but it will come out with a few strategic cuts and some pulling and ripping.
Once you’ve got it exposed, again get your bearings on how the wire goes through, grab your razor blade again and cut a ‘cross’ into the lower section of the grommet. I found using the razor blade to get through a few layers and then using a phillips screwdriver to push through was a good technique.
 
Once you have your screwdriver pushing all the way through the grommet, you can start feeding the wire through. You won’t need a hanger on this one, the grommet is nice and pliable, so you should be able to feed it through from the inside. Once you have a foot or (2) through, walk around to the engine bay and look behind the air box, find your wire and pull your desired length into the engine compartment.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Step 4: Running wire down the driver’s side paneling*

_Now the wire is in your engine bay to the desired point, you can start running the wire to your trunk (or wherever you are mounting your amp(s)/distribution). Lucky you, the hard part’s over, most of the remaining panels will come up with just a bit of elbow grease, no tools required._

First, remove the running panels (both front and back) by sliding your fingers under the panel and pulling up. Once you have a clip up, slide your fingers down 6-12 inches and repeat until the panel is off.

Remove the driver’s side kick panel by sliding your fingers under the panel and pulling in towards the center console until the clips come out.

The middle pillar does not need to be completely removed. I opted to only remove the lower portion of the panel. Again, this is accomplished by sliding your fingers under the panel near the bottom and pulling in towards the seats. I believe there are (3) clips on the bottom that gave me enough clearance to work.
Now that our panels are out the way, you can start running your wire. For me, I chose to run my wire under & to the outside of the existing wiring. Just thread your wire where you would want to behind the kick panel though, it’s a good idea to use some zip ties to keep the cable in place.

If you haven’t noticed already, there are round clips going all the way to the back under the running-panels. You’ve got two options here: open them up like a clamshell or just run the wire through them like threading a needle. To open them, use a flathead screwdriver and pivot off of the top of the clip on the inner tab (I found a lighter touch worked best here). If you’re having trouble, no worries, there is enough room here to thread a single 1/0 ga wire with ease. Note that the center pillar will have to be threaded, if you did not remove the whole panel.
  
Once you’ve made it to the rear seat, you will want to lift the seat pan (the butt of the seat) to get the wire all the way to the trunk. The seat pan is easily removed by lifting it a little on the driver’s side and looking for a little pull tab. Pull it and the seat will come up.


Congratulations, you have power! Hope this proves helpful to other Altima owners out there 

I still have the 12" wire that goes from the Battery to the Circuit Breaker and the wires after the distribution blocks to install.

*The Pros*
• The Techflex is extremely flexible, and will protect the wiring well
• Using the stock grommet and stock locations allowed the wires to be well hidden (no carpet bumps here)

*The Cons*
• The bright-red Techflex under the hood was just ugly to me. I ended up covering it all up in 1" Heatshrink... yes, my power wire has the jacket, techflex AND heatshrink on it under the hood. By adding the heatshrink it looks like any other wire and doesn't stick out.
• I don't have a lot of room to play around, using leftovers from my old car meant I just barely reached the trunk. I am debating whether I should buy more and run it again... or buy a few feet and use a coupler (I hate the idea of it though)


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

It's at this point, I had to divert my wallet away from the car for a spell. With summer approaching and my wife's birthday on the way, I put a little money towards tint. In the pictures, you can also see the Spoiler I installed (I actually installed it a long time ago, but didn't take any pictures). If you haven't realized by now, I don't have any extra hands available so all of this is being installed by me, pictures taken by me :mean:.

*Tint:*
• 3m Ceramic
• 15% All-Around

 

*The Pros*
• Wow, Ceramic Tint blocks SOO much more heat than the metallic tint I had in my previous vehicle
• The color is Charcoal... not Purple... not Blue... Charcoal.
• The Ebay Spoiler was a spot-on match to the color

*The Cons*
• The Ebay Spoiler had a little bit of run on one edge. However, when its installed I have to point it out to people before they can see it


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Spinning off of the Tint install, I decided to give Ant of Second Skin Audio a ring. After some banter back-and-forth with Ant, I had a plan down for what I wanted to get done for my budget. 

*I just want to give a special thanks to ANT for his help with the deadening! He's a top-notch guy, and Second Skin is a great company!*

Trust me, carrying this stuff up the stairs is easier than it looks. The smaller boxes weighed in at a little under 75 lbs total and the larger box added probably another 5-10 lbs... looks can be deceiving.


I will be starting with Damplifier Pro... 116sq ft of it! This should be plenty to do all (4) doors really well, the trunk/lid, back dash, most of the floor and possibly some extra left over. A little side note, the Second Skin logo... I designed it way back when SS was just getting started, it is just too cool to see a logo I made end up in production like this!
 

The Shop pack (80sq ft.) weighed in at 50 lbs!


What I noticed right away is that the sheets are flat (not rolled up) this helps the process of sound deadening so much. Each sheet has its own backing as well, which also helps speed the process.


Additionally, I got some Overkill and some Heat Wave to lay on top of the damplifier. I went ahead and got some aluminum tape, (3) cans of spray adhesive and the roller tool.
 

I can note that the adhesive is a rebranded product. However, the stuff is VERY sticky and is easy to spray (we'll get into that later).


The roller tool is very heavy-duty for its small size. I don't know what I would have done without this thing when installing my deadener. The small size is perfect and the heavy-duty nature of it is awesome.
 

Next Up... Front Driver's Side Door Deadening


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## braves6117 (Feb 13, 2008)

great log and writeup so far, keep it up!!


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## SpecV (Mar 26, 2009)

I love the wire clamps Nissan puts in their cars. and I love the tint. MIne turned purple so I have been contemplating redoing it. Great looking install!


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Yeah, that clamshell design was great. I probably spent 85% of my time when running the power wire just trying to get through the firewall. Once I was through the firewall, running down to the trunk was cake. Given that I'm running 1/0 ga all the way back, that's no small feat. 

