# First install - lots of pic



## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

This is gonna be my first attempt to build the whole ICE system from scratch. I've done bits and pieces in the previous car but limited to just hooking up a couple of amps, swapping the HU and dropping in a ready made sub box etc. What got me into this? Limited number of good installers here in this part of malaysia, who are willing to spend time and effort to make an install thats something . Most of them, are only interested in 'finishing' off the job.Hide the rat's nest under the carpet, take your money and wave goodbye..  
So, fed up with all this, i took matter in my own hands....and its been 2 years since!!  Simply too many things happening at the same time..a newborn in the family, moving to a new home.There was just very little time to work on the car..the only one that i have, thats also the daily driver.

I got lots of tips and pointers from a local forummer, xonycbox (http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2046448) thanx bro!!
ok here goes... 

The car is an 2002 Honda Accord (right hand drive).we shall start of with some of the stuffs i've got at the moment.

lots of knukonceptz gear...



















and a lil' bit of wbt 










this one's to please my 1yr old...










Knukonceptz rcas - had it bundled in loom to make it look a tad neater




























For the sound deadening, raammat bxt was used throughout for the trunk, floor and overhead panel. 










I've saved the dynamat to deadened the doors later.however i ran out of raammat when working on the overhead panel and had to pinch some of the DE.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

IDMAX12



















stripped up the trunk and started with deadening...man..didnt realise then what i'm getting myself into. this is A LOT of work!! 




























U could say i've put my sweat,blood and soul into my ICE.. literally!!










good thing that i had the plaster handy.. now back to work.
here i'm stripping the interior trying not to break any clips or fasteners..but i was guilty of killing a few  



















the overhead panel all naked


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

deadening was just going on and on and on... didnt think i could reach this stage where its finally FINISHED!! phewww..


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

Ah yes...blood sweat and tears....here is mine from some door pods I built last year.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

then i applied superlon, which is actually an insulation material.its somewhat like ensolite that u guys get in the states, probably of lesser quality but a lot cheaper. using just normal adhesive










On top of that ran the power, speaker and rca cables. 














































thats pretty much what i've been up to for the last year or so. i have not started working on the door however here's an interesting find when i had a look at the stock speaker on the left door. the factory had mounted the protective plastic cup upside down.












this how its supposed to be...!










i could have improved a bit with the cables. Rather than using duct tape to hold them in place, a proper clip or holder should be the way but i just couldn't find 'em locally. Also got to know about techflex way after laying the cables and getting the carpet back on.would have been great to run those 0gauge in techflex but i'm just too lazy to strip the whole thing up again to do just that. generally its a bit more difficult to source DIY material around here. all those knukonceptz gear were bought in the states during my travel there. 

right now i'm working on the big3 and managed to find something thats similiar to techflex. will keep u guys posted on the progresss... will be back soon.. i hope


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## AzGrower (May 30, 2005)

The plastic protector cup is for protecting against water splashing up through the small moisture vents that are in the bottom of your door shell, NOT to protect from water seeping past the window seal.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

ah..ok. so they've got it mixed up on the right side then. lol


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## addissimo (Apr 10, 2007)

rasahman said:


>


OMG. You need to take your car back before you install anymore. I hate to tell you this, but those jokers at Honda put your steeringwheel on the wrong side...


 


I was very surprised how much deadening a car sucks. You see enough install pics on the forum with beautifully installed deadener, and don't realize how much work goes into it!

Good work so far!


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## piston (Apr 7, 2007)

AzGrower said:


> The plastic protector cup is for protecting against water splashing up through the small moisture vents that are in the bottom of your door shell, NOT to protect from water seeping past the window seal.


Actually the cover peice is to help keep water off the speaker from the window seal not from water coming up from the bottom. 

Doing the sound deadening is one of the hardest things. I just started this for a friend and am hating it cause he bought dynamat extreme, which I have found cuts more finger then any other.

Jason


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

addissimo said:


> OMG. You need to take your car back before you install anymore. I hate to tell you this, but those jokers at Honda put your steeringwheel on the wrong side......


