# Dustin's (falstaff) Ford Taurus Illusion, Mosconi, Audible Physics



## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

You probably have seen a raging bull but have you seen a singing bull? Well I introduce to you Dustin's (falstaff) Ford Taurus "Project Singing Bull". Dustin wanted a truly stealth install but a very dynamic system for this songster. 





The front sound stage starts with a set of the Audible Physics NZ3/AT. The pillars were wrapped in OEM headliner material and the terminals were heat shrunk. 



















Grilles were made out of pressed metal mesh for daily driving protection but may be removed for critical listening.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

Once the pillars were done the doors were the next subject of attention. The doors stock house the typical Ford 5x7 but that meant there would be room for a set of Illusion Audio Carbon C8 midbass. 





A staple at Octave is to use plastic for the mounting rings to ensure against moister damage. Wood rings are substandard because no matter how you treat them moister will eat at them but plastics never will have that problem.





The drivers door presented a small challenge with its molex plug. There wasn't room to run wire through it but I got lucky. There was one wire that was not used so it was removed and heat shrunk for protection. Once removed it cleared a path for the speaker wire to be ran.













The rings were mounted using 4 10-24 screws that screwed into nutserts in the door and a foam gasket was applied to the backside before mounting.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

The speaker wire was heat shrunk and zip tied to the basket.





The speaker was mounted to the mounting ring using 10-24 screws.







The passenger door received the same treatment as the driver but the running of the speaker wire was easier because the molex had a straight pass through.











With the midbass mounted the door panels were modified to allow the midbass to breathe into the interior without hinderance. Grilles were made and screwed to the door panels. The grilles were wrapped with black grille cloth to bring some of the black accents present in the dash into the door to help tie in the grilles giving a factory appearance.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

With the grilles on the pillars and doors the two tie together nicely. 







The electrical system got a full upgrade from a high amperage alternator to upgraded power wiring.







The main system fuse holder is mounted to an aluminum L bracket that was bolted an open mounting point on the OEM fuse block.





After removing the interior fuse block on the drivers side access was given to a grommet in the fire that was able pass the 0 gauge cable for the system power.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

Once the power wire was dropped into the interior all the wiring could now be ran. All speaker wire and signal wire was laid over foam tape to minimize the induction of mechanical noise from the cable rubbing against the chassis.





Throughout the wire runs Hush Mat Quite Tape was used to secure the wire at 6" intervals.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

The USB cable for the DEH-80PRS was ran along the under side of the center console and into the center console storage area. More Hush Mat Quiet Tape was used to secure the wire.







Wiring behind the radio tied up and tidy.





With the front of the car completely wired the trunk was next. Great attention to detail was used to ensure a truly custom install. The Straight Wire Symphony RCAs were cut to length and terminated in house. All wires go directly from the speakers to the amplifiers without breaks in lines to ensure against voltage drops. The trunk houses a Mosconi AS 100.4 for the Audible Physics, a Mosconi AS 300.2 for the Illusion Audio C8's, a Mosconi AS 200.4 powering the Illusion Audio Carbon 12XL subwoofer, a Mosconi 6to8 for signal processing and for something special a Mosconi 6to8 was sourced to serve as a custom fuse block for the system.





The subwoofer enclosure is mounted using 3 1/4-20 bolts screwed into nutserts.







Straight Wire Sextet 6 core speaker wire was used for the subwoofer. The wires were separated and heat shrunk.







All wires are secured using screw down zip ties at 6" intervals.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

All speaker wire ends were heat shrunk.









A BatCap Model 2000 was mounted to the subwoofer enclosure.





A custom fuse block was made using an Audison fused distribution block. It was designed to fit within the foot print of a Mosconi 6to8 so that the shell of the 6to8 my be used as a cover.





A relay was used for the turn on of the accent LEDs in the trunk. Techflex and heat shrink gave a nice clean look to the relay pack.









The USB hook up for the 6to8 was ran up to the underside of the rear deck and zip tied to factory wiring. With the factory carpet back in place the wire is hidden. This allows for easy tuning.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

When opening the trunk you are greeted with a completely stock appearing trunk thanks to a custom trunk mat.









With the trunk mat removed the vinyl trim panel and removable grille can be seen.





With the grille removed the true beauty under the skin can be seen. Factory matched vinyl to the interior was used to tie the trunk in with the interior of the car. The center piece design was inspired by the center console shifter area which further brings the interior to the back. 







Blue accent LEDs were used to give the center piece the effect of floating on light while illuminating the trunk.







The center vinyl piece is held down with magnets, once removed gives access to 4 screws and when those screws are removed the whole center piece can be removed to give access to the 6to8 and the mock 6to8 fuse block. The whole process can be done within 30 seconds.





