# My First 4-way active installation - in progress



## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

So after not being satisfied with the sound I was getting from the passive crossovers included with my DLS 6.3 Iridiums I decided that adding a second amplifier and an active crossover would make me happier. I've been doing my research on this forum and have made the plunge. I spent all day today working on a new amprack/sub enclosure.

Here's the goal:
Clarion DRX9575rz head unit (optical out to processor)
Clarion DRX655z 6-disc changer (optical out to processor)
Clarion DPH7500z processor (dual 20-bit DAC, 6-band PEQ)
PPI FRX-456 4-way crossover
DLS A8 (40x4 for mids and tweeters)
DLS A5 (85x2 for midbass and 500x1 for subs)
DLS 6.3 iridiums
2 Eclipse 87081.4 subs in sealed enclosure

To get you up to speed, here's the current speaker locations. The kick panels will probably be redone in the future but I wanted to get them in so I just cut a hole in the stock panel and popped them in.










































And now for today's work. Amps will be in the back, subs in the front center, and the processor and crossover on either side. Most of the work was done with a router. I've used the jig saw in the past but the results are always ragged. With the router I was able to get perfect curves and straight lines by using a circle jig and various other techniques.


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## MarkZ (Dec 5, 2005)

Nice woodworking. What are you going to cover it with anyway?


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## jisturm (Feb 4, 2006)

Very nice


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

The plan is to fiberglass between the top and bottom pieces. Before I do so I will duplicate each piece shown on 1/4" MDF to serve as trim peices of the final product. Those will be painted. 

I haven't decided whether to paint or vinyl the fiberglassed part. My car is blue and the interior is black leather with silver highlights from the factory. I was thinking blue for the trim and silver for the fiberglass would look nice. I also think silver for trim and black leather-quality vinyl would look nice too. I can't decide. 

That point is a little ways off though. I still have to make the subwoofer baffles (there will be several layers to create a flush look with hidden screws) and the bottom portion of the subwoofer box which will sink into the tire well. The very bottom of the box will be fiberglass to mold with the odd shape of the tire well. I'm not looking forward to that part. I hate working in my car...especially since I live in a condo and I most likely will have to go somewhere to do it.

Also in my plans is some sort of elaborate cover piece that will fit over the entire thing. I've seen people use plexiglass before but I know that is expensive. We'll see. I don't have to decide on that right away.


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## STI<>GTO (Aug 8, 2005)

Lookin' good! Personally, I'm tired of painted fiberglass. I'd keep it clean and stick with vinyl. Just my opinion though. Either way I'm sure it will be nice.

Rick


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Sold work as always from a fellow Pro5 owner!!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

My DLS A8 amp came in yesterday so I did a quick test fit...


















I also finished the subwoofer baffles but I didn't get a photo of them.


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## vwtoby (Oct 28, 2005)

looks awsome...keep us updated


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Finished work on the subwoofer baffle makeup...


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

How are the domes working out in the kicks for you???


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## ClinesSelect (Apr 16, 2006)

Very nice work!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Domes sound pretty good, no need to angle them up. However there is some break up at loud listening levels and that's partly the reason I'm going active, so I can tune it better for loud levels by raising the xover point a little if necessary and sending them a clean dedicated amp channel. I'm also going to remove the metal mesh from the grills and add some sound deadening to the rear. Apparently people have had sucess with those two mods.

I fiberglassed the bottom of the subwoofer enclosure this weekend. I'll have pics up hopefully this evening. I had been waiting for a nice weekend day where I had plenty of time to do the build up. It took me just under 4 hours to mask everything off and put down 4 thick layers. I took a few breaks in between also. Anyway, stay tuned for pics. Everything should come together soon now that I have the in-car portion out of the way.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Masking off the bottom of the tire well (two layers to be safe)









Masking the box to the tire well. I didn't bother to make a perfect fit so I used tape to fill in the gaps.

















After the first layer (pretty thin)









After a few more layers (getting thicker)









The underside after I removed most of the tape.


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## couchflambeau (Apr 18, 2006)

Looks nice chuyler....


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

The end is getting near... Test fit of all the equipment.


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## edwelly (Mar 29, 2006)

You know, I never get tired of looking at this thread. Some really nice work here. I prefer simple and I can't wait to see how yours turns out...


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

More progress. Over the long weekend I fiberglassed the top piece. I didn't take any photos because as you know FG is messy and I didn't want to ruin the camera. It was also hot and I was working fast so here are the steps in writing with no pictures.

