# 2006 BMW M3 Convertible



## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Hello all!

After living with stock or mostly stock stereos in various cars since the early '90s, I find myself with a car that inspires so much emotion that I can no longer live with the anemic sound from the stock Harmon Kardon system. I purchased this car about a month ago after sharing a car with the wife for the better part of the last two years.

This car reminds me of how felt as a kid when I first learned to drive and I find myself staring at it and trying to find excuses to go out and drive after work. My wife says I'm like a teenager again volunteering to go get groceries. It leaves a stupid silly smile on my face for an hour after I get home and will probably get me in trouble if I keep it up.

So, out with the stock, in with the new. My goal in the system is to create a highly tunable system with a minimum of components and keep the weight gain of the car as low as possible. It is after all a sports car with incredible handling and acceleration and I'm not interested in showing it or competition, so less is more to me.

Here's the planned system:

- Pioneer DEX-P99RS
- JL Audio HD900/5
- Image Dynamics CD-1 Pro Horns
- Image Dynamics X65 Midbass drivers
- Image Dynamics IDMAX 10" D2

Updates to follow...


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## TEGBOY (May 4, 2008)

Can't wait to see this one. Beautiful car and incredible gear. Horns + BMW = match made in heaven.

Please post lots of pics


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## Mless5 (Aug 21, 2006)

Verrray nice! Check out 12V events section and come to our meet


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## cleung (Feb 11, 2010)

subscribed


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

great equipment picked out. Im going to do something very similar only running a lot more power to mids and sub(well on tap anyway) and im going to run a pair of 12" idmax's instead of one. I def look forward to this build log


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

You will not be dissapointed with your choice of speakers in that car. I just upgraded to B&C drivers in my M3 and what a difference. Liked the HLCD's before-love them now! Do you have SMG or 6 speed? If you have big feet, your foot clearance might be an issue if you have a 6 speed.


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## bmwproboi05 (May 3, 2009)

man thread like these make me miss my m


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Me too today...dropped the car at the dealership to get the AC fixed. Convertible is not so useful when it's hot and raining!

Took some measurements last night for the horns and layed out the cuts necessary for the driver's side under dash trim. Will have to relocate the floor lamp and what appears to be the door chime speaker, but I think the OBD connector can stay. 

Will post pics when I get the car back...


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

I moved my floor lamp and OBD port connector, I was able to keep the chime speaker in stock location. I did have to cut a hole in the underdash for the HLCD driver to fit correctly, but then again I have the minibodies. Make sure you join M3Forums, that's if your not a member already. Alot of good need to know info on our cars there. Hope you get your car back soon-I know how it is I store mine every winter.


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

Check out the AE IB subs. VERY light and capable. Wihtout cabin gain you will likely want a stout sub. You'll love the HDs.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

smithee419 said:


> I moved my floor lamp and OBD port connector, I was able to keep the chime speaker in stock location. I did have to cut a hole in the underdash for the HLCD driver to fit correctly, but then again I have the minibodies. Make sure you join M3Forums, that's if your not a member already. Alot of good need to know info on our cars there. Hope you get your car back soon-I know how it is I store mine every winter.


Yup, that was the first order of business...forums. My wife says I'm a forum whore...

We went out looking for an E92 coupe or 135i possibly a convertible, but there was the M3 with a huge price drop. My wife actually pointed it out as I walked right past it. So, home that night to find out what I would be getting myself into...

So, car's back. Turned out to be a broken AC Compressor belt. 1 month left of Warranty and had them check everything out. Not sure why, but I didn't even think to check that.

As far as the install, I will have to cut a small relief on the drivers side under-dash panel for the driver on the horn to recess into. 

Ordered the rest of the stuff today, looking forward to starting the full install next week. I went with the IDMAX 10, looking to possibly mount it IB facing rearwards so I lose no trunk space and the spider is recessed into the ski pass. I need the sub panel to be removable so I can actually put skis in the ski pass in the winter time (who does that? Seriously?!). This is why I'm looking at putting the amp in the left rear panel where the nav unit and brackets are now, as I still need it when the sub comes out.

Also thinking with this install I will build up the floor a couple of inches to put an actual spare tire in the "spare tire well" or whatever there is of one in the M3. The M (im)mobility kit leaves a little to be desired...:mean:


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Okay, sorry no updates, but there really hasn't been any more progress yet. Work is sucking 12-14 hours a day out of me right now and I'll choose my kids over the car for the remaining time I have free.

So, I have everything on the way I need, but haven't quite nailed down my battery connection yet.

Using 0 gage wire from right side @ battery to left side of trunk, then distro block from there. How the h3!! do you connect 0 gage to this battery? Stock battery (for now anyways) and I'm not really looking forward to breaking the $300 OEM cable. I had thought I would cut the terminal off and run it into a Streetwires battery terminal, but realize now theres a SRS lead with a small explosive disconnect.

