Hey Guys

I would like to build a descent system for my '79. Over the last few weeks I've done quite a bit of reading and have learned quite alot but would like advice from people with similar cars and knowledge. So here are a few questions (i hope not too many):

1) I plan on building a box for a sub on the drivers side of the smugglers box similar to Mr. marvs. However, I'm not sure whether to go with an 8" or a 10". Im not looking for anything over powering and do not plan on going into a comp, also I listen to metal and rock. The JL subs look nice, has anyone used them? Amplification will be decided after I get the sub.

2) I've been told by alot of people that I would most likely be wasting my time and money with rear speakers and that I should invest in decent fronts instead. The JL VR and ZR 2 way component 6 1/2" and 5 1/4" sets look nice. Do you think those speakers would be enough, or would 3 way component be better?

3) Placement of the front component speakers. I dont like the looks of those q-logic kickpanels, i think they are too flimsy for the price and req to much to make them sound good. Also, i dont want to bend my e brake or move it. So...I was thinking of making a fiber glass enclosure on the lower door panel where the carpet strip is. However, I'm thinking 6 1/2's may be too big or just look stupid. Has anyone done any door panel enclosures on theyre 5th gen before?

As for head unit, I havent decided proprably alpine or pioneer. And amplication will be decided after getting the speakers. The JL slash series look nice, like a 300/4 run the fronts off the front channel and bridge the rear channel for the sub. Also people have said pheonix gold and fosgate are nice. Any help and or direction would be greatly appreciated guys.

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If I where to put rear speakers in, would it be ok to go with 5 1/4" componant in the front (easier to make door enclosure) and 6 1/2" coax in the rear? Alot of people tell me to run 6 1/2" in the front but it may be to much of a pain to fit them. If I went with this setup, I'd probrably run them off a 4 channel amp and a mono for the sub.

thanks

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As with most things out there, what sounds good to you comes down to personal preference. If you are looking to accurately reproduce stereo recordings there is no need for rear speakers in my opinion (have you ever gone to a concert/recording session and had musicians sitting behind you :wink: ). If you prefer "surround sound" or the "club sound" then rear speakers are for you :) .
Right now I have a single JL Audio 8W7 in my smugglers box and most people that have heard it think it is a 12! :) This is partially due to the fact that it is a phenomenal sub in the properly designed/built enclosure however it is also due to the fact that with the small interior of an El Camino we experience a pretty hefty amount of cabin gain (bass re-enforcement). Another thing I learned while designing/building my new competition system was that there is a strong possibility of bass cancellation in an El Camino if you remove the spare tire. What happens is the incidental bass wave and the reflective wave arrive at your ears out of phase and cancel certain frequencies (depending on the distance the wave travels) An easy way to check if you have cancellation is to open the door with the system playing. If the bass gets louder you are getting cancellation. To rectify this in my new system (since I don't have the amp rack in place of the spare tire anymore) I have completely sealed off the smugglers box from the cabin and will have a small door to access storage back there. I also tried facing the sub into the compartment. This stopped the cancellation (due to both waves arriving closer in phase) however it also caused a little "boominess" that I didn't care for.

When choosing speakers, if at all possible try to listen to them in a similar vehicle first. This is not always easily accomplished so if you are limited to hearing them in a sound room, be prepared for them to sound a bit different in your car (typically a little "brighter" due to all the reflective surfaces in a vehicle). Also, some speakers work better "on axis" and some work better "off axis" so this is something to consider depending on where you decide to mount them. I am using Q-Forms in my "new" El Camino again this year as they image pretty well and I was willing to give up the e-brake :). They are pretty flimsy however I made an MDF baffle to mount the speaker to, packed them full of non-hardening modeling clay and sealed the back wave from the front wave so they work pretty well for me. I can't remember the members name here but he made some very nice door pods in his fifth generation. If I can find it I will post a link to it.

I have built NUMEROUS enclosures for my El Caminos so when you decide which way to go drop me a line if you need help designing yours.

BTW, on the last page of my site below you can see a few pics of my 78's previous competition system. Unfortunately when this site got hacked a while back my 86' SS system pictures were lost but I will post them again as soon as I have a chance.

http://community-2.webtv.net/MarvsPlace/MarvsPlace/

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opinions vary :)
I stand by what I said about 8" subs and less than 4 speakers in a car unless the fronts can be aimed at a properly located spot to get a reflective agtion off the rear glass somewhere. To suggest otherwise is to accept a noticable drop in sound quality. Any audiophile would agree.... A concert hall is designed to reflect sound waves to appropriate locations to reproduct dimensional sound. To compare a concert hall to a car cab is just silly. I am not trying to rip on you so l lets just disagree on this one.

