FINALLY DONE!!! ...for now.

FINALLY DONE!!! ...for now. (UPDATED)

Been working on this for awhile, but didn't want to post until it was all complete. This is a total budget build. I built the box, and installed everything myself in my garage. I spent just around $1200. I am NOT trying to win any competitions here, I just wanted some better sound for a little bit of money and got quite carried away. But now I have a solid multimedia system in my Mazda5

Orion 2 channel amp wired in mono and 10" Kicker CVT in my custom box. Box is sealed and has about .7 cubic feet with some polyfil. Less than kicker recommends, but I did not want to make the box too big.

Fully functioning 3rd row seats.

The speaker "guards" are just some black chrome drawer pulls from my local hardware shop. I originally planned to mount one on each side to make installation/removal easier, but they ended up like this in case I need to put something on the box.

Full access to spare tire and tools. Some visible sound deading material.

It takes some work to get the jack past the little .5 farad cap, but it does come out. Cap is mounted to a plate I made, which is mounted to the side wall with some unused factory bolt holes.

I made the amp enclosure a little bigger than necessary in case I wanted to go bigger later. I made it so the 600.2 will fit in there.

There is a hole under the amp with a little computer fan under it to circulate the air. Plus its on blocks. Fan turns on with the amp.

Grey stuff is just some textured fleck stone from a spray can.

I didn't want to mount the amp upside down, but this way keeps the ground wires short.

The most time consuming part is making this curve. Explanation at the end.

Shot from inside. The flap on the back seat that used to attach to the storage cover, is attached to the box so that nothing will fall down between the seats and the box.

Action shot. The cone will travel a lot more, but this was at home and a little late in the day to be vibe-ing out the neighbors... Folded down seats are flush with the box.

HU pics.

I love this stereo. It can even play Mpeg from the USB flash drive. It also has full IPod control, but I dont have an IPod ...yet.

JVC LCD.

The LED lights replace the stock dome lights and work with just as the stock would with OFF-DOOR-ON function. There is a switch on the side of the unit.

Sorry, not many DVDs in my car yet. It was either this or Barbie Fairytopia, Magic of the Rainbow (blarf)

There is an arm to swing the LCD down lower and locks in place. LCD can also twist a little to each side.

And yes, it blocks the rear view mirror in this position.

Luckily I installed a Panasonic back-up camera. You cant even see it while standing up. It turns on when put into reverse. I plan on wiring up a switch to turn the camera on whenever I want. The rear camera will interrupt the LCD on the HU, but not the roof LCD.

You can see the lines around my camera where the factory camera would be if we were in Japan. The most frustrating part of this whole build was fishing the camera cable through the back door. The door is plastic, and the inner part is actually fused to the outer skin, making it nearly impossible to fish the thick wires through without removing the back window. Amazingly, after 3 days of trying, I got it through and then ran the wires through the factory rubber boot, and into the headliner.

DONT RUN OVER THE KIDS!!!

Mic for the Kenwood bluetooth unit.

Now for the installation pics
Thats where the bluetooth unit lives. You can even play/control mp3's from cell phone via bluetooth on the stereo. You don't even have to take the cell out of your pocket! (rockon)

I had to make a bracket/mount for the camera out of G10 garolite. The bolts have locktite and epoxy so it will never come apart or be stolen. From the outside anyway...

Sealed and mounted with silicone from the inside of the door. I used scrap sound deadening material as tape for my wires

That box is the controller for the Panasonic back up camera. You can also see the speaker baffles/cups I used, and some sound deadening material wherever I could reach. Speakers are running off the HU.

Partially covered trunk floor. I used Second Skin Damplifier to deaden my 5. I did the floor up to the drivers seats, most of the roof, 2 layers on the rear wheel wells, the front doors, license plates, back door interior cover, and wherever else I could shove my hand in.

You can see some factory sound deadening material on the floor. Sorry, I didn't take any after installation shots. I was too sweaty

Roof was the easiest to mat, and made the biggest difference. LOOK AT ALL THOSE AIRBAGS!!! Kinda scary...

LCD bracket. This thing is heavy duty. I wanted it a little more forward, but it would have interfered with the sunroof. I still have full sunroof function in this position.

Clamping curved face of speaker box. I let that curved piece sit in a bending jig for about 3 weeks before assembly, so that it would hold some of that bend on its own.

It still took a lot of force to get it into position. There are temporary braces in the box to help it take shape while I screw the box together. I left the clamps on for a few days after assembly to make sure the glue was completely dried and sealed. If you try this, leave the piece longer than necessary to give you more leverage. Then cut off the excess after its built.