I still want a high quality connection there and I'm thinking of machining an adapter which goes into the compression fitting on a Streetwires or Stinger terminal and has the same diameter as a battery post to allow me to just clamp the factory terminal down on it.

Am I making this harder than it needs to be? Suggestions?


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Well, I shipped the wife and kids off to Florida for Spring Break at the in-law's house, so I'm taking advantage of not being able to get time off of work. 

Got the new bezel and center pieces today, so I snapped a few pics of the head unit and parts.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

And then out to the garage to start the ripout of the navigation system and stock stereo. Fortunately I live about 500 yds from work, so I don't have to drive the car for several days.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

And finally for the night, a little test fit of the new bezel, carrier and head. I'm not crazy about the look and the matte clashes with the gloss of the head unit. I'm kicking around a few ideas here, but nothing firm yet.


























That's it for the night, more tomorrow.

I hope my amp, subs, and mids show up tomorrow. I have a couple of more days before I see my wire braid and wire terminals.

On a side note, I'll have a nice Nav unit with factory radio and bluetooth module for sale soon.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

This thread screams, BRIAN GO GET AN M3  lol Sexy car. I drove an M6 about a year ago and thats when I really became a BMW guy. I mean, how could you not fall in love with them?


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## SmallSoldier (Aug 8, 2007)

Suscribed!

I also have a Vert M3 (2002), so I am going to follow your installation all the way through!

Different system though... Not sure how to install the sub (10W7)

The best of lucks!!!

Regards,
SS

PS. Great Car


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## cleung (Feb 11, 2010)

keep up the good work, your install so far reminds me of when I did the install on my old e46.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Well, went to pickup my pieces since UPS attempted delivery while I wasn't home. Talk about a heavy freaking box!

Opening it up, I was amazed at how much sub design has changed since I built my last box for a pair of JL 12W0s back in about 93 or so. This thing is a monster; I really hope it fits in the ski pass...

















On to the mids...









A little artsy shot









And now the amp. When I placed my order, the standard HD900/5 was out of stock, and they offered me the MHD900/5 at the same price. I was a little skeptical at first, but with a little research, I found that that amp is no different, just has a different (what appears to be powder) coating.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

And now for the ultimate in overkill. As you look at these for this system, keep this in mind: 
1) It's going in an over-engineered German car, why not over-engineer the cabling? 
2) I work in a nuclear power plant on a submarine. Be very glad everything I work with on a daily basis is designed to withstand 5 times the conditions it could ever see, to include surviving torpedos and depth charges. I can't help it if I start to think that way after 15 years.

Battery to distro block 1/0 gage. Battery on right side of trunk, amp on left with distro block right next to it. Since larger wire = less ohms/foot, I chose to run as much of the cable as large as I could to the amp.









Distro block to amp. This is 4 gage (the amp connector won't take larger )









8 Gage from distro block to head unit. Star grounding the system to avoid any possible ground loop. What? Everyone doesn't run 8 gage to their CD player? 









And finally the speaker wire. I debated where I was going to mount my amp for a while since it's small enough to stick up front somewhere. I balanced the notions of capacitive effect of interconnects, speaker wire, etc vs. the frequencies that would be traveling down the wire. Then I realized that I must have smoked something and just chose the easy way. Amp in the back next to the battery. 

This is some really beefy stuff!









Off to the garage to start ripping out the rest if the interior!

Anyone know if the E46 which came with NAV from the factory can have the harness removed for the NAV/Audio without losing anything important? It occurred to me today that by pulling the head unit and radio tuner, I was also losing a ton of other crap. Bluetooth, voice command, BMW assist, etc, from what I can tell will no longer work if I yank this stuff.

However, after ripping out the rear mids and tweets, I realized I might be able to use them after all. If I can figure out how not to lose BMW assist, I can run the output from assist unit to the factory HK amp then on to the rear speakers! Then, it will really sound like the lady on the other end of the line is back seat driving! :laugh:

I am far too tired to be posting right now...


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

sub'd - love that HU!


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Okay, waaay delinquent on posting pics. Between working from 6AM to 5PM and then in the garage until midnight and 1AM, I've finished a fair amount, but nothing is quite complete yet.

Sooooonnnn.....


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## rakisto (Oct 20, 2009)

99RS looks hella sick in there. gj man, interested to see more!


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Okay guys, sorry for the delays. I haven't been willing to sit long enough to process all the images from my camera and post, so here's a few to start...

Laying out the first cuts. Once upon a time I owned saw horses and such, now I just have the basics. I use the metal ruler as a straightedge for my cheap ass circular saw...









Lower plate cut for test fit. Notice the front is not beveled yet...









Looks like it fits okay, so time to bevel the front. Easy...









Test fitting the first side plate. Looks like the top is a little too deep yet...









There, that's better. A nice angle, parallel (roughly) to the seat wall.









Both sidewalls cut. Notice that I chose 1/2 MDF for the sides. I did this since there will be very little room for flex due to the tight quarters and close metal walls to brace it. Also, the pieces have small surface area, so hopefully the will hold up structurally.

