If you plan on re-doing your tint, I would highly suggest looking at the ceramic tint. I have always had metallic tint and it was always kinda purple. For this car, I opted to pay a little more for the ceramic and it is a considerable difference both in appearance and in heat reduction. If I park my car so that the windshield is away from the sun, it's really hard to tell how long the car has been in the sun, even with the black leather.


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## hybridamp (Oct 10, 2006)

Awesome work man, love the spoiler. I have to keep watching now.


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

This is a very nice log! The step by step with pictures shows you have alot of patience.
Kudos to you man. Impressive
Seems like were spoiling it by even commenting on it!


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## 98RedGT (Jan 11, 2009)

Always nice to see a build log from a Kentucky guy -- even if you do live in Louisville


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## SpecV (Mar 26, 2009)

blindbug said:


> Yeah, that clamshell design was great. I probably spent 85% of my time when running the power wire just trying to get through the firewall. Once I was through the firewall, running down to the trunk was cake. Given that I'm running 1/0 ga all the way back, that's no small feat.
> 
> If you plan on re-doing your tint, I would highly suggest looking at the ceramic tint. I have always had metallic tint and it was always kinda purple. For this car, I opted to pay a little more for the ceramic and it is a considerable difference both in appearance and in heat reduction. If I park my car so that the windshield is away from the sun, it's really hard to tell how long the car has been in the sun, even with the black leather.


Did one of your local installers have it on hand or did you have to order the tint online? Also for the ID subs what kind of box are you planning? I have been contemplating getting a couple and running an IB setup.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

98RedGT said:


> Always nice to see a build log from a Kentucky guy -- even if you do live in Louisville


Ha, yeah I'm actually from east Kentucky (Salyersville) but moved to Louisville for school and have been thinking about moving to Lexingon, if just to be closer to home. I know what you mean though... there's not a lot of stereo action in the bluegrass state... at least if you don't count the SPL guys. 



SpecV said:


> Did one of your local installers have it on hand or did you have to order the tint online? Also for the ID subs what kind of box are you planning? I have been contemplating getting a couple and running an IB setup.


A local installer had the ceramic tint. Surprisingly, the larger establishments like Pro Tint didn't have ceramic on hand. I called around to a couple of places and basically asked them what kind of tint they used, some were knowledgable whole others seemed clueless and couldn't get further than "10%, 15%, etc". After reading some reviews and figuring out which places knew what they were using I made my choice. I had my prior car tinted at a big established place and they cut the int by laser. I was surprised that this place could cut the linenso straight. Additionally, the place I went to took the time to clean the window properly while the others said that I needed to do that before I came. 

For the ID subs I am going sealed. I want to eventually fiberglass corner boxes but for now I've built an temporary MDF Box (it'll be the next picture post). I basically want to assure that the 10" subs will give me the low end I crave, since I have always had 12"s. Each sub will have it's own chamber, 1 cube each... which after displacement will put it right at the recommended 0.9 cubes each.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

... NICE!
This is exactly the idea I was thinking for my Civic Si Sedan (Honda's "premium" system has a little multi-ch OEM amp similar to your setup).. 4ch differential-balanced from the oem head unit. Nice thing about this harness/reverse-harness idea is it's completely and quickly reversable.. No splicing involved.. Just daisy-chain right behind the head unit and feed out to twisted pair sheilded RCA of your own liking.

Trick is, in my system with those balanced signals, I gotta feed to a first item with balanced in's such as JL, RF amps or audiocontrol gear, or MAYBE a 3sixty.2 new-version via the RCA in's or better (bit one) processor.

I'd love to do something like an inexpensive audiocontrol unit to output unbalanced, then run to a KAC-X4R for processing maybe. Although I'm sure given NO tunes for a long time, straight to a couple JL amps would be glorious in comparison to oem.

Good DIY thread here. I'll be waiting to see how well that harness works in your setup.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Babs said:


> ... NICE!
> This is exactly the idea I was thinking for my Civic Si Sedan (Honda's "premium" system has a little multi-ch OEM amp similar to your setup).. 4ch differential-balanced from the oem head unit. Nice thing about this harness/reverse-harness idea is it's completely and quickly reversable.. No splicing involved.. Just daisy-chain right behind the head unit and feed out to twisted pair sheilded RCA of your own liking.
> 
> Trick is, in my system with those balanced signals, I gotta feed to a first item with balanced in's such as JL, RF amps or audiocontrol gear, or MAYBE a 3sixty.2 new-version via the RCA in's or better (bit one) processor.
> ...


I really like the Harness like that, but unfortunately I am having trouble sourcing a reverse harness that has all the wires intact. I have no problems buying (2) reverse harnesses and pulling wires from one to fill another, but the reverse harness on the Nissan is a little tricky and I can't seem to get it open, nor can I get the wires out of it (the slot to insert is extremely tiny). 

I'll probably try again some time this weekend or next week to see if I can get the harness open, and if so, I will redo that harness with better solder joints and such. 

But yeah, what you are saying is exactly what I am trying to get done... Something I can just jump inline and then pull it out when I swap head units.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Eh.. Scratch all the talk I had here about the metra kit.. Read above post about it.
Yep the metra kits are missing stuff sounds like you need.

In removing pins, I had a similar need back when doing some custom tail-light work on my 04 Fatboy.. I picked up one of these tools from JP cycles.. Works great for various connector types. Might help you out. Hard to say with these car oem harnesses. Sure does wonders on deutsch / molex bike terminals.

http://www.jpcycles.com/Search/ProductDetail?sku=381-087&N=0&Ne=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=terminal%20tool&Ns=&results=10&No=10












How you like that CVT? I test drove one way back in '07 and for a guy who hates auto-transmissions, I actually liked the CVT. If it's reliable and serves well, I hope the concept sticks around.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Some additional pics of the Spoiler and Tint. Because a few have asked, I got the spoiler from autowingandspoilerking on eBay. Quick Shipment and the paint was nice and crisp and a perfect match (if you can't tell from the pictures). I was pleasantly surprised, especially given the $300 difference in price compared to OEM  .

