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Thread: 1996 Corvette Build

  1. Back To Top    #1
    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    1996 Corvette Build

    So this one is going to be a slow moving build but I thought I’d at least share what I’m doing with you guys. This isn’t an SQ build in the strictest definition. While I am interested in having good tonality, true imaging & sound-staging is not a priority. Honestly, the main priority is to be able to enjoy music while being heard over the engine/exhaust and with the windows down and, on very rare occasions, with the top off.

    Here’s the car:
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    As stated in the title it’s a 96, with the LT4 Grand Sport motor & 6spd. I’ve already installed a muffler delete exhaust kit and intake parts are currently being shipped.

    Currently the system consists of a Pioneer AVH-4400BH running to a PPI ion 5ch amp which powers Dayton AMT tweeters, Dayton 4.5” carbon fiber mids & Dayton 6.5” subwoofers.

    If you’re familiar at all with these cars then you’ll know that there really is almost NO room to put anything. I originally wanted a completely stock appearance so I modified the front Bose enclosures to fit the mids/tweets and fit the subs in the factory rear enclosures and dropped the amp in the cubby behind the passenger seat. Photos will be following but the results were not what I expected so a complete redo, new install will be forthcoming. My BIGGEST complaint is the lack of bass while driving. I’m not sure if it’s cancellation from the exhaust or if the subs just can’t keep up. Everything is fine while at idle or with the engine off.

    So here’s current install

    Head unit
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    This took a LOT of trimming and adjustments to fit properly and to get the screen to not bind opening & closing.

    Here’s the OEM Bose enclosure with a 4.5” mid & 2”? tweeter. As you can see the tabs are broken off on one side so mounting them back in had to get a little creative with some metal plumbers strapping.
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    Here’s the new mids/tweets in the modified enclosure. It looks kinda ragged but they sealed up nicely using the factory speaker gaskets. And believe it or not the enclosure is actually ported (the rounded part under the tweeter), which is also why I thought I’d try this way first. Not TOO bad but you can only get so much out of a 4” speaker. Drivers side is pictured but the passenger side looks exactly the same... down to the broken tabs.
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    On to the subs... The OEM rear location is actually a sealed area of the rear fender.
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    I mounted the Dayton in place of the OEM driver and you can also see the port attached to the baffle. Unfortunately I have no idea of the actual size of the enclosure so I can’t tell what it’s tuned to. Not sure if that contributes to my lack of bass but I’m doubtful because, again, it sounds great when not driving.
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  2. Back To Top    #2
    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    The power wire was a little tricky because, yet again, there’s literally no room. The engine compartment is just jam-packed. I didn’t even know about this until I bought the car but to even access the battery you have to remove a panel between the drivers door & front tire. So I mounted the fuse holder to the battery tray directly below the battery.

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    Another view to give an idea of location
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    I didn’t get a final hooked-up photo but there’s a total of 8” between the batt terminal & fuse holder. Honestly, you wouldn’t be able to see much even if I DID get a pic.

    The power wire enters the cabin via a grommet in the door jamb above the OEM boot. I know some people just cringed when they read door jamb but remember it’s RIGHT behind the battery. If you use the grouping of red wires in the above pic & below pic as reference you’ll see it’s easily accessible, a short distance, as well as having ZERO chances of pinching on anything.
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    I tried getting a pic of the amp in the storage cubby but none of them really came out well. Now I guess it’s on to the rebuild. I’m not sure if I want to reuse the Dayton’s for the front stage or something else. I have 2 other options that I have laying around from past installs in other cars. Both actually have VERY little playing time and are practically brand new.
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    I think I can get either to fit with a little work. I’ve been really biased towards the Alpine 6x9s but I’m not sure if the limited space will get me the increased bass presence I’m looking for (and the reason I’m biased towards using them). The Infinity’s are 2ohm so I’ll get a little more power out of the amp which is a good thing as well. Also keep in mind that the front speakers have to play THROUGH the carpet...
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    I know it’d be easy to top-mount the Alpines to the OEM grille but that would involve cutting the OEM grille and finding parts for these cars is getting harder, especially the older they get, and I always like to be able to return them to stock if I ever decide to sell. I can get new grilles but they’re over $100 and I don’t want to have to buy them yet if I don’t need to. And the Infinity’s didn’t come with grilles

    Anyone have any experience with these cars? Or can offer any input?

  3. Back To Top    #3
    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    Tear down and planning has commenced! I’ve decided to use the Alpine 6x9s for the front stage. Reason #1 is simply because they come with grilles and the Infinity’s do not. So that’s one less thing I have to fabricate. Reason #2 is to see if I can get even just a little more bass out of this thing. So after lining everything up this is about where they’re going to sit.

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    Of course, like I said, nothing ever goes easy on this stupid car. So the factory grille isn’t quite as flat as it looks...
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    So this means some fiberglassing will be necessary unless someone knows of an easier way to mount a flat baffle to this slight curve. Either way there will be cutting. I don’t mind glassing but I really don’t enjoy doing it & the wife always complains about the smell.