:D

Agreeing to disagree is cool :cool: and I definately dis-agree however as we all know "arguing on the internet is like........................" so I will stop there :D. I'll just say if you (or anyone else) happens to be near Monterey California and would like to hear an "International Auto Sound Challenge Association" trophy winning El Camino system with an 8" sub and only speakers in the front, feel free to drop by anytime. ;)

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Just curious what class and place you got? I used to go to a few IASCA events before I sold my vette. I dont see anyone named Marv on the competitor list?

I previously competed Rookie class and the best I finished was second (you can see the details and trophy on my site :)) as well as several local 1st place finishes (non-IASCA). Unfortunately there was not enough interest in Northern California last year so they didn't have any comps in my area. This season IASCA is being revived a bit on the west coast so I will compete Semi-Pro Street Class since I will have help and partial sponsorship from within the industry. If you happen to be near here around August 12th I will also be hosting my annual BBQ and we are trying to organize a competition with car audio enthusiasts from all over the country attending. Another El Camino would be cool 8)

http://forum.elitecaraudio.com/showthread.php?threadid=128996

Agreeing to disagree is cool :cool: and I definately dis-agree however as we all know "arguing on the internet is like........................" so I will stop there :D. I'll just say if you (or anyone else) happens to be near Monterey California and would like to hear an "International Auto Sound Challenge Association" trophy winning El Camino system with an 8" sub and only speakers in the front, feel free to drop by anytime. ;)

edit: That should have read "future" trophy winning El Camino as I have not competed with the new system yet (but I'm pretty confident ;))

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I would love to have come out but from Fargo, ND to California in my car at 5 mpg is out of my budget! 1,800 miles / 5 mpg = 360 gallons at $3.00 p/g = $1,080. Long and spendy drive.
Good luck with the competition! It gets pretty spendy even with sponsorship.

Man I thought mine got bad mileage! (we're paying about $3.50 for premium 8O ) Thanks on the well wishes and you are correct it gets spendy even with help!

I spent mant years as a car audio installer and built many custom cabinets over the years. Having free access to my shops stereo equipment and using my car (87 El Camino) as a display I constantly changed out components to keep up with the latest. At times I had 1500 watts RMS, 13 speakers using 2 15 subs. Yes, all this in an El Camino. I kinda got away from the audio stuff for several years now. My current system uses Lanzar Amps, Planet Audio preamp. I have a 5th order box that uses about 2/3 of the spare tire box. Its a 12 inch dual voice coil inside of a dual chamber box with a four inch port towards the front. Made out of 3/4 MDF and then sprayed with rhino liner this is by far the most impressive sub design I ever heard. I use FOCAL ( french I think-very high-end) six inch in the upper door panels , 5-1/4 in the dash and tweets mounted on the a-pillar. Awesome sound with plenty of "clean" power. There are many ways to achive what you like. My only advice is due to space limitations consider a bandpass type of sub-box. Use more power than you think you need to keep distortion down and always use separates over two or three way speakers. Good Luck!

Mr Marv, In reference to the question "have you ever gone to a concert and had the musicians behind you" Well kind of. Pink Floyd dark side of the moon show, Tampa stadium, about 1972. They had quad sound in the stadium. So yes, some of the sound came from behind.

Mr Marv, In reference to the question "have you ever gone to a concert and had the musicians behind you" Well kind of. Pink Floyd dark side of the moon show, Tampa stadium, about 1972. They had quad sound in the stadium. So yes, some of the sound came from behind.


As with most things out there, what sounds good to you comes down to personal preference. If you are looking to accurately reproduce stereo recordings there is no need for rear speakers in my opinion (have you ever gone to a concert/recording session and had musicians sitting behind you Wink ). If you prefer "surround sound" or the "club sound" then rear speakers are for you Smile .

I've been to many concerts/clubs where there was "sound" behind me even when there were no speakers (caused by reflections) however this reference was meant to be about "musicians sitting behind you with accurately reproduced 2channel stereo recordings". I probably should not have included "concert" since a lot of concerts are not even set up in "stereo" rather they are set up in "mono" with speakers all over the place so everyone can hear.