Oh yeah, my car's a little dirty in these pictures, those are not paint specks... more likely to be bird **** than anything else.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

OK, so I finally had a few free days to work on deadening the car. First thing I wanted to tackle? The front driver's side door. Now I can't say that I have a LOT of experience with Sound Deadening, so I decided to take my time and make sure I wasn't missing anything (as I knew I would be cutting off quick access to do any improvements). I read up on a few tutorials and got to work. 

The poor man's 'Install Bay' :mean: :laugh:

 

This was the first time I had taken the door off in my Nissan... it was quite an issue at first as I couldn't figure it out. Finally I realized that I had to pull the arm rest off to get at some hidden screws.

  

Remember to pull your light before you finally pull the Door Card and stick it to the side. (Also notice: The Poor Man's rolling tool cabinet... a Laundry Basket :laugh: )

 

Continued...


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Luckily, the front doors of the Nissan Altima have a piece of metal coving most of the inner skin that is easily removed via a few 10mm bolts. 



I messed up a bit here (I did this different on the next door) but I removed the window motor from the black piece of metal... combined with removing the window from the tracks while it was all the way up, made putting the window back on track a big hassle. Remember to roll down your windows first, remove it from the track and then tape it up!

  

First piece in, it really makes you feel like you've got the ball rolling! What I noticed immediately was how useful the small wooden roller was in this cramped environment.

 

With just one piece, I could already tell a difference in the rap test. The resonance of the panel almost disappeared.

 

After a few pieces were in, I found that the backing of the previously installed mat were useful in getting a size ready for the next piece to be cut.

 

Continued...


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

After I got a few pieces in, I was wondering what exactly I wanted to do with the wires that are ran in the door. After thinking about duct tape, I decided to run back upstairs and grab my aluminum tape and wrap these suckers. I pretty much end up using the rest of the roll doing this (and covering up ugly overlaps).

 

I pretty much cover everything I can up with Damplifier. I might have went a little overboard when I covered up the bar across the middle, but I got a good deal and I didn't want to think about it later, so I hope I did the right thing here. After a rap test, WOW! What a difference!

 

Finally the inner skin is done.

 

OK, so I fibbed, I had to add a couple of pieces to the rear side of the black panel.



Continued...


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

An hour later (because I had screwed up by removing the window in a bad way), I had my panel piece back on and I started by covering the screws with aluminum tape, which I think will help with maintenance down the line.

   

Then, I deadened the inner skin, again using the aluminum tape to secure the wires.

 

Next came the Overkill. Lots of spray adhesive later, I had a finished door panel.

   

I added a little Damplifier to the wing panel and put my door skin back on. DONE (for now)!

 


*Afterthoughts*

Once I get into installing new frontstage, the paneling around the speakers will definitely get an overhaul. While the process is relatively the same for the rest of the doors, I can't help but feel like I've missed something, so if you spot something, let me know.

The Second Skin products are incredibly top-notch. I have had my hands on a few different lines of products and the Damplifier Pro must be the best that I have ever seen. I must give an additional thanks to ANT for the great deal he gave me, but holy crap this stuff is nice!

*The Pros*
• It's amazing how, with just (1) door done, the car is already quieter than before. The car manufacturers really need to step up the insulation they put in these things!
• STICKY, STICKY, STICKY! The Second Skin Damplifier has some of the stickiest compounds there is. once you get it in place and pressed down, it's not going anywhere without quite a bit of persuasion. 
• The Flat sheets (as opposed to a roll) is soooo much easier to work with in the car, with a sharp razor blade it is easy to cut to shape/size. 

*The Cons*
• None, other than the time and effort it takes to do deadening correctly.

Next up... Front Passenger Side Door


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

very nice... there really is more SQ cars in Louisville, .... they just don't want others to know, low key is best... god i hate thieves


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## jimmyjames16 (Dec 12, 2006)

good job so far... I really want to see how this pans out compared to my 2003 Altima


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Any updates on this Altima project?? 

Possibly more Si (premium audio oem amp) guys may be interested how that harness diy turns out.


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## pnn23 (Jun 7, 2008)

Great work, OP.

Subscribed.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

OK, long story short... I've been busy as Dante's Inferno for the past month or (2). The wife is working a double today... so I decided to take the time to catch this log up.


*Next Up: More Sound Deadening*

*Front Passenger Door*

The Front Passenger door is like doing the driver's side door, except in a mirror. After doing the Driver's side door, there shouldn't be any surprises here:

Digging into the door:

  

One thing I learned from the driver's door is to take the metal piece out and LEAVE THE WINDOW track on. Additionally, after taking the window off the track, getting it back on is easier if you rolled the window down a bit first.

  

Full application to the inner skin (remember, getting back in after you seal up is a major h-e-a-d-a-c-h-e.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Front Passenger Door Continued...*

Again, I used metallic tape to cover the screws before applying sound deadener. I'm not sure if this is a great thing to do, but thought it might help if I ever need to get to the inside again.

   

Made sure to tape down the wires with aluminum tape. Man, you end up with LOTS of backing paper when you do this.

  

When I got to the second door, I got a little slicker at adding the overkill. I ended up with a much cleaner look overall.

  

I made sure to add a little bit to the sail panel and then pulled the door card out of the trunk to put it back on the door.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: More Sound Deadening*

*Rear Driver's Door*

What you will notice right away is that the rear doors a little different. A lot of sound can come in from the rear doors. However, with a little elbow grease, it'll be deadened in no time (ok, so it actually might take an hour or 3).

   

It's a little harder to get access, but full coverage for the inner skin can be achieved.