LOL!!!  thanx for pointing it out.



piston said:


> Actually the cover peice is to help keep water off the speaker from the window seal not from water coming up from the bottom.
> 
> Doing the sound deadening is one of the hardest things. I just started this for a friend and am hating it cause he bought dynamat extreme, which I have found cuts more finger then any other.


that was my initial impression when i saw the plastic cover, anyhow they've got one of the sides the other way round.. thats for sure..

personally, i prefer working with the DE. Raamat is slightly thinner and becomes too flexible sometimes. it could be the tropical temperature and humidity. 

2 layers or Raamat would probably get it as thick,or even more than, a single lay DE. thats twice the amount of work!  i'd sum it up this way- 

value for money - raamat
value for effort/time - dynamat


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## lashlee (Aug 16, 2007)

Wow!! That all looks strangely familiar!!! Check out my install further down the list on a 98 LHD!!!

Keep it up!!


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

ok this is what i've been up to lately. progress has been slow but at least we are moving ahead...

I've managed to squeeze through a pair of 12ga speakers cables for the mids through the original passage from the body to the door. Was a very tight fit and i was careful not to damaged any of the stock wiring and harness. Had to remove this connector on the dashboard to get some slack on rubber grommet.



















Then, used a makeshift cable puller to get the cable through. A dab of WD40 could make things easier. 




















I was working at this at 3am, which got the neighbourhood patrol guys concerned. They did drop by to make sure it was the 'owner' who's working on the car. 
Here's everything back in place, all done after a long 2 hrs!


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

A simple tidy up at the rear of the HU using double-sided tape and cable tie. 











Labeling on the HU to wiring harness connection.The stock harness was used while the unused bits were wrapped in heat shrink.



















The rca labels. It would have been tidier using heatshrink but i couldn't find any transparent ones of the correct size.So had to make do with laminated labels.










I didn't like the idea of the loose rcas bouncing off the HU all the time.So they were connected and line-up behind the HU using cable ties. 











Since the car's interior was already stripped, i took the oppurtunity to service the a/c cooling element.No pictures of those but later on when fitting the pieces back, the centre console was found to be badly damaged. Kinda ackward since all the parts were kept together but only this particular piece had this mouldy, sticky surface on it. As though something ate through the top layer. It had to be covered with something. So i used this suede like microfiber material.I won't complain abt the price, RM6 (abt USD 1.50) per metre, but took me 3 hrs to figure it out and get it done.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

And after all this….moving on to the more interesting bit. Started working on the big 3 but didn’t complete it because I ran out of lugs for the alternator to battery (+) connection. That has to wait, and here’s rest of the story…


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

The positive terminal:



















and its pair:










It took me almost 2 days to finish the works in the engine bay.yeah, still slow and learning.. 
finally, a shot of the firewall where the mains find their way through the cabin. Its actually a pair but not obvious from this pic.


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

Cool!, very neat & very thorough. The cabling should serve you well.


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## Fran82 (Jul 30, 2007)

Nice work. The deadening looks VERY thorough. Did you say that you've spent the last year working on it?


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

thanx for the compliments guys..

yup, its been more than a year since i started the project but have not been consistent. I used to stay in an apartment and work in the common car park....also had a newborn to deal with. 
however, we've just recently moved to a home with more space, at least now i dun have to secure everything and lock up just to go for a pee!! plus i AM kinda slow in doing things.


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## FrankstonCarAudio (Feb 2, 2008)

Fantastic job!

Keep up the good work!

Mark

p.s.

Bobditts

Member of Team MHC (Mile High Club)

What's this? Boasting again?


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## Biowaste (Apr 25, 2008)

bobditts said:


> Excellent attention to detail. Amazing job! Especially for your first install.


Agreed, very nice!

Looking forward to the rest of the pictures,
-Bio


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## kiko (Feb 1, 2008)

awsome job man !!

one of the best wiring i ever seen...i liked a lot !

well done with HU outputs ! by the way nice HU you got there 

nice job on the deadning...i know its a pain in the ass to work with deadning, but it is worth !

keep the good work...

congrats men !


