# 2012 Cruze - Basic Install From Australia - Arc Audio, Mosconi, DLS, Image Dynamics



## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Hi, I thought I would put together a build thread for the basic audio installation in my MY12 Holden Cruze SRI-V.

I will try to keep this short with minimal prattle on my part. I'll be taking the best parts from my local build thread and putting it up here if anyone is interested.

First things first a few quick shots of the car the day I got her.




























And a brief system plan. Most of this is from my previous car - with some items having sat in a cupboard waiting for my next install.

*System Plan*


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Wiring*

Like a child eating their broccoli first, I like to get the jobs I hate out of the way while I still have the patience and energy to execute them correctly... Top on the list of my most hated jobs is running cable and wire through a car (especially in the cabin). So the first weekend I had the car, the seats and majority of interior trim came out.

3 runs of 12awg OFC speaker wire were run from my speaker locations to the boot. I used the same gauge wire as I've got tonnes of it and my OCD wont be effected if I move components around 




























I took note of the most popular method on the cruze forums for running power cable into the engine bay. A few minutes with a cable routing rod and the 0awg cable was through.




























While the seats are out it's the perfect opportunity to run the RCAs and get some mounting points sorted for my DSP rack.










I roughly wired up the DSP to get all my cable lengths right.










Even though it's hidden under the carpet - I like to make sure all cables are fairly secure. Note the split loom lining any possible sharp edges of metal.










While I had the carpet up I set some nutserts in place to secure the rack when it's built.



















While I was thinking wiring I thought I'd sort out the feed from the factory deck into the dsp. I just opted for a simple T harness that you would see used in an aftermarket bluetooth install.










I decided to keep the iso molex plugs, to make changes easier in the future.










These are the patch leads made up to retain the rear speaker wiring into the factory rears (strictly for park assist only) and split out the front speaker output from the deck into RCAs that I've run to my DSP. I'l also tapping into the pos and ground of the factory deck I've used a deans connector to keep this simple.










All wrapped in OEM look felt tape to avoid rattles (the connectors will also get some Dynaliner wrapping).










And in-place with the t harness.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Midbass Install*

While the door trims were off it was the perfect opportunity to mount the mid-bass and do some initial acoustic treatment.

I won't get into the specifics of this as there's different approaches to everything but after minimal Dynamat application to the outter skin (about 30%) I closed off the service holes. I know this won't make a sealed enclosure, but will aid in separating the back wave from the front etc...



















Then a single layer of Dynamat extreme was applied.










Step and repeat on the other side.










When making the speaker baffles I borrowed heavily from the ones used on the cruze forums. But first a clearance check as the DLS 6/2s aren't the smallest 6.5" driver in the world... To my delight I found there was acres of depth in the doors.










As I'd be moving my speaker forward slightly from the factory placement, I did a little trimming to avoid head aches down the line.



















And applied a little bit of deadener while I was there. I also have some 3mm dynaliner to cover the back of the cards to help with buzzes and rattles as they crop up.



















On to the speaker install.










Closed cell foam tape was used as a gasket for the baffle to door, and also from speaker to baffle. The baffles are held in place by 4 M5 bolts and nyloc nuts.










The speakers are held in place by 8 pan head screws. I usually use nutserts and bolts - but don't plan to be pulling these drivers out too often


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Tweeter Install*

After seeing a Cruze with HAT L3SEs installed in the sails, I thought it would be worth a crack to install my tweeters there. Although they are larger in diameter than the HAT midrange and also heavier it looked like a fun challenge. This would also leave the factory tweeter location on the pillars free for my midrange install. 

A few checks with mounting rings I had made earlier I could see it would be a tight fit - but doable while still maintaining the axis I wanted.



















Just to show the scale of these tweeters, these are the tweeter rings next to my midrange rings.










A bit of dremel cuttings, hot glue and woodscrews and it's time to get my angle right using my laser and jig.










Yes I know some buthead has moved my steering wheel to the right side of the car 










Step and repeat on the other side.



















Massive tweeters in place to see how the weight (1KG) is distributed.










Then time to break out the t-shirt material and CA glue.










The the fabric stretched and soaked in CA glue, the whole pod is rock solid in under 3 seconds... Time to check panel gaps and fitment. The wood screws can now be removed.



















This top trim clip will be replaced with a bolt and nutsert to keep these sails attached when the door slams.










For tweeters the size of midranges, the pods tuck in niceley with no loss of visibility... They are mounted, very very wide also 










Then it's time to back fill the whole thing with a mixture of fg re-enforced body filler and poly resin... I used a syringe to inject this goop into all the air pockets behind the cloth... With 30mins the whole sail is a solid piece and ready for final sculpting.




























After shooting the sails with some black guide coat, they were fitted and marked up to for sculpting to better match the lines of the door trim. They look rough here, but this is before any filling or sanding 




























Then sand down the guide coat to see where all the work is required.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Tweeter Install (cont...)*

After allot of filling, sanding, puttying, sanding, spray putting, sanding, priming and sanding and sanding they're taking shape.



















These will be texture painted satin black to match the factory plastics, but I've worked up to 2000g wet sand anyways...



















