altoncustomtech

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Yeah, I'm looking for something to make it kosher all the way around myself. I have found these, not sure how well they would work, but this is the type of thing I'm looking at using just for the top and bottom screws on mine.

Happy Birthday!!

For the top and bottom you'll have to use regular screws, or something like those threaded inserts that Shogen posted. The T Nuts have zero hold used the way you described. I'm going to have the same issue with my enclosure.

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IMHO, if it can be properly designed, built and executed then I can't imagine any reason why it wouldn't work. It's like anything else that requires such attention to detail, there's plenty of room to fail but if you can pull it off it will be great. That being said, you'd really have to make sure it was carefully planned out and pay attention to the slightest details to ensure it comes out good without being a waste of time and money. I can imagine several ways it could be done to come out great involving the use of aftermarket bucket race type seats or fiberglassing them in. Either way it will be a hell of an undertaking, though I'm looking forward to seeing it done since I've had similar ideas for a couple of people here.

Don't put the foam pad in the doors. It's not waterproof so it will soak up the water that runs down into the door during a rain and mold and cause the inside of the door to rust much faster, not good. In theory it will work, but not a good idea in a car door, or the general environment a car is subjected to. Using the 1/4" plywood until you get the CCF and MLV isn't a bad idea but don't count on it as the permanent fix. Don't forget the importance of building at least some sort of baffle to mount the speaker in. If you're getting distortion from the speakers on certain songs you should raise your HPF for them up until they stop distorting. You'll loose some midbass response but I think you'd much rather do that than have to replace the speakers. Once you get the installation done properly you can revisit and experiment with a lower HPF setting to get your midbass back.

It's not the way I would recommend doing it, but it would be better than nothing. Using the CLD, CCF and MLV together is the absolute best way to go about it, though it is a little more expensive. I've done my doors in stages though, while I already had the CCF from when I did the build in my van I put the CLD in when I was able to get it. I bought the MLV for it finally back in March. There's nothing wrong in doing the steps when you can and the results will be worth the wait and money.

Nope, I mentioned it, I also mentioned that I still have to put it in mine.

You don't necessarily need to SEAL the doors, it can't truly be done anyway. The best thing to do is to prevent the back wave from behind the speaker in the door from getting out and the most efficient way to do so is to block/absorb it. It also helps keep the door workings uncovered/modified so it can still be worked on without ruining your deadening. Put the CLD tiles on the door, all you need is 25% coverage on each panel. When I say each I'm referring to the outside/exterior door panel and the inner/interior door panel the plastic hangs on. That will help with unwanted resonances from the sheet metal. The next step would be to build and mount a solid baffle for the speaker to mount to in the door. Mounted directly to the sheet metal, or to that flimsy factory plastic baffle, just isn't the best way to mount the mid. Losses in output, distortions or colorations of midrange frequencies, vibrations and rattles are problems associated with having a flimsy mounting surface. How much effect it has varies from driver to driver and vehicle to vehicle but is and should be a minimum for any installation. The next step would be to obtain and apply CCF (closed cell foam) to the door. Don from SoundDeadenerShowdown prefers applying it to the door with velcro for easy removal and I agree with that myself so the door can be worked on later without tearing up the CCF. CCF cushions all the points where rattles can/will happen. Lastly obtaining and applying MLV (mass loaded vinyl) over the CCF in the same manner with the velcro will complete the deadening and be about the most effective deadening you can do. The MLV absorbs/blocks the back wave, road/vehicle noises, and most all other sounds that aren't the music coming from the speakers inside. Reading up on SoundDeadenerShowdown.com will help you with your research. After performing these steps, if your midbass is still lacking THEN we can help with changing drivers, but as I previously mentioned these should be the minimal steps taken for everyone's speaker installations to help ensure they're getting the most for their money. I have completed all these steps except for the installation of the MLV in my Jimmy. The midbass response from the modest components I have installed in it is fantastic and surprises most everyone who listens to it when I tell and show them there's no sub or any other speaker in the truck making the bass they're hearing and FEELING. Not a bad feat for some 6.5" drivers IMO. Here's some examples. Here's the CLD tiles, right about 25%. Here's my CCF. I stuck it directly to the door since I already had a large amount of RaamAudio's UOI peel n stick CCF on hand. I covered all the holes with it but didn't cover where the window motor is. Here's the baffle I built for my doors. Three layers of 3/4" MDF with a flush mount for the mid. They're bolted to the door with some foam behind them to help decouple the baffle from the door, seal it to the door, and allow wiggle room for getting the angle just right to go through the door card. Here's what it looks like finished. Hope that helps explain and show some of the processes for sound deadening and installation.

