The Install '08

MacLeod

Finally got started on my new install for 2008. Was going to wait til after the competition tomorrow but I Thursday I decided I didnt have enough problems in my life so I should rip everything out and put in the new stuff now! I could get the new stuff back in before Saturday morning. No problem. Well I was up to 12:30 last night and its 12:30 now and Im just now getting done. Still got a long way to go - have to make the trim piece for the sub and build the false floor to cover the amps.

The good news is something I planned actually worked out. The amp rack fits right where the spare tire cover goes and folds up perfectly for me and I can get to the spare. Woohoo!

OK, here are the pics I have so far. Im about halfway done with the install so Ill post more as I progress (which is usually pretty slow).

This is with all the old stuff out and gutted. A Crossfire 4 channel and Crossfire 2 channel along with a MM2104 and Alpine H700 processor.


And here is the final result! I think its my best work yet. I was going for a simpler install. The plus side is its easy to get to everything should I need to troubleshoot a problem.


OK, just kidding. Thats actually my test fit for everything and to see if everything worked, and it did, perfectly. Amps are powerhouses and clean as a whistle. No noise at all. The sub is a monster! Way WAY more output that what I had.

This is the amp rack. I cut it out of 1/4" MDF in the shape of the factory spare tire cover.


This is the bottom. I just cut some 3/4" MDF strips to use as a base. I screwed the top of the amp rack to these and then screwed the rack onto the cover from the bottom so no chance of anything poking thru the bottom of the cover. I left the gaps to make it easier to run all the wires thru there.


And here it is in the trunk with the amps and processor mounted and wired up. (Wow, you can really tell the difference between a cell phone camera and a Canon digital camera)




Still got a lot left to do. Obviously I still have to build the trim plate for the sub. My plan as of now is to simply build a plate that will go wall to wall in the trunk with just the sub poking thru flush lined in trunk liner. Im also going to build a cover to fit over the amps and it will go wall to wall so the trunk will be level. And Im going to build yet another trim panel to fit over the amps when Im at shows and showing them off. This one will also go wall to wall for a nice level fit but will fit over the amps and processors so they look flush mounted.

The problem Im having is the sub. Its way too big for that little trunk (as are the amps). Nothing is fitting like I thought it would in my head. I may have to rebuild the box to fit back in a little better.

Gotta show tomorrow so now Ive got to retune that sub. Its hitting the 21 Hz note on the MECA disc like an ****! Ive got it -9 db and its still kicking me in the back of the head. Yeah, 21 Hz!!!

After tomorrow I dont have another show for a month so I can get everything buttoned up and (hopefully) looking good.

MacLeod

You know what sucks? I just checked the MECA website to get the start time of the show tomorrow. ITS NOT TOMORROW! ITS NEXT SATURDAY!!! Good f**king greif!! I just worked my gonads off and stayed up to 1 AM for nothing!

eloplayspolo

haha. in a way its good...

bigaudiofanatic

LMAO thats funny please show me what you did so you could still get to the spare tire.

black magic

Wow... Mac, I gotta hand it to you, thats called dedication. I could definitely not get all that done in two nights. Those new amps look right at home in your trunk and I think it all looks very nice. Can't wait to see your trunk when its finished. Your plan sounds awesome.

And at least now you have a week to begin tuning again! Is that sub the SR12 or SR10 (if you don't mind me asking)?

I love how Polk's gear isn't flashy. It looks so elegant and classy! Good luck with your shows!

Kinetic

wow you change your momo for a SR

and what about the new polk amps? are they better than your crossfire?

nice stuff congrats

Jstas

Dude, equipment list. Did you post one already and I wasn't paying attention or what?

And when did you get the new amps? Or were they...*ahem*..."provided" to you by a certain audio company that is familiar to us all?

Inquiring minds want to know!

MacLeod

Yeah I guess that was a pretty piss poor step-by-step. "Here is the amp rack just cut out - now here is everything installed!"

The factory piece runs down the middle of the trunk from front to back, is made of 1/4" hardwood and has insulation on the bottom. It has a hinge about 2/3 of the way up so you can lift it the back part to get the spare tire out or lift the front part to get to the gas tank or you can take the whole thing out by removing a couple poppers. Since this was a fairly sturdy piece I used it.