With the pods ready for paint it's time to re-enforce the trim clip I had to hone out... For this I just used a head unit strap I had laying around and some q-bond.



















After tidying up the sharp edges with a dremel the whole thing was glued together... Notice how the holes in the metal strap locate the bolt nicely.










With a washer glued on top of the plastic also.










A quick check of panel gaps with the new bracket in place.



















And time for the nutserts. These just went straight in the factory trim clip holes.



















Sails bolted in-place with the factory foam piece.










And they'll stay like this in primer until the pillars are complete to avoid scratching the texture paint


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Midrange Install*

So on with the first task... Enlarge the pillar holes and rig up the ghetto baffle jig 2000 










When I was first planning my 3-way build I wanted to install the mid and tweet on a common baffle. But there just wasn't room for everything on the pillars with such large drivers and such a small car - so this is the next best thing 



















The major pain with this is I cant have the door open while I'm hot glueing. So I'll have to leave the windows open and use the gun through there...

Visibility loss isn't bad at all on the drivers side for this level of axis. The mid-range discs have been spaced back 12mm with washers to sink the midrange baffles as far into the pillars as possible while still clearing the back of the mid. Because of the angle there's loads of breathing room.



















After stocking up on hot glue sticks it was time to put the ghetto rig 2000 into use. fun times hot gluing through an open window - but as luck has it I'm ambidextrous (no crap).




























A quick test fit of the drivers... I spy a little bit of useless pillar trim that's robbing my SQs... More on that later.










Then add a few more temporary props - as this is going to have some serious stress on it when I stretch the cloth...










Now it's time to break out the Dremel and deal with that SQ robbing pillar trim... But first time for a double sided template.



















Marked for the cut - I wanted to avoid just having an ugly step and make the shape as smooth as possible...










The cut and test fit in the car. Much betterer!










Then stretch the cloth and glue. Bam set in 1 second 










Drill holes errywhere and backfill with fg re-enforced milkshake.



















Since these are midrange pods they'll be receiving a few layers of glass... So knock the shape together first so I can lay the glass down nice and even. An sand everything back with 40 gritt.










More holes. Through glue, milkshake and pillar trim 










Then apply 2 layers of 450GSM matt.










They look rough now, but will clean up nicely with the grinder, dremel and sander*


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Midrange Install (cont...)*

So, the fiberglass cleaned up real easy. Everything is easier if you get a good stretch on the cloth and make sure everything is as smooth as possible before moving to the next step and so on...



















A quick test fit in the car. And the ghetto jig popped straight back in place which was a relief



















A quick look from some other angles as cars are 3D and also need to look good from the outside



















After a quick skim coat of body filler and rough sand I sprayed on a guide coat. Things are looking as rough as guts but the shape is where I want it.














































Sanding back the guide coat to see all that work in front of me...










Then after some more filler and sanding it's time to spot putty. I also primed the back edges of the sails so i can get the final coats of paint all good around the edges - now that things are at this stage I can halve production time and work on 2 projects at once, as everything is done in small bursts while the kids are napping or the wife is taking them out shopping










Like my hi-tech painting rocks? They're dual purpose and help prevent my workbench blowing away in the breeze










Now it's time for some spray putty, now these will be trimmed in foam backed roof lining... So these steps are un-necessary - but this is my process and I must follow it in order to sleep at night - they only received minimal wet sanding though














































After that minimal wet sanding. I shot them with Primer - it's almost the same colour as the factory headliner so I'm looking forward to test fitting them and seeing what they look like in the car - and I also didn't want to take anything too embarrassing to the trimmer





































And I guess that means the front stage fabrication is complete and ready for final finishing and installation


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Midrange and Tweeter Install (cont...)*

After a little impatient waiting (luckily broken up by an interstate work trip). It was time to pickup my pillars from the trimmer and get those drivers installed. In the mean time I had also texture painted the sail pods 










Cheeky seam is basically invisible in the car as it's near flat on the dash. Either way it's incredibly neat, so the voices in my head approve 










Ready for midrange.










All mounted and wired in - wiring tested with the DMM in the boot and all is good... Eventually I'll get around to making some nice interchangeable stealth grills & trim rings for these, trimmed in the same material but with the foam backing removed.




























Not too bad for a driveway front stage install - I am really missing my workbenches though


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Subwoofer Install*

Following the lead of fellow Australian and champion installer Big_Valven, I will be constructing a fiberglass sub enclosure to house my Image Dynamics IDMAX 12 D2v3.0.

The intention is to replace the entire left hand side (passenger side ) trim panel with a custom sub box. wrapped in factory matched carpet. As per the enclosure from the Mercury/Shok Demo Cruze. I like the neat look of this avoiding that tacked on look of most FG sub boxes.

My enclosure may be slightly larger with the baffle further forward to accommodate the monster depth of the IDMAX. I am estimating around 1.5cuft of volume. I will also make some minor alterations to the baffle design to accommodate a press fit grill to keep my baby safe from prying eyes and stray cargo.

First things first, cardboard mockups.



















Just like my old Commodore, the boot arm is a bit of a pita.










With most things that require more than a few cuts I like to throw a model together on the mac before breaking out the router. The top most ring is the press fit grill.










