2014 Avalon Limited Build

[chithead]

Forgive my french here... but... dayum! That is... awesome! Very amazing work, and love the way you integrated everything and still kept the functionality of the vehicle.

[Stycker]

Looks great Todd. I can't wait to see and hear it in person. I'll be at Pigeon Forge at the end of the month. Maybe i"ll see you there.

[Syncal1]

Outstanding work.

[TheTodd]

So I got the fans added and so far it’s made a difference for the better. I can jam on it with the floor panel on and there’s no heat issues whatsoever.

I bought some 90 degree pvc elbows & painted the inside black

I cut a pair of abs rings and glued them to the end of the elbows

I then cut up some old speaker grilles and made a quick grille press, attached the grilles to the other end of the elbows & put on a layer of matte paint to dull the shiny grilles

Next step was pulling back the carpet on the trunk panel and drilling the holes for the elbows

I then used construction adhesive to affix the elbows to the panel. I left some of the carpet there on purpose to aid in keeping everything together. The adhesive gets rock-hard when it dries and I wanted to make sure the carpet didn’t peel away at all.

Next up was wiring the fans & installing the panel into the car

[TheTodd]

I went to the show in Pigeon Forge, TN and got lots of positive reviews & feedback on the car. I got to hang out with Nick & the Stereo Integrity crew and after a day of gentle persuasion from Nick, and a price I couldn’t walk away from, I came home with these…

So out came the TM65s. The adapter I was using had an opening where the factory tweeter plugged into the factory speaker which is where I originally ran my tweeter wire out of

With the new adapters I was going to make, this wasn’t going to work, plus it was a pain any time I ever had to remove the adapter. Not that I did it a lot, but it was a pain nonetheless. So with a spot chosen, I drilled a hole, inserted a new grommet & ran the tweeter wire through the grommet. I also ran the wire behind the side mirror control module to keep it out of the way.

I traced the adapter plates to a sheet of 1/4” pvc board and cut out the appropriate sized hole for the new TM8s

Next was 3 rings for each side to get the appropriate depth. With the shallow depth of the TM8s the 3 layers were more about getting the speaker closer to the door panel so the fast ring sits up against the panel. For attaching the layers together I used a specific pvc glue that the guy at Home Depot said would make the joint actually stronger than the pvc itself.

Once the glue was dry the TMs went into the adapters. I made sure to label UP so I knew which direction to install the speaker’s built in rain guard.

Then into the car they went

Then the fast ring went on

Then rinse & repeat for the passenger side.

[TheTodd]

My first impression of the TM8s vs the TM65s…

I initially used the same 70Hz HP as the 65s were on. The 65s did work & they did great. I was extremely happy with them and the way my car sounded. While the 65s put the work in, they were working! The 8s do the same work while leaning back in their chair, yawning and telling the 65s to hold their beer. Impressive is an understatement. They just made everything sound so much better. I was able to push everything just a bit further (although I didn’t go TOO far until they’re broken in a bit) without any sign of stress that the 65s would’ve normally shown.

After some time my curiosity got the best of me and I got the laptop out and dropped that HPF to 35Hz & turned the subs off. I was proud of myself for keeping the willpower to keep the volume under control. I didn’t want to cook anything after all the work to get ‘em in. But… boy oh boy… these things are BADASS! Kick drums have SO much snap & punch. Bass guitars sound so full & smooth and you can almost feel the pluck of the strings. I probably wouldn’t hesitate to run subless for pure SQ demos. While they’re obviously missing the lowest octaves it’s truly VERY enjoyable to listen to them without subs. Excellent job Stereo Integrity!!!

[TheTodd]

One last update…

While I was at the TM8 install I revisited the subwoofer wires. I previously ran out of white heatshrink so I got some more and covered up the wires coming from the amps. I’ve heard a few comments in person about only having one set of coils wired up so I was excited to get the other wires covered.

So now it really gives the illusion that there’s no wires hooked up to the subs. Obviously if you look closely enough you can see them but at a casual glance they’re difficult to notice which is what I was going for.

Next up is a tune by Jason Carter at the NC meet, and unless something goes completely awry, I think I’m done. I’m extremely happy with how the install turned out and I think it sounds AMAZING. So, honestly, if the tune doesn’t make any improvement (HIGHLY doubtful) I’ll still be completely 100% satisfied with how everything ended up.

[Stycker]

Having seen and heard this car in person I can add some perspective. Its a Sledge Hammer with the finesse of a Tack Hammer.

[TheTodd]

I appreciate it Brian. Like I said, I’m extremely pleased with the finished product. I can sit back & enjoy the fidelity then put the windows down, twist the knob and giggle with joy when those subs get going.

[BigAl205]

I'm mad at myself for not doing more demos at TN, but I'm definitely in for NC