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## ascendotuum (Apr 12, 2008)

Wow, very nice work so far. Your attention to detail and thoroughness will pay off in the long run I'm sure of that. Just keep on keepin on!


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## Deckdout2 (Feb 23, 2008)

That's alot of work you've put into this install. Looks really solid.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

wow.. u guys are such a cool bunch!! thanks for the compliments and encouragement. I'll start with the trunk next, in a week or two. still cracking my head on how i'm gonna do it, so will definitely appreciate comments n critics when i post em here. 

cheers!


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## BlackSapphire (Apr 16, 2008)

AzGrower said:


> Ah yes...blood sweat and tears....here is mine from some door pods I built last year.


Just try not to do this.... 



















When it's in the bone, you can't even pull it out with pliers. Ask me how I know.


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## Goindef154 (Apr 26, 2008)

Wow man looks really good, what size techflex did you use for the 1/0 gauge?


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## bafukie (Nov 23, 2007)

crap... tat looks bad... and praises for my fellow countrymen


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

*some updates*

i managed to put in some hours in the car again. the pics are not comprehensive but it'll give a rough idea of what i've been up to. this is NOT the end product. I'm gonna be busy with work, and can't stand driving around without music..so, at the moment only the TRU amp and the distro block is in its final location. the HCCA -temporary... the wiring - abt 70% done, just some tidying up to take care..


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

the HCCA will be installed similiar to the TRU on the opposite side and covered, while the distro block will be covered with a panel too to keep things stealthy.

the above is just to get some sound in the cabin...and yesss.. using STOCK speakers for now 

sorry abt the lack of pics but more will be on the way when work on them again ..sometime... soon...


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## CRD (Apr 23, 2008)

AzGrower said:


> Ah yes...blood sweat and tears....here is mine from some door pods I built last year.



At least if someone steals your system "let's hope not" you can say it's yours because it haves your DNA all over


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

some shots of the roof panel that i missed out on the earlier posts.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

*suggestion needed*

i need some suggestion here guys.  The stocks only hold a pair of 5in. Below are pics of the door panel which is actually three pieces attached together. I'm trying to get as stock and stealth as possible with the 18w scans that i have.its gonna be these and a pair of tweeters on the A pillar. A lot of honda installs here seem to have a different type of door panel, so i was just wondering if any of u guys have worked on this variant and would REALLY appreciate pics,links or suggestions on how to hack this.. kicks are out of the option.it'b be great to have the door pocket or part of it but wont hurt to loose 'em either..


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## sandfleee (Jun 22, 2008)

Its hard to tell from the door pic, but do you have room to enlarge the stock opening and get a baffle in there?


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

sandfleee said:


> Its hard to tell from the door pic, but do you have room to enlarge the stock opening and get a baffle in there?


no way with the stock opening its abt 6in or maybe less. if the scans were to sit there close to the stock opening below panel no.1, it'll look something like this, eating into panel no.3.


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## darcness (Mar 13, 2008)

Is there already a hole in your door under the number 3 panel? If there is, make a baffle there and then just cut circle in your outer door panel. Then install the Scan and have it come out, flush with the outer door panel. Install a nice speaker grill to cover everything up and be done with it.


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## khanhfat (Feb 4, 2008)

hmm how many inch available at ur stock speaker location? is there a plastic trim at the number 3 cover in black , if there is i would suggest u to use a razor or a xacto knife to cut those triming pieces out and make it fit.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

darcness said:


> Is there already a hole in your door under the number 3 panel? If there is, make a baffle there and then just cut circle in your outer door panel. Then install the Scan and have it come out, flush with the outer door panel. Install a nice speaker grill to cover everything up and be done with it.


yes there is a hole but its not big enough, and not aligned to the centre of the Scans which is going to be slighter lower now...unless i cut the metal door skin  i shall look into that..

so no one with pics huh?


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

khanhfat said:


> hmm how many inch available at ur stock speaker location? is there a plastic trim at the number 3 cover in black , if there is i would suggest u to use a razor or a xacto knife to cut those triming pieces out and make it fit.


the stocks holds a 5.25" ...exactly. it doesnt even take a 6.5". the plastic trim covering the speakers is number 2 and number 3 actually makes up the side pocket.