Clearly on the top, I should have chosen 3/4". I am waaay too tired now looking at this to set up the saw and cut it again, so I'm going to see if it shreds itself.









Front plate in place and fits very well.









From the trunk


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

New and improved with a hole for the sub.









Now....this is ridiculous. Really? Really, I'm going to put *this* in *that*???









Yep...I sure am. I am amazed this fits in here...









A little concerned at the spacing from the magnet to the car here. I will notch the trunk wall here to make room for the magnet (but only a little). The speaker terminals are a little close for comfort as well.









And viola! It fits! I'm surprised, but the surround on the sub clears the seats on all sides, but just by a hair...

















Now I just need to Liquid Nails the box and mount it firmly.

More coming soon!


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

Looks really good so far, i'm impressed with it. What submarine do you work on? and where is it located? i'm just curious because i've always been fascinated with submarines


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

I really like how you utilized what the car offered for subwoofer placement. I wish I had done that from the beginning - it was hard to get the sub sound into the cab in my 325 - IB has been the best solution - duh! 

I would like to hear your impressions of the sub sound once you get everything connected.


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## bigguy (Apr 13, 2010)

Looks great so far. I want an M3


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

MTopper said:


> Looks really good so far, i'm impressed with it. What submarine do you work on? and where is it located? i'm just curious because i've always been fascinated with submarines


I'm on SSN 751, USS SAN JUAN right now in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard right now. 

I realize my build is taking a while, but hey, I live on the shipyard and walk 1/4 mile to work every day. Why rush it when I don't have to drive it and can take my time?

Besides, I work 60-80 hours a week and my boat will be here for 2 years. My car project is way less complex compared ripping apart and overhauling my office.


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## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Subscribed! Working with pro sound at my church, I've grown accustomed to the sound of horns and have become rather fond of them in an automobile. I didn't dream it would be possible in my e46 ///M3 so show me how its done!
Can the center armrest/closeout be installed in front of the sub? I can fit mine in there, but the sub makes some noise during xmax. I ended up covering it grill cloth and leaving the closeout out, most of the time.

Great color, by the way!


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## smithee419 (Aug 27, 2008)

There's deffinately nothing wrong with taking your time, do it right the first time is my motto! There's only 3 problems with the horns in a 3 series. 1-if you have a manual 6 speed, you will not have much foot roon for the clutch. 2-the glovebox- getting the glovebox to not hit the horn body when it opens. 3-drivers side underdash panel, it will need some cutting for the driver magnet and movement of chime, light, and port connector. I made my own grilles and covered my horns in black speaker cloth, you can't even tell that they are even under the dash. Anyways keep up the good work, love to see fellow M3 owners on this board.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

saMxp said:


> Subscribed! Working with pro sound at my church, I've grown accustomed to the sound of horns and have become rather fond of them in an automobile. I didn't dream it would be possible in my e46 ///M3 so show me how its done!
> Can the center armrest/closeout be installed in front of the sub? I can fit mine in there, but the sub makes some noise during xmax. I ended up covering it grill cloth and leaving the closeout out, most of the time.
> 
> Great color, by the way!


I haven't tried the ski pass cover yet, but I plan to make a grill that conforms to the seat and has much the same shape as the ski pass.

I haven't put any effort into finishing yet as I'm looking to make a deal for a complete interior from a wrecked E46 in Australia that is BMW Individual Platinum. It's a two-tone black and almost cream white interior out of a Topaz Blue 325ci and the pictures are amazing...


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

smithee419 said:


> There's deffinately nothing wrong with taking your time, do it right the first time is my motto! There's only 3 problems with the horns in a 3 series. 1-if you have a manual 6 speed, you will not have much foot roon for the clutch. 2-the glovebox- getting the glovebox to not hit the horn body when it opens. 3-drivers side underdash panel, it will need some cutting for the driver magnet and movement of chime, light, and port connector. I made my own grilles and covered my horns in black speaker cloth, you can't even tell that they are even under the dash. Anyways keep up the good work, love to see fellow M3 owners on this board.


I have started on the horn mounting, given up, picked it back up, given it up, tried again and become frustrated enough that it will be the last thing to do when I have nothing else to work on. The full size bodies are short enough that I can get them back behind the glove box hinge so it won't interfere, but it takes cutting the (unused) plastic relay module frame above the passenger footwell.

On the driver's side, there is enough room to get them all the way back and high enough that they won't interfere with driving (aggressively) even with shoes much larger than my 9s. I think I can use the top of the dead pedal to attach the bracket for the driver, because man...that magnet needs some support!

SMG too, so no worries in the clutch pedal arena.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Okay, so the only thing I'm really done with, I'll post some pics of...

I keep jumping around on the install as I come against a creative wall, so fortunately there are still plenty of other details to work on. 

I think I cussed more on the door baffles than anything else with the exception of the horns. Horns can be easily mounted, but I haven't been able to figure out a way to overengineer it yet, so I'm holding off. The idea would be to mount the horns with some means of adjustability to provide some assistance in tuning if need be.