1) mask off amp and sub trim ring so they don't stick. Add some car wax to the tape to help with releasing the mold later (not sure if this helps but whatever). Also mask off the entire subwoofer mounting area...you do NOT want to get resin on the part that the sub mounts to...I've made that mistake before.
2) staple fleece over entire amp rack (somewhat loosely to begin with)
3) insert amp and sub trim ring and re-stape outer edge so everything is tight.
4) cut holes for processor and crossover and wrap fleece around edge (this is always a ***** - I should have planned another way to do it)
4) Add a generous coat of fg resin to the fleece and let cure
5) Remove amp and sub trim rings and fiberglass remaining fleece below and let cure

That brings me to this evening...










I sanded down the resin as best I could and cut out the sub holes. 










I added a fresh layer of masking tape because, again, you do NOT want anything to get on those rims. Even bondo will be a ***** to get off.










I whipped up a batch of bondo mixed with rubbing alcohal to thin it down. I first tried 50/50 but had to add alot more bondo to get the consistancy I wanted. I'd say the final mix was about 75% bondo 25% alcohal.










Then I painted the bondo on with a brush. I will have to do a few more coats but this is much easier than trying to coat it evenly with a spreader.










Up next, more sanding and more bondo.


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## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

man that is RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME

I swear I wish I had not only the time, but also the skill to route edges like that

did you use a table or do that free hand? 

VERY NICE

also evercoat rage gold is FAR better than that bondo, drie better, lets pits, spreads better and if you can find it local it tends to be cheaper---I hate bondo lol

I like the alcohol idea though, never tried that

and man your wood skill are so SWEET, you could have easily, use some duraglass to clean up the edges around each unit,and then just wrapped the entire thing in vinyl.

im almost sad you did all that nice wood work to cover it in glass, but I assume you are going to paint it or something?


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## ocuriel (Oct 7, 2005)

I'm so jeolus! That is going to be a sick install.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

The tools I have: A cheap table saw that doesn't cut straight, a jig saw, a router, a sander, and a drill. For the router, I have a perfect circle jig, an assortment of bits, and a template bushing set. I'm working in a very limited part of my basement. My fiance yells at me because I am getting saw dust all over the stuff in storage and the washer/dryer. Our next home will have a garage but I am making the most of what I have.

I don't have a router table so the cuts were done with the circle jig or with a make-shift fence using a straight board and a pair of clamps. I have no formal education in woodworking other than a 1/2 credit tech-ed class I took in the 8th grade where we made napkin holders. I have learned everything from online tutorials and watching "Yankee Workshop" when I was younger. I wish I could make a living as a carpenter...I'd quit my day-job if there was money in it. It just comes naturally to me and I feel if I invested in some decent tools I could create some really nice furniture or other do-dads.

Thank you for the compliments but please hold them until I am finished...who knows what I might f*ck up along the way.


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## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

no money in wood working ??? man you need to move to CA then lol

woodworking is at a premium out here is you are good--adn you can easily quit your day job, if you can find the clientele

that frame you made, is worth some SERIOUS cash at a installer shop

and if you get really good, I know in my local, folks are always trying to find good woodworkers to build entertainment centers, and whatnots

maybe its a west coast thing


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## edwelly (Mar 29, 2006)

newtitan is right - I know I wold pay you to make a nice amp baord for me. I have the same tools you have but my wood projects end looking like an expertiment with zoo animals, nitrous oxide, silly putty and a push-up pop...


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Hmm, well maybe I should take on some free-lance work and see where it leads. Working with wood is relaxing. It gets me away from the computer screen (I'm a software engineer by day) and I have something tangible at the end of the day to show people.

I think my dream job would be working at a car audio installation/fabrication shop. But around here (Northeast) there are only one or two shops that get the clientelle that could afford something along the lines of what I am doing for my car.

Some of my other projects...
http://www.carstereo.com/forum/profile.cfm?userid=7811


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

This evening's task: sanding

I started with 40 grit on the electric sander and basically removed almost all of the bondo I painted on the other night. Then I switched to 120 grit and sanded until it was smooth. I had to do some of the corners by hand which is a *****. After about 2 hours I gave up because my hands starting to feel fuzzy.










A quick test fit of the trim pieces...



















