# 2008 C6 Corvette Install for you guys :)



## simplicityinsound

well, after a long few weeks, i just got done with my first C6 corvett install. It was in all, an interesting car to work on, good in some sense installation wise, not so great in others.

Before i begin, i'd like to thank Leon and Eng for helping to tune the car.

So here are the goals:

1. Good Sound quality 
2. Classy design with a little bit of flash
3. hatch install able to be hidden out of sight.

those were the original goals...hatch usability was NOT a goal, nor was retaining the T-top storage. but i decided to added one more goal:

4. retain T top storage ability

equipment list:

headunit/processor: Alpine 205/701 combo

front stage: Seas Lotus reference 6.5" midbass, DLS Iridium 3" midrange, Seas reference tweeter

amplifiers: DLS ultimate A3(midbass) A2(midrange) A2(tweet) A6(subwoofers)

subwoofer: 3 x Image Dynamics ID8

lets get started:

The alpine 205 headunit is installed int he stock location, with door chime and onstar retention:



















the alpine ipod cable is ran to the center arm rest:










the Seas lotus tweeters were molded into the stock A pillar, aimed across at each other:














































and here are some build up pics of hte A pillars:

the factory vinyl was stripped off (a major pita) and the rings attached










mold cloth streched and attached:










after that was dry, the inside gap was filled with resin/glass combo so its rock solid:










the pillars sanded and dampened:



















and vinyled in factory matching vinly:


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## simplicityinsound

the midbass and mirdange reside in the factory locations in the door, i thought about trying out kick panel midrange, but there is virtually no room behind the kick and keeping hte deadpedal was a requirement.

first, the outter layer of metal is dampened:










then the front panel dampened:










then a mdf blocking baffle was cut out, the back side truck bed linered to prevent corrosion:










and seals the big opening in the back....then, while i was waiting for the UPS man to deliver more dampening, i got bored and did some drawings lol...my best attempt at what i think peter euro looks like? 










then the speaker baffles were made and sprayed on both sides:










and attachd tot he door, and new speaker wires were ran into the door:



















then finally, the lotus seas midbass was mounted:



















the iridium 3 midbass i built a little baffle in the stock midrange cavity, and then dampened the baffle, the dampend was painted black so it wouldnt show through the midrange grille.










and finally, the outter plastic door panel was smothered with dampening as well to prevent buzzing:


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## simplicityinsound

and same goes for hte other side:




























and finally, two very solid doors that dont rattle or buzz at all 



















so...moving onto the hatch area...so here is the normal view with things hidden out of hte way, the carpet i have there is just a temp. solution, he is going to have a custom matching trunk mat made in the near future:










remove the carpet,and here is what it looks like, the entire fake floor is in factory matching binyl, with three big cutouts and tw small ones, note corvette logo on a raised vinyl platform upfront and lettering on the covers:




























and here is the view of the front of the floor, with a piece of polished plexi with my logo secured on the front:


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## simplicityinsound

pop off all the covers, and here is what it looks like. the theme that i had in my head is that of an engine, with two banks of "cylinder heads" flanking three downdraft carb with intakes. dont take it literally, but its the general theme 

one the driver side, the A3 and A2, and on the passenger side, we have the A6 and A2, both sit in their own red vinly (factory matching) racks and are at a slight angle. all the wires in sight have chrome techflex and red shrink. the ground and poewr D-blocks are at the front, and the three ID8s sit ithe middle. the amps and D blocks have plexi over them as well, and the subs have an edge lit plexi border.























































the platforms that the amps sit on, have an additional layer of edge lit plexi underneath, so with the leds turned on:


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## simplicityinsound

I also modified and raised the rear T-top mounting points so the stop still stows with the system in place:



















its tight, but it clears the hatch with about 1/8" of an inch on both sides:










IMo the car sound pretty good, Leon mentioned its one of hte better sounding sports cars he has heard...stage is very nice and high and suprisingly wide. midbass impact is one of hte strongest i have personally heard.