Dim the lights and the trunk really lights up. 







Ok. How's it sound? Well usually I don't like to give an opinion till the speakers have gotten the chance to break in but......the car sounds incredible. The sound stage is wide past the pillars with depth at hood range and height on point. Tonally it's very enjoyable to listen to with the Audible Physics creating great detail and the Illusion midbasses providing unbelievable amounts of midbass and attack. Almost so that during tuning they were mimicking subs. Now the sub. The Illusion XL is a civilized beast with ungodly amounts of low end bass but with unbelievable control and transparency with the front stage. I truly look forward to this car once the speakers have fully broken in. It should be a treat to listen to.


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## UNBROKEN (Sep 25, 2009)

I'm gonna have to get my hands on one of those C12XL's
Very nice work.


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## Rishi S (Aug 22, 2012)

Very Nice design


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^. Lol, so now you want to swap out your Ultimo for the C12XL ? I only have a lonely C12 to tie my system in with. You guys are animals when it comes to the details. I'm not a showy person at all and this is a system that I would gladly call stealthy and well done.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

Coppertone said:


> ^^^. Lol, so now you want to swap out your Ultimo for the C12XL ? I only have a lonely C12 to tie my system in with. You guys are animals when it comes to the details. I'm not a showy person at all and this is a system that I would gladly call stealthy and well done.



Yes. This sub is no joke. My friend that consider to have a golden ear first reaction to the sub was damn its transient response is impressive for its size. It truly is an output SQ subwoofer.

Coppertone I'll give a secret. Octave is not a team. Just me  thanks for the kind words. This install is one of the ones I like to do. Stealth but show at the same time.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Now I really take my hat off to you. I just assumed it was several guys working on this car at once. Wow can't express enough of how amazed I am by hearing that. Please feel free to keep sharing these wonderful one person builds.


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## beef316 (Dec 12, 2006)

Russ does great work. This build is no exception.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

Ok. I'm a bone head. Just realized I posted this in Events and clearly it belongs in Build Logs. Admin please move for me. Sorry


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Ok I have to pry, about how long would you say that it took hours wise to complete this build?


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## IBcivic (Jan 6, 2009)

Nice and clean...I like it!


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## falstaff (May 22, 2012)

Coppertone said:


> Ok I have to pry, about how long would you say that it took hours wise to complete this build?


LOL...... It took a while. I'll let Russ answer that though, should he feel so inclined. 


This build was almost a year in the making. When I decided to do a system in this car I started by looking around at who and what I had available to me in this town and in close proximity. Well..... lets just say unless you like tick, tick, boom and/or drive a donk or bubble there just isn't much available. 

I am no stranger to some pretty crazy sound system installs done by the likes of Mr. Steve Head of the late Audio Nutz in Ocala,FL. So when I found Octave and met with Russ the first time, I thought I died and gone to heaven. You see I'm one of those picky guys that doesn't have the patience to do anything like what's shown above, myself. Russ took the time go over things with me, show me his work, and I think we kind of ended up getting along pretty good. 

Now there were a few bumps in the road and delays to the project for various reasons. At one point it got dicey and I almost pulled the plug completely. But after much consideration and contemplating , I knew Russ was the only one I wanted doing my install. 

I wanted only one thing from Russ during the build and that was a total media blackout. I didn't want to see ****, heck I gave him some crap when he would text to ask a question on something..... I wanted him to do what he does best. He is an artist in my eyes and having grown up with a mother who is an artist of sorts I knew the best thing was to let Russ do his thing. Giving him any direction other than do your best would have only stifle his creative process. The only thing he suggested (in jest) was pink accent lighting that I said I didn't think that it went well with my eyes....LOL

Russ did an impeccable job. I'm pleased as can be and can't wait till the tune is dialed in as close to 100% as can be expected. Of course I am already talking about upgrading some things...... but nothing big.....LOL


Oh, yes I copied the idea for the 6to8 fuse block form a guy in Europe, however mine is no where near as complex as his. Finding a machine shop that will take their time and listen (and understand) what I wanted in the Orlando area was impossible. Heck I couldn't get "toolmaker" to return any messages for that matter. Another thing that was my idea (good or bad) was to strip the crappy easily marred paint of the amps and brush them. That job in itself was no easy feat. Who would have known getting scratch marks in alum. would have been so hard....... The rest is all Russ. 


Thank you Russ, for a great install and being a good friend.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Those are some kind words of praise and I am sure that they are well deserved. It's great to see that there are creative installers still out there who do not measure their creativity by the size of your wallet.