After much Jasper Jigging - it was time to start glueing... I managed to enlist one of my sons, but he was all to unenthused.










Take note of the awesome artwork my boys drew on the MDF that will be part of this enclosure for years to come 



















And... we have baffle...



















It's just in need of some round overs before I can move on with the next phase.










In the mean time, some quick shots of the frame for the press fit grill.










As there's not allot of room for a large diameter sub around that boot arm, the ring presses over the sub basket - there is still loads of room for the surround and movement though.



















In order to sink the sub in as far as possible there was just one small section of metal that robbed me of about 10cm of depth :/










So time to do a little cutting in my new (to me) car... it's no special snow flake after all... Easily done with a dremel and cutting disc.










Cut just short of the final line so I can roll the edge to add some strength.










Quick clearance check. note plenty of room for glass wall once rolled.










Painted and left over night to dry.










The finished edge, ready for sound deadening...


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Subwoofer Install (cont...)*
With some more room to work with, it's time to cut up the factory trim, stretch and glass some cloth.










A quick test with the woofer held in place by the baffle, you can't see from the front - but there's loads of room and airspace around the whole woofer.










Then I soaked the entire trim piece (carpet on a plastic form) in resin and applied 2 layers of 450gsm matt, this is after cleanup with a flap disc. You can see how much extra space has been created for the sub.




























Some shots with the baffle in place and the trim placed back in the car to give a rough guide of the shape (after the first layer off matt and before cleaning up the glass with the flapdisc).




























So time to get busy stretching fleece. Trying to make the enclosure as large as possible I've had to rig up a little jig to help the boot arm clear the box. This will be removed once the bulk of the fleece is solid and then the fleece underneath will be soaked and the whole outside covered in a few layers of matt.





































This is my first winter in my new (and temporary) home town in the southern states where it actually gets cold, hence the glassing work inside the garage and plenty of heaters. I had to ship my family off to the in-laws farm for the week to get this done.



















And that brings us up to date (as of an hour ago).

To be continued...


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## Bluenote (Aug 29, 2008)

Very thorough build thread! Extremely nice work on the front and rear stage.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Bluenote said:


> Very thorough build thread! Extremely nice work on the front and rear stage.


Thanks mate. I like to take lots of photos while I'm working 

This is my first 3-way component install - so still a bit to learn.

I may eventually mod the door cards also, but will wait and see how happy I am with the mid-bass drivers first - knowing I can squeeze 8s in these doors quite easily, makes me hesitant to spend too much time on the 6.5" install.


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

Nice CHEVROLET Cruze you have there.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

sirbOOm said:


> Nice CHEVROLET Cruze you have there.


LOL it's all GMC / GMH love - even though these are made here for now


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## Frequency (Nov 29, 2011)

Really nice - been following this on caraudio.co.au thanks for posting it on here too


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Frequency said:


> Really nice - been following this on caraudio.co.au thanks for posting it on here too


No probs mate, thanks for checking it out. I can't wait to bloody finish the thing


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## jpeezy (Feb 5, 2012)

Excellent work so far, great detail, obviously not your first go round. cant wait to see the rest.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

jpeezy said:


> Excellent work so far, great detail, obviously not your first go round. cant wait to see the rest.


Thank you. This is my first 3-way front stage build. So many wires, baffles, pods and amps  but I'll get there soon enough...


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## claydo (Oct 1, 2012)

Nice work......love your methods on the front stage fabrication!


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

Love the install, im running a similar front stage setup to you in my 2002 civic.


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## wdemetrius1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Great Build Log!!!


I Love your setup to Trill House.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

claydo said:


> Nice work......love your methods on the front stage fabrication!


Thank you - it's a hobby I enjoy very much


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Thrill_House said:


> Love the install, im running a similar front stage setup to you in my 2002 civic.


Oh beautiful setup!
I love the nordica tweets too - I'm taking a punt with the scandinavia 1s - so I'll see how it goes. I'm very familiar with the nordicas though sexy sexy stuff!

I noticed you've got the Gothica midbass also - nice and solid! I am going to try my chances with the scandinavia 6/2s I had left over from my previous car (even though it's a 2-way / midrange biased driver - the midbass was never lacking) - if that doesn't workout I'll be looking at the scandinavia 6 (alu cone), or more than likely the 8" driver out of the UP8i set.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

wdemetrius1 said:


> Great Build Log!!!
> 
> 
> I Love your setup to Trill House.


Cheers mate, I am hoping to finish of fabrication on the sub box today.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

Wow super badass for drive way install. You don't need fancy tools to do awesome work!


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## Thrill_House (Nov 20, 2008)

justdofit said:


> Oh beautiful setup!
> I love the nordica tweets too - I'm taking a punt with the scandinavia 1s - so I'll see how it goes. I'm very familiar with the nordicas though sexy sexy stuff!
> 
> I noticed you've got the Gothica midbass also - nice and solid! I am going to try my chances with the scandinavia 6/2s I had left over from my previous car (even though it's a 2-way / midrange biased driver - the midbass was never lacking) - if that doesn't workout I'll be looking at the scandinavia 6 (alu cone), or more than likely the 8" driver out of the UP8i set.


