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  1. #1
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Revival of my install thread

    I copied my install posts over from DIYMA, I tried my best to make them as understandable as possible given they were posted over a 6 week period (at least) and in between MANY pages of discussion. it's obvious we lost all of the EP specific discussion here so if anyone has comments or questions go ahead and discuss. It's been completed for 6 months now and I'm still loving it.

    Chad

  2. #2
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    2007 for my EP

    First was the addition to an Audio Control Matrix to the rig to bump the levels up going to the Next amp, it was a nice improvement, lackluster, tossed it on the trunk floor and wired it up. My Ghetto trunk at the time..... With different signal cables.....



    Next I did this year was change out the Morel tweets for the Seas Aluminums.. The review can be found here:

    http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/...ad.php?t=14560

    Pics, again nothing special....






    That sums up till The beginning of July.

    Chad

  3. #3
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    I do ham radio, yes I am a nerd, that solidifies the fact. Instead of re-typing it EPHatch style I'll copy what I posted on another forum. Some of it may sound redundant to you all...

    In late July I decided to do a "real" radio install, that took some time! Installed is an Icom IC208H VHF/UHF FM dual band unit. 55W of RF output, tiny, with a remote mountable head.

    From Hamsexy.com...........
    It was time to ditch the HT and external antenna and do a "real-ish" install. I'm a bit picky about having shit just stuck places so the typical wacker install was not going to cut it. It needed to be tastefully integrated. Well, somewhat.

    Bit of a background on the car, It's a daily driver and gets tinkered with. I'm an avid audio guy so it has a stereo in it that sometimes changes around, it's a "work in progress." That being said I'm not the jackass that comes beating down the street at 2AM, it's an install geared pretty much solely for sound quality (SQ) and packs less rated power than some stock entertainment systems. So audio and RF HAD TO get along, period.

    On with the pics.....

    Interior disassembly, with help from the boy, how often did YOU get to tear the hell out of dad's car?





    He gets it done! Pretty handy kid, I'll bust them loose and he does the rest. The interior was amazingly clean for 40K miles of commuting!



    So we get a couple "lowrider pics"



    But that changes come install time.




    That was about enough for one evening, I was getting buzzed. Also that evening I built the relay harness to switch the power from the battery on and off with the ACC circuit and planned my attack for the next morning.

    The next morning started off nice and early... and dirty

    Off with the inner wheel well to route power wiring, it is routed in split loom with the power wire (4Ga welding cable) for the amplifier in the hatch.







    And I'll be damned if I did not get a pic with the sealing/protection grommet installed in the pass-thru, so it IS legit and not a fire-trap.

    While I was at it I routed new signal cables for the audio, I need 6 channels for stereo 3 way and used Gepco 61801 pro cable because it's thin, light, flexible, cheap and has 100% foil shield. which makes this a good time to bring up the overkill coax I used too, it's Davis RF Bury-Flex. I had it, it's tough, low loss, and 100% foil shield. That stupid little rice burner is an RF noise NIGHTMARE even in the audio realm. The fuel pump is crazy noisy! Good (albeit cheap) cable makes a difference.

    Audio cable:





    I think I bought enough!




    The microphone hides in the cubby in the center console and is attached via a CAT5 extension I whipped up Now you see it:



    Now you don't:





    Also visible in the last pic is the audio wiring, the remote head wiring, and the external speaker cabling which is the stock rear speakers that were previously un-used.

    All buttoned in and ready to rock! :



    The only issue I had was the mount for the radio was too tall, I THOUGHT it would clear just fine but upon installing the seat it hit. Out came the 3" pneumatic wheel and some fancy grinder/paint work and it clears with plenty of breathing room.

    Next is the remote head mounting. I ran out of time that weekend and just set the head in a pocket in the console while fabbing up the new dash panel.

    Chad

  4. #4
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    I then tackled the remote head mounting during a heat-wave, I got to work in the A/C’d shop :D

    Most hams just stick shit places, the radio head even comes with velcro!!!!! Ugh!.... I roll different....

    Again From Hamsexy………

    Now that the invisible stuff is done it was time to work on a plan to make it "non wacker" I had an old dash install kit that was the wrong color, it had a CD pocket that was utterly useless, so it looked like a great place for the remote head.

    I hacked the pocket off and enlarged the hole to fit the head height-wise:



    Then I used the plastic from the pocket to cut out filler for the remaining "holes." I held them in with tape while I epoxied them in from the rear:





    And got this:





    I then pieced together a rear bracket for the head and epoxied that in using yet more blue tape to hold the depth of the head:







    Vaseline! Get your head out of the gutters! It's a great mold release!