I cut out a piece of 1/4" MDF in the shape of the bottom part of the factory piece but 3" shorter. If I went all the way to the hinge, the amp rack would catch on the sub box (the sub box sits on the part that opens over the gas tank) and not lift.

This is a pic with it opened. It looks tilted because Im trying to hold the camera back and hold up the panel which has 2, 100 pound amps on it. In actuality it opens level. I do have to remove the heat sink on the 4 channel or it will bump into the surround on the sub but thats only 4 screws and only takes 30 seconds so no biggie. You can see the part thats recessed. The trim piece and amp rack fit right down into this so they dont move.



Equipment:

Polk PA500.4
Polk PA1200.1
Polk SR5250 bi-amped
Polk SR124DVC
Alpine 9861 head unit
Alpine H700 processor
Power wires and inline fuse holder from Knuconceptz
RCA's are Streetwires Zero Noise 2
Lots of Dynamat and a Stinger distribution block
Speaker wires are 14 gauge Royal Cable from Walmart (50' for $12!)

This sub is awesome!! Like I said in the earlier post, there is a track on the MECA disc that has a 21 Hz note. Its where an a capella singer is tapping his foot to the music. You cant hear the tap but the thud got transfered thru the mic somehow and comes out in the recording as a 20 Hz thud that you are supposed to slightly feel. Its not easy to reproduce and although the mighty Momo 10 could do it, it took some tweaking on the EQ to get it. When I first fired this thing up, that "slight" thud felt like somebody kicking me in the back of the head! The 18Hz note on the IASCA disc is also sick!

The amps look great! They are quite sizeable so dont think youre going to tuck these away somewhere. Theyre gonna take some room but theyre worth it. These things are very powerful and have no noise that I can detect at all. No turn on or off pops, no hissing or humming. Very nice!

exalted512

Sounds like your amp rack is going to be very similar to what im doing with the fiancee's car when my truck gets done this summer. The sub setup will be more similar to this though:


Mine will be different in that it will stick out less and have a recessed carpeted grill so if youre not looking closely, you'll never know its there. Besides the fact that I will be carpeting the enclosure to the trunk, so you will never see a seam between the two.

My false floor will cover the entire trunk, all the way to the little ridge that separates the trunk from the seats (you have the same ridge, as does almost every car that has reclining rear seats) That way, it'll appear everything is factory. And of course, there will be another cover for the false floor with plexi for shows. There will be hinges on the sides so they will fold in when lifted up(otherwise itll never come up to access the spare tire) as well as gas struts like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Gas-Shocks-Struts-Hydraulic-Lifts-120lbs-x-20-1Pair_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247QQcategoryZ33656QQihZ017QQitemZ270045999593QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V
to assist holding it up so it wont be quite so heavy.

Looking forward to more pics of the finished product!!! Nice having a garage/workshop huh? The fiancee and I are looking into buying a house this summer, my only big requirement is a 2 car garage
-Cody

audiobliss

Wow, there's a lot of great potential in that install, Mac! Already looks really good, will only look that much better when you're done with all the trim pieces!

Keep us updated!

MacLeod

OK, got the sub trim panel done.

This one was easy in theory but still took 2 freaking hours of fitting and cutting, fitting and cutting, fitting and cutting. But finally got it to fit right, and just threw some carpet around it.



Then I fit it in and it looks pretty good when standing back about 10 feet.



But as usual with me, Im great in the big picture but I lose it on the details. So naturally I work for 2 hours on this piece and it doesnt cover the whole area. You can see the gaps on the end.



One thing is for sure, I am NOT going to pull this thing out and build another one!! So I guess Ill just have to build a lot of little trim pieces to blend it all in together.

Next thing on the list will be the panel that flushes with the amps. May try to get that tomorrow. Then all the little trim pieces to tie everything in and then the cover for the amps.

One thing else, man I LOVE this sub!! Ive never really been a bass head but I was just listening to some Dream Theater and it really is kinda cool having bass drum kicks take your breath away!! I wont be able to handle that for long tho but it is still damn cool to have it when I want it.