The point I was actually trying to make is that it comes down to personal preference 8) . I personally like a "soundstage" in front of me with the "illusion" that the musicians/singers are in specific locations (also what we strive for in competition). There will generally be some "ambient" sound behind me due to reflections however no rear speakers are needed to accomplish this. Some prefer the "quad sound" or "surround sound" etc (I do as well depending on what I happen to be listening to at the time) and for those I suggest putting speakers behind you as well.

BTW, if you were at a Pink Floyd concert in '72 you must be as old as I am! 8)

Wow...thanks for the feedback guys, as for the rear speakers...im building an amp rack above the smugglers box and will leave room for rears if I decide I want to add them in the future. And as for an 8" or 10" sub, I have been wanting to hear an 8" JL but none of the shops around here seem to have any w7's. If I hear one and like it I would prefer to go that route, other wise I'll go with a ten. Mr. Marv, what are you powering your 8" with? For amplification, I would like to go with an american MADE product. What companies are out there right now? My budget is about 1000$ for an amp...possibly a little more. Zapco seems to have a good following, has anyone used products from zapco? if so how did you like them?

Wow...thanks for the feedback guys, as for the rear speakers...im building an amp rack above the smugglers box and will leave room for rears if I decide I want to add them in the future. And as for an 8" or 10" sub, I have been wanting to hear an 8" JL but none of the shops around here seem to have any w7's. If I hear one and like it I would prefer to go that route, other wise I'll go with a ten. Mr. Marv, what are you powering your 8" with? For amplification, I would like to go with an american MADE product. What companies are out there right now? My budget is about 1000$ for an amp...possibly a little more. Zapco seems to have a good following, has anyone used products from zapco? if so how did you like them?

Zapco's are great products however I personally would not spend anywhere near $1000.00 (even Canadian Dollars) for a sub amp! I am using 7 year old Pioneer Premier Reference Series amps to power my entire system because they are of good quality, have the power I need to play at the level I desire without audible distortion and match the "old school" theme of my install 8) . This is the criteria I follow when designing and building systems:

I start with a good quality headunit with the features I need. I prefer to stay away from the ones with all the "bells and whistles" that have nothing to do with sound quality.

IMO the best quality speakers you are willing to pay for (and like the sound of) as well as proper installation/tuning of said speakers are a must! After all, they are what actually make the sound you will be listening to :)

Same as above for subwoofers.

For amplifiers I look for a reputable manufacturer that is known for good quality products. I typically like a lot of "headroom" so I use amps with a bit more power than the speakers are rated for. Next I make sure the amp has the features I need for the particular application such as crossovers, subsonic filters, remote level control etc. Last but not totally least is the amp has to look good and fit the "theme" of the particular install I am doing :). I stay away from amps that have ridiculous "peak power" ratings emblazened all over them. If you see an amp that says "1000 watts peak power" yet it only has a 20 amp fuse, you definately want to steer clear of that one!

If you really have to have American made your choices are getting limited as more and more companies are going overseas for manufacturing of their products these days :-(

Thanks for the info. I would prefer to spend less than a 1000$ but thats pretty much my budget so if i could get an amp and wiring kit etc for that price or less that would be great. As for american made, i know that alot of companies are being outsourced overseas and that if I want an american built amp, now is probrably the time. I'll probrably contact you about sub box questions within a couple of months if that is ok, your site looks good and that box with the jl sub is similar to what I would like to do.

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Thanks JamesF, im gonna go price out amps this weekend. My amp rack will be built to fit either JL or zapco and probrably other brands, i'll post a pic when im done.

if ur still interested in ideas hit me back because i have both custom door speaker enclosures and kick panles....i can take pics if ud like...

Hey,

Well since my last post, I finished a ported box for an 8w7 and Im powering it with a zapco ref 500.1, I just got my front amp...a zapco ref 350.2. So far im very happy with the way it sounds, the amp for the fronts should be hooked up this weekend. Fuzzymino, I would love to see some pics of your door panels, I panel on glassing a set of lowers for mine this winter.

no prob...will take pix later tomaro

well i got bored so i took the pics tonight....http://elcaminocentral.com/ftopicp-114752.html#114752
tell me wat u think

Nice setup!!, I was thinking about kickpanels but did you have to move the ebrake or did you lay the panels down a little more. The q-logic ones apparently require modifying the ebrake. I like your use of the smugglers box as well. That thing must pound!