My problem was never lack of patience, it was being a father of four, business owner, and manager for a bottling company. There just wasn't enough days in the week to get the sounds that I wanted. This current build is my last go round in this car. I am 100% sure that I will be pleased by the outcome. The bad part about that is it will make me want to add systems to my other vehicles lol. Enjoy the wonderful work that has been bestowed upon your vehicle, and may you find long passages of road in which to fully enjoy it.


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## Kevin K (Feb 11, 2013)

Very nice work


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## darrenforeal (Jan 14, 2011)

very nice


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## Bluenote (Aug 29, 2008)

This is fabulous work. Understated car with a symphony in it... Congratulations!


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

you smell something nasty? that Russ cause he's the ****! :laugh:


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## Neil_J (Mar 2, 2011)

Wow, this turned out great. The suspense was killing me. The work at Octave never ceases to amaze me. I'm as picky as anyone when it comes to attention to detail but man, you nailed it. I wouldn't change a thing.

Great job, Russ. 

Dustin, I can't wait to hear it on Nov. 9.


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## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

very sexy install in an unassuming car....nice work Octave


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## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

The trunk is gorgeous, and I'm sure that the front stage sounds great but between the pillars and custom grills on the doors, it isn't very subtle. Classy - yes. Stealthy - not so much.

Don't get me wrong, that looks like a solid install; it's just that even a casual observer would probably notice that there is some custom work there for sure.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Yes the effect we were going for seems to hit home. Unassuming but with a great deal of wow factor. 

Special thanks to Dustin for putting up with me. The finished product was truly a labor of love or insanity however you look at it. 



Coppertone said:


> Now I really take my hat off to you. I just assumed it was several guys working on this car at once. Wow can't express enough of how amazed I am by hearing that. Please feel free to keep sharing these wonderful one person builds.


No problem. I'm used to doing these build logs now so every car I do gets one. I'm a jack of all trades. My new tricks are learning to tune on a competition level. Learning something new and exciting. 



beef316 said:


> Russ does great work. This build is no exception.


Thanks Beef. I'll get you taken care of on your next set up. 



jtaudioacc said:


> you smell something nasty? that Russ cause he's the ****! :laugh:












IF YOU SMEEEEEEEL!!...........what Octave is cooooking. Thx JT 




Neil_J said:


> Wow, this turned out great. The suspense was killing me. The work at Octave never ceases to amaze me. I'm as picky as anyone when it comes to attention to detail but man, you nailed it. I wouldn't change a thing.
> 
> Great job, Russ.
> 
> Dustin, I can't wait to hear it on Nov. 9.


I heard Dustin was going to charge for demos....maybe that was just for you


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## Neil_J (Mar 2, 2011)

Octave said:


> I heard Dustin was going to charge for demos....maybe that was just for you


Thats ok, I will charge him a fee to listen to it, and it will all cancel out in the end.


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

Thats some nice work octave.The car seems to be in mint condition inside and out.


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## jpeezy (Feb 5, 2012)

really nice work,russ, love the trunk!


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## pyropoptrt (Jun 11, 2006)

Great looking install Russ! I particular like how you did the trunk setup.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

strong*I*bumpin said:


> Thats some nice work octave.The car seems to be in mint condition inside and out.


Dustin does take good care of the Bull. 



jpeezy said:


> really nice work,russ, love the trunk!


Thanks JP. Come out to the meet this weekend and I'll make sure you get a listen. No charge. Only Neil gets charged.


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## jpeezy (Feb 5, 2012)

Man I was planning to come out, but I have wedding out of state! Dammit , I'll make it to one of your meets.


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## Black Rain (Feb 27, 2011)

Dustin and Russ, this car is awesome. Thank you for the opportunity to demo you ride. Russ, you do some incredible work man.

Everything from the sound, to the install with the lights incorporated into the trunk enclosure was all on point. I have to admit that those XL subs sound phenomenal and tight. And I am high impressed with the new Illusion line of subs and mids.

Thanks Dustin and Russ


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## S.A.-K.I.D. (May 27, 2013)

Excellent execution of ideas & installation. Very good work Octave. I have some questions: What crossover points worked for this install? When locating a sub like this, did you find venting the deck or just removing rear speakers Ideal?

Thanks for any info.


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## ebrit003 (Oct 27, 2013)

Looks great; why not tan grill cloth?


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

ebrit003 said:


> Looks great; why not tan grill cloth?


I could've done tan grill cloth but that would've given a more bland approach to the install. I wanted to bring some of the black from the center of dash to the other parts of the interior. 