Toxis

Thank you Mac. You just solidified my plans for subs. I have the SR12 and two IDQ10's but couldn't get an idea of what to run. It's official. SR12 it is. I will have a bit more power so I can't imagine what that sub will do in my car. I'm excited though! I'll be going false floor with no spare tire for a stealth look when it's covered up. Who needs a spare... lol

MacLeod

I thought long and hard about not running a spare but since all the shows I hit, around 15 a season, being 3 hours or more away and a trip to Ohio to see the in-laws a couple times a year AND a 16 hour trip out to Texas once a year, I figure its better to be safe than have a stealthier looking install.

Topper

your running the sub amp at 2-ohms right? don't want to just pick up another sub and run the amp down to 1-ohm? doesn't look like it'll take up much more space in your trunk too .

By the way hows the new amps compared to the ones they just replaced?

exalted512

Mac-
The easiest way to do stuff like that is with a cardboard box and a razor knife. Trim, trim, trim until it fits perfect, then lay that on your MDF. Beats the hell outta throwing a 4' long strip out 100x until its perfect, just to find out you still have a gap!

Either way, its not that noticeable and would be an easy fix after everything else is done.

Great work! How many sides does that box have?
-Cody

exalted512

P.S. Hide the red wire on the driver's side of the trunk!

eloplayspolo

why dont u center the amps and put the processor up on the left side? might look my symetric. I cant freaking spell sorry.

MacLeod

exalted512 wrote: »

Mac-
The easiest way to do stuff like that is with a cardboard box and a razor knife. Trim, trim, trim until it fits perfect, then lay that on your MDF. Beats the hell outta throwing a 4' long strip out 100x until its perfect, just to find out you still have a gap!

Believe it or not I did use cardboard to make my template. Thing was I used 2 seperate pieces to make it easier to cut out the contours of the trunk (which are very screwed up and not the same on each side). The actual contours were about right but even with the cardboard template, when I threw it in there it still didnt line up with the sub properly. It was about 1" off which wasnt a huge deal but I had to do some trimming to get the piece to drop down enough to fit the sub. I cut little by little so thats why it took so long. I was trying for once in my life to be patient.

P.S. Hide the red wire on the driver's side of the trunk!

Thats the power wire for the processor. It doesnt need to be hid anymore because the trim plate Ill make to go flush over the amps will hide everything below. I wasnt going to do the trim plate since the PA amps have heat sinks that are supposed to cover the wires. Thing is that 4 gauge wire doesnt bend very easy and in order to get it to fit I had to bring it up about 1" passed the amp cover. No biggie, I really like the look of flush mounted amps anyway.

Great work! How many sides does that box have?

why dont u center the amps and put the processor up on the left side? might look my symetric.

I agree that its not the most symmetrical and I actually toyed with the idea of mounting the 700 under the seat and having only the amps mounted but that spot won out for several reasons.

- I like having all my gear right next to each other and easy to get to in case I need to get to anything.
- My RCA's are only 1.5 feet long and since Im redlining my wifes allowance already, $100 more for RCA's was a little much. I still need to buy battery terminals and a better battery not to mention more wood and trunk liner and a battery charger for shows.
- I really LOVE having 1.5' RCA's cause Im talking ZERO noise. Zip, zero, nada. Since theyre not even remotely anywhere close to anything that could induce noise, its clean as a whistle. And since Im running digital out from my head unit, I dont even have hiss! I can turn the volume up to 35 with a CD paused and here NOTHING! I love it!
- I already had all the wires ran back to the trunk from the previous install and since I figured I had plenty of work ahead of me, why spend an extra 2 hours re-running wires.

exalted512

Later on, if you ever want to redo it, you could just do it in masonite (hardboard). Cheap and easy to cut, then just wood glue it to your mdf and itll be just as sturdy

Cant wait til this summer so i can finish mine!
-Cody

Topper

am officially excited to see the end result

black magic

I couldn't help but notice that you removed the "Polk Audio" decal off of the processor

MacLeod

black magic wrote: »

I couldn't help but notice that you removed the "Polk Audio" decal off of the processor

Yeah, my last system was using Crossfire amps and the Momo sub was behind a wall firing into the cabin and I wanted something that said Polk staring back at people at shows when they looked in the trunk so I took an old decal I had and slapped it on there. Now that Ive got plenty of Polk logos showing I didnt need it. Plus in order to get the RCA's to fit I had to turn the processor sideways so the logo wouldve been upside down.

