Time to revamp the Stereo in the Stealth

...oh man...this process looks familiar.... looks like it's proceeding nicely Greg....

a possible suggestion for you since you've got the interior out... I know you've made up your mind for your HU (the Kenwood KDC-655U) but if you ever change your mind down the road and go with a unit that has a Video screen (for GPS or dvd ) either double din or pop out - most of these units come with a backup camera video input that auto switches when you go into reverse... to install a back up camera you'll need to run a composite video cable and three wires (power, ground & backup light signal wire) to the HU.... Now would be a good time to run those wires if you ever think you might want to do this.

duke

So inside working still. I got the tweeters mounted into the old stock baskets. I need to add a little black cloth between the grill and basket so you can't see the tweeter.

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1354.JPG

The other Alpine amp I will be using for the tweeters was bigger than I though ti was going to be. I was hoping to mount the tweeter amp underneath the stereo but that is not going to happen now. Luckily I should have enough room in the Amp rack area to accommodate this amp also.

I also picked up a roll of RGB led strips with controller that I will be using to light up the rear hatch area.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by duke3k

...oh man...this process looks familiar.... looks like it's proceeding nicely Greg....

a possible suggestion for you since you've got the interior out... I know you've made up your mind for your HU (the Kenwood KDC-655U) but if you ever change your mind down the road and go with a unit that has a Video screen (for GPS or dvd ) either double din or pop out - most of these units come with a backup camera video input that auto switches when you go into reverse... to install a back up camera you'll need to run a composite video cable and three wires (power, ground & backup light signal wire) to the HU.... Now would be a good time to run those wires if you ever think you might want to do this.



duke

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I thought long and hard about adding in a touch screen but in the end decided against is.

Couple things deterred me:

1. My stereo surround has 3 gauges in it so I couldn't do a double din.
2. A pop out unit would most likely hit the vent area above it and cover up the A/C controls.
3. Since I an stuck using the top din, a pup out unit would not be able to angle correctly.
4. I'm just not that into touch screens...:p

lookin good, greg

Got the doors done, Added eDead to the outer skins and padding to seal the sound out. Nice solid sound to the door now.

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1356.JPG

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1355.JPG

I got a lunch date with my wife so I'm done for the time being.

Looks good Greg. I'm jealous I wish my car didn't have the fat mat in it already so I could do it right but such is life, or I need to dry ice the crap out of it to remove it.

the tweeters look great how much modding did you have to do to the stock grills?

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Originally Posted by Elderloc

the tweeters look great how much modding did you have to do to the stock grills?

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I took the stock tweeters, gutted them and used a dremel to cut the magnet portion off. this left me with metal fingers on the basket I could bend to secure the new tweeter. Little hot glue to secure them and all good to go!

Little more progress done this weekend. The dremel attachment for cutting holes finally came in the mail. This allows me to make perfect circle cuts. After the hole was cut I drilled out the sub mounting holes and attached t-nuts inside the box. i hate using screws to mount the sub as after time of removing/installing the sub it tears up the wood for the box. Using the T-nuts will help preserve the box over time and is more secure.

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1379.JPG

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1378.JPG

Anotehr problem that needed addressing is the rear hatch. It loves to rattle and adding in edead and foam is not enough. I used spray expanding foam to fill in the crevices of the sides of the hatch. The foam I used does not get completely hard so it will not just break apart after time. I am able to use a steak knife to cut it once it has dried up. Then added in some edead and foam and the hatch is all done.

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1380.JPG

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1381.JPG

http://3s.gonzoinc.com/albums/userpi...2/IMG_1382.JPG

I got the rear speaker panels out. I took the rear speaker pods out, removed the port that was on them and sealed them up. I never understood the purpose of those ports as all they did was direct the sound right into the rear panel. I also resealed them to the frame as the old foam seals were bad. I am waiting on the rear Memphis 6x9's to get in still so the panels are all still apart.

Since the amp rack will have a plexiglass cover I needed some lighting to light things up with. I ended up getting some RGB led strip lighting that comes with a remote control. The LED strip can be cut to length and comes with built in solder points to reattach the pieces. It came in a 50ft roll so I have plenty to work with. I rolled it out up the stairs to test it out. here is a video of it going though the color fade sequence. it is so bright I couldn't get the camera to focus on the LED's when it was lit up.....lol the LED's are encases in a clear gel so they won't get damaged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EswPpFiMKTI

Very cool!

Why not use the hard stuff?

The hard stuff will break apart due to a couple different things. Heat and cold will expand/contract the metal and could break the foam free. Also the vibrations from the sub being pointed right up at the trunk lid. I didn't want a bunch of hard foam chunks rattling around in the trunk lid cause they broke apart. the foam I used has some elasticity to it which will help in those areas.

Interesting 5 years the hard stuff lasted in my Saturn trunk, and that shook like a vibrating bed at a 2-bit hotel.

I was going to just as rubber washers where needed to stop the rattle in my stealth, I did had the sound deadener, but I get why you need to do so much more.