I made some progress on my new stereo setup this weekend. My wife gave me the requirements that I couldn't take up usable space in the back of the car and I couldn't spend a fortune building it so I was forced to use the space under the rear deck and fiberglass was out. There's actually quite a bit of room under there but the spare is a pain to work around.

I plan to cut out another plate to go over the flush plate so I can just toss whatever I want back there during everyday use and then take it out to reveal the flush plate to show off. I need something to protect the subs without inhibiting the performace. Any ideas?




My whole system will be composed of:
Scion Pioneer Premium Head unit
Hifonics Brutus 1600W x 1
Hifonics Zeus 85W x 4
2 Kicker Solobaric L5 8 " subs
Diamond Audio S600S components in front
Dayton Reference Series 7" woofer in rear doors for mid-bass

If the Scion head unit doesn't cut it, I have a Pioneer DEH-680MP ready to replace it.

 

Oh wow!!! You're going big!!

Actually, I think I may down scale my stereo. I just don't know!!!

 

Very nice work!

 

Quick question, if I may...

I"m planning on doing a false floor soon, did you just use the middle and plastic side pieces for a template? That's all I can think of doing...

 

Thanks guys!

Actually I just took everything out and measured. To get to rear edge curve I used a compass to trace the edge where it would rest.

 

nice setup..
Ill start my trunk build next week after the spring break nationals... to get some new ideas maybe...

 

Wow! That setup must hit HARD!

 

very cool. pretty much what i was planning on doing. what kind of subs are you using? and how much air space were you able to get for the subs? a pic of what's underneath would be awesome. keep it up and keep us posted.

 

They are Kicker Solobaric S8L5s 8". I've always loved the tight sound of 8s. Plus they don't need a lot of room. The boxes are roughly .36 cu. ft. which is just above the smallest recommended enclosure. I also calculated using Bass Box 6 and it recommended that size also.

If they don't sound quite right, I already have an idea of how to get more air space for those boxes.

I was saving this until later but since you asked so nicely.

 

yup. your idea is way better than what i was planning. i'm trying to get .5 cubes out of the box for my 8" subs, but i'm liking what you've done so far. thanks for the pics.

 

I decided to run power today so I could test the subs before I spend any more time and money making trim parts that may never get used. I ran 2 ga. cable from the battery through the grommet on the driver's side and down the middle to the rear. The grommet was actually easier to work with than I thought. On the engine bay side there's a zip tie holding it closed around the factory wire bundle. Cut the tie and it opens right up. I made a little slit on the inside and it pushed right on through.

I mounted the subs in the enclosures and dropped them back in place. I did a quick wiring job on the amp and I was ready to test. At first I couldn't hear anything. Then I checked the setttings and noticed I didn't have the sub level control so I turned off the head unit and went into the offline menu and turned the sub control on. When I powered it back up I had bass. A quick level adjustment to get things sounding close and the amazement began. I can't believe the sound that came from those 8s in those tiny little enclosures. I played AC/DC, Bass synth stuff, Country, Jimmy Buffet, and crap on the radio and I was happy. They played clean and suprisingly loud.

I don't think I have the best ear by any means but I would recommend these to anyone. If you want good bass that'll suprise you when it goes low and don't take up much space, these are the ticket. For those wondering I bought the pair for $149 + $38 for S&H on Ebay.

I managed to get the car back together and almost finished with the amp rack when it started to rain.

 

Plan changed a little. I decided not to make the amps visible. The whole point of this install is to leave the space in the hatch area as usable as possible. Now I just need grills and a little touch up on the vinyl. Anyone know how I can get rid of those wrinkles in the front?

 

looks good. i actually finished mine the other day

 

What a clean install!!! I'm sure the wifey is happy with the sound and the stealthiness. As far as the vinyl goes, i haven't wrapped anything personally but i have watched people do it and it is a pain in the a$$. The only answer i've seen for wrinkles is heat and lots of staples. Aim a blowdryer on high or a heat gun on low at it and see what that does. How did those Dayton's fit in the rear and were there any clearance issues? Again congrats on a very nice system!

 

thats freaking nice..
man i want to something like that when i finally get my cash back to where it needs to be.

 

Thanks!

The Daytons didn't make it in. Once I hooked up the Diamonds I found out they are power hungry. I had to bridge the 4 channel for them so that left me with no way to power the Daytons. Maybe sometime in the future I'll get another amp that'll be enough for all of it.

 

Diamonds will take whatever you give them, they are rocksolid and one of the best sounding speaker brands i've been able to listen to.

Even without the dayton's you should still have an awesome stage upfront and get all your mid-bass and low-bass from the kickers in the rear due to thier size. Of course we always want more