    The placement will also mean 2 mounting tabs/nuts will need to be cut but I believe the remaining 5 should hold it steady.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    I’m also not sure why I decide to do these things when it’s freezing outside. Motivation is almost nonexistent but the nice thing is the car doesn’t move from Nov to Apr so it can spend months torn apart without the need to feel rushed. The next step will be cutting the baffles & factory grilles and getting that all lined up. Between my kid’s baseball practice today plus the Super Bowl it’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.

    Until next time...

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    Noob Stycker's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    Fantastic car and build. I always wanted a corvette. My Dad was a mechanic and told me "son if you ever get a Corvette, you're own your own". They must have been a Pita to work on (C3).

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    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    They’re definitely not fun to work on. Just replacing the clutch on this was a 2 day job and that was for a professional mechanic. But, I’ll tell ya what... it sure does put a smile on my face when I romp the go-pedal.

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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    Is this an aniversary year? Im pretty sure my buddies is a 96'. 40th aniversary?

  7. Back To Top    #7
    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    The first Vette came out in ‘53 so the 40th would be a 93 and all of those are the mulberry purple color. 96 had the Collectors Edition which were all silver. The only thing that makes mine “special”, if you want to call it that, is that it has the LT4 Grand Sport motor. All that means is an additional 30hp & 10 ft/lbs because of the upgraded cam & heads vs the LT1. Mine did not come from the factory with the stripes or the ZR1 wheels. Those were added by the previous owner. It should be all black with the saw blade wheels. I have a thread in the Other Mods section detailing the car itself and some of my upgrades

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    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    Ok... I know it’s been a while since I’ve even looked at this car, so... now that I’m off work until further notice, I felt it was time to occupy my days before I drive my wife nuts. I’m going to try to get as much done as I can with stuff I already have laying around because as of today my county in PA is in mandatory stay home mode. Being that today was relatively warm & dry it was time to start tearing things apart.

    Here you can see how the lovely 24yr old carpet didn’t fit properly or even stay in place like it was supposed to.
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    So out comes the carpet and the panel that covers the ABS on the drivers side and the storage cubby on the passenger side. You can also see the current location of the amp in the cubby and the passive crossovers for the front speakers.
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    Now to apply some Kilmat. I’m not sure it’ll even make a difference but I had it laying around & it was worth a try.
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    So, for a long time I’ve had this mirror laying around. I picked it up at Target probably 10 years ago because it was in the $1 sale section and I figured i could use it for SOMETHING at some point. And wouldn’t you know my amp & DSP will fit perfectly! And it fits the space in this car perfectly! Pardon the dust as it HAS been in my garage for 10 years or so.
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    So I made some ABS brackets to secure it using the factory bolts that held down the original cover panel. There’s 2 at the outside corners towards the front of the car & 2 that you can see located in the middle of the rear. Now with it mounted I can literally rock the whole car around just using that mirror. Nice & solid.
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    That’s where I wrapped up today. I have to pace myself so I have work to occupy my time all week. I still also have to decide what I’m going to do for sub duty. I have 2 Dayton 6.5s currently and they do a VERY respectable job but I also have a pair of 8s (I believe they are generic MCM brand subs but, again, do quite well for what they are) OR I’m thinking about buying a slim-10. Once I decide on that, I can figure out an enclosure design.

  9. Back To Top    #9
    Noob TheTodd's Avatar
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    Wink Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    Even though it was raining all day yesterday I tried to get a little more accomplished. I figured out how everything was going to go and proceeded to drill all the necessary holes for all the cables. Everything was moving along smoothly. I taped everything off and knew I’d have to go slow because of it being a mirror. Everything was going great and then...

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    GREAT, AWESOME, GRAND, EFF!!!

    I then quit for the day so I could regroup and figure out a new plan of attack. So, today was a lot drier & warmer and I had a new plan. I traced the old mirror/brackets onto a sheet of 1/4” and test fitted. I decided to add walls to just the front & back, figuring the open ends should help with any cooling that may be necessary. Glued on some carpet and mounted everything down
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    The next step will be to build the new sub box but the problem there is I’m out of wood... I should say useable wood. All of the pieces I have are, of course, too small to use for the enclosure top & bottom. I have enough to make the sides & port walls but that’s no bueno without a top & bottom. So now I’ll have to see if it’s possible to make a Depot run without violating the Stay Home law.

    I did manage to try out the MCM 8s I have laying around in an old box. They sounded pretty good and it was a slight output increase from the current Dayton 6.5s. So I input the 8” enclosure info into WinISD & started playing around with different boxes for both the 8s and 6s. I managed to come up with a .75cf box tuned to 33Hz for the Daytons that will gain me about 4-5dB and a much lower F3 (10Hz or so) than the best box I could come up with for the 8s. This is gonna be interesting.

  10. Back To Top    #10
    Noob naiku's Avatar
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    Re: 1996 Corvette Build

    That stinks that the mirror cracked. Especially as it fit so perfectly in the space there.

    Quote Originally Posted by TheTodd View Post
    So now I’ll have to see if it’s possible to make a Depot run without violating the Stay Home law.
    Been wondering the same thing with getting supplies if I go to Lowes for a few things.
    Another white wagon.
    Instagram - eye_take_pix



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