another full stereo install log.

[bfowler]

i know there lots of them on here, but hopefully this will still help someone:

this was the first install in a LONG time where i got to actually have the vehicle for the duration of the install (instead of the owner needing it drivable at the end of the day) so i got to really go to town on it.

this is the girlfriends car, and she didnt really care what i did so long as it didnt scream STEAL ME. and there was still room for the dog.

also, i thought it worth mentioning the extremely LOW cost of this install.
gear:

-kenwood x590 (bought for $40 from a friend)

-pg rsd6cs (bought of amazon for $50 shipped)
-pg rsdc102 (bought for 70 shipped on amazon)
-pg xs2200 (ebay, almost bnib for 40 shipped)
-pg xs2500 (needed to be fixed, $50 total)
-monster 4awg cable, $25 from the radioshack liquidation!
-jl rca cables, dblocks from the JL closeout section (75 shipped)
-speaker wire $5 from PG where house sale
-edead....$80 shipped
-foam baffles, dashkit and harness $50


some stock photos:

prep. so yeah, i got to keep this car for a week, so i took the whole thing apart:

 

[bfowler]

added some rattle/resonance deadener. its worth noting that most of it is edead40 which pretty much sucks. you have to cut a ton of recess cuts in it as its own weight+adhesion will NOT hold it down in curves. this lead to some rather ugly sections. the edead80 seems to work just fine though. ya live and learn i guess. however now that i'm done, i'm pretty happy with the overall results. the road noise in that car is noticeably less, the doors feel amazingly solid. in the rear doors i went for a triple attack with the 40mil. a deadened the body metal, a layer over the holes in the inner door, and strips on the door panel to reduce vibrations too. in the front i donated some dynamatX for the body metal. a layer over of 40mil the holes in the inner door, and the cascade audio spray for the inside of the door panels.

 

[bfowler]

running cables:

 

[bfowler]

rather then the crummy metra kit, i went with the mazda mp3 factory pocket.

i also painted it, the factory bezel, and the kenwood trim ring flat black as well as the plastic center console/cup holder. since a few of those were silver from mazda, and scratched over its life time.

 

[bfowler]

in the back i threw in some pg octane-r 6's....they are rear fill...so dont really care that they have one of the worst tweets i have heard. plus i got them for free when i took them out of another install.

in the front i cut a 6x8 to 6" adapter from 1/4 ABS and bolted it into the factory bolts with a foam baffle to protect from the elements. i attached the rsd 6 mid.

i also sprayed the back of the door panels with cascade audio deadening spray

 

[bfowler]

for the tweets, i used the factory location sail panel, and dropped in the rsd tweet. i am a firm believer that there is no problem that tons of hot glue can't fix.

also, since the rsds are a little bright for me when they are up in the sail panels. i covered them in t shirt material when i put them in. this also made them invisible when installed

 

[bfowler]

for the LPL,(remote bass knob) there were no dead panels so i used a little trick i picked up from from my buddy. put it on the steering column. its very incognito, and easy to reach. the pg one had silver on it. i painted it black too

 

[bfowler]

behold, the amp rack. i had to make sure she could still get to the spare tire when i was done. pics can tell the rest. (note, the ground block is just hanging out becasue the surface i'm mounting it to doesn't exist yet.

also, some pics of the grounding point. i took out the factory cargo hooks, so the remaining bolts just were begging to be utilized

 

[bfowler]

for the box heres what i got so far. i built a wood frame that counters to the floor line. i can also mount a normal baffle to it when i'm done. messing with rings and finishing the front fiberglass isnt something i love doing.

you will notice the little wood block in the back. that is so i can bolt the box in. it lines up and the bolts threads into a factory nut where the factory jack used to mount. (now it lives on top of the spare tire becasue there is extra clearance from my false floor.

More to come soon!

 

[azuelke]

Great build, can't wait to see everything together!

 

[CheeseHelmet]

Amazing work, I'd love to one day add some sound deadening material to the floor and doors of my car

Is pulling up and reinstalling the carpet very hard?

 

[bfowler]

thanks!

not really if you have a good panel popper tool all the plastic clips are pretty accessible.

the difficult parts were the rear door handles have very stiff metal clips. and the hatch plastic panel uses metal clips that give you some grief going back in. also, the center console coming apart is a little tricky, but not too hard

also, i regret using the foil/butal sound deadening on the floor. it didnt really do much. i should have saved it for inside plastic panels on the door and center console to stop rattles (which is what its really for) and got some closed cell foam for the floor to really absorb the road noise

 

[Flav]

^

i'm with cheese on this.

 

[CheeseHelmet]

thanks!

not really if you have a good panel popper tool all the plastic clips are pretty accessible.

You talking about these things?

 

[bfowler]

yep, you should be set!

 

[stereomazda3]

you have done very clean clean set up my man i love being a car audio installer its nice to see a pro home job for a change easy to fix any problems that might happen down the road good luck with putting every thing back together cant wait to see more pics of the car finished

 

[Rockin03mp5]

very nice. love the clean install!

your tweets were small enough to fit in the sail panels huh.

 

[P5Rydah]

looks good. nice job on taking the time to do it right. my only question is, how are you going to let the amps breathe a little? i had an amp hidden in my old car and i have no doubt that it got too hot too many times and didn't last as long as it should have

What paint did you use to redo the radio bezel? Looks like a good match. I need to do mine too

 

[Hank3]

Fantastic job!

 

[WhiteKnight]

Looks great! I have the same bosch drill, I love it!