now here are some build up pics:

i trimmed out the stoccarpet in the back to gain as much space as possible, and then dampened the entire floor to block noise. i acutally ended up wtih an additioan 2" this way...quite a thick carpet 










now one of hte biggest challenges is that the entire floor of hte vette is some kind of plastic, so nothing can be screwed into it if you want it to last...so what i did was make a bottom platform board, and attached it securely to the few metal parts in the hatch area, namely hte crossbream behind the seats and the metal behind the wheel well. and then everyhting i build can attach themselves to this piece instead of hte floor:



















here is test fitting the basic design:










here is the jigsaw puzzle that is each amp rack well










vinyled in red:










and assembled, each well have their own crossflow fan pshing air over the amps and out the vent in the back


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## simplicityinsound

the H701 rack whcih sits in the passenger side storage pocket:










and here are the platforms the amps sit on, 










with a top vinly board and a bottom plexi piece that is edge lit:



















and onto the d-block racks:



















and the finished product, wired up:





































the subbox:


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## simplicityinsound

and the top fake floor and side pieces during construction:



















plexi attached to the center piece and then leds secured and taped over to prevent light "leakage"



















ready to be installed:



















final shot of the trunk, all wired up, beofre hte floor goes on:










and here are some panels i dampened along the way:



















finally, construction of the covers, whcih ar two-piece each, with a vinyl top and suede bottom, raised vinyl lettering:










the amp covers done:










the d-block covers:










and the sub grille, which is also two piece, with HD mesh secured to one and covered in grille cloth, and black suede on the other:


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## mobeious

_the iridium 3 midbass i built a little baffle in the stock midrange cavity, and then dampened the baffle, the dampend was painted black so it wouldnt show through the midrange grille._

damn when did DLS start making a iridium 3" midbass
j/k looks good... though i would have put a 10" in that door


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## Beau

Your work is beautiful.


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## simplicityinsound

10 wouldnt fit, only hte bose vettes have the 10" opening, i am not a fan of anything above a 6.5" midbass IMO...usually end up with a ton of build up and coloration


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## NeverEnuffBass

wow. Nicest work I've seen in a while


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## azngotskills

Damn thats sexy


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## simplicityinsound

what is sexy is the z06 exhaust hes got one, above 3krpm, the butterflys open and man oh man does it sound mean, hwen i drove it, i acutally turned the stereo off and just listened to it lol


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## ATK_Designs

wow, very nice Bing. You impress me as always. Wish I was in CA.


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## Kenny_Cox

wow, I wish I could build stuff like that. Great work Bing.


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## Guest

Nice installation work!
Any close-up pics of the LED's into the plexiglass?


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## simplicityinsound

no i dont, but they are just thin led strips from www.oznium.com, ca glued into the inner edges of the plexi pieces


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## Rbsarve

Lovely work as usual Bing! 

I love the impact of the RM165 too. But in the next one try the RM220!
And yes you will have to add more damping, but boy are they worth it!


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## dingaling

I love this car when the music is on...and also when its off.

When its on...I was pretty surprised at how well it staged once the T/A was aligned. Although a wide car, we were able to get a solid center. The Apillar tweets helped bring the stage up a bit as well. Midbass is solid and loud, and personally I think Bing could have used a 4 chn bridged on them. Doors were sealed very very solid, didn't hear much bass rattling at all from the doors.

I'm not too much of a fan of the dome midrange, but I was able to integrate them fairly well with the Lotus References...although they did require a bit more t/a than a standard mid...I dunno why? Subbass is fast and punchy as you'd expect from 3 8" sealed... Solid extension down to the 30's when needed. I did however set a highpass on the sub channel to prevent over drivin them when the rag top is down and you really need to crank it to hear it.

When the car is off...Holy moly exhaust notes!
The notes u hear when the car goes over 3krpm is just exhilarating...
wish I had a car that sounded like that... frick'n awesome... actually made me go on the Chevy site to briefly consider one


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## KAPendley

Top notch work!! You're the man Bing!!