   

Next, we need to cover up the big gaping holes on the inside of the door skin. To do this, I used aluminum flashing from Lowes and my handy tin shears. Using some heavy posterboard, I made a template, using scissors to get it to fit exactly where I needed.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Rear Driver's Door Continued...*

Next, I used the cardboard template and transferred the pattern to my aluminum flashing and cut the pattern out with my tin shears.

  

Continue making patterns and cutting out for the individual holes. Remember to make room for wires that have to come through. Curves if you can help it (less likely to cut or snare wiring).

  

Next, I used some Industrial Liquid Nail Glue to to put my pieces on. 

  


As some extra protection (both to the wires and to the vibration), I cut some small pieces of overkill and wrapped the corners.

  

From here, sound deadening is next... however, at this point I stopped for a week or (2) to make sure the liquid nail dried completely and to make sure I didn't have any issues with the panels coming off. You could have just as well used some screws to put the flashing on.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Rear Driver's Door Continued...*

Now that I had waited a good amount, I went to putting deadener over my new aluminum panels. Like the front passenger door, it seems to keep getting quicker with each panel. Again, I used aluminum tape to tape down the wiring.

  

For the unlock cable, I used some overkill and wrapped it up, then I applied a large sheet over the exposed hole. I tried multiple ways to get this to be covered in flashing, but it just wasn't happening. Still has a good seal though.

  

Covered it in overkill and closed up the door.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: You guessed it... More Sound Deadening!*

*Rear Passenger Door*

Look familiar? Again, the door is a mirror of the driver's side...

  

Again, access is hard... but take your time

 

The holes on this side are a mirror... so we can use the same templates we used for the driver's door. make sure to check though, since there can be SLIGHT differences in production lines.

  

Deaden... Overkill... and put the panel back on.

  


*Afterthoughts*

Doing the (4) doors took considerably longer than I thought it would. Still, I see it as an essential way to get the noise OUT of the cabin and keep that oh-so-important music in. If I had it to do again, I would suggest going with the furthest door from the driver and work your way towards the driver. I found that with each panel that I did, I would get considerably better at applying and had better coverage. 

You can DEFINITELY tell a difference in the noise in the cabin. In fact, it almost worked a little too good, because now all I can hear is some rattle that is in the back of the dash, and it is driving me insane! When you drive down the road now, the noise is coming from the floor, engine and dash area. All-in-all, it is worth the effort to do your doors if you are wondering!

*The Pros*
• So much more quiet in the door area. The Altima is not a quiet car to begin with, so the Second Skin has done its job considerably. 
• Let me re-iterate this: STICKY, STICKY, STICKY! The Second Skin Damplifier has some of the stickiest compounds there is.

*The Cons*
• Time... it takes a while to deaden... the doors especially.
• Surprisingly, you will start noticing other rattles you didn't notice before deadening when you don't hear the doors as much anymore.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: Temporary Box*

I keep jumping back and forth between running a single IDMAX or both. For the meantime, however, I built an MDF box to house both. 1 Cube each, sealed. Nothing fancy... just 3/4" MDF, Liquid Nail on all edges and lots of screws. I then went in and added non-hardening Caulk to the inside corners and used some putty compound to sand down/fill holes.

I would love to build a fiberglass box, so I'm not going to cover this in carpet just yet since I'm still unsure whether I will stay with (2) subs or not.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: Circuit Breaker Mount*

I went with a Stinger Circuit Breaker for this install. One of the main concerns is that I am trying to be as stealthy as possible, and the circuit breaker fits in a little easier than the huge ANL fuse block.

One of the first issues I ran into is... WHERE TO MOUNT THIS THING! There is no usable space under the hood of an Altima... I finally found a spot by taking out the air filter (among other parts). It is behind the battery and almost under the air filter box.

   

Once I found a spot, I ran into another issue. The raised bars on the area are just a bit too high for the circuit breaker to sit flush. I pulled out an old cutting board and cut a little mount which would allow the breaker to clear the raised fins.

  

Test fitting again, I had just enough clearance in all directions so I found my spot!

   

I had a toss up here... the area I am mounting is in the tire well, so if I drill through the metal, it will be exposed to the elements and I am afraid of rust. With that in mind, I pulled out my now favorite weapon: Liquid Nail. 

  

Liquid Nail needs to cure, so I've left it alone for quite a while. I plan on using some touch-up paint to paint over this mount, so that it will blend in even more. 

You can see in the last picture that with the air filter back in, it is really hard to see. You can reach down there and get to it pretty easily... and removing the air filter is easy enough so if I really need to get access to it on an ongoing basis, it's pretty quick.


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## Eiswritsat (Nov 19, 2008)

Looks good, i did a deck on one of those new altimas the customer had to get the 2005 lower ac controls section from the dealership. Your build is coming along well


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## PGT FTW (Oct 19, 2009)

nice build


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: Symbilink Harness*

I've finally narrowed down to a particular amp in my system. While I had originally decided to use the Cadence A7HC from my last install... in order to use the balanced signal out of my OEM head unit, I needed something that accepted balanced input. This meant something along the lines of Audison, Zapco, JL Audio's new lines, etc. I ultimately decided on... drumroll please...

*The Zapco C2K 6.0x!*

As I mentioned above, the RCA Harness I created is only temporary and more a proof-of-concept. Since I finally have my amp down, I've got to create a new harness that will put Symbilink directly out to the Zapco Amp (and hopefully a line processor in the future). 

Here's the build process I used (in case you would like to do the same).

First, I pulled up the Nissan Factory Service Manual and the Zapco Symbilink Manual and figured out the pins that come from the factory head unit. Then I made sure to double-check everything to assure that the lines I need to connect to each other are correct.

NOTE: The color-codes in the diagram below are NOT exact for Nissan and/or aftermarket harnesses. What's important is the right pins are used!