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## xanderin (Mar 26, 2008)

I also have a 2002 Accord and I will be working with the same problem as you... 
I plan on fabricating either 2x6.5" or 1x6.5" and 1x8" on each door. Since we have the same car ill try to remember to PM you a link to my build thread once i get started. Im pretty good with woodworking and im considering creating a wooden panel at the bottom...


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

thanx xanderin, i'd really appreciate any input. btw, the wooden panel u're talking abt, is it something similiar to this: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40851


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## xanderin (Mar 26, 2008)

thanks for that link. Yet another inspiring build.. yeah I like those doors but i plan on having more than one speaker in the door . I think ill take apart my door panels this weekend to start taking measurements >.> I'm sure the wifey will be happy about that.


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## getonerd (Jul 24, 2007)

Goindef154 said:


> Wow man looks really good, what size techflex did you use for the 1/0 gauge?


well we would like to know


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## Megalomaniac (Feb 12, 2007)

rasahman said:


> the stocks holds a 5.25" ...exactly. it doesnt even take a 6.5". the plastic trim covering the speakers is number 2 and number 3 actually makes up the side pocket.


You can fit a 6.5" with no issues. I used a 1/2" baffle.


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## backotruck (Jul 18, 2008)

Hey man, 

Do you have the Depth of your Woofer? I have a 98 accord, and I think I need a 1-1/8 baffle, but not sure.

Thanks!


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## Irishfocus06 (Sep 11, 2008)

Nice build thus far and I know about being busy, but I still couldn't go that long with out tunes and I live in an apartment complex as well, but have our own garages FTW! 

Good luck on the rest of the ride. Some top notch equipment for sure.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

Goindef154 said:


> Wow man looks really good, what size techflex did you use for the 1/0 gauge?


missed that..

if i remember correctly is abt 7-8 mm when not strecthed out. btw,its not actual techflex but something similiar and cheaper.

hope it helps


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

some updates on the install. Only managed to tidy up the cables at the rear seat and trunk.Finally got the rear seat fully reinstalled and fastened now.
Here's some pics. You'd notice some slack on the cables. This was done in purpose, 'just in case' i decide to reconfigure the install later on..


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

..and here's how they run into the trunk...


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

The distro block and amps installed in their final location...


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

The distro block and amps will be covered by a piece of mdf with similiar carpet as in the trunk to give it a stealth look. I'm satisfied with how everything's installed so far, EXCEPT the strands of cables beneath the HCCA which are actually for the cooling fans. some housekeeping needed there.

Next in plan is to work on the subs and construct the box. I totally suck at woodwork, and with just a jigsaw and a makeshift work top... wish me luck guys


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

Cool work! Keeping an eye on this too. Accord here aswell.
Yep 6.5 will fit in the door, but watch the depth. Also watch the pasltics on the back of the door card. Factory location works, just needs a little massaging. You could always make the door hole biger if clearnace of the door card is an issue. Thus you can sit the driver deeper in the door.


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## SQCherokee (Mar 5, 2008)

if I may just suggest one thing...it looks like the orion is angled a bit becuase its to long...you may want to angle the tru amp to match it. That will give you a bit more symetry.


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## backotruck (Jul 18, 2008)

Actually, my wife has the same '98 style and all you gotta do is get a carpet knife with a new blade, and whittle the inside of the card down to about 1/8". This will give you enought room, and still not comprimise the outside look of the card.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

backotruck said:


> Actually, my wife has the same '98 style and all you gotta do is get a carpet knife with a new blade, and whittle the inside of the card down to about 1/8". This will give you enought room, and still not comprimise the outside look of the card.


thanx.. point noted. i'll try it when i work on the doors.. 





SQCherokee said:


> if I may just suggest one thing...it looks like the orion is angled a bit becuase its to long...you may want to angle the tru amp to match it. That will give you a bit more symetry.


yeah the orion is angled bcos it was too long. though it would have been nice to have it symmetrical there isn't enough room for the tru as the gas inlet gets in the way.however, the aesthetics dont really matter since its all going to be covered with a 'wall' for protection and a stealth look.