Hey thanks man, yeah I currently have the gothia 6`s mounted in the factory door locations but im actually going to swapping them out for a set of RM6.2`s in search of more output. I am also curious to see how the UP8i mids perform, if I dont find im getting enough out of the RM mid bass drivers then I may very well go up to the UP8 driver down then road.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Thrill_House said:


> Hey thanks man, yeah I currently have the gothia 6`s mounted in the factory door locations but im actually going to swapping them out for a set of RM6.2`s in search of more output. I am also curious to see how the UP8i mids perform, if I dont find im getting enough out of the RM mid bass drivers then I may very well go up to the UP8 driver down then road.


The UP8 woofers are sensational. There's a car (CX9) from my hometown that runs the Gothica 3-way set with the midbass exchanged for the UP8 midbass - very very good midbass, and easy to install also.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

optimaprime said:


> Wow super badass for drive way install. You don't need fancy tools to do awesome work!


Thanks mate. Fancy tools would be nice though - although I'd just settle for having a work bench and some space again


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## Big_Valven (Aug 20, 2008)

Looking good, although I've been keeping an eye on it already  full tick of approval for the subwoofer box so far! 

I considered whether I'd take a mold of the factory panel or just use it. You can get a brand new trim panel from Holden for $65 or so, IMO it's a no brainer to just sacrifice it, as in future they'll be at wreckers for even less.

I can't wait to finish the red Cruze, although there are more pressing builds on. It is a lot of fun to listen to now anyway, although the factory non nav HU loudness curve kills dynamics a little. Sink the boot into the subwoofer gain and volume enough and it doesn't matter.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

yeah dude. awesome work!

i love how you used those aluminum bars to keep the mount of the midrange on the same axis as the tweeter. very cool!


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## charliekwin (Apr 22, 2012)

Top notch work, for sure! Keep this updated as you work on the sub...want to see how you finish it up.


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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

justdofit...i'm booking your tickets to the states for you to do my front stage...we'll figure out the vehicle when you get here. 

awesome thread.


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

nice and clean....good stuff


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## WhereAmEye? (Jun 17, 2013)

Freakin awesome man. I love OCD installs.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Big_Valven said:


> Looking good, although I've been keeping an eye on it already  full tick of approval for the subwoofer box so far!
> 
> I considered whether I'd take a mold of the factory panel or just use it. You can get a brand new trim panel from Holden for $65 or so, IMO it's a no brainer to just sacrifice it, as in future they'll be at wreckers for even less.
> 
> I can't wait to finish the red Cruze, although there are more pressing builds on. It is a lot of fun to listen to now anyway, although the factory non nav HU loudness curve kills dynamics a little. Sink the boot into the subwoofer gain and volume enough and it doesn't matter.


Thanks mate, I loved the idea after seeing it in your build - as it was a way for me to keep my IDMax without giving up the whole boot - I just hope I can do it justice.

The time saved using the boot trim outweighs any additional costs by a long shot, I always get dealer quotes on any trim I'm modding. And the boot trim, a-pillars and sails were cheap as chips brand new . Not to mention wrecker prices 

I'm still waiting on my usb o-scope to do some testing on the factory nav unit, it may still get replaced with a DD yet (aerpro have a nice dash kit with chimes) - but I'd like to keep it if possible as it integrates nicely with the car.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

req said:


> yeah dude. awesome work!
> 
> i love how you used those aluminum bars to keep the mount of the midrange on the same axis as the tweeter. very cool!


Cheers mate. I saw the idea on a local install shops Facebook page (although for pods on the same a pillar trim piece). I've never had to dial in this many speakers before so I thought it would save some time and headaches


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

charliekwin said:


> Top notch work, for sure! Keep this updated as you work on the sub...want to see how you finish it up.


Thankyou. I will do, there's already some sub box progress - I'll wait until it's trimmed and put up an update


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

mrmill said:


> justdofit...i'm booking your tickets to the states for you to do my front stage...we'll figure out the vehicle when you get here.
> 
> awesome thread.


haha, I would love to head to the States one day - I've worked for a few American owned companies in the Australian branches (Boeing and Accenture) but always missed out on heading over.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

WhereAmEye? said:


> Freakin awesome man. I love OCD installs.


Cheers. I think there's something about this hobby that attracts OCD people.


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## mclaren1885 (Feb 15, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your install Justdofit. Looks sweet and probably the only Cruze install I've seen logged in such detail online. 

I have a Cruze too and currently I just finished by 4-way active install. Will share the build log in the coming few weeks. 

Was curious to know where you go the fabric to cover the A-pillar pods and what it cost you per metre. 

I've been looking for similar stuff in India and no one seems to sell it here!


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

mclaren1885 said:


> Thanks for sharing your install Justdofit. Looks sweet and probably the only Cruze install I've seen logged in such detail online.
> 
> I have a Cruze too and currently I just finished by 4-way active install. Will share the build log in the coming few weeks.
> 
> ...


Can't wait to see your Cruze mate.

The fabric was just standard stock at the trimmers - it's the genuine Holden roof lining material with the foam backing. I have no idea what it cost but I get the feeling it's one if the cheaper materials they use.