Well, I didn't mean to buy it but I'm glad to have it, at least for now, lol. Found an auction for a used AG650 in great working shape with 5 days left to go. I tossed in a bid $5 higher than the current high bid and was the high bidder. I figured for sure someone would have come in and outbid me fast on it, but nope, I ended up winning it. Yay for me, I think. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or not, so if anyone's interested you can always make me an offer, lol. So anyway, onto a few pictures for shits and giggles. Larger than I expected it to be. It's in beautiful shape with only a few minor scratches.

I don't think it's a good idea. Typically with a trunk there's two configurations that work well. First, and my personal favorite way to do it, is to build the enclosure sub and port firing forward and seal the enclosure in the front of the trunk to the cabin of the car. It helps to prevent trunk rattle and gives an overall better sound in my personal opinion. The second is much more general and is basically to fire the sub up or rearward with the port rear or to the side. Typically firing forward without sealing to the cabin, or removing the back seat, doesn't yield the best results. It comes down to how much time, trouble, and modifications you're willing to do to your car as to which way you go about doing this. Sealing to the cabin will require planning, some special fabrication, and modifications of some type to the car. The other way you simply pick which orientation works out the best for your trunk shape and size and slide the enclosure in. Again, if you're planning on going ported, unless you have more experience and skills than it seems you do to be able to build an enclosure in the trunk of the car be certain you know it will fit. Build a mock up enclosure from cardboard the same dimensions as the sub's enclosure to check and verify it will slide in and out. If you want to seal to the cabin that same cardboard facsimile can be used to help make sure that everything is built just right.

Really? Damn. There's just too much to read, lol. From everything I've read though, if I don't do the relearn the engine won't run at it's best since there will be (slight I'm sure) differences between all the angles on the cranks, cams, and overall timing between the two engines. How much of a difference and exactly what extent those differences can have on the way it runs with the computer compensating, I have no idea and can't find anything that really spells it out in great detail. Hell, I may just run it first, see how it is and make a decision on the relearn then. I don't plan on having the battery disconnected for any longer than absolutely necessary. I'm pulling out my 100' extension cord tomorrow and the good battery charger and keeping on the charger until it has to be disconnected, that's for certain.

Alright, first off I blame Nick and Quentin for this. The engine never made a sound until I was chatting with them last night. LOL, just kidding guys, I figured it was coming. I had that nagging gut feeling, even when we were talking last night. Okay, background for those who are confused, I got a call from a friend a couple of weeks ago needing some help and pulled out of a flooded area after some particularly heavy rains. He's a good friend so I didn't hesitate to go help him. On the way there, on a completely different road in a completely different area, AND one that's not normally prone to flooding problems I dropped down a hill and came around a turn with no time to stop and found myself in the same position as the friend who called me. Flooded the engine out with water, hydrolocked and the works and had to call my wife to bring the 4 wheeler and tow it home. I've been working gingerly with it for the last couple of weeks. The first thing I did was pull all six plugs and drain water out of 4 of the cylinders after turning it over by hand. Changing the oil, running Lucas and Seafoam through it, babying it along trying to clean all the water out and I changed the rest of the fluids as well (both differentials, etc.) to be sure all the bases were covered and that was SEVERAL oil changes only running the engine long enough to rise fresh oil through all the oil passages, bearings, etc. Today was to be the last oil change as it was no longer getting milky and everything seemed as though it was going to be just fine. So I drained the oil out, rinsed some diesel fuel through to rinse out the bottom of the pan and then chased that with a couple of quarts of oil after it had a chance to sit there and air out for a bit to make sure it was as good as it could get. I then refilled it with oil, changed the oil filter and double checked that the oil level was about a quarter inch or so above full before filling the oil filter. Then it happened, I started it up to fill the oil filter, check pressure and give it a test drive and as soon as it fired I heard the bearings squalling. Shut it right back off to double check what I was hearing, to make sure it wasn't a belt, or the starter hung up, or anything of that sort. Once I was convinced I knew what it was I started it again and let it run and after about 10 seconds the squalling stopped but it had that dreaded rattle in the bottom end. All that work and care to baby it along and this happened, kinda just pisses me off but there's nothing that can be done about it now but get it repaired and move on. That brings me to the subject of the topic. Where the hell should I go from here? Should I even screw with trying to rebuild this damned thing or should I just go and find a long block and start over? If you think I should rebuild this engine, what would be your suggestions for doing so? Parts from where? How much of it would you replace? I've searched for the parts to rebuild the bottom end before for the engine in the '98 playtoy and for about double the cost I can get a long block with a warranty which just seems like the better option in all reality. I need some direction here, I'm too frustrated with myself and the situation to think straight. Sorry my brothers of Team IAK, it's not looking like the Jimmy is going to make it for Slamology now.

