Fiat 500e - Daily Driver SQ Build

While Bespoke Mobile Audio was building my front stage in the 370z last winter ( see my other post for details ) I took the downtime to work on my new-to-me Fiat 500e commuter.


(sorry for the huge image sizes, I couldn't get them to resize smaller)
I wanted to build something that was enjoyable to listen to, not too serious about SQ - I wouldn't compete with this car, and fairly low budget compared to the Z.


After seeing the Alpine Halo9 at CES in 2018 I had to have it in my little commuter, the giant screen reminded me of the big screens like the Model 3.


The installation of the Halo9 was a complete pain, and required some serious cutting of the inside of the dash to fit it. Ultimately it looks like a success but it could be way better. I have another dash kit that I may go back and install at a later point. I did lose the center vents, but I live in a fairly temperate climate so not a huge deal.


https://i.imgur.com/aMS1UCv.jpg


After the radio was in, the system needed to be upgraded. A friend offered me a good price on a NOS Audible Physics 3-way, with the H6, AR3A, and the AP20 tweeter. I've heard this setup and really enjoyed it, so this was a no-brainer.


The H6 mid-bass drivers went into the doors, along with a treatment of Noico butyl damper and Noico closed cell foam and foam speed-rings.


Fabrication went through several iterations, I did snow-man style 3d printer rings but couldn't get an appealing look on the pillar, I ended up doing a single peice of acryllic cut on the CNC to match some misc 3" grills I had laying around, and rounded over the edge with a router. These rings turned out great for minimal effort and would allow to be swap to slightly larger mid if I wanted to in the future.


https://i.imgur.com/3CfL1sr.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/XxeypLk.jpg




I did some fitment testing, and ended up placing the mids a little higher than I think most people would.
I sealed the mid to the apillar, fiberglass/resin/t-shirt material for initial shaping.


https://i.imgur.com/AdASAJ3.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/Bu01TAM.jpg




Through this process I sealed the holes in the original tweeter location, ran several layers of glass over the stretched shirt, and tested fitment and aiming, the mids are aimed at the opposite seat's head rest.


https://i.imgur.com/j6oWOLx.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/o7I4HZq.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/wHG7T38.jpg




I tried several finish techniques, I suck at wrapping vinyl, so that was out. I ended up having to strip the adhesive and sand a ton... Next option was SEM texture paint, this went on nicely, but my finish work was wanting so it wasn't as pretty as I hoped.


https://i.imgur.com/TxJ8uXl.jpg




I got the idea from a friend to flock the pods, this was really fun experiment and the results are really great! This was the option I stuck with.


https://i.imgur.com/GDgGxYx.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/oOZl4NF.jpg




The Final Interior Product:
https://i.imgur.com/iGIZ9I7.jpg




Once the doors/pillars were good, I moved onto the trunk, I needed to keep the ability to load some groceries or a few backpacks, so I went all class-d amps.


The first iteration was Tru Technologies M1 and a Helix P-Six Mk2. Along with an Arc Black 10" sub.


After a while I switched the M1 to an Arc 1100.1 which was a huge upgrade.


I didn't take as many photos during the process, but the methodology is simple: lay down glass for the back and bottom, cut a ring (flush cut!), position and wrap with fleece and a few layers of glass. this measured out to .74cuft, a bit smaller than I hoped.


https://i.imgur.com/tYm8WqO.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/28WZ9BS.jpg


I built a quick carpeted wood sheet amp rack and make a false floor raised up to be flush with the base of the sub.


https://i.imgur.com/lWdt94i.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/eDYf1LB.jpg


If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

I was going to say spring fever is in the air because I see a lot of builds starting around that time but you live in a temperate climate. Nevertheless very nice build you got there.

Thank you, I appreciate the comments, this is the first build I did myself that I was really proud of the final outcome.