So, here we go...

I can't claim credit for this, found the template as a image file on e46fanatics.com forum and tweaked Photoshop to print it the perfect size.









So, in an attempt to make things easier (it didn't), I printed the template on one of my wife's shipping label sheets and stuck it to the MDF.









And then discovered how bad my 20 year old jigsaw really sucked, even with new blades.









After the baffle was cut, a quick idiot check to see if the driver would even mount.









Test fit to the door, the lower rear edge is a bit of a pain in the ass and will need a standoff to have a mounting point higher up.









With the baffle stuck to the door, a quick test fit to determine usable depth. I used 3/4" MDF for the baffle where many others have double up 1/2" pieces, so I wasn't sure how I was looking for room...

















Test fit with one 3/4" spacer ring. I had hoped that the 1.5" spacing from the door would be adequate, but it turned out not to be. And this would be why the decal template wasn't the greatest idea...









Time to make some airspace for the midbass to breath in. I used the door baffle as the template for the hole and drilled a full round of holes to make the dremel cutting a little easier.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

And a little modeling clay to seal the area between the door and baffle.









Turns out I needed an extra 1/4" ring to space the deep magnet of the driver from the window track behind it.









Time to clean up the area on the door trim where the midbass used to mount.









A little glue to hold the grill in after shaving off the stock mounts for test fitting.









Test fit with the driver in

















And because I felt the baffles looked like crap (this is round 1. round 2 will be done with HDPE and a CNC mill), I painted them so they would look like blue crap.

















And the finished product. Looking back at this picture, I thought that was glue on the grill at the top left of this picture, but it was dirt and cleaned up nicely.









Overall, I'm very pleased with the end result and the learning experience of door baffles. I recorded all the measurements and will model in Solidworks to make the HPDE version. Who knows, maybe others would be interested the baffles for their E46 coupes? It wouldn't take much once the drawing is made and the NC file is generated for the mill...


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## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

siado said:


> Overall, I'm very pleased with the end result and the learning experience of door baffles. I recorded all the measurements and will model in Solidworks to make the HPDE version. Who knows, maybe others would be interested the baffles for their E46 coupes? It wouldn't take much once the drawing is made and the NC file is generated for the mill...


Maybe if the HDPE milled baffles were angled to match the door panel? They seem to be aimed up and slightly aft.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

saMxp said:


> Maybe if the HDPE milled baffles were angled to match the door panel? They seem to be aimed up and slightly aft.


I was thinking the same thing. That would be fairly easy for a CNC machine as long as it was modeled properly. I wish I hadn't sold off all my machine tools a few years ago. I wonder if they have those things in a shipyard?


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

You're going through all this to overengineer everything but you didn't paint the cut edge of the door?? Tsk, tsk.  

j/k, it looks great.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

quality_sound said:


> You're going through all this to overengineer everything but you didn't paint the cut edge of the door?? Tsk, tsk.
> 
> j/k, it looks great.


Lol, well now that you mention it, that does bug the crap out of me...

I am searching for a hardtop and I'm sure when I find one it will have to be painted along with the CSL trunk I have. I loathe painting and can't justify cleaning my gun for just this. 
:blush:
Thanks though... Noe that's really going to bug me...


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

I really wanted to use different speaker wire than factory, but I'm not a huge fan of puncturing the grommet on the door, so here's my alternative.

I can't take credit for this or much of anything else requiring ingenuity in my install, most came from reading a ton of other build logs.

The following is no exception; not my idea, but might be useful here for people. Pay no attention to the fact that it seems to randomly switch sides of the car. 

In retrospect, I should have been more patient and waited for my order of techflex to come in, but I'm not sure if I would have had room to pass through the door connector this way with it on 12ga wire.

So, here's the factory door jamb connector. Remove 1 bolt at the top and it rocks out.

















Slide out the black locking clip on the connector and split the door half from the jamb half.









Now you have the car end to work with.

















Slide the blue locking clip off the connector to allow disassembly.









Looking at the end with the black locking clip, you can remove the smaller of the to connectors assemblies easily.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Moving over to the door side, back the rubber boot off the connector.









Slide the connector assembly out of the angular housing.









Here's a closeup look of the connector. Note that it is conveniently split into two halves. The audio wiring is on the left half and the mirror controls, door locks, door close hall effect sensor, airbag, etc on the other half.









Using a a coping saw, cut down the middle of the connector splitting it in half.

















If you feel it necessary to remove the unused wiring (I did for space), clip and pull it.









Then, pass the new speaker wire through the boot.









Then, pass it through the angular housing.









And reassemble the connector.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

It was easier for me to assemble the whole connector on the exterior of the door jamb and then push it back through the door to the inside.

















And viola! I would post a picture again, but it would be identical to the first one in this set. 

12 ga wire, into the door, sacrificed the factory wiring, but will never put the stock stuff back in anyway since I ground the door mounts.