Dude, you're worrying WAY too much about it. That 15 will outperform what you're used to right now in every aspect. It will not suffer any significant amount in the upper bass range putting it in a ported enlcosure tuned to ~32hz. Hell, there's a member on here who went from a pair of 10" Alpine Type X subs to a single Fi BTL 18 and noted not just the expected gain in output but the fact the bass was tighter, had more range, and was smoother across the board. If you have room to put it in a ported enclosure, do so, you won't regret it. If you can't fit a "proper" ported enlcosure in the trunk of that car then it won't hurt a damn thing putting it in a sealed enlcosure. Buy the 15 and be very happy!

It's also a high quality amp. There's a difference in what you would get from this as compared to a cheap amp of the same power rating. The power supply, output stages, etc. are generally overbuilt for what it's rated whereas on something cheaper those same parts of the amp are sized and built to just cover the rating, if that. That's one reason there's such a big difference in cost between quality amps and cheap ones (likewise for other equipment as well). In order for them to be built cheaper some corner(s) has to be cut to cut the cost of production, that's just the way it is. Now, a watt of power is a watt of power and when you're comparing a quality amp to a cheaper amp at lower volume levels a person shouldn't be able to hear any difference unless there's a problem in the amp that colors the signal due to a bad design or low quality parts, but for the benefit of the doubt we'll say they're the same. However, when you increase the volume and start to run the amps hard the difference will start to show itself. The cheaper amp, with it's smaller power supply with less overhead capacity will run out of steam sooner, it won't be able to supply the voltage the output stage is looking for and it will clip the signal causing distortion. The quality amp, with it's larger power supply with it's overhead capacity will be able to handle those dynamics, or peaks in the music better and therefore have less clipping and distortion. Now, that's a very BASIC explanation of the difference between a quality amp and a cheap one and basically the difference between this and a Boss amp, for example. There is WAY WAY WAY WAY more to do with it than that, I'm only trying to simplify it for the sake of not turning this into a major debate. It is true, an amplifier will (should) simply raise the amplitude of the input signal, no colorations, distortions, or otherwise changes in the signal except for amplitude, and in most cases amps do exactly that. The only real difference is when you start calling for MAXIMUM output from the equipment. The higher quality designs and built units will typically handle it better, running cooler, have less distortion and just a cleaner sound that in turn will make it seem as though they get louder, or are more powerful. People will argue with all this, I'm sure. I just can't think of any better way to explain it. People get awfully hung up on numbers though, I know I used to. They don't realize that because music is so dynamic we rarely ever use an amp to it's full potential.

The SSD is SOLD!!

Thanks everybody. It's my first time owning a Zapco amp and I have absolutely NO idea what I'm going to do with it, lol. No shit lol I'm asking what speakers he would use and in what vehicle. NO idea dude. Didn't expect to buy it, had no real intentions of winning the auction so there's no plans for it right now at all. It's going with the rest of the audio stash for the moment until a use presents itself. Really? Have you been looking for one? I'd rather not say. At this point however, I will say it looks like I got it a little cheaper than most of the prices I've seen them go for when I go looking around. I haven't said I don't want it yet, lol. It measures 32.5" long by 9.5" wide by 2" tall. I don't have a freaking clue what the hell I could fit it in either, lol. Thanks. Would you believe I picked that helmet up at the Goodwill for $25? Yes, really.

Awesome! I'm entered!

sale on sub pending...

You've definitely found the best place to learn! to the forum!!

I can imagine what it will do. I feel sorry for that car, that's for damn sure.

Wow Chop, that's awesome!

Just realized after some more reading up that I'm going to need to do a CASE or crank position sensor relearn for the PCM after changing the engine. I found the AutoEnginuity ST06 scan tool bundled with the GM EI02 enhanced interface for $432. I'm wondering if this is one of those things that should be a no brainer to go ahead and order or if I should just go ahead and take it to a dealer to do the relearn. I think for the money it would be a silly thing not to get it considering that the van and my mother's Blazer are all GM vehicles this thing could be used on. Any opinions?

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