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## sydmonster (Oct 5, 2009)

oh... somewhere else to look see.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*Subwoofer Install (cont...)*

So after much glassing, grinding, shaping etc... (too messy for photos). It's time to trim this thing.









The press fit grill frame fits nicely too - with the perfect allowance it seams to trim it in carpet also.









Minimal space lost in the boot, after measuring the box I've managed to sqeeze 42L (gross) out of a totally useless part of the boot - very happy 



























Being a complete trim panel replacement, there were some panel gaps to consider... Luckily no problems here - being such a large FG job, warping was a major concern - especially re-learning my mekp ratios to suit the cooler climate.









All be it with a tiny bit more buldge because of the carpet.









After the final test fit, the box was deadened on the inside with Dynamat (on the large flat glass surfaces only), and treated with 6mm Dynaliner on the back anywhere it could contact with the car or wiring looms to avoid buzzing. The box is an extremely tight fit - 2 M6 bolts into nutserts set through the floor stop it from moving at all...









Stuffed solid with Dacron, and ready to mount the sub.









Some quick photos of the final product - just a little more work to do now 









So glad to have all the speaker / sub fabrication work over and done with!









Time to set some grill in that press fit frame.









Ready to trim in carpet









All trimmed and in daily driver stealth mode - nothing to see here :mean:


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

sydmonster said:


> oh... somewhere else to look see.


Oh I'm everywhere mang


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## rmchevelle (Jul 22, 2008)

The box turned out great. :thumbsup: Looks factory. Judging by some of the other threads you'll have some requests for that box on some of those Cruze forums you've mentioned.


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## win1 (Sep 27, 2008)

Man that's nice


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

rmchevelle said:


> The box turned out great. :thumbsup: Looks factory. Judging by some of the other threads you'll have some requests for that box on some of those Cruze forums you've mentioned.


Thanks mate, I prefer the factory look above all else


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

win1 said:


> Man that's nice


Cheers, it will work perfectly in a daily driver - heard but not seen


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## strong*I*bumpin (Oct 3, 2005)

Beautifully done mate!


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

strong*I*bumpin said:


> Beautifully done mate!


Thanks mate, it's getting there


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## broadz (Jan 20, 2009)

looks great! any updates?


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## adam_rostron (Jun 14, 2014)

great work man. can't wait to see the finished results


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

broadz said:


> looks great! any updates?


Howdy Broadz - unfortunately no updates yet, we had a new baby arrive (on your birthday actually) so it's been pretty busy around the house. Hopefully I can get the amp rack sorted once the dust settles


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

adam_rostron said:


> great work man. can't wait to see the finished results


Cheers mate - hopefully the next run of updates wont be too far off.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Wow long time no update... I guess that's what happens when you welcome your third son into the world and time disappears - I best get something together with the last few stages


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Power Support

I wanted to keep it simple under the bonnet - the fuse holder is secured in place with some angle alloy just painted black - it totally dissapears (and yes I know there's no fuse installed yet ).





































I used these little JL Audio terminals so I could retain the factory positive cover which also houses a fuse plate.










And for size reference, but I'm guessing a 50c piece isn't a good choice for non-australians... Point is they're small 










Amp intalls to come...


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Front Stage Amps

To start with, just a basic set of 2 12mm (1/2") mdf boards... The bottom one with various cutouts to clear the lumps on the boot floor and what I think is the the fuel sensor?










There's not allot of room left once you lay out to AS100.4s side by side across a small sized sedan boot. So I thought I'd lay everything out to figure out the best spots to mount the anchor points for the trim panels.










With the locations sorted out, I cut out some small sections and pressed t-nuts in from the base, these keeps everything off the boot floor - gives some room for bolts to pass through and also makes the t-nuts accessible down the track if they ever need replacement?










The 2 boards all glued and screwed together with all the holes pre-drilled for the threaded inserts that will secure the amps and hardware to the rack.










Not much going on on the top side, except some rebated sections and all the 5.5mm holes drilled for threaded inserts.










Temporary stainless steel hex head M5 bolts that secure the rack to nutserts set into the 2 raised sections of the floor. These have been replaced with button head M5 bolts so there's less chance of chafing a wire or even worse gashing your arms, elbows expensive italian amplifiers on the sharp edges of the hex head.










You may also notice the rebated sections lining up with those factory brackets.










That's for these pieces of flat bar that slide through into the loop - kind of like a slide lock. The loop will be wrapped in some 3mm dynaliner just in case there's any vibrations etc... The combination of these slides and the bolts into the floor make for a very secure rack.










Oh and I carpeted the board, even though it will all be hidden by trim - I still know if there's anything messy anywhere in the install... I hate bare MDF even when it's hidden under trim panels.










A quick test fit of the major items to get the mind rolling on the trim panel designs and the neatest methods of running the wiring...


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Front Stage Amps (cont...)

Now onto the trim panels - a quick sketch up of what I had in mind.




























I used 3mm thick alloy angle for the front and back supports as this allowed maximum room around the amps within the small footprint I had to work with (around the spare tyre). I drilled and counter sunk holes for bolts that screwed into the t-nuts I set in when I built the mounting board.



