S.A.-K.I.D. said:


> Excellent execution of ideas & installation. Very good work Octave. I have some questions: What crossover points worked for this install? When locating a sub like this, did you find venting the deck or just removing rear speakers Ideal?
> 
> Thanks for any info.


Mids are crossed down to 250hz on 12db, woofers are bandpass at 50-250hz on 12db and sub is at 50hz on 12db. And I did remove the rear 5x7 in the deck to allow more of the bass energy into the cabin. 



Black Rain said:


> Dustin and Russ, this car is awesome. Thank you for the opportunity to demo you ride. Russ, you do some incredible work man.
> 
> Everything from the sound, to the install with the lights incorporated into the trunk enclosure was all on point. I have to admit that those XL subs sound phenomenal and tight. And I am high impressed with the new Illusion line of subs and mids.
> 
> Thanks Dustin and Russ


Thanks fir the kind words and for coming. Glad you enjoyed the demo.


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## S.A.-K.I.D. (May 27, 2013)

Octave said:


> Mids are crossed down to 250hz on 12db, woofers are bandpass at 50-250hz on 12db and sub is at 50hz on 12db. And I did remove the rear 5x7 in the deck to allow more of the bass energy into the cabin.


Thanks for info. One more question: With the mids crossed w/a 12db/oct slope, is this IB for a true 12db/oct slope or is this combined w/an sealed enclosure to achieve the 24db/oct slope mininum required for the Nz3?


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## moparman79 (Jan 31, 2008)

Great job Russ, by far the best install I've seen on here in a while.


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## rxonmymind (Sep 7, 2010)

Bump for a gorgeous install. Nice work. Reminded of simple Danish wood work my dad used to make as a carpenter.


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

I'd like to ask though, why the pioneer p80? I'd understand if you were using no other processor, but its such a clunky weird feeling/looking headunit that I just don't see fitting visually and ergonomicly in this great install. Just curious, not trying to criticize.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

Did you guys alter the finish on the Mosconi AS amps at all? It looks like they have a more deep, (slightly more polished) look to them vs the stock finish. They look better in my opinion. Or it could simply be the lighting. 

I know it took me MANY hours to hand mirror polish my AS200.4's.


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## capea4 (Sep 2, 2010)

I know it's foolish to say,
But damn, that LOOKS like it SOUNDS good.


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

In a word.. WOW!
For a second I thought is this one of Bing's builds?

Very interested in how you fab'd the door grills.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

Lycancatt said:


> I'd like to ask though, why the pioneer p80? I'd understand if you were using no other processor, but its such a clunky weird feeling/looking headunit that I just don't see fitting visually and ergonomicly in this great install. Just curious, not trying to criticize.


Dustin had it to start with but we have something else in mind that will be replacing it here in the near future. 



capea4 said:


> I know it's foolish to say,
> But damn, that LOOKS like it SOUNDS good.


Thanks man.  It is one of my favorites that I have done. The sound is something else. 



Babs said:


> In a word.. WOW!
> For a second I thought is this one of Bing's builds?
> 
> Very interested in how you fab'd the door grills.


Nope. Sorry but thank for the compliment. Great minds think a like. I guess the same can be said about great installers. The rings are just simple MDF rings. 



captainobvious said:


> Did you guys alter the finish on the Mosconi AS amps at all? It looks like they have a more deep, (slightly more polished) look to them vs the stock finish. They look better in my opinion. Or it could simply be the lighting.
> 
> I know it took me MANY hours to hand mirror polish my AS200.4's.


DON'T give Dustin any ideas. Dustin you didn't see anything here.


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## Octave (Dec 12, 2010)

rxonmymind said:


> Bump for a gorgeous install. Nice work. Reminded of simple Danish wood work my dad used to make as a carpenter.


Thank you so very much for that compliment. I love working with my hands.


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

Just wondering how the C8 mid bass is doing in those doors? How much power are they getting? Where are they crossed? Is the door vibrating like crazy? all details are helpful - Thanks!


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## falstaff (May 22, 2012)

captainobvious said:


> Did you guys alter the finish on the Mosconi AS amps at all? It looks like they have a more deep, (slightly more polished) look to them vs the stock finish. They look better in my opinion. Or it could simply be the lighting.
> 
> I know it took me MANY hours to hand mirror polish my AS200.4's.



Looks good. however I opted to not polish the cases in an effort tnot reduce any heat dissipation. Polishing reduces the surface area therefore reduces cooling effect. Learned this from my polish supercharger days. These amps get pretty toasty. 

Also I've had my share of polished billet wheels and would never go back unless a clear powder coat was applied afterwards.....to much time spent polishing and not enjoying!


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