Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
So, I don't have a lot planned for this ride yet, but, in the spirit of trying to get more involved in this forum/community again....I will X-Post my purchase post from another forum then build on that.
the base to start building on this time is a 2011 Ford Taurus (not granny's ol Ford Taurus--that's fo sure.)
It is the "Limited" model--which is one step "down" from there twin Turbo SHO Model.
I got the 3.5L V6 engine with front wheel drive tied up to a 6 speed transmission with the optional manual Paddle shifters.
3.5-liter V6
263 horsepower @ 6250 rpm
249 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/28 FWD (Edit: I've found I can eek out 19-20 MPG in town with careful driving)
And more gadgets and toys inside than I know what to do with--but I think I will get used to Microsoft Sync software if I can just remind myself to use it.
(*Edit on the Sync Software: it plays VERY NICELY with my New Note 5. )
Here are some pictures right after I bought it.
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/taurus/2011/
http://www.cars.com/ford/taurus/2011/expert-reviews/
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...213_091646.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...213_091622.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...213_091633.jpg
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...212_105101.jpg
I will try to get some pics of the Power installation, (wires, Dist Blocks, etc) and also what I have done so far to get my old Image Dynamics Servo Subwoofer system hooked up.
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
Congrats on the new ride.
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
That's a nice ride for sure! Good deal :thumbup:
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
Nice whip, NeeNee! Tuned in for more stuff...
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
This is the little cheapo panel poppers I found on-line. I think Ford had a Surplus of those stupid lil button/screw/ popper things. (I have NO Idea what they are called. LOL )
http://www.caraudiojunkies.com/attac...8&d=1454081340
Don't give me too much grief; but here is my simple homemade solution to adapt my speaker level inputs on the Infinity Servo Sub System I have. (Pics of that later) That beast has been with me for years and years and still provides me with sufficient low end for that little extra punch. I tried to get with the manufacturer to see if I could purchase the stock plug for it but the customer service people I dealt with were clueless! So Frustrating. And come to find out, they are the mini pins. BUT, to my benefit, they are the same size as the pins on an old VGA video adapter. Soooo, to make it easy to remove this from my trunk I found two quick power disconnects and a male/female VGA plug and soldered my own. Obviously I need to loom it and shrink wrap the ends but I ran out of that stuff. It will be right when it goes in the car.
http://www.caraudiojunkies.com/attac...7&d=1454081340
more later:
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
I'm in.. Man I tell ya I'm really digging Ford cars as of late.. The new Taurus and Fusion both, and I kinda got a thing for a Focus RS and I've always had a Ford Edge fetish.
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Babs
I'm in.. Man I tell ya I'm really digging Ford cars as of late.. The new Taurus and Fusion both, and I kinda got a thing for a Focus RS and I've always had a Ford Edge fetish.
The Flex is a guilty pleasure of mine. So ugly, but so powerful!
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
So, thanks to James and his knowing exactly what excites me, -- LOL! -- he has got me thinking about building a system around a DSP 88R. I am still doing my research at this point in the game to decide what processor is going to allow me the most compatibility and how it is going to integrate in to my proposed upgrades.
Ya- this 'build' may span a year or two but a brighter future is going to allow a little extra spending to finally finish an install before the engine dies or the transmission takes a poo on me. And Hey--this car was built in the same Decade and has under 100K miles on it!
soooo, on to some organizing thoughts and idears:
the #1 rule this time around is going to be Stealth. With that being said, I will only be using my factory head unit and the factory mounting locations. The nice thing is the system already has 7 channels:
L/R - Front: by Nines in the lower front doors
L/R - Front: Tweeters in the sail panels (A-Pillars)
Center in a clever dash cut-out that is tilted toward the passenger compartment
L/R - Rear: By nines in the lower rear doors
--
1) Source:
Ford has integrated everything from the HVAC/Sync/Bluetooth/Steering wheel Controls/Back up camera & Alert system/and engine diagnostics all in to the center console. Since the idea is to keep everything stock / stealth I will not be replacing the conglomeration that is my source unit. After doing some research to find what my "options" are, they are sending all signals to the amp on a single bus line. What I have Not found is if there is a way to tap in to this pre-amp signal or am I stuck with tapping the outputs of this amplifier to feed the Processor at speaker level signals?
2) Amplification:
Keeping with the Theme noted above; it has been in my head that I should use multiple small(er) amplifiers (probably looking at 4 or 5) for flexibility in hiding them all versus using one (or two) larger multi-channel amps. Any thoughts on this? Advantages or Disadvantages?
I will post the wiring diagram I found as soon as possible too.
I do not plan to compete with this system as it is purely for MY enjoyment and having something to drive to "show" at GTG's. It also does not need to be super high powered--it just needs to overcome what little road noise I have to deal with. (the Taurus is a solidly built car)
This is my plan for the near future anyways. My mother is getting up in years and has got a travel bug so we plan on putting some miles on the car driving to see the country, etc. Who am I kidding-- I want to travel and see "more" of the places I have driven through in a semi truck but never had the time to stop and enjoy.
Re: Nee Grabs the Bull by the Horns
Sounds simple enough. I've researched quite a few different builds with a very similar setup. Are we looking to keep it as budget friendly as possible? Looking to go active, semi-active? Wanting to keep the rears?