Then drilled some larger holes for my RCAs to run through (with massive grommets). The power and speaker wires run through the front left and right corners where the alloy doesn't go all the way to the edge.










Then just cut out some simple rectangle shapes. and touch up with the router.



















Then add the second layer to create a rebate for the press fit panel and fill the gaps between the rack and the surrounding trim.



















Then create the press fit panel and flush in some metal plates and large neo magnets.










Then create back and front sides (note the foam block shows the factory floor height).




























After test fitting in the car - time to drill through the front and back sides and into the alloy... Then just tap some M5 threads and bam the beauty board can be secured to the base with 4 bolts.



















And then onto my second least favourite job (after running cable)... All trimmed and in place for a final test fit.










Then onto one of my favourite jobs. Wiring up 




























And with the cover bolted on... I'll road test it like this until the DSP gets back from Brisbane and then the cover needs to come off to set the gains with the scope 

And yes the car is filthy with MDF dust


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Sub Stage Amp

There's nothing fancy about the M12 install, it's just some angle alloy used as a bracket with some bolts and nutserts and only took about 30 mins to complete...

I was going to mount the amp flat on the floor and have the factory floor sit over it, but that was causing headaches with the floor height and the sub grill (long story). So I peeked behind the trim to see if I could find another spot.










Turns out there was just enough room to tuck a small 1200w amp behind there.










I grabbed some alloy out of the shed and cut/drilled/countersunk for bolts (I like bolts).










Then nutserts into various places to keep things secure.




























Some magic SQ liner.










Bolt it all together and wire up.










The gain controls are still accessible without removing the amp which is nice 










All buttoned up and hidden away.










Now that just leaves the DSP (there's been a slight detour on equipment here unfortunately). And some boot floor and minor trim panels to wrap it all up


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

justdofit said:


> I used these little JL Audio terminals so I could retain the factory positive cover which also houses a fuse plate.



these are awesome. i might be getting some now lol.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

req said:


> these are awesome. i might be getting some now lol.


They're pretty neat little terminals with one ring terminal bolt and one 4awg spot.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

This coming along fantastic! Congrats on the baby !


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## WhereAmEye? (Jun 17, 2013)

Congrats Indeed! But I especially like how you mounted the alpine amp, so simple yet perfect. Keep the updates coming!


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

optimaprime said:


> This coming along fantastic! Congrats on the baby !





WhereAmEye? said:


> Congrats Indeed! But I especially like how you mounted the alpine amp, so simple yet perfect. Keep the updates coming!


Thanks guys, I'll keep updating as work is completed


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## Huckleberry Sound (Jan 17, 2009)

Very Nice!


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Huckleberry Sound said:


> Very Nice!


Cheers mate, it's getting there slowly.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Micro Update...

Got the boot floor cut and installed at lunch today, I still plan to have a floor mat made up, but the edges are surprisingly neat considering all the weird bumps on the factory floor.














































These photos give a good indication of any storage space lost. And also why the floor couldn't be raised in the rear section near the sub grill


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Nice work! Looks super clean.


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## balane (Jul 4, 2009)

This is one of my favorite installs I've seen on here. Everything is just perfect so really great ability and work here.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

teldzc1 said:


> Nice work! Looks super clean.





balane said:


> This is one of my favorite installs I've seen on here. Everything is just perfect so really great ability and work here.


Thanks guys, just something basic I built in my driveway though. Got to keep it simple and practical as I drive this car daily


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Micro update... Managed to get the fill panel for the amps trimmed yesterday - it's an MDF frame with perforated steel mesh, wrapped in breathable carpet. Now I just need a boot mat to complete the boot


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## 1edgekilla (Feb 17, 2011)

To the OP, phenomenal work. I just purchased a 2014 Chevy Cruze and am currently planning my install. I have a few questions though... Did the wiring of the processor allow you to keep all factory controls (and i mean everything). Im located in the states and have yet to see a clear cut answer on whether or not a processor or aftermarket head unit can be installed and allow for all factory controls including the top LCD which my car has and yours doesn't appear to have. Also, how much depth would you say there is from the metal in the doors to the window when its down... im anxious to see just how deep of a driver I can fit and possibly squeeze 8's in there?


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

1edgekilla said:


> To the OP, phenomenal work. I just purchased a 2014 Chevy Cruze and am currently planning my install. I have a few questions though... Did the wiring of the processor allow you to keep all factory controls (and i mean everything). Im located in the states and have yet to see a clear cut answer on whether or not a processor or aftermarket head unit can be installed and allow for all factory controls including the top LCD which my car has and yours doesn't appear to have. Also, how much depth would you say there is from the metal in the doors to the window when its down... im anxious to see just how deep of a driver I can fit and possibly squeeze 8's in there?


Sorry for the late reply mate, congrats on your new purchase.

At this stage I am yet to have a running system as I'm still waiting for the next Mosconi shipment to arrive (the PS8 was DOA) so I can install the 6to8v8. So I can't confirm 100% on my particular car. I do however have a mate with an SRI V Cruze running a similar setup with an H701 processor and all factory functionality is retained. The main hurdle I came across was the factory reverse sensors and how they use the rear speakers, I have left the factory rear speakers in place for this function and simply fade all audio to the front which is fed into the DSP, the factory reverse sensors ignore all the settings on the deck and operate as normal through the rear speakers.