Overall, quite happy, but if my selective OCD gets the better of me, I'll pull it back out and techflex the wiring.

Stay tuned for the world's longest DEX-P99RS interconnect cable!


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## mattyjman (Aug 6, 2009)

looking good so far... i like what i'm seeing. how well do you think that those xs65's are going to keep up with the horns? 

i am looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## saMxp (Jun 22, 2007)

Great idea on sawing off that connector! I ended up just soldering new wire on each side of the factory connector (a few inches of factory wiring across the connector can't hurt, can it? Can it?!).


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

mattyjman said:


> looking good so far... i like what i'm seeing. how well do you think that those xs65's are going to keep up with the horns?
> 
> i am looking forward to seeing the finished product.


Well, honestly I'm much farther along than this thread indicates. The only major task I have left is mounting the horns. I fired it up last night and sat in it with the seats out and listened to a few songs and was floored. I have the gains all set at the 9 o'clock position about 20 deg from minimum and set up the crossover network with the high pass (mid on the P99) at 1000hz dropped about 6 db and the subs at 100 for now. The dynamic range is phenominal and the image seems pretty damn good considering the horns are propped up in their rough install locations. Obviously, it will all sound different in the end, but I felt the need to do a bit of "proof-of-concept" for motivation. 

I hope the XS65s hang considering the only reason they're not getting the same wattage as the horns is due to impedance difference. If I have to keep the gains set low on the horns, I'm okay with it since I'm not really concerned about the SPL. Keeping my fingers crossed...


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

I like where this is going. Keep up the good work.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments and encouragement all. I think I need it at this point...

So, interconnects...

I'm not a huge fan of snake oil and have no desire to spend money where I can't justify the advantage. So, high dollar interconnects that would likely get coiled up with excess length didn't make any sense.

I'm not terrible with a soldering iron although my skills have degraded over the years not using them. I purchased materials as recommended in a couple of threads on here from Markertek and went to work.

I think most people have heard of the old salesman trick of swapping interconnects and people believe they can hear a difference. Those who actually can are hearing what happens as the RCA is disconnected and reconnected and removes some of the oxidization on the copper. 

Well, since any connection no soldered will develop oxidization at the contacts, I decided to eliminate on set. The DEX-P99RS has a connector on the back (first set of contacts) which lead to the RCA outputs (second set of contacts) and then down the interconnect to the amp's RCAs (third set of contacts.) So, it made since to me to get rid of the first set of RCAs and one part of the chain of possible oxidization.

So, off to make the worlds longest P99RS interconnect cable...

RCA removed and insulation stripped.









Outer heat shrink prepped...









Interconnect laid out for work









Insulation removed









Peeling back shielding. A dental pick is useful, just happened to have one laying around...









Conductors separated and paired









Positive insulation stripped back









A very useful tool/trick/heat-sink









Individual lead pair twisted and tinned and pre-loaded with heats shrink.









Leads held for soldering and heat-sinked all at once.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Both sides tinned and ready to join









Soldered and cooling

















Slide the heat shrink down fully and make sure it insulates against the other lead.









Second lead soldered and ready to heat shrink. Note the extension on the white lead on the right to ensure there is no short between phases when the heat shrink is shrinkified. 









Heat shrunk

















Final heat shrink sheath applied with the shield running out of the back.









All the shields joined and ready to terminate.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

The finished product, almost ready for installation minus the final heat shrink wrap on the techflex. You can see the red and black striped lead extending out which is the shield and is attached on one end only. Also, as I'm running a 3 way system, I'm not using the "high" output so I didn't clip this on the Pioneer harness.


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## MTopper (Nov 4, 2009)

WOW is all i have to say at your attention to details on the interconnects. I'm really even more impressed now. Thats also a great little "how to" lead, its making me want to make my own now


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## Vitiate (Apr 13, 2010)

x2 Looking awesome!


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## knifey (Nov 22, 2008)

looks great! I can't wait to see what you do with the horns.


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## ianbiz (May 13, 2008)

awesome build!


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Okay, sorry for the delay guys. Now that I can drive it and listen again, I spend my spare time finding reasons to go out and sitting in my garage tuning.

So, time to post pics of the amp install.

This is a prototype amp rack made of 1/4" MDF. I was a little concerned using something so flimsy, even as a prototype, but it seems to be holding up fairly well for the last week or so.

Eventually (probably next time the wife takes the kids on vacation) I'll try and make another amp rack and I bought some 1/4" Lexan to do it with. I swear Home Depot lately has been Car Audio Depot. Thankfully, NH has no sales tax and I get a military discount...

Here's the first steps before I started cutting and test fitting.









From the bottom, a little angle bracket and some rivets for quick assembly.









Test fitting in the car under the trimmed interior

























Assembly details. Plastic standoffs using bolts to the factory Nav and CD changer bracket bolt locations.

