I'll prolly have to do another layer of bondo in some spots but I'm very happy with the progress thus far.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

So I added a coat of primer to check my progress. About 75 percent of it looked great but there were many sections that had divits and the corners were pretty rough. Its hard to tell from these photos. I know you're gonna say it looks great...but it doesn't. It looks so-so at best. If I added a final coat of paint now it would look like ****. I sanded down to the fleece in a few places so I need to touch up with some fg resin (of course I'm all out). Then I'll have to fill in the holes with more bondo and sand everything smooth again.

Of course, I could short cut a few steps by going with vinyl instead of paint...but I'm not sure yet. I'll have to sleep on it. Laying vinyl over the piece won't be easy either.

wide shot









close up of the rough parts 









also some unevenness









after some more sanding this evening


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## toolfan91 (Dec 7, 2005)

Im quite new at using my router, but I have the Jasper circle jig which is AWESOME! Might I ask, what is a template bushing set?


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## STI<>GTO (Aug 8, 2005)

toolfan91 said:


> Im quite new at using my router, but I have the Jasper circle jig which is AWESOME! Might I ask, what is a template bushing set?


They mount to the routers base and act as a guide. They are good for working with MDF with a spiral cut bit, but you have to account for the offset you get with the guides. Using bits guided by bearings eliminate the offset, but really good bearing guided bits are pretty expensive.










http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11113


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

What are you thinning the bondo with to get it soft enough to apply with a brush?

Chad


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## jay (Sep 12, 2005)

chad said:


> What are you thinning the bondo with to get it soft enough to apply with a brush?
> 
> Chad


page 2...75% bondo, 25% rubbing alcohol (pic included)


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

DOH! it even had pictures! I claim blindness as opposed to illiteracy 

Chad


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## LiquidClen (Dec 27, 2005)

chad said:


> DOH! it even had pictures! I claim blindness as opposed to illiteracy
> 
> Chad


lol


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Heh heh, guess I don't have to reply here...I've got attentive followers.

As I have probably mentioned here and there but not all at once, 90% of the woodworking was done with a router. A $59 Ryobi one to be specific:








Straight cuts are done with a 1/4" straight bit and a straight edge board clamped to the work piece:








Curved cuts are done with the same bit and a perfect circle jig (mine is different than this photo though):








When parts are duplicated, I either use a bushing:








Or more likely I use a bearing bit:








I also use one of these bits quite often to create a channel for stapling fleece:








For smoothing edges, I use a bit that looks like this:









I may not have posted all my photos on this site. I have more here:
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/galleryuser.php?userid=3228&gallery=StereoSystem%2F&page=&type=
I also have a few more on my computer at home but most are just duplicate angles of the same step so I didn't bother uploading them.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Oh, and I used rubbing alcohal to thin the bondo. I've seen people use fiberglass resin also, to create a goopy substance but I thought that might be a little tougher to sand.

For sanding I have a circular random orbit electric sander and a good ole sanding block. For hard to reach parts I have a sanding drum that I stick on my electric drill. It does the trick but leaves scores that have to be cleaned up by hand.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

It's been a few days since I posted but I assure you I have been working diligently. I've been sanding, priming, and bondoing. I think I need to find a better substance than bondo because I'm not very good at using it to fix minor flaws. I usually end up creating bigger flaws instead which result in more sanding. 

I called it quits a few days ago and said...eh **** it it's good enough. This was after about 3 coats of primer. I gave the piece several thin coats of silver paint and it looked horrible. The silver paint I bought at Walmart didn't coat evenly and it just looked bad. I slept on it and for some reason decided I wanted the piece to be blue with silver trim instead of the reverse. I'm glad I decided this because the blue paint I got at Walmart (not quite laser blue but close enough) looks amazing. I did one pretty thick coat by applying smoothly over and over again and holding the can as if it were an air brush. When it dried it left a frosted look. At first I thought I was going to add clearcoat for a smooth glossy finish but when I took another look at it later in the day I realized how well it hid the blemishes. So alas. The piece is finished and I have moved on to the trim.

Uneven coat of silver paint...









I sanded it down using a 120 grit wet pad, cleaned it off, and then applied metal speck blue from Dupli-Color (found in Walmart automotive section). One coat.










As you can see, it isn't perfect, but it will look great from a few feet away!