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## worlddre

that is effin beautiful


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## Bumpin'Buick

Fantastic looking install!!


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## jayhawkblk

Well B I tip my hat once again. I need to find another car for you to do of mine. I love having the Bimmer I get so many compliments on it. I sure the owner of this vette will get the same.


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## Vestax

Just came back from listening to the car. One thing for sure .... AMAZING MIDBASS!!! I think we all agreed on that. The bass just blended so well with front stage. The ID's went down pretty low for those small drivers. Good job B.


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## simplicityinsound

yeah now i am going to be all let down everyitme i do a car tahst not a vette and thinks the midbass is crappy by comparison


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## MidnightCE

Hmn, I noticed that you used board to replace the moisture barriers. Did you just cut the foam out? I think I'll do that too, since you did it.

Also do the tweeters reflect much at that position?

hopefuly the a-pillars werent like the ones in my C5... glued on vinyl with difficult to remove adhesive, and some kind of texture that took days to sand off.


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## unpredictableacts

I see the Motor tyhat you had invisioned in your theme...nice work....did you consider the Lotus tweeters on axis?


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## simplicityinsound

MidnightCE said:


> Hmn, I noticed that you used board to replace the moisture barriers. Did you just cut the foam out? I think I'll do that too, since you did it.
> 
> Also do the tweeters reflect much at that position?
> 
> hopefuly the a-pillars werent like the ones in my C5... glued on vinyl with difficult to remove adhesive, and some kind of texture that took days to sand off.


yeah the foam thats attached on the plastic door, was taken out. the dampening and the mdf baffle acutally forms a well sealed enclsoure of i say, well over 1 cubfeet...the midbass is just crazy...

i am not sure if htat had any effect on the resonance issue you described though...it deifnely had some resonance at 200-400hz, but we killed most of it with the EQ.

as for tweeter reflections, you have to ask leon, my ears arent good enough and i am not an audiophile enough to know the difference hehe...

yes, the A pillars are EXACTLY like that, vinyl with thin foam padding underneath, with super strong glue and the vinyl would seprate from the foam if you pull too hard, i used a heatgun and gradually took them off, took about 6 hours total from start to getting them bare, and my hands were so sore the next day i could hardly wipe my own ass lol


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## simplicityinsound

unpredictableacts said:


> I see the Motor tyhat you had invisioned in your theme...nice work....did you consider the Lotus tweeters on axis?


no i didnt, from a cosmetic stnad point, i think firing across looks much better...and after listening to dual700's car, i was highly impressed  maybe sometime in the future, with the right car and right customer, iwill give it a shot...remember, i am not an audiophile type of installer hehe


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## MidnightCE

Thanks for the response. I think I'll hit mine with some board too before coming to the meet.


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## lashlee

Awesome!! One day I'll be able to do installs like this!!!


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## OldOneEye

Wrong Post. Nice corvette. Sort of surprised to see that much gear in a car that size.... but hey, the customer is always right.


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## simplicityinsound

OldOneEye said:


> Not sure what I was thinking. I googled it and then looked at the drive. Just remember some sort of an adaptor card that was in the PC I got it with.
> 
> Juan



huh? juan you lost me there buddy


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## rekd0514

Wow those doors look so easy to work on! Insanely awesome install as with all of them.


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## FrankstonCarAudio

My favourte part of the whole install , is the "Simplicity" logo on the front of the amp rack!  

Just kidding!

The install is a work of art, absolutely fantastic!!

Would love to be able to hear it, but I don't think even it would be loud enough to hear "Down Under" here in Aus!

Great work...

Mark


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## CBN

Nice.


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## SPEEDBUILT

If I could afford to fly you to Iowa I would....
That is if you would!
I would put you up in the finest hotel,
and what ever else it would take.
I eagerly check the install gallery every day hoping to find a new simplicityinsounds install!
Bravo Bing!


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## azngotskills

SPEEDBUILT said:


> If I could afford to fly you to Iowa I would....
> That is if you would!
> I would put you up in the finest hotel,
> and what ever else it would take.
> I eagerly check the install gallery every day hoping to find a new simplicityinsounds install!
> Bravo Bing!