And the view of the interconnect and speaker wire routing to the rack


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

The single fuseholder I bought for the amp required a little cutting to get the #10-32 pan head allen to fit flush and hold the amp rack down at the same time. I was surprised to find the #10-32 bolt threads right into the factory BMW speed nuts that are used for paneling.









The fit of the pan head before modification









A nice little Dremel bit that will make the recess larger in diameter without making it deeper









Now the head drops right down flush sa it should









Basic bench layout of power wiring to the amp









The amp mounted to the rack, in the car, with the distro blocks. I would have picked smaller distro blocks (don't need 4 outputs), but couldn't find any that accepted 1/0ga in, with one 4ga and 1 8ga out. Sorry for the underexposed pic, forgot to turn my ISO back up at night.









Stinger battery terminal replaces the negative lead terminal and provides power to ground









Finally, the positive lead comes off the factory terminal with a lug to go the the inline fuse block.









More pics of the final product to follow. I searched my card and realized I forgot to take any when it was all done!


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Finally, for the horns...

I probably spent more time working on the horns than everything else in the car combined. I wanted a mounting that very solid, somewhat adjustable if the need arises, and as factory looking as possible without sitting in the seats upside down. I have seen others use the metal strapping and was looking for something a little more factory looking.

I wanted to brace the rear of the horn and may end up doing it eventually, but after mounting the front part of them, they are really solid! These are used horns which is why there are extra holes, so they may end up getting replaced at some point for a new set of Ultras.

The driver's kick panel removed and marked for to the bracket









The outside bracket from an old curtain rod hanger. Hey, it's black and tough steel!

















Handy little bracket made for the horn to be used off the steering column









It looked like crap after having to hammer it in the vise to get the bend, so a Dremel and wire cone later...









And placed. The only drawnback is when the steering column is tilt adjusted, it moves, but then again, I always keep mine all the way down.









The underdash trim modified for the horn to recess into it slightly. Note the relocated chime, deleted light (for now), and the OBD2 connector is not touched.


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

The underdash trim installed for a test fit. Looks good! Note the two holes on the inboard bracket, one being oversized. This allows some play on the upper bolt so that I can use different size spacers top and bottom to angle the horn up or down...in theory.









Drivers horn installed. Now you see it









Now you don't!










The driver's side was waaay harder than the passenger's. I just made similar brackets and bolted the horn to the bottom of the glove box, cut some underdash trim, and in it went. Pics to follow soon...


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## HK_M3 (Sep 12, 2009)

update?


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## timmay77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Next to the E39, the E46 is my favorite body style. I would love to get me another one as a winter car like a 330xi.

Great build, nice attention to the little details.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Wow, that really is a 'drivers car' heal-toe for days!~!~

very nice build


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> Wow, that really is a 'drivers car' heal-toe for days!


If it wasn't an auto, then perhaps.


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## timmay77 (Jun 21, 2010)

n_olympios said:


> If it wasn't an auto, then perhaps.


The E46 M3 was not offered in an auto. This car is an SMG II, Sequential Manual Gearbox.


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

I know, my post was slightly sarcastic.  It still lacks a clutch though, and you still can't heel-toe. It matches revs by its own anyway.


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

SORRY OP for the derail.

I guess the factory put the brake pedal that close to the gas
pedal so women wouldn't have to move feet far to brake:surprised:.
Heel toe = trail braking. One doesn't have to own a manu trans car, 
you can do a quick Google read up then go to your fav empty parking
lot and have some fun.

Autocross Basics

AGAIN, sorry OP

found an even better example
Driving corners on the track


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## benny z (Mar 17, 2008)

timmay77 said:


> The E46 M3 was not offered in an auto. This car is an SMG II, Sequential Manual Gearbox.


...and you would be surprised at how many people confuse SMG for manual transmission when selling these cars...


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

timmay77 said:


> The E46 M3 was not offered in an auto. This car is an SMG II, Sequential Manual Gearbox.


It's an auto. I had a GTI with the DSG and made the same argument you did but in hindsight, it's an automatic.


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> SORRY OP for the derail.
> 
> I guess the factory put the break pedal that close to the gas
> pedal so women wouldn't have to move feet far to break:surprised:.
> ...


Brake= To stop movement
Break=To stop working


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Wonway said:


> Brake= To stop movement
> Break=To stop working


fixed.... Does that make you feel a bit better about yourself?


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> fixed.... Does that make you feel a bit better about yourself?


No, but it does make you look a bit more intelligent


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Wonway said:


> No, but it does make you look a bit more intelligent


Tell you what, you go behind me correct all the screw ups 
I'm pretty well noted to have. I'll meet you half way and
GIVE you the meds I must take daily. We'll see if your
worried about it then or make the same mistakes. How's that?


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> Tell you what, you go behind me correct all the screw ups
> I'm pretty well noted to have. I'll meet you half way and
> GIVE you the meds I must take daily. We'll see if your
> worried about it then or make the same mistakes. How's that?