the kickpanels are made of expanding foam and carver out to fit and i did not have to modify the ebrake to do so. it jus slips underneath of it and has no interuption.......the smugglers box was sort of my boses idea with a little spin of my own..my boss was only going to do 1 10"........it is extremely loud.......i actually have to have one door fully open for it to load up properly.........i had to take the seats out and there is 4guage wire to everything........... illl load some more pics wen i get it cleaned up a lil

Cool, nice work, i'll make sure i load up some pics this winter, i plan on doing the door panels and amp rack...the box is already in, it fits perfectly, however i gotta take the seat off in order to get it in and out as well. I'll try and load one this week of just my sub box in the car.

Cool, nice work, i'll make sure i load up some pics this winter, i plan on doing the door panels and amp rack...the box is already in, it fits perfectly, however i gotta take the seat off in order to get it in and out as well. I'll try and load one this week of just my sub box in the car.

Glad it turned out well and I'd sure like to see pics! :) . I have made numerous changes to my system since we last spoke (including a new console design and sub enclosure :)) and I'll post some pics as soon as I get it done.

Thanks Mr. Marv, I've been meaning to get back to you, I appreciate the advice you gave me. Everything turned out well and it sounds great. However, if I were to do it again, I would not use 1" mdf again...it's too damn heavy...I'd build the box out of 3/4" and double up the baffle board. Also, I ended up staining it black and varathaning it. Never stain mdf!! it takes forever to dry. But in the end, it looks great and the varathane is very durable. Here's a couple of pics, hopefully they work:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/caminoguy/Subbox013.jpg[/IMG]
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/caminoguy/Subbox027.jpg[/IMG]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/caminoguy/2006-09-19001-1.jpg[/img][img]

I dont think a couple of those links worked:

Here's the sub and amp:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/caminoguy/Subbox001.jpg

Here's the start of the box:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/caminoguy/Subbox013.jpg

Heres the box before staining:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n176/caminoguy/Subbox027.jpg

No problem and it looks great! (I had a feeling you would have a change of mind after handling that 1" MDF 8O ) Don't forget to post pics of the amp rack when you get it done!

Thanks, im probrably gonna start the amp rack next month. Currently i have the amps sitting on a board on the other side of the smugglers box, eventually id like to put the spare tire or tools there though. What have you done to your el camino lately?

Thanks, im probrably gonna start the amp rack next month. Currently i have the amps sitting on a board on the other side of the smugglers box, eventually id like to put the spare tire or tools there though. What have you done to your el camino lately?

Believe it or not I tore the entire system out and replaced just about everything except for the amps and the monitor in my dash! 8O I am now using Scan Speak Revelator mids/tweeters (home speakers) up front in aperiodic membrane kickpanels and have swapped my 8W7 for a JL Audio 12W6v2. I built a new enclosure that extends from the back of the smugglers box and ties into a new console design (the sub will be in the middle behind the seats). I also have a couple of new tricks including a touch screen remote control panel that will be flush mounted into the armrest to control the TV monitor, dvd, headunit and satellite radio. 8)

Here's a shot of the amps and wiring behind/under the newly installed '99 Camaro bucket seats (still havn't had a chance to get the upholstery done)

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/MrMarv/86%20El%20Camino%20SS/P1010148-1.jpg

1 amp powers the left side mid/tweeter, the other powers the right side mid/tweeter (each speaker on it's own channel) and they will be covered with a ventilated "false" floor. The sub amp will go in the smugglers box behind the passenger seat while the dvd player and satellite radio tuner will go in a custom rack in the smugglers box on the drivers side. The wiring/fuse distribution block you can see under the passenger seat is for the amps and under the drivers seat I installed a relay with a 6-gang fuse block. This will give me a switched ouput for the headunit, dvd player, monitor and a couple of 12v accessory sockets that will be housed in the console for cell phone etc. When I have a chance I will install another fuse block for 12v constant power. There are a few more pics on my photobucket below (click '86 El Camino SS) and as soon as I have a chance I'll post pics of the new enclosure/console. :)

http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/MrMarv/

Marv

Amazing work as always, im looking foward to seeing the pics of the custom console. False floors look very nice as well. Do you ever use eq's or processors? Are you still gonna compete with the new system? Also, what do you run for a charging system and batteries? I have a 100 amp alternator, at idle it has no problem powering my amps and electric fans. However, with the car off my system drains the battery in no time. I think my car will be getting the body done next year, so that will give me time to collect the interior pieces i need and do some glass work...and maybe even a new box...just for practice and i wouldnt mind trying a sealed box and comparing it to the ported.