In the front doors, you should be able to squeeze an 8" behind there. The outer ring on my baffles is 8" and it fits comfortably behind the door card with some minor trimming of the plastic behind the factory grill...

Depth wise there was ample room for my DLS midwoofers, more than any car I have installed door speakers in. It will depend obviously on the drivers you use, but to help gauge depth (sorry I can't remember measurements) here's a photo of my midbass which is 67mm deep sitting on 28mm worth of baffle, in the door with the window all the way down:









Note these baffles were chamfered on the back before painting and final installation.

The angle is deceiving, but there was enough room to mount a speaker at least twice as deep. The main object of concern was that bolt on the window regulator. I remember thinking to myself at the time, that I could more than likely squeeze an L8SE in there with a little bit of effort.


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## mklett33 (Dec 7, 2009)

Nice work dude, only had time to look at the first age but I love all the build pics. Cool pillars and sail panels!


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

mklett33 said:


> Nice work dude, only had time to look at the first age but I love all the build pics. Cool pillars and sail panels!


Thanks mate, sorry for the delayed response I don't get on here as often as I'd like these days.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

Wow - long time no update on this one 

A few changes have happened over the last few months:

The PS8 is out and 6to8v8 (w/ AMAS) in.
The DLS Scandinavia 6/2 midbass swapped out for the Scandinavia 6.
And the tweeters are due to be swapped from the Scandinavia 1 to the Scandinavia 30, with everything ready to go and just waiting for a window of free time 

Also thanks to my lovely wife for suprising me with a 3D printer, I've finally started adding finishing touches to the install.

Some brief overview photos if anyone is interested.

Mosconi DRC install:













































Midrange, trim rings and press-fit panels:


























Still need to sew up the pull tabs...

And the new tweeter install that's just waiting to be started:


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## claydo (Oct 1, 2012)

Nice work!!


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

claydo said:


> Nice work!!


Thanks mate. I've got a bunch of ideas for the car - just need to find the time


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## reithi (Mar 29, 2012)

Awesome is an understatement for this build. Attention to detail and final execution are top notch.

I have a 2015 Cruze that I have been accumulating equipment for the last 3 months for a budget 2-Way + Sub SQ. The remaining pieces are the new C-MiniDsp and Sound Deadener which should all be here by mid November.

I will definitely be borrowing some ideas from your build, specifically the amp rack and sub box.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

reithi said:


> Awesome is an understatement for this build. Attention to detail and final execution are top notch.
> 
> I have a 2015 Cruze that I have been accumulating equipment for the last 3 months for a budget 2-Way + Sub SQ. The remaining pieces are the new C-MiniDsp and Sound Deadener which should all be here by mid November.
> 
> I will definitely be borrowing some ideas from your build, specifically the amp rack and sub box.


Thank you sir, that's a high compliment 

I look forward to seeing your build.


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## unemployedconsumer (Sep 24, 2010)

If you're making new sail panels for the new tweeters you should send me the old panels, mine don't look near as good as yours.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

unemployedconsumer said:


> If you're making new sail panels for the new tweeters you should send me the old panels, mine don't look near as good as yours.


Thanks mate - but I don't think they're quite good enough to ship from Australia to the Sates


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

Looking stellar! Can i ask where you found the fabric used for the a-pillars? Any online source?


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

carlr said:


> Looking stellar! Can i ask where you found the fabric used for the a-pillars? Any online source?


Thanks mate.

The fabric for the pillars was just source from my local auto trimmers, it's the same foam backed stuff as the roof liner. For the grills I simply peeled the foam backing off.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

While the wife and kids are away it's time to play car audio 

Hopefully more updates to come in the very near future, until then an updated system diagram for this year.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

I think I've made enough progress over the weekend to update this thread?

*DVD Changer Install*

First cab off the rank this year is getting a DVD/CD transport with optical out into the car.

TBH I use the AMAS in this car daily (USB from my phone connected to the factory deck for control via steering wheel/head unit and track info display on the factory screen, with the audio streaming directly into the AMAS digital input - it's a magic little setup and works for all the music sources on my phone (VLC, Music App, Pandora and Spotify). Note, photo taken before finishing my DRC install.









But the reality is, in SQ competitions over here it's generally easier to have a decent CD transport, and I'm also a little sceptical about the AMAS/iPhone getting the absolute most out of my system.

Luck has it that the GVIF module I used to integrate a backup camera and display onto the factory screen, also has up to 3 additional selectable video inputs. This makes a stand alone CD or DVD changer a prime candidate.

I managed to track down a second hand Alpine unit that had everything I wanted. A quick test fit and it looked like I could install this thing in a handy location.









Width wise I had a few mm to spare - no issue there:

















Some minor cutting of the rear of the door/pocket gave easy clearance at the back of the stacker, but I still couln't close the glovebox door...

Luckily Alpine kindly placed the power/av sub board in a seperate module bolted onto the back. Moving this would give me the depth I needed to close the glovebox.