Took today off so I can watch House but will be back at it tomorrow. Hopefully Ill have the false floor done by tomorrow night or Wed night at the latest. Then its on to all the trim pieces to tie all the seams in and Ill be done. If all goes well I will be completely done by Friday night just in time for the show Saturday.

300m

Looks good Mac. I like the new amps......

MacLeod

Thanks bro! Yup, its nice finally having decent power.

So how goes yours? Ive heard lots of interesting things like mids in the engine compartment! Cant wait to hear that!

300m

If the speakers were any wider they would be outside the car, and if they were any further forward they would hit the strut towers. :cool: I have just begun the install though. Trying to get it done for Elite in August. I hope to see you at a show soon, I want to hear those new amps.

swerve

lookin' good Mac

MacLeod

Got the amp trim panel finished tonight. Was a bigger pain than the sub trim panel. Im sure there is a simple and easy way but this being the first time Ive ever tried anything like this and me not knowing **** about how to do this kinda thing, its kinda all trail and error.

Anyhoo - Here it is cut out (after about 3.5 million test fits) The gap cut into the top part is for the sub. I didnt really need it but it gives plenty of clearance when taking the panel in and out. Once carpeted I left a little fold to stick out there so you cant see it.



This is the bottom. I used 3/4 MDF and cut them to the right height to keep the trim plate just barely below the processor which sits lower than the amps.



Test fit. Perfect!! Hopefully itll fit better once carpeted and all the gaps will fill in. No problem. Im sure itll work out just fine. I had to cut a little notch out for the processor for the Ai-Net cable. It sticks up about 1/4" above the 700 and the panel wouldnt lay down flush.



Once I was satisfied that it was the right fit, it was time for the carpet.



And here it is installed. Perfect fit! NOT!



Look at the size of this f**king gap at the top of the bottom amp! Gawdamighty!



My good friend, Andy Jones, taught me that there is nothing you cant fix with a nice piece of foam! Stuff a little here - tuck a little there and.........



...BOOM! No more gap.



After carpeting the Ai-Net cable didnt stick out too bad and although its noticeable its not terrible. The one thing Im not happy about is that the panel is about 1/8th of an inch too tall for the processor. I wanted it to poke out just a smidge but intsead it sits flush. Between the Ai-Net cable and the carpet it just wont go down that one little bit but Im not about to pull the carpet off and start cutting again.



Im just about done now. Tomorrow Ill make the pieces thatll tie in the sub panel with the rest of the trunk. That shouldnt be too hard. Ive also decided that Im going to make some panels to fit on either side of the amps to make everything nice and level but Im only going to put them in for shows. With no panels on the side Ive got 2" deep pockets that are very handy for storing things and my tool bag fits perfect in the right side pocket.

My goal isnt to build a show car install, its to look presentable and show off the gear but it HAS to keep my trunk as usable as possible cause I drive the hell out of this car all over the country. I know this is something Josh or Thom could do with one hand and while sleeping but considering my goal and the fact that I dont have a CLUE what Im doing, I dont think it looks that bad!

audiobliss

Mac, man, that looks awesome! I didn't know that's what you meant when you said you were going to do a trim piece for the amps, but that's perfect! Like you said, the trunk's still usable, but it really looks like a nice, clean install.

You're making me so jealous! Can't wait to see the final product, and I'm sure you can't wait to see people's reactions when you take it to shows!

MacLeod

Thanks dude, but trust me, this is amateur hour here. There are cars at these shows 100 times better than what Im doing. Im just wanting something that I can pop my trunk at these shows and have something halfway presentable so when Im sitting next to some bad **** install, mine wont look pathetic.

audiobliss

Well, I think you've definitely reached your goal with flying colors!

Wanna come to NC sometime soon and do an install in a Jeep....?....:D

MacLeod

Hell no! Thats the main reason I suck at installing - I HATE DOING IT! I love listening to great car audio and I really love tuning it and tweaking it and I absolutely love competing in SQ competitions but I freaking HATE installing with all my heart. If I was poopin' money Id take it down to Jeff Smith in Atlanta, give him my credit card, tell him what I wanted where and come back when it was done. But since Im a broke **** and my wife only lets me spend so much, I have to do it myself.