Marv

Amazing work as always, im looking foward to seeing the pics of the custom console. False floors look very nice as well. Do you ever use eq's or processors? Are you still gonna compete with the new system? Also, what do you run for a charging system and batteries? I have a 100 amp alternator, at idle it has no problem powering my amps and electric fans. However, with the car off my system drains the battery in no time. I think my car will be getting the body done next year, so that will give me time to collect the interior pieces i need and do some glass work...and maybe even a new box...just for practice and i wouldnt mind trying a sealed box and comparing it to the ported.

Thanks! :) I've decided to make this into a "demo" system since I do a lot of work locally for a couple of car clubs. I added the larger sub and more power since it is common for people to listen and say "it sounds nice....but how loud does it get!" 8) ) I will eventually be getting a "new" ride to compete with (I like to be different so it will probably be a '68-'72 Nova or something along that line) and I've already got a plan layed out as well as help coming from a couple of companies I deal with.

For competition I previously used (and will again use) a Pioneer Premier P9 combo which includes an external processor that is controlled directly through the headunit. It has enough EQ, time delay and crossover functions to easily control even an elaborate system. In my El Camino I switched to an "all in one" headunit (Pioneer Premier DEH-P880PRS) to save a little room.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/MrMarv/86%20El%20Camino%20SS/P1010149.jpg

It is like the "little brother" of the P9 in one in-dash unit but has more than enough processing to control a simple to fairly elaborate system. I am able to bi-amp the front stage since it has a band-pass filter and I can control the phase, amplitude and crossover point/slope for each individual speaker directly from the headunit. It also has a L/R sixteen band graphic EQ which allows me to equalize the left and right side individually which really helps with imaging. All in all I think it is a pretty good headunit for the "tweakers" like myself :D

I am using a 100 amp alternator as well and it works great but I will be installing a larger one soon. I also have an Optima yellow top deep cycle battery which allows me to play for quite some time with the engine off. I overkill on the wiring/grounding by using dual 4 gauge power wire, dual 4 gauge ground to the engine and 4 gauge to the body along with cleaning all factory grounding points with ground straps. I have no issues with dimming lights and everything electrical in my car works great. :D
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/MrMarv/86%20El%20Camino%20SS/P1010113.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/MrMarv/86%20El%20Camino%20SS/P1010108.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/MrMarv/86%20El%20Camino%20SS/P1010075.jpg

I also used a couple of tips from the site below that another member here sent me.
http://www.madelectrical.com/electrical-tech.shtml

BTW, too bad you don't live closer or I would send you one of my sealed 8W7 enclosures to try out. :cool:

It's looking great Marv. And a old nova would be a good choice, I got an el camino to be different. As for the processors and eq's and elaborate decks...I have alot more to learn about slopes etc before I buy one. However, alot of guys seem to use them so it may be an upgrade in the future. And it seems like some amps dont come with crossovers like zapco's studio and z series (incase i ever want to upgrade). My deck is an alpine 9856, the main reason i got it was for the cheaper route to hook up an ipod...just a cable required. Otherwise its a basic deck, however the zapco symbilink line drivers boost the preout signal alot better then the stock 2v. Trying out one of your boxes would be killer but shipping over the boarder can be expensive. I need to improve my woodworking skills anyways.

thanks

Hello all,

I'm a new member to this forum, and after reading all the great posts about audio in El Caminos, decided to post what I have done with my 70.

I installed a Kenwood in-dash CD head unit, 3.5 inch Infinity dash speakers, 6.5 inch Infinity kick pannel speakers, and two Rockford Fosgate 10" subs in a cutom made box. The subs are powered by a 420 watt MTX amp assisted by a 1.2 farad Tsunami capacitor. The system sounds amazing! My project web page is at:

http://dcabral99.home.comcast.net/current_project.htm

dscabra

Welcome to the forum. The system looks great, the box looks nice and clean and i like the kicks. How does it sound?

Hello all,

I'm a new member to this forum, and after reading all the great posts about audio in El Caminos, decided to post what I have done with my 70.