Here was a quick test fit of the trim pieces. Because I got fiberglass resin on them I had to duplicate the woofer and amp pieces. The amp piece had to be made 1/8" smaller so it would fit correctly. I spent tonight sanding the edges of these. I will prime them tomorrow, sand some more, and then paint them silver. (using a different silver color than before...I'll try autozone I guess)










Oh, and here is one of my cats (Clyde) being cute...


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## ClinesSelect (Apr 16, 2006)

I love watching this project. Great narrative and plenty of pics. It is coming together very well. Nice work!


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## nickgonzo (Dec 22, 2005)

awesome work man


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

ClinesSelect said:


> I love watching this project. Great narrative and plenty of pics. It is coming together very well. Nice work!


Thanks. I was worried during the bondo phase. I can never get things as smooth as I think they should be. But I am happy with how it came out. Its not perfect but the lines I wanted are there and my precision with the router has paid off.

If I were to start over, I'd prolly use a thinner material such as t-shirt or grill cloth instead of fleece. I also would have just painted on one or two more layers of FG to create a better sanding base. I made it down to the threads in a few spots by accident.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Tonight I put on the first coat of primer on the trim pieces, watch some off the Redsox/Braves game, then dry sanded the trim pieces with 100 and 150 grit pads.

Tomorrow I will add a second coat to cover the edges which didn't get enough paint. Then I will sand with 100, 150, and then wet sand with 320. Once that is done I can add the final coat of silver metal specks (same brand/line as the blue paint...which I found at autozone).


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

ClinesSelect said:


> I love watching this project. Great narrative and plenty of pics. It is coming together very well. Nice work!


Me too....very motivating and informative. This is the only thread I get email updates from this site other than my own


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## ArcL100 (Jun 17, 2005)

I'm not really sure how you bondo, you probably already do this considering the great job you've done, but here's how I've had good sucess with bondo:

-Mix it up hot (I'm impatient) using a spreader for mixing
-Apply bondo with long strokes of the spreader - the smoother you get it while applying, the easier and less work you're going to have to do next
-Wait just a minute or two for the bondo to go from goo to somewhat tacky
-While the bondo is stil tacky, hit it with a rasp and/or cheese grader lookin' rasps they sell right next to the spreaders usually - the bondo should file off like butter and should be very easy to shape
-Then you can sand it a bit, stil before it hardens - when it's hard it's basically a total ***** to work unless you have a nice hand sander or something - but stil, save yourself the trouble and effort - the whole key is shaping the bondo while its setting up
-For imperfections, go buy an orange tube of Bondo Glazing & Spot putty (they have this @Meijers in the auto section IIRC, or HD, etc) - dabble a bunch on over your dimples (this stuff works easy as it doesnt harden much) so that you build it up over the normal surface height of your project - wait for it to dry (this might take awhile) - sand it down smooth, should give you a perfect surface - if not, reapply again until you get it right










You could easily fix that little flaw with some spot putty and careful sanding and painting. 

I'm a design major and we use a copious amount of bondo during our modeling projects every semester - when I was a freshmen I used to just spackle on a ****ton and try to work it after it hardened with sandpaper, lol, what a n00b.

GL, Good job! 

Almost inspiring, if I wasn't so lazy hehe

-aaron


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## Ayrton (Jan 17, 2006)

Highbuild primer is your friend.

Looks good so far!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

I'll have to try that spot putty next time. I'm no good at fixing small imperfections with bondo. I figured out about half-way through this project that sanding the bondo _before_ it hardens works out alot better than waiting for it to cure. Plus I have a bad habit of trying to fix how I spread the bondo to many times and I forget that it is only a matter of seconds before it looses it's creamy substance. For sanding I've been bouncing between 40 and 120 grit with the orbital sander, 120 paper sand paper for hard to reach areas, and 100/150/320 pads for final work.

It's all a learning experience. This is the first time I have gone for a _painted_ finish so I figured it wouldn't be perfect.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

B-Squad said:


> Me too....very motivating and informative. This is the only thread I get email updates from this site other than my own


I am honored.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

So moving on...

It was a beautiful day today. I took full advantage and made lots of headway. I added a second coat of primer to the trim pieces, sanded with 100/150/320 and painted with Silver Metal Specks. Then I set to work on the carpeted pieces. I added shims around the amp rack to mount the pieces to and then used paper grocery bags to create templates for each side. These pieces will be finished off in black carpet and there will be a cover piece for the entire rack that will also be finished in black carpet. The cover piece will be made of MDF combined with some sort of grill material. I think the carpet over the grill material should provide enough ventilation for the subs and amp...if it doesn't then I'll have to add some fans and switch part or all of it to grill cloth.










































FYI, the finish on the blue looks much better than the above photo. It is covered in sawdust right now. Once I brought the amp rack out into my back yard I realized how close the blue color really is to the color of my car. I think if I added clear-coat it would be an exact match.