Just send your car to him


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## simplicityinsound

OldOneEye said:


> Wrong Post. Nice corvette. Sort of surprised to see that much gear in a car that size.... but hey, the customer is always right.



hehe acutally this time i take credit for choosing hte gear for him  the customer is agood friend of mine...as far as the size of the car goes, the hatch is HUGE, easily the widest and longest hatch i have ever done, not the deepest but just a ton of room


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## alphakenny1

Vestax said:


> Just came back from listening to the car. One thing for sure .... AMAZING MIDBASS!!! I think we all agreed on that. The bass just blended so well with front stage. The ID's went down pretty low for those small drivers. Good job B.


I was there too and holy midbass! Those things had great output. But of course the install looked great! Again the integration to sub and midbass was sick!


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## ATK_Designs

btw Bing, I hope you don't mind if I quoted your installs and posted it on a local G&Z website. All credits are given to you of course. I just want to share this awesome install with my friends.


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## Thumper26

Bing, that's an absolutely PHENOMINAL install!!!

A killer stereo done in a tateful, clean and fuctional way in my favorite Corvette. I'm drooling right now!

When I win the lottery (  ) I'm coming to see you!


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## simplicityinsound

no problem, link as much as you want, i am not one of those intsallers who dont want to show off any part of installation technique or ideas whatever hehe 

b


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## ssmith100

Bing,

Car looks fantastic. I'm thinking a vette will be my next purchase just for what the doors offer you. On a side note...........did you have any desire to sand down the kit for the W205 and paint to match the dash ??? Some of the guys on the corvette forum have done this and they match perfect.

Shane


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## simplicityinsound

hey shane...well the vette door id good, but i think other parts of hte interior isnt the best for SQ 

as for the kit, there is a reason why it wasnt sanded and painted, hes gonna haveit CFed to match


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## Boostedrex

Another beautiful install Bing! Is this the car that you were hoping to bring to the meet on April 5th? I'd really love to hear that car since I'm a midbass junky.  And if you don't mind me asking, what are the X-over points for the system?

Zach


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## dingaling

Boostedrex said:


> Another beautiful install Bing! Is this the car that you were hoping to bring to the meet on April 5th? I'd really love to hear that car since I'm a midbass junky.  And if you don't mind me asking, what are the X-over points for the system?
> 
> Zach



mids and sub is roughly 80-90hz 12 db slopes.
depending on which setting you call. with the rag top down, you'd want to use the 90 or even push it to 100hz on the hp of the mids.

xoverpoints for 1 car will not always work well for another so keep that in mind.


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## simplicityinsound

sorry the car is out of LA and is going back tommorow...i will try to get him to come to marv's bbq.

leon, stop calling it a ragtop...its not a convertible


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## drocpsu

Beautiful! Bing, your work always blows me away. Nice job.


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## Vestax

simplicityinsound said:


> leon, stop calling it a ragtop...its not a convertible


How about plastic top... sound better?


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## Boostedrex

I believe the terminology you're looking for is targa top. 

And thanks for the answer dingaling.


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## ssmith100

Bing,

That's exactly what I was thinking (carbon fiber) after I posted that and really got to looking at the pictures again on the corvette forum. I'm a dumb ass. 

I understand what your saying about the acoustics in the car. The 701 with it's time delay feature will definitely help though. I've actually been torn between a vette and a 350Z (which you have done a ton of) since I finished my "V". The 350 should be a little cheaper but I've never really been a very big fan of kick panels and the 350 doors just don't offer much unless there heavily modified. Oh well.........will see. Finishing the final touches on my Ford Ranger DD right now........it's just not the same thing  

Shane.


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## simplicityinsound

shane,

if those two are your choices, i say the vette is slightly better 

but a g35 i whink would be a better choice overall


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## Beau

simplicityinsound said:


> shane,
> 
> if those two are your choices, i say the vette is slightly better
> 
> but a g35 i whink would be a better choice overall


Being a G35 owner, I agree - but I'd still love a Vette.