You should use lower case on the i in "I'm". It makes it look like you are trying to start a new sentence. "Your" should be you're or you are. :laugh:


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Wonway said:


> You should use lower case on the i in "I'm". It makes it look like you are trying to start a new sentence. "Your" should be you're or you are. :laugh:


Nice start now you only have 250 or so more posts to 
find and edit.


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

God, what have I started... If you're going to be pedantic, at least use some common sense. 
A) The brake pedal is there to leave space at the left for the clutch pedal, for the manual cars. 
B) What's the point in heel/toeing in a car with no clutch pedal, where you have your left foot available for braking in the first place?
C) Heel/toe = trail braking, is that what you found by your quick googling? give me a break.

OT ends from me here. My apologies, siado.


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## minibox (Mar 25, 2009)

Glad you all started having this ridiculous conversation and called this build to my attention. I love the e46 bodystyle and want to see an update!


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

minibox said:


> Glad you all started having this ridiculous conversation and called this build to my attention. I love the e46 bodystyle and want to see an update!


DITTO

I would much rather be able to go back and delete all that crap. Just
because others do not know how to drive a car on a track, I guess its
not my place to tell them how. If a MOD views this fine by me to del
all the rubbish.


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## Jaloosk (Jan 13, 2010)

Sooo...how did the horn install work out for you?


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> DITTO
> 
> I would much rather be able to go back and delete all that crap. Just
> because others do not know how to drive a car on a track, I guess its
> ...


So now a lack of grammar is key to driving properly on a track. Better quit while you are ahead son....

And congrats on the post! Best one yet besides some punctuation errors!! Here is your reward:


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

I've never been able to use this until now!

"You are in more dire need of a blowjob than any white man in history. "


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

FLYONWALL9 said:


> I've never been able to use this until now!
> 
> "You are in more dire need of a blowjob than any white man in history. "


Are you Fukin' kidding me? What makes you think I am white?? Do I need to be white to be able to spell or use grammar correctly? And why does it take a black man to tell you how to speak and write correctly???

Your previous comment was unwarranted. I am not the type of guy to play the race card and don't intend to open it up again. 

Now shut up before you really piss me off. Next time I will not be so nice you fuking *******.

And yes I missed the "c" above.


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Wonway, just STFU already.

You look a damn fool.


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## Wonway (Jun 9, 2009)

Knobby Digital said:


> Wonway, just STFU already.
> 
> You look a damn fool.


Funny you think I look like the fool.....


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## Knobby Digital (Aug 17, 2008)

Yeah, real funny. :laugh:

Now STFU.


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## Ban Hammer (Jun 26, 2010)

*C'mon guys.
Play nice. *


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## FLYONWALL9 (Nov 8, 2009)

Wonway said:


> Are you Fukin' kidding me? What makes you think I am white?? Do I need to be white to be able to spell or use grammar correctly? And why does it take a black man to tell you how to speak and write correctly???
> 
> Your previous comment was unwarranted. I am not the type of guy to play the race card and don't intend to open it up again.
> 
> ...



It is a movie quote. Nothing in the movie, nor in my quote was racist. Which is the reason why you got the messages from the other members. If your that sensitive about you race then that is your own insecurities, not mine! I honestly don't view any person based on skin color, never have, never will. I have too many life long friends of varying race with whom I've spilt blood with. Threats, honestly, though sincere as they may be do not effect me one way or the other.

If you want to correct every freaking thing I post go to my build log, edit it for me send it in an email and I'll post it up. You have nothing better to do, it seems. If you couldn't tell by my other posts to you that I really don't give a damn about misspelled words, punctuation, nor grammar!


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## quality_sound (Dec 25, 2005)

SolemnSinner said:


> *C'mon guys.
> Play nice. *


I say ban them both since they're not getting the hint.


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## bimmerman11 (Aug 27, 2009)

Sweet gear and nice ride!


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## siado (Mar 14, 2010)

Soo, anyway... 

Sorry for the long absence all...life gets in the way sometimes of fun. New house, new hobbies, etc.

I didn't like the way the Pioneer mounting brackets worked, so I fabbed some spacers using 1"x1"x1/8" Aluminum angle stock to center the head unit in the OEM Euro DIN bracket. I also didn't like the way the unit stuck so far out of the dash, so I was able to recess it a half inch or so this way and make things look a little more flush. I took probably 30 pics of this process and must have dumb thumbed the camera or Aperture ate them, so nothing to show for it. 

The install sounds incredible, I used a Mac software RTA to set everything and trashed the auto EQ settings from the head unit. Sounds much better now.

The head unit has great sound quality, but I did notice something a little annoying. It has settings for right or left listening positions. I don't really care much for what it sounds like from the passenger seat 99% of the time, but occasionally I get someone in the car who is interested and I'd like to show them the full effect without swapping seats. So, it's great that the time delays automatically swap sides when you change the listening position. But...do you really have to set my EQ curves all flat when I do it? I'm sure they're not actually flat, but it sounds awful and might as well be flat. Apparently you have to set another curve for the passenger listening position and I don't really care to take the time to.