I installed a Kenwood in-dash CD head unit, 3.5 inch Infinity dash speakers, 6.5 inch Infinity kick pannel speakers, and two Rockford Fosgate 10" subs in a cutom made box. The subs are powered by a 420 watt MTX amp assisted by a 1.2 farad Tsunami capacitor. The system sounds amazing! My project web page is at:

http://dcabral99.home.comcast.net/current_project.htm

I really like the instruments. Very cool!

dscabra

Welcome to the forum. The system looks great, the box looks nice and clean and i like the kicks. How does it sound?

Thanks for the complements. This was my first attempt at anything related to audio, and all my research paid off big time! It sounds surprisingly good. The Infinity dash and kick pannel speakers are very clean and crisp. They are not connected to an amp, but rather directly to the Kenwood deck getting about 50 watts/channel. I am using an Electronic Base Contol knob with the MTX amp to allow fine tuning of the subs on the fly. I actually debated running a set of 6x9 rear speakers as well, but thought better of it. I can say now, that that was the right decision, as the cab is completely filled with sound that is very balanced and full -- no need for rear speakers. The nice thing is that it sounds great at normal listening levels, and can still flat kick when you want it to! I was demonstrating for some friends the other day with the car in the garage, and after a few seconds at high volume, my wife came out screaming that I was knocking things off the shelves in the house -- oops! This should be fun next summer at the local cruise-ins.

Dave

Dave

I agree with you about not needing rear speakers...when i was first planning this install i was going to go with rears but some guys on here talked me out of it, and with the saved $ i bought a better set of fronts and it sounds great. Let us know if you end up doing anything else to the system.

This is a question for marv.

i have two 12 inch rockford fosgates and was wondering if you had any designs for a box for them to fit into the smugglers box. I am open to any sugestions. 1984 el camino.

This is a question for marv.

i have two 12 inch rockford fosgates and was wondering if you had any designs for a box for them to fit into the smugglers box. I am open to any sugestions. 1984 el camino.

I don't mind helping others build their own enclosure however a couple of knuckleheads in the past had me design enclosures and ended up building/selling them commercially. :mad: If you promise you will not do this I can help you out (time permitting). :cool:

Hello all,

I'm a new member to this forum, and after reading all the great posts about audio in El Caminos, decided to post what I have done with my 70.

I installed a Kenwood in-dash CD head unit, 3.5 inch Infinity dash speakers, 6.5 inch Infinity kick pannel speakers, and two Rockford Fosgate 10" subs in a cutom made box. The subs are powered by a 420 watt MTX amp assisted by a 1.2 farad Tsunami capacitor. The system sounds amazing! My project web page is at:

http://dcabral99.home.comcast.net/current_project.htm

Niiiiiiice! 8) One day I may actually finish my own!

Malice, believe it or not I made more changes before I even finished the previous changes! (got a few things sponsored :)) I won't mention what they are until I decide which stuff I am actually going to keep/use and then I'll post pics. :)

Marv

Im looking foward to seeing the new pics. Did you get the nova yet? As for the changes, myself and alot of other people on this forum probrably change things 10 times before we finish. I can't believe someone burned you after you helped them design a box, thats low. My car is now officially off the road :-( because the weather is not good enough to keep it on. And my stereo will be getting taken out this weekend. Over the winter i'll fiberglass an amp rack and play around with the lower door panels to try and improve imaging maybe try expanding foam for shaping. It wont be as good as kicks but I want to retain the parking brake in the stock location.

I promise i will not sell it commercially i just like quality work that shows my showmanship, but in this case I dont have any theory on building boxes this will be my first time. All i would really need is some ideas. I would like to make a box that uses all of the air space in the box and have it extended to meet almost flush with the doors. Then i would like to take the face board and extend to the top of the window with enough space to place 6x9s above the 12s and below the window then i would take and make a deck type thing from bottom of window the the top of the face board.