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## dingaling

simplicityinsound said:


> sorry the car is out of LA and is going back tommorow...i will try to get him to come to marv's bbq.
> 
> leon, stop calling it a ragtop...its not a convertible


ragtop, hard top, targa top, top top...whutever all the same to me... hahahah


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## crease-guard

Thanks for the ideas for my Z06. I'm going to use a lot of ideas from this install.

One other thing, I do not have the skills to do the A-pillars. If I send them to you, can you do the same type of install with the same tweeter?

Jay


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## simplicityinsound

hey jay, sorry, i would need the car there to do A pillars to aim them and eyeball them...i prolly took them in and outof a car a dozen time during glasin and sanding to make sure it fits...

best to find someome local 

Bing


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## 02bluesuperroo

Wow.

What is that fan you used? Link?


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## crease-guard

simplicityinsound said:


> hey jay, sorry, i would need the car there to do A pillars to aim them and eyeball them...i prolly took them in and outof a car a dozen time during glasin and sanding to make sure it fits...
> 
> best to find someome local
> 
> Bing


Gotcha. Do you know of anyone local to me in the Dallas area that can do this type of quality work? I like the driver set you choose, I'd like to use the same drivers. I plan on going car computer SPDIF out to a Zapco DSP6 and that to a set of McIntosh Amps. I wanted a setup not unlike the one you did were you can still keep some of the hatch space functional.

Jay


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## dual700

Bing, did you check if the vette still has its engine or it transformed to a 4 banger accord? 
Did DOm listen to it? That might persuade him to do the same to the Z4?


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## simplicityinsound

crease-guard said:


> Gotcha. Do you know of anyone local to me in the Dallas area that can do this type of quality work? I like the driver set you choose, I'd like to use the same drivers. I plan on going car computer SPDIF out to a Zapco DSP6 and that to a set of McIntosh Amps. I wanted a setup not unlike the one you did were you can still keep some of the hatch space functional.
> 
> Jay



let me hit up my boy justin dohman and see if his intslaler can take on this.  he should be still in the dallas area.

b


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## crease-guard

simplicityinsound said:


> let me hit up my boy justin dohman and see if his intslaler can take on this.  he should be still in the dallas area.
> 
> b


Thanks b, that would be sweet.

Jay


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## crease-guard

One other thing, I went back to take a closer look at the box you built. Did you use a CNC to cut that MDF or did you do that by hand?

Also, nice touch on the routed edges, really gives it that finished look.

I would really like to take a crack at the install and fabrication of the box in the back, but the A-pillar mod is out of my league. A have a boat load of the damplifier I bought last year, I hope I bought enough.

Jay


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## QtrHorse

All I can say is amazing. You do some of the cleanest/ nicest installs I have seen.


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## pwnt by pat

awesome work. Do you have any pictures how the side panels in the trunk are supported? I can see supports in the rear on one shot but not the front. Are they screwed down or anything?


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## simplicityinsound

crease-guard said:


> One other thing, I went back to take a closer look at the box you built. Did you use a CNC to cut that MDF or did you do that by hand?
> 
> Also, nice touch on the routed edges, really gives it that finished look.
> 
> I would really like to take a crack at the install and fabrication of the box in the back, but the A-pillar mod is out of my league. A have a boat load of the damplifier I bought last year, I hope I bought enough.
> 
> Jay



no cnc on this project, evreything is cut by jigsaw, table saw and router  

i route every opening pretty much, either with slant cut or roudover to make it look a little classier 

b


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## simplicityinsound

pwnt by pat said:


> awesome work. Do you have any pictures how the side panels in the trunk are supported? I can see supports in the rear on one shot but not the front. Are they screwed down or anything?


i will try my best to explain it, bur prolly sound a bit confusing...

so you see the two platforms left and right attahced tot he amp well itself, those in the back secure the back of both the main center floor AND the side pieces. ithe top flor's little side ledges screw into it, and the side pieces had a portion routed out to sink some industrtial strength velcrow into it.

the front of hte main center floor piece is attahced to the metal cross brace portion upfront, and then if you look at this picture:










you see there is a little ledge at the front of it for the side piece to sit on as well. there again, velcro is securing the side pieces to the main center piece. the ledge that runs along the lenght of he center piece also suppors the entire inner edge of the side pieces.

but either way, its not going anywhere hehe


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## capnxtreme

OMG. Thanks for posting your work.


