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OK, I'll try to do a quick picture update on this one to bring you all up to speed. If you're interested in the banter about what the plans are and such, its on DIYMA. seeing as how half of you are banned there though... :facepalm:
Here's a link to the slideshow...much easier than me posting 400 pics :dizzy:
http://s61.photobucket.com/user/soes...Mazdaspeed%203
From this point forward I'll update with pics to this thread.
There's only 316 pics :rolleyes:
That's some major shoehorn work you did on those kicks. nice work!
Thanks Al
This install is taking a hell of alot of time...
Those kicks are awesome Steve!! Big thumbs up and I hope to see you in Pottsville come September.
what speakers are you shoehorning into the kicks ?
Wow.. lookin' good.. How is clutching with the pods?
Thanks Howard (and everyone else)!
The plan is to use the JL ZR800 in the kick enclosures.
Here's another little update:
Still working on the kicks. I still have to make the coverplate and finish these up to look more like the picture mockup.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2042.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2047.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2045.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2048.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2049.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2050.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2053.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2054.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2052.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2055.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2068.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2062.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ksPart2059.jpg
They dont look great yet, but I still have quite a bit of work to do to make the cover section to conceal them (and the midbasses). FYI- I simply sprayed them with a coat of flat black to check for imperfections and get a feel for how they might blend with the interior. I still think that the final product will be covered with matching black carpet.
Very nice.From what I`m seeing here it looks like you hot glued everything together,then polyester resin(?),then bondo?I envy your skills.
Capn'! So the neo10s are a go after all? I thought you had to drop back and punt that idea?
Good eye ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by HK666
Yep, I drilled the panels out and then sanded with 80 grit to give a good bonding surface for the material to adhere (lessons learned from previous builds) to and then aimed and secured the mounting baffle with hot glue and pieces of 3/8" wooden dowel rod. Using thick rod like this certainly helps with stability for the piece. Once I get them hot glued in place, I hit the dowels and the surface with resin to soak them and bond them to the piece. Then, I started in with the chopped matt and resin, followed with Rage Gold filler. And lots of sanding....
Not exactly... The neo10's are out and the neo8"S" version are in ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by claydo
They were just too large and would have pushed these out too far. The only other mounting option I considered (outside of pillars which would have been rough at their size) was to mount these dipole hanging directly in front of the 8" midbass. I'm not sure how that would pan out though...
Oh, ok. Hope to hear it in a few weeks.
A small update for today. I cut the hole for the passenger side venting to outside and then fabricated up the screens. They are made from concrete lathing mesh and covered with thick grill cloth that has been treated with Scotchguard.
Up first though, I decided to wrap the mid/tweet enclosures in black carpet to better match the interior materials down there and make them less noticeable.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels013.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels020.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels019.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels015.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels017.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels016.jpg
The old grill making technique...
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels025.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels024.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels026.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels027.jpg
These are the covers for the holes venting to the outside.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels030.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels031.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels033.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels021.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels022.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels029.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels032.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels034.jpg
I sprayed undercoating on the cutout areas for protection.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels036.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels035.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels037.jpg
The screens were screwed into the metal, then all seames were covered with aluminum tape, then followed up with rubber undercoating for extra protection.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels038.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels039.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...kPanels040.jpg
Wow looking good capn!
Thanks Clay!
Once I drill the mounting holes in for each piece, get the wires pulled through and into these pieces, I can mount them up and secure them to the body metal. I'm almost done with these kicks...
Then I can turn my attention to the trunk :)
Yes sir time for the b-b-bass!
I may be a moron here but is that big planar not capable of doing HF duty?
Because a lot of much larger planars are.....
It may be able to...remains to be seen. The frequency response graphs from B&G show a big drop at 10K in the horizontal plane, and is very sensitive vertically as well. I'm sure with plenty of EQ it could be done, but I have the NEO3's as well and was able to integrate them into the design so I figured why not? If anything, it should allow me to use a lower crossover point on the neo8S and try to keep them out of the range where they get a little unruly ;)
Here's the data sheet:
http://meniscusaudio.com/images/NEO8...eet%20Rev1.pdf
.
Can't wait to hear how these sound. I am really curious how they are going to do with feet and legs in the way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by captainobvious
I used some of the Butyl Rope from Don's SDS site to provide a good seal and some additional dampening between the midbass pods and the sheet metal. Then, I pre-drilled osme holes and used sheet metal screws to secure the pods to the metal. You can see the butyl squeezed through in some areas. It forms a nice seal there. I also ran the speaker wires from the enclosures to the termination point and added a screw down for the midrange pods to secure them. Pics are a little out of order, but you get the idea.
Pics help....
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/012-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/013.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/014.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/015-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/016.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/018-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/019-1.jpg
Also unseen in these pics- I put a layer of open cell foam on the floor of the spare tire well under the box and a layer on the bottom of the box.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/002.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/003.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/004.jpg
Template for the single piece...
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/007.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ed%203/008.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/010-1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/009-2.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/011-2.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/012-2.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...%203/013-2.jpg
.