First, you'll need (2) each of Metra Harness 70-7552 (Aftermarket Harness), and (2) each of Metra Harness 71-7552 (Reverse Harness). You need (2) of each because unfortunately the harnesses do not include every wire... so you need to use (1) to get parts for the 2nd harness.

You can see in the picture below that the 70-7552 aftermarket harness is missing some pins. For this harness, use a small paper clip to push into the harness and pull pins from one harness and fill in the other harness until you have every pin filled in.

  

  


For the 71-7552 Reverse Harness, you need to use a staple because a paper clip is too big. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to aid. It takes a little 'finagling' to get the wires out, but they come out. Again, fill in the wires until every pin is filled. Connect the (2) harnesses and check for any loose wires and if you can, use a multimeter to check for continuity.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Symbilink Harness Continued...*

OK, so I think my wife deleted a few pictures from the camera... but at this point, you want to connect your wires to each other (70 Harness >>> 71 Harness). What you will end up with is a Male > Female Harness for your OEM Head Unit. 

Since I am adding in symbilink pigtails, I made sure to add some additional wires from Pins # 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13 & 14. These are the pins of the Front Left, Front Right, Rear Left and Rear Right Balanced output. These pins will go to the Symbilink cable straight from the head unit as a balanced signal.

To create my pigtail, I picked up a PS/2 extension cable from Office Depot. The Mini-6 Din plug of Symbilink is the same as PS/2 cables ('Old' mouse/keyboard cables). Note that long runs should use Symbilink as the shielding is much better. But, since I am trying to just add a few inches in a pigtail and female symbilink pigtails have to be cut from expensive pieces... I went with PS/2. I cut the female end from the PS/2 cable:

 

From here, I pulled out my multimeter and made sure of the continuity on the PS/2 cables. I then compared that to the Symbilink Cable to get a diagram of where I will be soldering the PS/2 pigtail into my harness.

 

Unlike my proof-of-concept, I took my time on this soldering job and have nice clean solder joints with heatshrink covering everything. Note that the VOP+ and VOP- Signals of the Symbilink cable are shrinked and capped off. Also, I connected the Shield to a long pigtail wire and pulled it out the back of the heatshrink. While I may not need it, I will try hooking it up to the Head Unit ground to see if there are any differences in the noise floor.

 

 

As you can see the PS/2 female end works well with the Symbilink Male connector.

 


*Afterthoughts*

This finished harness makes it EASY to get Balanced Signal out from the Bose Head Unit. It essentially piggy-backs off of the existing wires, the stock wires are not cut in any way and it means I won't have any issues with going back to stock if I sell the car. 

What I would suggest with this is taking your time. You will be working with some delicate wires here, and the solder joints need to be neat and even. While I fret at the idea of using PS/2 cables, since Symbilink has the locking mechanism in their ends, I was surprised at how tight the connection is. In the end, I double checked everything with a multi-meter, so while I haven't put the harness in yet, I am almost certain it will work for my application.

The stock signal coming from the Head Unit should be sufficient. However, I hope to get a Line Processor in the future to help bring up the voltage to an appropriate level. This won't be as high a need yet (since I am just adding bass at the moment)... but it might come into play when I start replacing the frontstage.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

Eiswritsat said:


> Looks good, i did a deck on one of those new altimas the customer had to get the 2005 lower ac controls section from the dealership. Your build is coming along well


Thanks man. I've seen some lower panels that go under the middle console that will allow you to add something like an equalizer or a line processor. I've thought about getting that. Currently the area is just storage for like 8-9 CD Cases... not a usable space at all. 

If you are talking about these damned automatic controls... yeah, I know the issue. You can't get a factory finishing panel for a double-din unit that is fit for the automatic controls. They have them for the regular controls, but not the automatic ones? I was really disappointed when I found that out. If I do change out my head units, I might even go so far as to downgrade to the standard controls just so I can get a factory panel that works. 




PGT FTW said:


> nice build


Thanks!


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## bruther (Sep 22, 2009)

What amps are you going to be using?


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

bruther said:


> What amps are you going to be using?


I guess I could reset and give a little insight into what I'm currently going with. Keep in mind that I'm low on budget so I'm doing this upgrade very slowly... so this is NOT the end-goal... just the goal until I can get my funds built back up (so I can start replacing frontstage). 

*Car:*
• 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5SL with Bose Stereo

*Goal:*
• Clean/Simple/Stealth install to resemble as close to factory appearance as possible
• Add Low-End to existing system, and then go back in to replace the frontstage
• SQL Oriented, with a lean towards the SQ side of audio

*Equipment:*
*Frontstage (for now)*
• Stock speakers

*Frontstage (future)*
• Morel, MB Quart (old stock), Hybrid or some other like-brand components
• Possible Kick Panels

*Subwoofer*
• (2) IDMAX v.3 10" D4 (a high probability that I will run only (1)... but will decide after listening in the temporary box)

*Amplifiers*
• Zapco C2K 6.0x (Sub)
• Will try to get a matching Zapco C2K 4.0 for frontstage

*Head Unit*
• Stock, for now. I am still undecided on whether I would want to replace it or not. If I do, I would like to lean towards SQ and get a nice unit as opposed to a fancy unit (Nav/dvd/etc.).

*Processing*
• I am looking at some Zapco Line Processors right now. Since I want to keep my OEM HU, I would like to add processing before the amp. Will not be as big an issue until I start replacing the FrontStage


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## asc55 (Nov 16, 2009)

Fantastic work!
Will be following!


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## rekd0514 (Sep 24, 2006)

OMG your front doors have soooooo much space to deaden inside! I'm jealous.


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

what a great log! well done and a record if anything of a great install.


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

I'm local, so let me know if you need any help or advice..


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Fantastic log so far. Keep up the good work.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

OK, no more thumbnail pictures... sorry 56k!