So a little dremel action to create a new hole in the chassis to re-route the ribbon cables for this board. some drilling and riveting (no room for bolts or screws) and bam, we have a much shallower DVD changer 

















One handy thing about the Cruze is that the entire housing around the glovebox comes off with 5 bolts and in about 2mins. This made securing the changer to the vehicle much easier... And given the extremely limited space I was able to de-contstuct the entire glovebox on the bench, mount the stacker and rebuild it all around it.

Some dynaliner for good measure and this thing is ready to go back in the car.









That all important clearance at the rear.









Turns out it's now a perfect fit, and still plenty of storage space left.









The downside is that I'll have to pop out the glovebox assembly every time I want to change the cabin filter, but it's a very basic removal/installation process. And the filter only gets changed annually.

And it's alive 

























I've got to be honest now - optical out of the stacker sounds pretty much identical to the AMAS. But - at least now I have the convenience of a CD/DVD transport, without using the factory deck.

More to come...


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

*DSP Relocation*

I managed to finish up work early Friday, so it was time to get a head start on this weekends install plans.

I thought I'd get moving on relocating the DSP. Now that I am happy with the setup, it's time to neaten up the install, and address a few things that bugged me.

I modelled and printed up the parts for this a while ago, just waiting until I get a few hours spare to start the install.









The setup as it was, under the seat.









The turned up floor mat that always bugged me.









Seat out and old setup removed.









Traced out the hole and cut through.









Caddy mounted and then DSP mounted to the caddy, so so much wiring.









Under carpet support collar fitted. This helps protect the wiring and sandwiches with the grill to lock onto the carpet for a solid edge all the way around.









Carpet all back in place, cable terminals can be inspected as well as the gain settings etc...









Grill screwed in place, now I know everything fits as intended I can print another one in hi-res and acetone vapour it or paint for a more finished look.









Everything is totally hidden with the seat in it's regular position.









Much better, and now I have somewhere to store my tuning laptop. I've since popped some black trim clips into the old dsp shelf mounting holes.









Rolling the seat all the way back allows for easy inspection and removal of the grill.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

OK, time to move onto the next item on my hit list for this year.

*Tweeter Sail Re-build*

First a shot of the previous setup. There's absolutely nothing wrong with these tweeters - and I expect the change to be a sideways step. But the finished result should be allot more subtle, and also free up the scan 1s to give me a complete 2-way specific DLS Scandinavia pair with my Scandinavia 6/2 I swapped out mid year last year (probably bound for my wife's new car? but that's another build thread).










Time to put those 3D printed parts to use, with some old school methods - things always look nasty rough at this stage (unless you're Bing of course ).









Some stretched t-shirt material, ca glue and milkshake later - the sails are starting to take shape.


















Next to the midrange, not that they rake back on the same angle, but I've angled them upwards slightly. Something I couldn't do with the Scandinavia 1s due to their massive size.









Once finished I think these should blend in nicely and compliment the surrounding contours of the car.









With the new sails next to the old the size difference is more obvious. Note that the Scandinavia 30s are by no means a small tweeter with a 68mm diameter and 30mm dome. It's just that the Scandinavia 1s are larger (and heavier) than most midrange drivers.









I applied some fiberglass reenforced bog to build up the low spots and tweak the shape to my liking.


















Then a really light coat of body filler - and now I can start the ongoing cycle of fill, sand, blade putty sand, spray putty sand, primer sand, paint sand, texture paint and so on...

























A quick test fit of them in the car with the final shape.









And couldn't resist popping a tweeter in and placing the trim ring in to get an idea of what they will look like.









Also, while I had the sails off - I popped off the door cards and installed some fast rings I had waiting, I'm actually pretty impressed with the difference these have made.

















Thanks for reading :beerchug:


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Nice work! Looks very cool.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

teldzc1 said:


> Nice work! Looks very cool.


Thanks mate - it's getting there


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

Wow massive update. Looks really good.


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

carlr said:


> Wow massive update. Looks really good.


Cheers mate - I'm really happy with the current changes


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

A sneak peak of the finished sail pods...










Love the smell of acetone vapour at 11:30PM...


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

They're in the car and playing - I'll reserve judgement until I've had some time on them and a bit of a tune up, but so far I'm more than impressed.










There are some imperfections on the trim rings, due to bubbles while acetone vapouring. I'll print another set and work on my method to get a better result, but for now this set will do for testing and proof of concept.










I'm pleased with the way the overall*shape turned out.


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## KrautNotRice (Nov 2, 2015)

Amazing fab work & install. Thanks for sharing!


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## diy.phil (May 23, 2011)

That's an awesome planning/fabrication/install/CAD/print/improvement/everything!!


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## PUREAUDIO (Jun 16, 2008)

Love the build the detail is top notch. Would you have the part numbers to the harness from the stock HU to the DSP?


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## justdofit (Aug 13, 2010)

PUREAUDIO said:


> Love the build the detail is top notch. Would you have the part numbers to the harness from the stock HU to the DSP?


Sorry for the late reply, I don't seem to be getting email updates from this thread.

For the factory hu, I used this t-harness from aerpro and soldered on female RCA connectors so I could just run a regular RCA cable to the DSP.

This is the product I used, there's similar products on eBay listed as parrott t-harnesses also.

https://aerpro.com/ct10cv04


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