Equipment:
Alpine v12 expert amps: T757 and F407
Alpine head unit: D855
MB Quart speakers: Premium reference 216 components in kicks and 116 (2 way) in rear, both with musicomp and both 6.5".
I finally got time to wash the car, get the new tires installed (check out post in product review and suspension board). The only thing I have to finalize is the sub carpet and crossover carpet (hide wires and wood etc.) My future plans are to get my car computer (mp3 and DVD) player installed. For now it's only going to be a mp3 player since I don't have the money for the dvd slot load drive and a good 6.4" LCD. For right now I'm going to use a 40x4 LCD hooked up to the parallel port to display winamp info and controls with my $20 cordless mini keyboard . I finally found the part number for the cheap Alpine aux input ($15 no cd changer controls) compared to the standard $80 (keeps CD changer controls) since I don't have a CD changer...I have a mp3 player . Below are a bunch of pictures of whole car stereo. Cruise over to the body board for the pictures of the tires and more exterior pictures.
Head unit with fake face plate:
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/21.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/15.jpg">

Amp rack installed flush into back seat:
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/13.jpg">
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/14.jpg">

<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/8.jpg">
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/5.jpg">

[This message has been edited by JPrevost (edited August 23, 2001).]

 

I'm planning to someday do a full in-car computer install including 15" flat-panel monitor...I just haven't figured out what car yet.

I already have the cordless Logitech keyboard and mouse. What is this mini-keyboard you speak of?

 

Kickpanels from DJSexay, I got them from him raw with just the mold and no real finish work:
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/6.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/7.jpg">
Rear speakers, 1/4" plexi used for adaptor plate:
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/20.jpg">

Musicomp crossovers, haven't gotten the time to cover up with carpet:
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/10.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/11.jpg">

Sub box stuffed in spare tire well, also needs carpet but time is money:
<img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/12.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://members.aol.com/cyberlax/jp/9.jpg">

------------------
, Jon (350 TBI!)
91 Red My website

 

Jon that looks AWESOME! I love it. But I'm wondering about that poor panel over your sub. Doesn't it rattle, bounce, and just wanna blow across to the otherside of the car? I'm just thinking there's not enough area to release all that Air Pressure. One of the best installs I've seen.

------------------

See my Ride:
https://www.thirdgen.org/rides/index...ew&rideid=1324

 

I really like the way you mounted those amps in the back seats that is super sweet. Do you have any probelms with overheating with them like that?

------------------
'89 Red Formula 350- 350 .060 over w/ forged pistons, 232* @ .050 cam, Performer RPM, Holley 750 DP, Vortec 1.94 1.50, Accel Coil and dist, Hedman shorty headers, Dual Exhaust w/ cutouts, WS6 suspension, 9 Bolt 3.27 Posi Edelbrock LCA's & Track bar subframe connectors, 700R4, A&A snorkel scoop Eclipse Head Unit, Delco Bose Speakers, 2 12" Pioneer subs w/ 400 watt/chanel amp

 

Very very nice. The fake head unit is a great idea.

 

*** -damn. you are a talented person.

LOL G o d is a cuss-word now...

[This message has been edited by 85ws6TA (edited August 25, 2001).]

 

No overheating problems because there is about a half inch space and the hot air rises. It creates a form of passive cooling which works really well. Besides, Alpine amps are known to handle very harsh conditions without clipping. I was going to install fans but I couldn't find any obvious ways to keep it hidden. Tonight I need to take the amps out to adjust some side switchs. I need to put on the low pass filter on the 4 channel so my 6.5" don't get sub frequencies. I thought the crossovers did that but I was wrong. The crossovers only split the signal in half sending all low frequency to the woofer and everything high to the tweet. I thought the crossover also stopped signals below ~40Hz but I was mistaken. Tonight I'll do that and finish tuning everything. I should also get the sub box carpeted, the panel cut for the sub to fire through, and the crossover compartment finished. Don't expect any pictures for a while because this whole week is busy getting the car ready to fly down the track on Wednesday.

------------------
, Jon (350 TBI!)
91 Red My website

 

How much airspace does the box have?

------------------
-Justin-
T-Top '86 5.0L LG4 700R4 WS6
T-Top '92 5.0L TBI 700R4
My '86 Firebird Homepage
The F-body Model Kit Pictoral Archive (updated 5/30/01)

There can be only one!!

 

i have a question on the sub box/install....

how did you do it and how much?

thats what i'd like to do with a 10".
also, i assume you plan on putting the grey panel back over it somehow....?

 

Looks tight! I'm a big fan of stealth installs but this one takes it to a new level. Good job!