*Next Up: Power!*

So, in one of the previous posts I included pictures of my circuit breaker mount. Up until now, I just had the middle leg of the power wire installed (Circuit Breaker > Distribution Block). I was able to get into the car again over Thanksgiving and get some stuff done... one of those things is the wire from Battery > Circuit Breaker.

I tried to be as Stealthy as possible. In my previous install, every time I went to get my oil changed I was asked what kind of stereo I had, because the big Red 1/0 Ga going directly to an ANL fuse block. So, again I covered everything in techflex and heatshrink on top of that.

The Battery Connection:



























I am thinking of changing out the Terminal (both the one on the battery and the one on the wire). One of my beefs with the Altima is this big Gaudy fuse block that they have hanging off the SIDE of the battery!









The wire takes (3) 90 degree turns and runs just to the right/under the airbox directly into the circuit breaker (which again, is just behind the airbox).









*Afterthoughts*

Not much to say. For the Altima, space is a luxury near the battery. Make sure to get wire that is plenty flexible, because those 90-degree turns are just a PITA. :laugh:


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: Signal!*

Again, in one of the previous posts I included pictures of the custom Wiring Harness I was building. Well, I finished it, installed it and can testify that the signal is nice and clean. 

On the finished harness you can see the (2) Symbilink signal wires coming off (both are female, making it quick to connect/disconnect your signal wires). The Blue wire is the remote turn-on. This is one of the few wires that I will use a 'crimp' terminal on, but if you are looking for a good crimp terminal, these barrel crimps with a screw-type insert on each end are just great!









Installing was a simple process. Just remove the stock head unit, and find the harness that comes from the car. Plug that male end into the female end of the harness... plug the male end of the harness into the head unit... done. Oh, and you might want to plug in the symbilink while you're at it.























I pulled the panel off the right side of the inside dash and ran the Symbilink across the floor and then down the passenger side running board. I had installed my 1/0 ga in the same way down the driver's side, so there is PLENTY of room for an additional wire or 2.



























For the remote wire, I ran it down the driver's side, next to the 1/0 ga. Push all your wire back into the dash and hook up your head unit again. 

*Afterthoughts*

This harness cost a bit of time and money to build, but I think it's worth it. To go back to stock, all I have to do is pull out the harness and hook the head unit back up... simple as that. Would be a great option for someone who is leasing their vehicle.

I didn't hook up the grounding wire I made for the Symbilink yet, as I want to see if it's really needed first. I have done a test run of my subs and as far as I can tell, there is no noise (obviously that is hard to determine from the subs though). I used a zero-bit track and turned the volume to max and it seemed as quiet as it can be. 

One issue I see is that the stock signal is less than 4 volts (as far as I'm aware). I am looking to get a line-driver or processor from Zapco which will alleviate that issue, but it's going to be after Christmas before I can do that.


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## BullDawg36 (Dec 14, 2008)

Great job! I am following your every move... I am about to tear into my Altima Sedan within the next couple of weeks.. and you have already saved me some time just on the work on the door panels!
Thanks!


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## DarkScorpion (Nov 22, 2009)

Hey blindbug, didn't think I'd see you here! I saw your post on how to run the power wire a while back on the NicoClub Altima forums. Great build log man! This definitely will help me out when I get around to deadening my car and installing my setup. Keep up the good work!


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## jf2oo6 (Feb 17, 2010)

Awesome write up blindbug. I have the same car so this is going to be sweet for me to follow. Just wondering how many square ft you used on the doors?


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## ikoolguy (Oct 23, 2009)

man i have an altima sl too, but with navi
to get signal i had to spice the wires in the back from the amp
it killed me bc i didn't want cut any factory wires and so on 
at the moment i am using 2 LOC
only getting signals for the bass and highs and right to left fade
no mid bass and i can't adjust the sounding to the speakers
i have a memphis 6ix i'm going eventually install soon
i hope with the memphis i'll have great SQ output
running Boston acoustic pros in the front
nothing in the rear yet...maybe some 6.5
1 jl audio 12w3
jl 250/1 and jl 300/4
nice write...wish i would have seen this 2 months ago lol


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Spring is just around the corner!*

Well, if you have been following or commenting in this thread, sorry for the lack of updates over winter. Sadly, I do not have a garage, and ended up not accomplishing much over a 3 month period, but I was back at it today, so I guess there's no time like the present to get caught up!

*Next Up: Even more deadening!*

When I last left off... I had ran the signal wire and power wire to the trunk, but had yet to work the trunk over with the magical product that is Second Skin. I got the chance to in November of last year (just before it turned cold). Actually, it was about 45 degrees outside when I did this, I remember my fingers being almost numb from working this stuff into the car with the cold running in. 

Some might say that 45 degrees is a little too cold for applying deadener, but let me say it right now that this Second Skin is amazingly sticky and it seems to stick no matter what... so on with the show.

First off, was to get the trunk nice and clean for the product. I made sure to wipe down as much as I could to get a clean surface.









I also took out the left and right panels of the trunk to get as much access as possible... and to seek out a spot to maybe fiberglass a box in down the road.


















First, to tackle the spare area, once that was completed, I went with the main floor and then the area behind each panel and some of the outer skin.




































Unfortunately, at this point I was ready to get inside to warm up... so I neglected to take pictures of the deadening behind the trunk panels. I've got almost total coverage, but I plan to go out and finish up the job once it gets a bit warmer here.

I did get a few pictures of the trunk lid though. I managed to get a large portion of the outer skin and some of the inner skin. I bought some expanding foam as well, but I haven't had the chance to apply it. I want to make sure I am patient with that part, so I don't need my trunk lid exploding on me!





