The JL amp has held up really well and has no signs of overheating despite a 3000 mile road trip in 5 days down south for a funeral this summer with very hot weather and 8-10 hours of heavy usage at a time.

I do have a bit of alternator noise and it's getting a bit unnerving. I'm not sure how I can have a ground loop given all soldered connections and 8ga ground lead from the amp distro block. I'm wondering if this head has the same microfuse problem that some of the other Pioneer head units have on the RCAs. I've not read a lot about it since I haven't had much time to mess with it.

The horn arrangement works very well with regards to sound quality and I only have a little issue with interference from the toes of hiking boots or uniform boots, but I typically drive with both feet (yes, "trail braking" almost always) so it doesn't bother me too often. It does bother me however if anyone else were to ever have to drive my car for whatever reason.

I do notice a little bit of rolloff in the soundstage as the frequencies drop into the doors, so I may consider lowering the crossover point a bit. I can't really play with the angle on the door drivers, so I'm stuck there.

To go OT myself for a second, as for my opinion on transmissions, I don't think I can agree that SMG (Sequential MANUAL Gearbox) is an automatic in any way other than the fact that there is a mode which will shift for you. I know that seems a little counter-intuitive, but in my mind an automatic transmission has a torque converter...period. SMG is the same gearbox as the 6 speed offered in the E46, the only difference being a hydraulic servo controlled by the computer actuates the clutch. I'm not sure why many people seem to think that a heel-toeing is a must for high performance driving. The whole point in the first place is to be able to hold the brakes further and deeper into the turn with a gradual decrease in pedal pressure and smoothly coming back on the throttle at the apex of the turn. By removing the thought process and attention that must be paid to selecting the gears and executing rapid downshifts, transmissions like SMG allow the driver to focus more on the dynamic environment around them, choose a better (or safer) line through the turn, and maintain a calm and controlled frame of mind. In Formula 1, this is exactly what sort of system is used for shifting and I don't think anyone can argue the lap times around the track are the fastest of any form of motorsport. 

SMG was/is a derivative of this technology and after driving it for a year now, I have to say I'm very impressed. I can maintain a fast line in a decreasing radius turn, let off _slightly_ on the gas to get a little forward weight transfer and tighten the turn a bit, all while downshifting with the left paddle and the computer disengages the clutch, blips the the throttle to the exact RPM needed, selects the lower gear, and engage the clutch and I'm ready for the apex of the turn. All the while, there is no jerk or sudden unexpected weight transfer of the car. BTW, this makes for great fun with 265s on the front and 285s on the rear 

Of course, with 14" of snow in the last couple of days, I think I'll be taking the wife's X3 if I need to go out as the M sits buried in the driveway (and my garage buried in moving boxes). This means it will take at least 3 months for the alternator noise to bother me enough to finally get off my ass and fix it now...


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## TEGBOY (May 4, 2008)

Before you have a look at the alternator, try another headunit/source. My bet is you have possibly damaged the PICO fuse in the headunit. Its a fairly common fault with Pioneer unit it seems. If not the case, the look at alternator etc.


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## ga1990 (Feb 18, 2012)

Sorry to reply to such an old thread, but had a question for you. I was wondering if by any chance you remembered where you got the installation kit for the head unit or who it was made by? I'm looking to do an install in my 04 M3 and all I'm finding is the one that is made by Metra which off-sets the stereo and looks pretty ugly. Yours looks alot nicer in my opinion. Thanks.


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## cobb2819 (Jan 13, 2011)

ga1990 said:


> I'm looking to do an install in my 04 M3 and all I'm finding is the one that is made by Metra which off-sets the stereo and looks pretty.


Have you looked at the connects2 kit?? 

Nevermind, offset din mount.



Sent from my iPhone


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## r000z (Oct 17, 2014)

I'm bumping this thread hard... but I really would like to know: 

How does the clay work? 

Does it harden over time, therefore you do not need to make any supprt behind the initial wood piece? 

This is the part where I am stuck at in trying to find to support the outer edge of that door piece. I've figured out that parts of it will be 3/4" but another part will be 1 1/4" so its like a mindfcuk trying to cut all these little pieces, glue them.. test it on the door. 

Should I just get clay and stick it and let it try? Is that what clay does LOL


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## JVD240 (Sep 7, 2009)

r000z said:


> I'm bumping this thread hard... but I really would like to know:
> 
> How does the clay work?
> 
> ...


He mounted the wood baffle first and then stuffed the clay in to fill the gaps.

It does not harden. It stays malleable. 

Get some duct seal from Home Depot. It's in the electrical section and comes in 1lb bricks wrapped in plastic.


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## Storm_Rider (Oct 3, 2009)

i wonder if he'll update this


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## r000z (Oct 17, 2014)

whers the white person in a dire need of a bj post?? i came laughing. but i am not laughing since i am not finding it!!


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## #1BigMike (Aug 17, 2014)

Post #78

It's funny thread toward the end not gonna lie lol!


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