------------------
~Luke
'91 Firebird :: 305/TBI/700R4 ::
Mods: Catco cat - Flowmaster 80 series - B&M Shift kit - TA tail lights - GTA rims - K&N - MacEwen guages
Stereo: Pioneer DEH-P8200R - Cadence 4x6's - Pioneer 6x9's - Kicker amps - Kicker 10" CompVR
::R.I.P.::'87 Firebird - Firebird parts - Selling an '80 Firebird for a friend
Moderator of tranny board over at TransAmGTA.com

 

I wish I had measured the airspace more accuratly. I used packing peanuts and it came to around 1 cube which is more than enough for my solo (needs .88). I'm not playing it loud so the larger box is better for sound quality (bad for SPL).
The cost of the whole project is unknown since I took my time with it. I had most of the wires and wood/bracing but the fiberglass material probably came to around $100 in the end. Would have been more if Mike (DJSexay) hadn't sold me a semi-finished pair of kicks for a good price. If you're talking about the WHOLE system then we're talking well over $2000 including headunit, amps, speakers/sub, wire, and material (sound deadening etc).
A 10" would have been a LOT easier. My 12 is squeezed in so tight it isn't even funny. If I hadn't had friends helping me hold it while I brace and do fiberglass I think it would have been a mess.
The grey panel is going to stay as is for now. I haven't had any problems with it rattling but when I do notice a difference (when I fill the box till .88 cubes and pump up the volume) then I'll just use some grey acoustic grill material with some screen.
Thanks for the props, hopefully when I get back to school I'll have some time to update my website.

------------------
, Jon (350 TBI!)
91 Red My website

 

Cool man. Any guess as to what it'd cost to have a stereo shop build me just the subwoofer enclosure? I want to do it with a 10"

 

What did you use to build up the back of the seats so the face of the amp is flush with the seat. LOOKS AMAZING!!! i would love to do that in mine! was it extrememly difficult?
justin~

 

what do you use the 4 crossovers for? i see the components in the front(2 of them) but you only have 6.5s in the back...do they have seperate terminals? one set goes to the coil and the other to the tweet?

 

hey, nice job. another place to put the crossovers (which i did for the front) is in the stock speaker places. i just cut away a little of the metal mount and used some plumbers strap to get everything to bolt in. hidden away, but still close by. i've been workin on the rear seat rack myself, but my engine/tranny swap has put that on hold. i also got 6 1/2" in my sails mounted on plexi. but mine's clear, not tinted/black. I thought about maybe putting in some tiny neons to backlit them, but probably not. for the deck, i mounted mine back a bit extra so i could mount a fake face flat and set in so it looks a bit more stock (not on top like yours. not critizing, i just wanted a closer look). love your box, best i've got right now is one in the lower 1/2 of the well, hoping to be covered by one of the latching covers if i can find one.

 

It looks nice, but if you take a few minutes and trim down the stock faceplate, it'll look 100% better. It looks extremely fake with the faceplate attached over the top of the trim ring.

With a razor blade you can cut it down to the proper size, and you can flatten the backside with a dremmel tool.
Here's my deck flushed into the center console:


Here it is with the stock radio trimmed down and set into place:



It looks 100% stock until I turn the key on and the kenwood faceplate forces the stock faceplate to move.

 

hey Jim, does the faceplate flip down to the point where it's wide enough to interfere with the shifter handle? It looks like it might give an automatic trans some problem, i dunno, just curious.

 

very nice. does the bass still bump as good when its covered like that?

i'll get some pictures up of my audio system soon

-fly

 

it's nowhere near the auto shifter. It's not even close. The shifter sits about 5" back from the radio. Plus, that faceplate just sits there. I just pull it off when I remember, but even if I forget and the radio opens, all it does is fall in front of the radio.

 

The bass wasn't doing so hot after some tuning of the amps so I cut out part of the panel and it's all better now.
I can't really trim down the fake face plate anymore because my head unit is flush with the outside of the trim ring.
I wish I could but there isn't any room behind unless I got some low profile 90 degree RCA bends for the back of the head unit.
One of my amps is about to fall out because I had packed my car up for a long drive and put crap on it (broke one side of the mount). It's really not hard to do, just get all the demensions of the amps and plan it out. Drill some holes and cut the opening out. Carpet can cover a lot of imperfections.
I don't know what the volume of the sub box is but when I take the box out I'll be sure to reply with it in this post.
The crossovers are for both front and back speakers and yes, the 6.5 coax have 4 leads in back, 2 tweet and 2 woofer. While autocrossing I managed to flex the frame enough to crack the plexi mount for the coax. It was too tight of a fit to begin with so I'm just going to build it out of 1/4" ply.
What sucks most about my setup is how frequently it gets used. I usually only turn on the radio to see what time it is. It's what happens when you've got no rattles and an AWESOME sounding exhaust (Borla adjustable plates).
People are always begging me to turn up the tunes but I like to have my windows down and listen to the motor. I think what I need to do is get a 2nd thirdgen, one for the performance and one for the creature comforts.
I'm glad you guys like the install and if a shop were to do it I'm guessing $1200 or more just for the sub box and amp install, not to mention at least a month down time. It wasn't even an option, I didn't have money to spend on that and I still don't. Everything that needs work on my car is done by me so long as I've got the tools for it. Rear end gears/posi and alignments are the only time the car goes to the shop.
I'm a firm believer in if you want it done right, DIY, else leave it OEM.