*Afterthoughts*

I wish it had been warmer. While I didn't rush things, I ended up quitting earlier, and didn't get it all done in one session. While that isn't a big issue, it just means I have to set aside even more time to finish up the job to totality. While I am still in the process of designing my trunk, it doesn't matter at this time. However, since I will probably have my amp back from Zapco (more on that later) in a week or (2), I will have to spend time to finish up my trunk before I can start designing my amp rack, which is just a pain.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

jf2oo6 said:


> Awesome write up blindbug. I have the same car so this is going to be sweet for me to follow. Just wondering how many square ft you used on the doors?


Hrrm... that's a good question. I would say to do the inside and outside skin with the coverage that I did, took maybe 5 1/2 sheets each? You could probably get away with less, I did go a little overboard (although I'm not even close to what some people would go). Things like the tube brace that runs the length of the door... that probably doesn't need to be deadened, which would save a sheet by itself per door. :laugh:




BullDawg36 said:


> Great job! I am following your every move... I am about to tear into my Altima Sedan within the next couple of weeks.. and you have already saved me some time just on the work on the door panels!
> Thanks!


No problem. I tried to be as detailed as possible for the in-car stuff. Things like enclosure design I'll just leave to the big boys. I know that when I'm going to go do something, the first thing I'm looking for is some detailed pics of the location I am working on so I can formulate my ideas before I start... so I hope that helps you and others out there get motivated!




ikoolguy said:


> man i have an altima sl too, but with navi
> to get signal i had to spice the wires in the back from the amp
> it killed me bc i didn't want cut any factory wires and so on
> at the moment i am using 2 LOC
> ...


I'd say that the LOC is the weakest link in your system right now. I know the feeling of cutting factory wires to splice in (it's the reason why I made the harness you see in this thread). Since you've already spliced in though, you might be able to look around at a different signal system than a basic LOC. You'd be surprised at the difference a good signal system (like the cleansweep) can do for you. Either way, I'm glad it works for you.




DarkScorpion said:


> Hey blindbug, didn't think I'd see you here! I saw your post on how to run the power wire a while back on the NicoClub Altima forums. Great build log man! This definitely will help me out when I get around to deadening my car and installing my setup. Keep up the good work!


Thanks man, I'll be having updates for sure coming in the next few weeks. I'm off all next week, so hopefully I will get some time to work on this stuff without my back acting up on me.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: You're GROUNDED!*

At this point, it was COLD... but I was ready to get some tunes in, at least temporarily. So... I popped in the trunk and found a location to ground my amp. I picked this spot mainly because it was convenient and I could use a nut/bolt to make it extremely secure. In my last vehicle I drilled through the bottom of the spare well and ended up with rust... I don't want that anymore.




























*Afterthoughts*

None... except, is there any reason to NOT ground at this location? Would the seat belt bolt work better?


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: A Change to the System*


Everything was going good up until this point. I hooked up the amp power, ground, remote and signal (fed through the custom harness I made) and when I turned the car on I had bass. I played it for a minute or so and started to tweak the controls on the amp (at a low volume at this point) and then noticed something: The FANS are not on! I felt the amp and it seemed hot to me (again it was cold so it might have been luke warm and feel hot in that temperature).

I unhooked everything and after a lot of research was told that the fans should have turned on with the amp. Additionally I had misread the ratings on the amp and that it was not stable at 1 ohm MONO (only stereo). Well, it seems the amp was getting hot due to 1 ohm Mono situation and the fans were supposed to come on when the car was turned on.

I have now downgraded to a single sub (so the amp will get the right ohm load), but what to do with the amp fans? Well after a lot of thought, I sent it in to Zapco. Robert @ Zapco did call and inform me that he was mistaken... that this particular generation of amp does in fact have temperature controlled fans. After some deliberation, I went ahead and had them mod the amp to current standards (fans are always on low, and go high when the volume increases)

*The TLDR; Version*

The Zapco 6.0x isn't rated the same as the (2) IDMAX Subs, and on top of that the fans were not coming on automatically. I have downgraded to (1) sub and have sent the amp in to be modded to have the fans always be on.

*I will now be running (1) IDMAX 10" V.3 D4, instead of (2). The 6.0x Amplifier should be back from Zapco in the coming week or two.*


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

*Next Up: Fix the Rattle-Trap Glovebox*

To make a long story short.. the glovebox of the Altima has a rattle-prone dashboard that was driving me nuts. I got out one day to figure out what the issue was and found out that the glovebox has this POS contraption that was causing all the noise, so I fixed it... WITH MORE SECOND SKIN! :evilgrin:

First, I removed the glovebox by removing (8) screws in total. (3) are far back on the bottom of the glovebox. Open the glovebox to find (3) more at the top... and then (2) more are inside the glovebox in the top shelf.

On the back of the glovebox there is a little white plastic piece that is used to keep the glovebox door from giving too much. That piece is only held down by (1) screw, even though it should be (2)... and on top of that, the screw was loose:









I took the whole assembly out and drove around for a bit and figured out that this was what was causing the issue. So I took the assembly in the house and got to work with some sound deadening. First I removed all of the existing insulation/deadening (sounds like I'm going in reverse, but it was needed).









Then I removed the top shelf of the glovebox and applied some Second Skin Overkill to the space where it meets the bottom portion.









You can see here where the gap between the top and bottom portion of the glovebox is filled up with the foam.









I then applied Second Skin to the whole glovebox, and followed that with a layer of Overkill.




























I then wrapped the little plastic piece in overkill and put it back on the glovebox, making sure that the fit was very tight.



















*Afterthoughts*

Fixing the rattles in this vehicle is going to drive me insane.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

That's it... I've finally got this caught up. At least except for today's dirty deeds.

I built a new box (for a single sub) with a recessed mount. I need to get carpet, terminal cups and a speaker grill to finish it up. I've got the board for building an amp rack, but didn't have the time to to that today. I'm hoping next week I will be able to get back into the car since it should be warm and I am off work for 5 days!


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## SQ Monte (Sep 12, 2009)

Absolutely love this build log and your write up style. Looking good so far, definitely tuned in.