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## 02bluesuperroo

What fans are those?


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## lostdaytomorrow

Holy ****, that is so ****ing sick.


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## simplicityinsound

02bluesuperroo said:


> What fans are those?


standard crossflow fans, also known as squirel cage fans, they flow a lot more air the normal computer fans, i use them whenver space allows  a bunch of companies make them, stinger for one, i think these are made by PAC but i cant be sure, i just oder it out of a list form my distributor and it doesnt say who makes it lol

b


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## 1000aire

AMAZING! That is one bitchin ride. Show quality for sure.


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## C3 Customs

I must say that your work is timeless, it is truly a show of dedication to our craft and I commend you for your work. I personally wish that all of the installers shared your passion for detail and a job well done. Then maybe we would have a better quality of workmanship and care. I want to thank you for all that you have brought to the game. 

I have to say that I showed your work to a potential client and his only question to me was can I reproduce that in his Vette. I want to thank you for setting a platinum standard. I must kick up my game a nickel, I will post it up when I finish.


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## SteveC

Question... when wrapping the plexi with the thin LED's, I noticed they (Oznium) sells them in 12" lengths. What if my length falls short a few inches? I have a piece of plexi that is 86 1/2" but with the 12" lengths, that leaves me short 2 1/2". What do I do in this case?


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## Strtsk8r321

your guys installs are the best i have ever seen! So clean and beautiful, and another c6 with a nice interior! great job!


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## pylda

I love this car...and install!


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## darinof

Inspiring... Now I have to sell my truck and get me a Corvette. Love the engine idea. Neat


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## Gilhott

Very good!


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## ryomanx

so do you wake up knowing everything you touch will be golden?


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## simplicityinsound

holy revival... 

no i wake up every morning feeling every pain ache and crackle in my body lol


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## ryomanx

simplicityinsound said:


> holy revival...
> 
> no i wake up every morning feeling every pain ache and crackle in my body lol


Ha! so you are human. I know this thread is old but, I've been looking at a look of your builds and I'm really impressed with your skills. I mean, you're amazing but, at the same time really modest. Plus, anybody who like SAC is alright in my book.


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## simplicityinsound

i just strive to do the basic stuff that i am capable of as best i can...

speaking of SAC...where the HELL is third season! i must have seen the whole first and second season five times...


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## ryomanx

I wish I knew! I had forgotten that there was talk of a third season! I'm going to have to watch it again to refresh my memory. I need to put it one my phone so I can watch it while I do installs! .... Maybe not, that's how speakers get ported.


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## NismoV35

Sweet as Always Bing!


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## strakele

I know this thread is like 3 years old, but it has to be my favorite install on this site. Simply awesome, every single time I see it. This is one I always pull up whenever I want to show someone an incredible install. 

And hah, I just noticed this install is your FB profile pic.


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## BevsM3

WOW!!! Awesome work!!


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## Blister64

That's awesome work man! Question for ya, do you use DAP landau top contact cement for your vinyl and other materials? I just used that stuff to carpet a custom box I made and really like the stuff... Just wondered if you used something like that or more of a spray can 3M type adhesive. Thanks and keep it up!


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## simplicityinsound

DAP is definitely the way to go...


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## Blister64

Figured  just making sure the back of my material looks as good as yours lol... thanks man


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## sq_guru

I'm loving how the two rows of amps make your Vette look like it has a mid-engine! Nice work!


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## Tarheels1

Nice Job!


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## simplicityinsound

this thread is never gonna die lol


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## Downmented

Extremely clean setup! 

+1 for C6 Corvette content!


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