Man, I'm getting really excited about this project. I was in a low period for a while where I thought I'd never finish by my target date but now things are really starting to come together. My original target date was June 23 because there is a Slapshow about 15 minutes from me...unfortunately I recently found out that contrary to www.slapshow.com, it will only be an SPL and show event (no SQ).


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## burrometer (Aug 7, 2005)

B-Squad said:


> How are the domes working out in the kicks for you???


Same question. I'm thinking about installing the Dayton RS52 in my Protege.


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## jisturm (Feb 4, 2006)

Man. I have been out of the loop for a little while and this is one of those builds I could just watch all day long.

Great work man. I appreciate the writeups as well since they can only help me out.

Thanks


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

No photos today but I did some more work last night.

I ****ed up when cutting the holes for all the wires. Part of my rack cracked because it was too thin. Oh well. I knew I was bound to **** up something up along the way. Maybe I'll fix it later. I need to get some sort of gaskets to clean up the holes which I made with a 1" spade drill bit. I probably should have used somethign else but that was all I had. 

I blame it on my overall design. I should have incorporated more space for the RCA cables (they stick out pretty far from the amp). If I designed in more space I could have folded all the wires under my silver mounting board and fed them through a hidden hole. I could have done that if it weren't for the damn RCA cables...and I thought of L-adapters too but that still wouldn't work. ahh, whatever...you won't even see the holes when viewing the rack from the back of the car.

I mounted the amps and processors. The amps are bolted down with security screws. I was gonna use them on the subs but the heads were too small. I mounted a 1f stinger capacitor under the amps (there is dead space in the tire well that I am making good use of). Lets not debate caps...I had it from a previous install and it has a nice fused distribution block on the top so...whatever I'm using it. 

I ran KnuKonceptz 4-wire RCAs between the processor and crossover, and crossover and each amp. I ran 8ga power wire from the cap to each of the amps. I linked up all the remote turn on wires by just sinking a screw into the back of the rack and using it as a binding post. It's ghetto and I'll prolly pick up something at Radioshack later to clean it up. I ran all the speaker wire to a 15-pin molex connector (only needed 12 pins, so I used one for the remote turn on also). At that point it was about 11:45 so I called it quits.

This weekend I have a few more things to do...
- wire and install the subs.
- secure all the wiring so it doesn't vibrate
- connect all the speaker wires in the car to the female molex connector
- install the rack! woohoo!
- secure the rack (I have some L-brackets that should do the trick as long as I don't put a screw through the gas tank)
- carpet the trim pieces and install them
- design, cut, and finish a cover piece
- and of course...adjust all the settings and tune everything!


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

burrowmeter said:


> B-Squad said:
> 
> 
> > How are the domes working out in the kicks for you???
> ...


The sound stage is very high but that is mainly because of the tweeters up high. They actually blend very nicely. Before I had Eclipse 6.5"s in doors and Eclipse tweets in stock locations and the mix wasn't as good as what I have now. When I installed the domes, I played with angling them and there really wasn't much difference so I took the easy way out and just mounted them flat. I would like to get them lower in the kick so the dash doesn't block them as much...but that will be a future project.


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## 3.5max6spd (Jun 29, 2005)

Domes in kicks off axis FTW!

Very nice work my friend, you employ exceptional attention to detail. I've very much enjoyed this build.


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## ClinesSelect (Apr 16, 2006)

chuyler1 said:


> No photos today but I did some more work last night.
> 
> I ****ed up when cutting the holes for all the wires. Part of my rack cracked because it was too thin. Oh well. I knew I was bound to **** up something up along the way. Maybe I'll fix it later. I need to get some sort of gaskets to clean up the holes which I made with a 1" spade drill bit. I probably should have used somethign else but that was all I had.
> 
> I blame it on my overall design. I should have incorporated more space for the RCA cables (they stick out pretty far from the amp). If I designed in more space I could have folded all the wires under my silver mounting board and fed them through a hidden hole. I could have done that if it weren't for the damn RCA cables...and I thought of L-adapters too but that still wouldn't work. ahh, whatever...you won't even see the holes when viewing the rack from the back of the car.