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## jlohcc (Mar 2, 2010)

Everything looks great. I have the same model car and the write up will definitely help!

What did you have in mind for an amp rack? I'm trying to find ideal places to put amps without sacrificing too much trunk space. I was thinking about using one of the recessed corners of the trunk (by the tail lights).


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

jlohcc said:


> Everything looks great. I have the same model car and the write up will definitely help!
> 
> What did you have in mind for an amp rack? I'm trying to find ideal places to put amps without sacrificing too much trunk space. I was thinking about using one of the recessed corners of the trunk (by the tail lights).


Thanks man! To answer your question... depending on the size of your amp(s), you should be able to fit it above the spare tire and below a slightly raised floor. 

For an small amp like the Alpine PDX, however, you could easily fit the amp on a piece of MDF cut into a circle and placed into the spare tire (secured with some nut/bold mechanism maybe) without even raising the floor at all. The clearance is about 4" or so from the second lip of the spare to the OEM floor panel. It's hard to explain, but I mocked up something in photoshop from one of my pics.










What I plan on doing is creating a piece that goes over the whole tire and raising my floor slightly to accommodate. It will be my first time doing something like this, so I am completely terrified at what might come out, but I'm just going to take my time and try to get it right.


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## jlohcc (Mar 2, 2010)

Oh interesting...I didn't think there was that much space in the spare. I'm looking at JL amp that's roughly 10" x 9" x 2". Would the 1-2" above the amp be enough for circulation?


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## bikerider (Dec 28, 2008)

That would be plenty. You could also drill some holes in the particle board cover to provide more ventilation. You also won't have an issue fitting that amp in that space, that MDF circle is about 17" in diameter.


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## jlohcc (Mar 2, 2010)

Great! That will be my next project.

Just curious, how long of a power wire would be needed to reach the spare tire area? Most kits I've looked at include a 16-17' wire.


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## bikerider (Dec 28, 2008)

I just re-did the witing in my '08, I bought 18 feel of 4ga wire from Knu and that was more than enough, I probably had at least 2 feet extra.


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## hybridamp (Oct 10, 2006)

Nicely done! I wish my trunk was that big...


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## iammai (Feb 2, 2009)

This thread has been very helpful. I have an Altima as well. 


Any updates?


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## kamakazi (May 23, 2010)

About to embark on my 2007 altima, i do have a few tips for you, but i found this thread too late and need to sleep, i will pm you with some info later.


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## kamakazi (May 23, 2010)

this is the place to order the dash kit with/o navigation, this is for my 2007 (slightly differs but you get a good idea of quality and looks)

Nissan Parts 2 U

and it looks like this



















im sure if you play arround with the site you will find what you want, they match the dash perfectly.

this one should be yours http://www.trademotion.com/partloca...2009&graphicID=3760345&callout=15&catalogid=2


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## iammai (Feb 2, 2009)

^^^Only works if you do not have Dual climate control. I don't have dual climate control and the above dash piece perfectly fits my DNX 5120.


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## Vital (Feb 23, 2010)

kamakazi said:


> About to embark on my 2007 altima, i do have a few tips for you, but i found this thread too late and need to sleep, i will pm you with some info later.


Why not post in this thread so other Altima owners (like me for example  ) can see it.


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Any updates? I just bought an 08 Altima. Thanks.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

wdemetrius1 said:


> Any updates? I just bought an 08 Altima. Thanks.


Unfortunately, the entire summer has gotten away from me and I haven't done much more than get one of the subs in a temporary box, and hook it up to make some test runs. After listening for a while, I am thinking of changing out the amp and/or building a slot-ported box. No updates, but hopefully I can get back into the swing of things once I get more time :laugh: .


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Looking forward to it. Continue when you can.


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## nb023 (Aug 27, 2010)

Hey I have an 08 I was wondering if I could get a little info from you

1) How many feet of power wire did you need?
2) How much did the sound deadning material cost you?
3) Where would you mount tweeters?

Thank you.


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## blindbug (Jun 14, 2007)

nb023 said:


> Hey I have an 08 I was wondering if I could get a little info from you
> 
> 1) How many feet of power wire did you need?
> 2) How much did the sound deadning material cost you?
> ...



1. I believe that I had about 15-18 feet of power cable to run from the battery to the trunk using the path that I detail in previous posts. I would suggest going with a few more feet, as the 1/0 ga. just barely reaches where I would like it to. I was using 'scraps' from my previous install, so I made it work, but more would have been better.

2. Sound Deadening costs a decent amount, but it's worth it. I actually got a really good deal because of some previous relationship with SecondSkin (to make a long story short, I created their logo). Regardless of any deal I may have got, I would definitely go with SecondSkin over all of the competitor offerings. 

3. I will eventually get some new components. As far as tweeter placement, I would look at the A-Pillars if you have the ability to make it look good. The stock location is up on the dashboard, and I've actually seen people place them there... to be honest it's a matter of personal preference.


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## Mako312 (May 10, 2010)

Nice build man!

And thanks for the sub. I'm the one that bought the IDMAX.


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## internationlriders (Nov 7, 2009)

Nice door work, you definately did a good job there, I'm just waiting to get fully started on my Altima, got my front doors deadened already.


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## coltsmark88 (Sep 24, 2010)

hey blindbug, i absolutly love your post, and for a while i was thinking of doing one on my 07 altima, but after reading yours, i think ill just start the forum and post ur link in it. I have a few questions for you and the rest of the subscribers first is how long did it take you to get the power wire through the fire wall? Also is that grommet in the same place on the 07 altima? How does what is the difference between second skin and damplfierpro (was one the silver stuff and one the gray, how do they differ if i am correct?), and how do those products compare to something like dynamat or RAM mat? And lastly for now, did deadening the trunk improve the sound dramatically?THanks again


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## AntwAn911 (Mar 23, 2014)

I just acquired an 08, this log will help greatly! Thanks!


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