Now that i have typed exactly what i want i think i can almost make what i want. LOL BUt still yet if you have any suggestions please tell me. I will post pictures as i build the box. If i have any problems i will be sure to ask.

hey Marv, have you made any more progress on your car? I havent, just planning. Which brings up a couple questions for yourself and anyone who has any advice. I want to upgrade my front components (jl vr 6 1/2's), but after pricing out some really nice sounding speakers (focal polyglass) it looks like it'll be an expensive upgrade. Ive noticed alot of guys at DIY Mobile Audio run morel, sea's etc. Whats the major difference between raw components from morel, seas, dayton, etc. and car audio components like jl, focal, alpine, etc? If I wanted to run a 2 way passive component setup in the front, am I paying more money for just a nice looking crossover from the car audio brands? I've been doing a little reading on crossover design and want to do alot more. If I can get the same results or better by making my own crossovers for cheaper than I would like to go that route.

any feedback would be appreciated

hey Marv, have you made any more progress on your car? I havent, just planning. Which brings up a couple questions for yourself and anyone who has any advice. I want to upgrade my front components (jl vr 6 1/2's), but after pricing out some really nice sounding speakers (focal polyglass) it looks like it'll be an expensive upgrade. Ive noticed alot of guys at DIY Mobile Audio run morel, sea's etc. Whats the major difference between raw components from morel, seas, dayton, etc. and car audio components like jl, focal, alpine, etc? If I wanted to run a 2 way passive component setup in the front, am I paying more money for just a nice looking crossover from the car audio brands? I've been doing a little reading on crossover design and want to do alot more. If I can get the same results or better by making my own crossovers for cheaper than I would like to go that route.

any feedback would be appreciated

Hey Malice-I've been under the weather again lately so I havn't been able to get much done other than buy a bunch more stuff :) . I have a 10W7 now also so I am tossing up between that, the single 12w6v2 or a pair of the new IDQ10's when they come out.

IMO the DIY stuff is great for some however if you can't listen to it yourself first there's a strong possibility you will be changing things often before you find a combo that works well together (most of the DIYers like to experiment so you will see them changing things all the time). Also, you'll notice most of the guys there run "active" systems (myself included) which are more difficult to set up/tune than "passive" systems. There is added expense with active as well since you will need an amp channel for each speaker as well as an electronic crossover (a lot of headunits these days have good built in crossovers for active systems). Building your own passives is an option however that requires a lot of work/experience to get right as they must be built for those specific drivers/application to sound their best.

Depending on your objective, a pre-packaged component set will typically be easier to install/tune (since the drivers and passives are already matched for the most part) and IMO are the best way to go for most people unless you need the flexibilty of an active system for imaging/soundstage purposes, have the experience to install/tune it or are willing to go through a lot of trial and error to get it to work well. I have gone through at least 6 sets of tweeters trying to get the sound I am looking for (my Scan Speak mids are already known to be some of the most natural sounding speakers out there so those will stay :)) and will probably go through a few more!

I always suggest people try to listen to speakers themselves whenever possible. Unfortunately you will typically only find them on a sound board which will sound different than when in a car but at the very least you will be able to eliminate those you don't like. Otherwise you gotta trust the ears of others and hope your listening taste is similar :).

I recently purchased a set of the new Pioneer TS-C720PRS speakers to see if they lived up to the hype I'd been reading. IMO they sounded better than many speakers out there costing a lot more as the reviews suggested (search that model number at www.caraudiomag.com as well as www.diymobileaudio.com and you will find reviews on them including my opinions). If you have a shop near you that sells them I think they would be worth a listen (I am actually using the tweeters right now with my Scans and it sounds pretty good IMO :).)

In any case, speakers are what actually make the sound so I try not to skimp there. Also, proper installation/tuning of any speaker is going to play the biggest role in how it will sound. As they say, "a good speaker installed properly will sound better than a great speaker installed improperly" :)

Marv

Sounds like you got some nice subs for the el camino, I've heard alot about IDQ's too. I see what you mean about those guys constantly changing they're setup's. And thats something im not up for now, neither is going active. But after seeing a bunch of the DIY guys use them, i just had to ask. I dont have any experience yet with crossovers other than alot of reading...maybe in a few years it'll be something to try. I'll check out those pioneer speakers...theres a couple places around here that sell pioneer. I really like the sound of the focal polyglass's. A place around here has a board powered by a zapco dc ref 350.2 so thats pretty close to my setup. Anyways, the plan is too get new front components for the spring time, so that gives me lots of time to browse and listen.

hope ya feel better

Hey Guys


3) Placement of the front component speakers. I dont like the looks of those q-logic kickpanels, i think they are too flimsy for the price and req to much to make them sound good. Also, i dont want to bend my e brake or move it. So...I was thinking of making a fiber glass enclosure on the lower door panel where the carpet strip is. However, I'm thinking 6 1/2's may be too big or just look stupid. Has anyone done any door panel enclosures on theyre 5th gen before?


I have speakers in that carpet strip, looks fine to me.