    I wrapped the head in blue tape, slathered that in Vaseline and inserted it into position. I then used the plastic epoxy with plastic grindings from the cutting added as media. Several of my dog's hacked up insulin syringes came in rather handy to inject the filler media into the corners of the rough cuts. This conformed to the rounded edges of the radio but would not stick to the jelly.



    After dry I knocked down the high spots and was ready for body filler:



    I really screwed the pooch in pic taking here, I then filled it, then primed it, then painted it without taking a goddamn pic! It was dusty and I had the camera in the house. BUT on the last coat of paint a blob shot out and jacked up the first paint job, which is good because I hated the clear coat anyway! So sand away!



    In that pic it was ready to prime and paint again and it worked out.

    3 days later my dash puked a bunch of wire:





    And shortly after I had a neatly installed headunit and remote head for my Icom!





    Here's the before pics:






    Chad

  5. #5
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Then I bought this Fuggin JL 500/5. I love it, it allowed me to remove the Next and lose the Matrix and save a bit of space but the amp is huge! This kickstarted the want to have the hatch done.

    Getto with JL.



    Chad

  6. #6
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Alright... This past weekend... Friday night I decided to start on the new sub enclosure. It was int he 50's this weekend so the glass did not dry as fast as I would have liked and I was down with the sickness Sat night. None the less.....

    Pulled the gear out of the trunk (hatch)



    Then the carpet and chipboard "floor" to reveal the spare.



    The spare has a "tit" that is the retainer that would certainly be a PITA for glassing over.



    So you remove it:



    AND FLIP IT OVER!!!!!



    I bought a new Hex head bolt to go in there from Lowes last night to retain the spare.

    I cut a square Piece of MDF about 2' square to start the tub. Then cut a 17.5" circle in the center.





    I rounded the edge over to aid in adhesion by giving it more surface area and a smoother bend then test fitted it.



    Taped the "upside down tit" in with rock tape (gaffer's tape)



    Then began taping the wheel up to make the mold



    And kept taping



    FINALLY!





    First layer down, this is cloth, no mat yet. I found cloth was nice to make the mold with because it bends from the get-go without having to be wet and beat it into place.



    Dry time......


    After a little fine literature I was pleased to find out that Pam cooking spray IS Actually a fine mold release and you guys weren't jacking with me...



    I then put another layer of cloth cut into strips and started mat. That's where I screwed the pooch. My resin mix was too hot and I got some nasty air bubbles. Sooo.. the next morning I took it outside and knocked all the air bubbles out thus removing about 1/2 of the second coat. At least it was re-workable.



    After another layer:



    Then i got sick of taking pics of "layers"

    Sunday morning:

    I filled it with water to measure the volume and trimmed the sides down to 19"



    And checked it in the car for grins:



    The final volume came out to be .2847222 Cubic feet, not bad. At 19" square I need to add about another 3" of height to hit my target of .7CuFt. I was planning on the floor being about 3.5" higher so it turned out as planned.

    This week I need to build the sides up but before that I need to sit down with the calculator and figure out the porting. It will be a square wood port that will come off the driver's side and curl around to exit in the center rear by the back of the hatch. I plan to do math tonight. I spent yesterday (Sunday) cleaning the garage and shop, I need to finish the shop tonight before I continue (personal goal) I would LOVE to have a working sub module in there by this time next week, we will see.

    The plan is to do the sub module in the center, the amp module off to the right as you are looking in and the jack/tool module to the left. I plan to have access panels to the actual driver and to pop off the amp. When the panels are in place nothing will be visible. :D


    Chad

  7. #7
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Frame is on, glue will be dry tonight for more work :D






    Eh, Looks like much did not get done but I got the bottom of the port glued on last night. Between my re-calculating a zilion times and thinking this can't be right it was, WiniSD sed it was (about 100 times) and my calculator did too (about 200 times) Then glue dry time took the rest. My sander took a shit, I have to get a new one today. :( Everything takes longer than you expect :(






  8. #8
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Box is done!!!!!

    I took internal pics after the vent build-up but did not get them uploaded to the keychain, will try to do tonight pending I did not delete them from the other card... DOH!

    BUT here it is..









    Anderson Power-pole for speaker connection :D



    About to mount the driver...



    Mounted:



    Sitting in it's home. it's crooked now because I have to cut a little piece of trim in it's way. I wanted to make damn sure it's what I wanted before doing any cutting ;)



    Tip of the day:

    Used Insulin syringes with the needles cut off make for good devices to inject glue into a crack you feel has insufficient coverage ;)





    Well I was pretty much shot last weekend due to illness (had a cold), work, and family stuff.