Been there  

It's a kickass project that you've done one hell of a job on and I can hardly wait to see the finished project.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Thanks for the sympathy. I'll work it out. The paint is cheap...and so is the labor...so its just a matter of pulling everything out some rainy day and cleaning things up.

Anyone know where I can get some rubber trim to place around my openings? It needs to be thin and flexible. 1" rubber grommets would work for most of the holes but the RCA opening is oval shaped.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Final work on the subs...
































































Final work on the amps...


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

chuyler1 said:


> Final work on the subs...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What's that plug all about in that last picture??


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

That is all my speaker wires. If I didn't use the plug I would be snaking 6 sets of wires under the amp rack, through the holes, and into the terminals...all while its in my car. With the plug, I can just pull it out for maintenence in a matter of minutes.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

I dropped the whole thing in my car yesterday and got everything connected this evening. First let me say that it weighs a ton fully loaded. Part of the fiberglass cracked but I should be able to repair it when I fix the rca holes shown above. There are alot of things I would do differently if I started from scratch but I will have to make due with what I got. After all, the goal is to listen to music right?

I still have to finish the trim pieces with carpet and create a cover piece that will make my hatch useable. Stay tuned for photos of that. 

I started some tuning this evening also. This is what I've been hovering around for crossover points...
Tweeter: 6.7KHz+ (from rear signal off xover)
Midrange: 400-6.7KHz (from rear signal off xover)
Midbass: 55-312Hz (from front signal off xover)
Subs: 15-35Hz (from sub signal off xover, combined front and rear)

My first impression of the power setup is that the A5 puts out way more power than the A8. I had to crank the gains on the A8. Maybe that's because I have the mids/tweets connected to the rear-fill channels of the crossover which has its own level setting. I put the setting dead center but maybe I should bump it up and lower the gains on the amp. The FRX-456 doc doesn't say the rears are attenuated so I'm not sure.

I also had a tough time finding the right level for the midbass driver. It was either thick and muddy or non existant. I put a gap at 300-400Hz because my eclipses showed a peak in that range (prolly due to cabin gain). Later in the evening I used the PEQ to cut 125Hz because it was really sticking out in one of the Jeff Buckley tracks I was listening to.

The subs were too much no matter where I put the crossover. I dropped it down low so they'd only handle stuff my front midbass drivers couldn't take. They have a smooth response, but my amp rack is rattling too much. I will have to deaden it. Hopefully the carpeted pieces will help too.

Now the kicker will be to see how close I came to a decent curve when I get my hands on a RTA.

I spent quite a bit of time listening this evening. Mostly Jazz and soft stuff but I threw in some rock and took a drive. With my initial settings I need more low end...but I'll have to work out the midbass because as I said before, increasing the gain just makes it muddy.

Overall, I am very pleased with the sound. It is a big improvement over the passive Iridium crossovers which made the midrange drivers very harsh. The tweeters meshed a little better with the passives but I'm sure once I work out the details I will fix that. I may try lowering the xover point just to see how it sounds...but I still want as much sound coming from the domes as possible to keep the stage deep and centered.


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## solacedagony (May 18, 2006)

I love coming back to this thread to see pics of that install. Sooooo pretty.


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## edwelly (Mar 29, 2006)

chuyler1 - got a sneak preview pic of what it looks like installed???


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

That would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it. 

Before I carpet any of the trim pieces, I want to get a handle on the vibrations I've been hearing. First off, the DSP makes all kinds of noises. I think I'm gonna have to dismantle it and figure out what the deal is. I might also try putting some rubber or foam washers on the mounting bolts.

But on a sad note, I have one photo to show you this evening...

I threw on some Tool (Lateralus) on my way to work this morning and only seconds into the first song I heard lots of flapping. I thought maybe Tool had some deeper notes that were causing new vibrations...but after further investigation I found this...










So, anyone know what kind of glue I can use to repair this? If not, anyone know of a decent high-power 8" (250-300w RMS, 4ohms)?


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## edwelly (Mar 29, 2006)

Man, I am so sorry to hear/read this... Good luck on the repair. I am sure some glue (not sure what kind) will work...


