Might Finally Install A Stereo...

[Shogen 325]

Hotness

[edouble101 314]

Any new pics to post? 

[Impious 1,476]

Any new pics to post?

No Was working on 'glassing the doors again but ran out of materials. My dad can buy them for me at a discount but that won't be until this weekend. So I wait.

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

Most awesome composite site ever 

[Impious 1,476]

I get US Chemical resin from our local NAPA and don't have any complaints. But everyone has great things to say about the US Composite stuff, so maybe next time I'll look into them a little more closely.

I'm surprised with as popular as US composite is that their website is still from 1995

[ssh 924]

Most awesome composite site ever

This! Quentin suggested their stuff to me when I did my last glassing, it's worth it.

[ssh 924]

You beat my post.

[lithium 358]

using US composites right now. its great, much better than walmart's 3m shit. 

[Impious 1,476]

Kinda been slacking here lately.  Decided to finally get something done today.  My bad on the crappy pictures.  It was dark and the camera on my Ipad sucks.

 

 

 

Anyways, got my Rockford Fosgate RFX-8250 installed today.  For those not in the know, this was RF's high end HU offering about 12 years ago (date of manufacture on the bottom of my unit is April '02).  It was OEM'd by Denon and is basically a rebadge of one of their units, although the exact model # eludes me at the moment.  I didn't buy it because of supposed sound quality advantages to the unit.  To be honest I simply love the aesthetics.  Nice and clean, simple, classy, functional.  That's it.

 

As with everything else, it took me a lot longer than anticipated.  Learned something new about my car today as well.  When removing the old HU I accidently ripped the connector off of the antenna wire (FUCK !!).  And apparently with my car if the antenna wire is not connected to anything the blower for the AC runs full blast and the display for the HVAC system stops working as do the HVAC controls.  So I was pretty excited about having to run to Radio Shack and praying the whole way there that they had the connector I needed.  They had one, literally, and it was sort of a shot in the dark when I bought it...but luckily it worked perfect.  I'd been screwed if they hadn't had that connector.  Then I had to make a 2nd run to town to get screws for mounting the HU.  The damn Japanese make their high end HU's ISO-mount, which pretty much nothing in the US is compatable with.  The dash kit I have supposedly works with ISO, but the fit/finish of every kit I've used ISO mounting with is shitty, and because of the design of this particular kit the screws I had weren't long enough.  So I wasted 2 hours today just driving to and from the store to get materials

 

As you can see (kind of), there isn't a trim ring.  The HU doesn't have one, and I couldn't get any of them I had lying around to fit.  I tell myself that I'll try to figure something out and get a trim ring on there, but the truth is I'm lazy so this is pretty much how it is probably going to stay. 

 

Aside from being one step closer to finishing my install, this is also motivation because, as of this moment, I do not have a working stereo in my car.  And I have a 30 mile drive to work every day.  Which is going to be boring as fuck.  So hopefully that serves as motivation for me to finish the stereo so I have something to listen to again

 

Next step I think is to work on the kicks.  Got bored with the doors and those don't bring me closer to listening to music as it's just the midbass.  If I can finish the kicks then I'll have 90% of the bandwidth covered, so I can atleast listen to tunes while I work on the doors...which are going to take me for fucking ever to finish.

[///M5 2,833]

Denford, nice. Best looking standard din h/u of all time. Output clarity doesn't suck either

[lithium 358]

sweet!

[azagtoth502 31]

I read what you said about these not being the best platform for audio....none the less really cool work & I still like those cars.

[Impious 1,476]

IT LIVES  !!!!!!!!!!!

 

I needed to come up with a good hiding spot for the MS8 display... I really like hiding the display for a few reasons.  First it's one less thing for theives to see, being that it would look like a GPS to someone in passing it's one less reason for a theif to double take at my car.  Second it's one less thing shining in my face at night.  And last I think it just adds a little something extra to the install to have the display in a unique location and not just out in the open stuck on the dash somewhere.

 

In my old install I had the display for the MS8 hid in the overhead sunglass holder.  Unfortunately the Buick doesn't come equipped with a sunglass holder because, being designed for old people, it's presumed their "sunglasses" will always be clipped onto the owner's tri-focals.  So I had to come up with a new spot for this car. 

 

What I found is that the display is almost exactly the same size as the ashtray.  So I popped out the ashtray, built a little mounting panel and secured the display with velcro to the panel so that it was still easily removable without having to tear the whole assembly out of the car.  Turned out well.  Simply flip the door shut and it's out of sight.  I was a little worried that the angle would be poor from the driver's seat but the display is easily visible

 

 

[Impious 1,476]

And as you can see from the last pic there, I finished up my kickpanel install as well.  What do you guys think ?  I spent quit a bit of time working on aiming to get the best imaging...I think it flows well and blends in nicely with the vehicle.  Almost looks stock !!

 

 

[///M5 2,833]

They are upside. QS is not the goal, need to flip it the right way!

[ssh 924]

How'd you get the fiberglass so transparent?

 

The hidden display is a nifty idea, I always had the screen off unless I was tuning.

[jcarter1885 995]

The wire gives it flare.

[lithium 358]

swag

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Nice hiding spot.

[nem 2,019]

Like a Boss!

[Randal Johnson 544]

Clean

[PHATBOi 38]

Just caught up on the build. Nice updates. Sub baffle came out sweet. Love the invisible kick panels. New age shit right there.

[Impious 1,476]

Finally got my computer to get along with my stereo, so I can start taking measurements when I have the free time. And that means I can start working on aiming and finishing the kicks for real. Hoping I get some time to work on it during the week. I also have my baffles for my temp midbass done.

[Adrian_D 520]

Your kick install is no match for mine...I used flower pots as enclosures.