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## SQCherokee (Mar 5, 2008)

ok...well then that dosn't matter...I like stealth to.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

It has been a busy year end but ICE still gets priority 
Here's some pics on the deadening work done on the left door. 3 layers of DE on the outer skin...


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

...i thought i had big feet...










these are aluminium flashing that's gonna be used to cover the bigger gaps in the door before DE over them..

u know what they say abt guys with big feet don't ya.....

..they wear big shoes


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

the inner skin all cleaned up and ready for work...










test fitting the templates to mark where holes need to be made..










the aluminium pieces in places...


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

after 3 hours of back breaking labour... first layer of DE on the inner skin done! this had to be the most beautiful sight for me since the dawn of the new year... yeah yeah blowing my own trumpet i know.. there's another layer waiting to go on top of that but im gonna show off anyway


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## DonovanM (Nov 1, 2006)

Nice work so far! Love the way that Tru amp looks mounted like that


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

DonovanM said:


> Nice work so far! Love the way that Tru amp looks mounted like that


thanx Don.. it was REAL tight fit getting the TRU in there.but i had to as im trying to get as much trunk space as i can..which is also the reason i had to make a cover for it..





































got to get my hands on the mounts again as there's water/moisture that has damaged the bottom left corner of the amp support.gonna do that after im done wit t doors and a cover for the Orion as well.


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

The project's moving ahead again,slowly but surely...
I decided to try something for the door without using fiberglass as i've got no experience on it and would rather leave the learning process for something else less significant. The left door is complete now but i didn't get to take as many pics as i wanted. some of them were taken on t right one just to fill up the gap in the flow.

here goes...

the baffle made from 1/2" and a 3/4" mdf joined together.it would have been better to use d-nuts to screw the driver in but i couldnt source one of the correct size,so ended up using screw inserts instead.



















not a perfect fit here but can be camouflaged by carpet material


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

test fitting the parts. starting with the vague idea that i had,this was where the whole picture started to get much clear.. pppheeewwwww.....


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

then a shield was made for the drivers.this idea was nicked from one of the posts here...



















the shield in place.it was such a tight fit,there's probably 1/8" or less clearance between the shield and the window and another 1/8" between the driver


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

The baffle was given a layer of resin for that extra bit of protection against moisture.










...and secured to the door with 6 sets of nuts and bolts...




















...more deadening to seal off any small gaps between the baffle and door..










..and suede like material to tidy things up.Only double sided tape was used to keep the material in place as the driver and door panel would hold up any little material that is exposed..


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

the final product.again the driver just clears the dashboard..JUST...


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## Starlet-SQ (Apr 19, 2008)

Nice n neat install
like how u make sure evrythings is done good.....
keep it up my friend!


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## radioflyer97 (Mar 30, 2009)

I recognize a bunch of the Knu hardware. I used it in my install.


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## lovenlife (Feb 3, 2008)

Looking great, love the deadening on the doors! Have you put any Ensolite on them??


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## rasahman (Jan 28, 2007)

Starlet-SQ said:


> Nice n neat install
> like how u make sure evrythings is done good.....
> keep it up my friend!


thanx for the compliment..i really wish i had more time and better equipment to work with.my jaw just drops seeing the kinda effort and detail that goes into some of the installs here..



radioflyer97 said:


> I recognize a bunch of the Knu hardware. I used it in my install.


got a whole bunch of them when i was in the states some time back.i had to stop in India on the way back and all those stuff got the customs officers very interested 



lovenlife said:


> Looking great, love the deadening on the doors! Have you put any Ensolite on them??


I'd really want to,but there's no local distributor for it.i can get it shipped here halfway across the globe,but the shipping and 30 odd percent import taxes is simply too much.

some installers here use air con insulation sheets like this.its very cheap but there's an argument that it absorbs sound and therefore reduces the output from the drivers. so i've only used it over the deadening for my roof and floor.


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## tr0y_audi0 (Feb 13, 2007)

Lookin good man, keep up the madness


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## akanoon (Aug 12, 2008)

Good job so far! Everything looks good. I like how you hid the TRU amp.


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