The box being made is to house a JL 13TW5 sub. JL recommends a 0.8 cu ft enclosure for this driver which gives a QTC of 0.94. The internal volume of this enclosure is 0.958 and the sub only displaces about 0.05 cubic feet so I'll net about 0.91 cubic feet internal airspace and will lower the overall system Q a bit. The hole cut in the bottom is to allow the spare tire mount to pass through. I will be using this factory mounting point to secure the sub box/structure and will use another wood piece to cover and seal this hole. The baffle size is 16x18 so I still have room to upsize to the 15" AE down the road if I decide I want to go that route.
Still working on putting the trunk together, piece by piece. I screwed in thick gauge metal supports to attach the base floor piece to the sub enclosure. (The enclosure will be bolted to the factory spare tire mount to secure the whole piece). I also used more ensolite foam to ensure this structure is resonance free and decoupled from the metal floor. I cutout a sub baffle and mounted that as well. You'll notice that I used ensolite on the back of the baffle as well. I could have used standard wood glue or butyl, but I want this piece to be removable in case I want to mount a different driver in the box at some point. 28 wood screws lock the baffle in place so it's not going anywhere ;)
Another thing you'll notice (and I'm surprised noone mentioned it yet) is that the sub box is offset quite a bit to the right side of the trunk area. The reason for that is that the actual spare tire well is shifted to the right side of the vehicle. In order to keep the end result looking as symmetrical as possible, I decided to mount the sub with as much offset to the left as I could afford. In the picture, you'll see 2 amps mocked up. While the sub box is quite obviously closer to the right amp, the distance from the center of the sub to either amp (left or right) remains very consistent. The subwoofer sits about 1.5" higher than the amps, and the distribution block is even shorter. I want all three to look like they are on basically the same plane visually once the cover piece is on, so I'm raising the amps and distro to produce that effect. I will also use ensolite on the mount for the subs to ensure their chassis' are decoupled from and vibrations of the subwoofer enclosure. These amps are huge so it's going to be a tight squeeze. I should have just enough clearance for power/speaker connections on the far end and rca's on the near end. I wish these had the same input/output layout as the DC Ref series where they are all on the long side.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...Install066.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...Install067.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...Install068.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...Install069.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...Install070.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...Install072.jpg
Coming along nicely capn. , great progress!
Thanks Clay! Seeing as how this meet is coming up quickly on me, I need to hustle :)
I'll be working on this more a few hours here and there over the course of this week (Can really only do anything in the evenings after the normal day job).
Looking good :thumbup:
Why can't they center the spare well? :hmmmm: It about made me crazy trying to get my subs centered in trunk http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...O/DSCN1134.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by captainobvious
They usually have to compensate for room for the exhaust/silencer underneath. Mine was only slightly off-center, so I could make the sub go dead-center. But that's because the silencer in the Leon/Golf is placed far back and laterally (behind the bumper).
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/m...271_resize.jpg
Well at least I'm not alone :)
I imagine there's some clearance issue for exhaust or other components under the trunk area. It is a little annoying though. These amps are friggin huge as is so I need all the space I can get.
Yesterday I got a couple hours in and worked on some of the front
wiring. The way I've set this up is to have a junction point
at the front of the vehicle for speaker wires where the feed from
the back will terminate. I will then connect any of the front speakers
to these runs via terminal blocks. The reason I chose to do this is in
case I decide to edit the configuration of the system down the road. I
want to keep things as easy as possible for making changes should I
decide to do so.
The bundles from the back are in the striped black and white techflex. I
started by relabeling them close to the cut point to avoid any mis-steps.
Next, I stripped and crimped spade ends on each cable. I then soldered the
connectors as well for a better, more solid connection. I followed that up
by using some heatshrink tubing over the connection points and then screwed
them down to the terminal blocks. One is for the left side speakers, and
one is for the right side. There is also an open terminal for a spare.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ing/photo1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ing/photo6.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ing/photo5.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ing/photo4.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ing/photo2.jpg
These strips also include a protective plastic cover over the terminals, a
nice feature.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...ing/photo3.jpg
My other car has a totally flat trunk. Suspended spare wheel FTW. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by captainobvious
Looking GREAT Steve, cant wait to get a listen!!
Thanks Howard :) I can't wait to hear it too hah.
Continued...
More work on the trunk. I used ensolite foam on the mounts for the amps and the wiring distribution piece.
Also painted the base and enclosure, and then sprayed rubber undercoating on the inside of the enclosure.
Pieces drying
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk010.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk011.jpg
Amps will just fit
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk012.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk013.jpg
These things are massive, heavy and quite pretty :)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk015.jpg
Foam backer on the amp mount pieces. This should help decouple them from the energy produced by the sub.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk017.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk018.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk019.jpg
In place and screwed down
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk020.jpg
Shown in the trunk
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk021.jpg
Working on the cover piece measurements. I still havent decided if I want to do plexi cutouts or perforated metal. What do you guys think? One
one hand, it would be great to be able to show off the amps a bit. On the other hand, the perforated metal allows for better ventilation
and cooling...
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h7...k/Trunk022.jpg
I know it wont win the popular vote, but I'm not one for form over function, so I say black mesh. I also think those all black zapcos have a real industrial look that will go great with some heavy mesh, really dig an " all business " feel. One thing that has always scared me away from plexi tho, how does it age? This may be unwarranted, because I've never tried it. I know in commercial applications with a lil age on it, most of it looks like shit after some wear and tear......is this true in a car?
Oh, and they ( the zapcos) look sick riding the borders of your sub enclosure, wish you would have dropped in that jl for that pic!