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

No additional progress this week. But I cleaned out my basement and put a bunch of stuff up for sale on eBay including my old ECLIPSE midrange drivers, an MTX amp (sold my other amps on a different forum), and my DLS Iridium crossovers.
http://motors.search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZchuyler1


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

I've been working on my system here and there for the past week. I pulled out the entire amp rack so I could fix some rattles. Primarily, I had to completely dismantle the Clarion DSP because it was rattling like a tin can. I used some strip cauck to dampen the panels and put a little on each of the places where the circuit board contacts the metal. It was kinda just floating in there before so this helped with the noise quite a bit.

I also carpeted the trim panels. I haven't mounted them yet but I plan to do that soon. They will stay in place for a little while so I opened my hatch up for people to look at when I was at a show this weekend. It was your stereotypical import show with lots of VeeDubs and a few pimped out rides. There weren't many Hondas to my surprise and our little Mazda group outnumbered many of the other classes even though there were only 5 of us.

Anyway, lots of people stopped to get a closer look at my work and it was a fun time. Many were curious about the 8"s...wondering if they _bump_ and I demo'd them for a few people and they were surprised they were listening to such small woofers. The system isn't fully tuned but to the average listener I guess it sounded pretty good.

Here are a few photos from the show...














































FYI: NEPOC stands for New England Protege Club...my friend had a few extra so he gave me one to toss in my car. It isn't glued down or anything so don't worry...I haven't defaced the beautiful DLS amps.


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## ArcL100 (Jun 17, 2005)

Great job man.

I feel like there should be plexi or carpeted lids over everything though. Maybe that's in the works 

-aaron


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## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

WOW man, I really wish I had time, talent, and attention to detail to do something like that

very impressive


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## Rbsarve (Aug 26, 2005)

Firstly, very nice work indeed!



chuyler1 said:


> So, anyone know what kind of glue I can use to repair this? If not, anyone know of a decent high-power 8" (250-300w RMS, 4ohms)?


Loctite 460 ("blackmax") CA-glue is what I use.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Thanks, I ended up using Gorilla glue. It left a foamy mess on the face of the subwoofer but most of it just scraped right off. You can see in the photo above that there is still some residue (its the one to the left). So far it is holding well. I cranked the music on my way to work this morning with some rap music to see how it will hold up...but then I forgot to check it before walking into the building. I've still got lots of vibrations/rattles that need to be taken care of and the rap music makes it pretty obvious.

I do intend to put a cover on it. I was thinking metal mesh but for the price of the mesh I might as well just use Plexi. I will have to cut out vents in the Plexy though, and I will still need to cover it with something for daily driving.


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## XTRMEASURES (Jul 10, 2006)

i love the setup


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## THASQGOTME (Jul 6, 2006)

I think it looks awesome man. If you need another 8" sub, I would try Sound Splinter.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

Sound Splinter? Never heard of them.


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## XTRMEASURES (Jul 10, 2006)

THASQGOTME said:


> I think it looks awesome man. If you need another 8" sub, I would try Sound Splinter.


those 8s are crazy loud and sound awesome


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## XTRMEASURES (Jul 10, 2006)

this is a 8'' i have that is built by the same buildhouse....


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

that looks pretty crazy...but I have limited mounting depth. The whole selling point of 8"s is their small size...with that 8" you loose that advantage and you might as well pick up a 10" sub.

I was really interested in the JL 8W7s when I first bought my 8"s, but they had the same problem. They couldn't fit where you would expect an 8" to go.


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## chuyler1 (Apr 10, 2006)

BTW, here's what the backs of my Eclipse 8"s look like....

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=57908

Pretty decent I'd say.


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## XTRMEASURES (Jul 10, 2006)

chuyler1 said:


> BTW, here's what the backs of my Eclipse 8"s look like....
> 
> http://www.msprotege.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=57908
> 
> Pretty decent I'd say.


nice
i think its the same buildhouse as my 8 and the ss8


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## Infinity (Jun 28, 2005)

TC, I believe?


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## XTRMEASURES (Jul 10, 2006)

Infinity said:


> TC, I believe?


yes


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## THASQGOTME (Jul 6, 2006)

The mounting depth on some of their subs is not that deep. 

I believe the one pictured before is the RL-i8, which has a mounting depth of only 5.65". Nothing compared to JL W7. 

Try the ignition series. 

Here is a link....

www.soundsplinter.com


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## THASQGOTME (Jul 6, 2006)

Oh, I misread a previous post. The speaker shown is TC Sounds, as are Sound Splinters, pretty much same speakers. That speaker looks almost identical to the RL-i8.


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