    I got the amp mounting board done, fan cooling (ducting) figured out, and last night got the board carpeted. I also trimmed up some paneling int he hatch that allows the enclosure to sit int here perfectly! As of now the amp is in the shop and I have no tunes. I should have it fitted up tonight and will have some pics. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, I can be done this weekend or insanely close!

    I DID find the pics of the "external" port construction. so I have at least some pics for you all :D



























    Chad

  9. #9
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    I got the amp board done and fans wired up to a pig-tail:








    Then got it installed in the car:






    Rested the amp on it to check it out....












    Then grabbed a beer and stared at it only to realize I SOMEHOW need to lose about 1/4" to 3/8" of height in the amplifier mounting to make it work out. The board is sitting on 5/8" spacers, I need to yank it out, knock the spacers off and re-do them.

    Chad

  10. #10
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Damn, what a week. As you may know from another thread I arrived at work Monday after Thanksgiving break to find 150K of mostly irreplaceable audio equipment stolen. Tuesday My father went into the Hospital in an emergency, Tuesday night I started on the car again stressed and the mount for the amp was too tall, during this discovery they rush my father in law to the emergency room, both still remain hospitalized :o I've racked up 750-1000 mines this week with no audio! I about went insane! I've also been playing single dad while the wife takes care of her father while also trying to take care of my family. Last night things finally calmed down a bit as my brother took a shift and my wife's sisters helped out too, damn. So I burrowed into the garage for a bit of Chad Time :D

    I SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!!!!!! WOOT!!!!! I have audio now!

    Last night I figured out the amp mounting standoffs... again. got it secure, attached the amp and began sorting out the rats nest. It's wired. It works, noise free and ready to rock.

    Tonight I will start on the false floor and cosmetic things and my ass is done!













    I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when it's done, I'm planning to put a different antenna mount on and a different antenna but that should take short time...... Maybe a set of home audio speakers so I can get my old cool Technics gear back into action :D

    Chad

  11. #11
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    This weekend....

    Must.. Cover... Car :D





    Because after ONE circle........



    Cover lungs and eyes too :D



    Got the false floor cut:



    Then Fitted, sanded, fitted, sanded, fitted, sanded well you get the picture :D







    Filled in the hinge area with body filler.... Does not have to be pretty, it's just carpet ;)



    Then while that dried I put my Seas tweets back in, just decided I liked them better

    And I installed new battery terminals trying to be ever so careful as to not lose my radio presets..... Well... Thank god for iPersonalize :D

    These are from Marv!





    Next day was carpet time!

    I painted the driver area and boom hole in case I got sloppy with carpet, I also masked off the driver mounting flange as I imagine spray glue there would make it difficult for future driver removal ;)



    And that went easier than I thought it would! Especially for my first carpet job in a LONG TIME!







    In the hatch:



    False floor in:





    I so wanted to be totally done but I really screwed the pooch when making my grill ring, Forgot to take into account that the Circle jig cuts for an OD circle not and ID circle and it was... oh... about 1/2" too small And I was out of 5/8" material Oh well, I was burnt out anyway, maybe this week. I am now building a fan controller

    Now I gotta do a massive deep-car cleaning, it's funky in there!

    Chad

  12. #12
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Ta-Daa!

    Put some time in last night.

    All I have to do now is to finish the tool storage area but cosmetically... It's DONE!







    Build pics of the ring, Routed out the inset for the steel, attached it with silicone that is used to adhere/seal chimney flues and stapled it, note I used the beer bottle drying rack again ;) Seems to work well :D





    Test fit:



    Did the same thing with the port cover but did not take pics, I wanted it done.

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

    Also installed a new UHF/VHF antenna with a proper NMO mount. Drilled out the old HF mount (which SUCKED) Drilling Stainless is NO FUN!

    Test fit for NMO to see if it would work:


    Drilled:


    Bench assembly to test for fitment:






    Soldering to the TEENSY LMR100 cable, a real PITA even ON A BENCH, as you can see... no bench!



    Complete!










    So I met my 2007 goals at the last minute, I can't say I was defeated in my resolution. 2008 does not hold much at this point, but time will tell :D

    Maybe a few competitions, yeah right.........

    Chad

  13. #13
    ephatch member kokopuffs405's Avatar
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    dang....
    so complicated
    nice. and clean.

  14. #14
    Big Daddy Chad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kokopuffs405 View Post
    dang....
    so complicated
    nice. and clean.

    I kinda designed it as I went, there was pretty much always a calculator in my pocket.

    It was done over a good span of time, I live out in the sticks and have a heated garage so it made a nice begining of winter project. Wrapped it up Dec 30! If you take your time and think ahead it's really pretty easy, just set a goal in mind of what you want and go for it.

  15. #15
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    Enjoyed reading it for the second time, just can't believe how good it looks. Great job!

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