81citation
Member
Let me start off with saying hello, im new to this forum, but not new to car audio, so I hope this post will help some of you out.
so, just picked up a 08 mazdaspeed 3 a few weeks ago, and now is the time to tear out the bose system.
A few goals for this build, number one is it to be as plug and play as possible. I want everything to look completely stock, and use as much factory wiring as possible. Also to get a nice SQL setup, the L is for showing off
I am SO SORRY that the pics are so crappy, but it was eleventy billion degrees out, and I just wanted to get the install done, so all I had was my cell phone.
The story begins with the bose amp under the drivers seat. I pull out the seat, and find the amp, then I notice that the harness going into it looks very similar to a newer generation GM radio harness. I was very lucky, because the headunit is supplying a line level out to the bose amp, so all I had to do was splice in some RCA's and run them to the new amp. So I do a little research, and find this little gem...
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_20154_PAC+ADD-GM24A.html
This is the perfect harness to the mazda amp, all I had to do was splice in a few wires, and move some pins around to get this...
The nice thing about this is that I cut no factory wires, and everything is reversable when I want to sell the car. BTW here is the factory wire colors for the bose amp I pulled off another forum.
TOP - In order from left to right (Speaker Outs)
grey w/ red stripe (FR-)
white w/ red stripe (FR+)
grey w/ black stripe (FL-)
white w/ black stripe (FL+)
solid grey (BR-)
solid white (BR+)
grey w/ white stripe (BL-)
white w/ purple stripe (BL+)
BOTTOM - In order from left to right (signal inputs)
solid blue (remote turn on)
solid purple (FL+)
green w/ white paint (FL-)
solid red (FR+)
solid green (FR-)
brown w/ blue stripe (BL+)
yellow w/ blue stripe (BL-)
yellow w/ green stripe (BR+)
white w/ blue stripe (BR-)
The power wire was a snap to install, it was as if they designed the car to run power through the firewall. I pulled out the glovebox, and found a giant gromet with a harness running through it. in the gromet was a small rubber nub, if you cut out the nub, you get a perfect size hole for a 4gauge wire to pass through.
Here is the engine side
You cant see it that well, but there is also a channel along the top of the firewall that I tucked the power wire into to get to the other side of the car.
So now that the input and power is all done, we move onto the amps, I have a Rockford p300-2 for the Fronts pushing 100rms, and a Rockford p500-1bd pushing 700rms. I chose these amps because I had them laying around, so they're free.
I chose to mount the amps under the passenger seat, this is where the factory bose sub resides. This has to be the saddest attempt at producing a subwoofer...Ever.
How cute...
Here are both amps stacked and wired up for the most part.
These BARLEY fit under the seat, but there under there.
Next came the front speakers, I chose a set of Image Dynamics CTX-6.5cs comps. The main reason I chose these is because I had an ID sub in the past, and absolutely loved it, and I have read reviews on ID comps, and most of them are good. so I pulled the trigger and bought these. The speakers them selves are insanely heavy, almost 4lbs a piece. They look like they could take so abuse from the beefy magnet and large surround.
I tore out the bose speakers, and found that they use a ford harness
so I bought this harness adapter
I had to cut a few baffles because the factory size hole is a 6x8
Did some eDead to dampen around the speaker, but didn't go crazy covering the who door.
Next I found a little sunk in area in the door to mount the crossover.
popped in the speaker and called it a day.
I used the factory location for the tweeters, they are on the door near the mirrors, they popped right into place after pulling the bose units out, no custom mounting required, sorry no pics
Sub enclosure is coming next
so, just picked up a 08 mazdaspeed 3 a few weeks ago, and now is the time to tear out the bose system.
A few goals for this build, number one is it to be as plug and play as possible. I want everything to look completely stock, and use as much factory wiring as possible. Also to get a nice SQL setup, the L is for showing off
I am SO SORRY that the pics are so crappy, but it was eleventy billion degrees out, and I just wanted to get the install done, so all I had was my cell phone.
The story begins with the bose amp under the drivers seat. I pull out the seat, and find the amp, then I notice that the harness going into it looks very similar to a newer generation GM radio harness. I was very lucky, because the headunit is supplying a line level out to the bose amp, so all I had to do was splice in some RCA's and run them to the new amp. So I do a little research, and find this little gem...
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_20154_PAC+ADD-GM24A.html
This is the perfect harness to the mazda amp, all I had to do was splice in a few wires, and move some pins around to get this...
The nice thing about this is that I cut no factory wires, and everything is reversable when I want to sell the car. BTW here is the factory wire colors for the bose amp I pulled off another forum.
TOP - In order from left to right (Speaker Outs)
grey w/ red stripe (FR-)
white w/ red stripe (FR+)
grey w/ black stripe (FL-)
white w/ black stripe (FL+)
solid grey (BR-)
solid white (BR+)
grey w/ white stripe (BL-)
white w/ purple stripe (BL+)
BOTTOM - In order from left to right (signal inputs)
solid blue (remote turn on)
solid purple (FL+)
green w/ white paint (FL-)
solid red (FR+)
solid green (FR-)
brown w/ blue stripe (BL+)
yellow w/ blue stripe (BL-)
yellow w/ green stripe (BR+)
white w/ blue stripe (BR-)
The power wire was a snap to install, it was as if they designed the car to run power through the firewall. I pulled out the glovebox, and found a giant gromet with a harness running through it. in the gromet was a small rubber nub, if you cut out the nub, you get a perfect size hole for a 4gauge wire to pass through.
Here is the engine side
You cant see it that well, but there is also a channel along the top of the firewall that I tucked the power wire into to get to the other side of the car.
So now that the input and power is all done, we move onto the amps, I have a Rockford p300-2 for the Fronts pushing 100rms, and a Rockford p500-1bd pushing 700rms. I chose these amps because I had them laying around, so they're free.
I chose to mount the amps under the passenger seat, this is where the factory bose sub resides. This has to be the saddest attempt at producing a subwoofer...Ever.
How cute...
Here are both amps stacked and wired up for the most part.
These BARLEY fit under the seat, but there under there.
Next came the front speakers, I chose a set of Image Dynamics CTX-6.5cs comps. The main reason I chose these is because I had an ID sub in the past, and absolutely loved it, and I have read reviews on ID comps, and most of them are good. so I pulled the trigger and bought these. The speakers them selves are insanely heavy, almost 4lbs a piece. They look like they could take so abuse from the beefy magnet and large surround.
I tore out the bose speakers, and found that they use a ford harness
so I bought this harness adapter
I had to cut a few baffles because the factory size hole is a 6x8
Did some eDead to dampen around the speaker, but didn't go crazy covering the who door.
Next I found a little sunk in area in the door to mount the crossover.
popped in the speaker and called it a day.
I used the factory location for the tweeters, they are on the door near the mirrors, they popped right into place after pulling the bose units out, no custom mounting required, sorry no pics
Sub enclosure is coming next
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