If you search for my name, I did a similar speaker box install on my Mazda3 a long time ago. But that was really simple compared to this.
On this build, I really didn't want to cut or drill anything. Most of it can return back to stock except the roof LCD. The only holes I drilled/cut were: the hole I made for the backup camera, the hole I drilled in the plastic clutch hole plug in the firewall for the amp cable, the tiny holes holding the amp fuse, and the huge hole I made for the roof LCD in the headliner (which is a PITA to get out)

Thats it! Hope you like my build. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, but I am NOT an expert on car audio! So dont ask too technical questions. This is actually my very first time replacing a head unit with an aftermarket stereo, and my first time working with a cap. I just have some basic electronic knowledge and have a full woodworking shop, so I know how to build/design a wooden box to fit a car. I don't know if its the most efficient design for acoustics, but it sounds great to me

Equipment:
Head unit
-Kenwood DDX512 (from Crutchfield so I got the free dash kit and harness)
-Kenwood KCA-BT200 bluetooth interface (Ebay)
-Kenwood KNA-RCDV330 remote control (Ebay)
Speakers
-Kenwood KFC-C6882ie (also from Crutchfield so I got the free adaptors)
Amplifier
-Orion Cobalt CO300.2 (Ebay)
Subwoofer
-Kicker CVT10 4-Ohm (Ebay)
Capacitator
-Rockford Fosgate .5 farad cap (Ebay)
Amp wiring kit
-Rockford Fosgate FRK8I 8 gauge amp wiring kit (Ebay)
Roof LCD
-JVC KV-MR9010 9" Overhead LCD (Ebay)
Back up camera
-Panasonic CY-RC50KU (Ebay)
6x8 speaker baffles
-Boom Mat slim baffles (Ebay)
Sound dampener
-Second Skin Audio Damplifier (ordered direct)

Updates on page 3 and 4.

Wow that looks pretty damn good!

That is a super clean install and I am very jealous. I would hire you to do my build if I lived near you.

and I just noticed that you DO live near me. Kind of.

Im down on the bottom island.

That is impressive. You can make a box for me too

VERY NICE. It looks so clean, I thought it was stock at first! GJ,

Outstanding work! I think the sub needs a grille though. I'm guessing you're no longer going to be using that space to put stuff but... just in case something where ever to fall or something... it would be nice to know i'ts protected.

Thanks guys!
Its been a long road. Most of my interior was in my living room for about a month.

CHICO2003 said:

Outstanding work! I think the sub needs a grille though. I'm guessing you're no longer going to be using that space to put stuff but... just in case something where ever to fall or something... it would be nice to know i'ts protected.

Click to expand...

I might end up with this kicker grille. It looks pretty good.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20608GR10/Kicker-08GR10.html?showAll=N&tp=2054
I actually made a little cover that fits over the drawer handles out of scrap MDF and wrapped it in extra carpet to cover the speaker in case I do need to haul anything. I just have to press a button on the HU to turn off the sub/amp.

bullaculla said:

Thanks guys!
Its been a long road. Most of my interior was in my living room for about a month.



I might end up with this kicker grille. It looks pretty good.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20608GR10/Kicker-08GR10.html?showAll=N&tp=2054
I actually made a little cover that fits over the drawer handles out of scrap MDF and wrapped it in extra carpet to cover the speaker in case I do need to haul anything. I just have to press a button on the HU to turn off the sub/amp.

Click to expand...

I like that one and this one! Either grill will set it off!

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107MM8G/Polk-Audio-MM8G.html?showAll=N&tp=2054

StealthWyvern said:

I like that one and this one! Either grill will set it off!

Click to expand...

Some quick photoshoppage...


hmm... maybe I should order it

All that for around $1200?

That's sweet. I obviously haven't looked at audio prices lately.

(wow) impressive. Great job, looks very professional

dude, that is a crazy set up you got there. hmmmm, ideas ideas

Awesome install! Can't believe you got the entire headliner out! Wow!!

One note: You mention you wanted a switch to turn the backup camera on at any time. If you hold the NAV button down for 1 sec on the Kenwood, that will give you the reverse camera at any time (not just while in reverse). You need to activate this in the Kenwood setup screen.

Two questions:
1. After your 3 days of fishing that wire in the back door, any advice on how you did it? I gave up after 1/2 day and simply connected to the top of the rear glass (camera mounted on the inside). I'd love to get the camera down to the position you used.
2. Did the sound deadening knock out any road noise?

i wanna see the 3 install now and how you got the mdf to curve exactly....i wanna do a flat box style kinda like that for the back of my p5....that is awesome man. great job

very well done, looks sweet!!

that gives me a nice idea where i can hide this baby here:



looks like it got room enough behind the left side cover of the trunk (headbang)

That is some awesome work!! You know what they say. If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself.

Wow!

That's just astonishing!

The patience, attention to detail and expertise shown in your installation is really incredible. If you aren't doing this stuff professionally already, I think you should be!(10)

Again, thanks for all the kind words guys!

camryman said:

Awesome install! Can't believe you got the entire headliner out! Wow!!

One note: You mention you wanted a switch to turn the backup camera on at any time. If you hold the NAV button down for 1 sec on the Kenwood, that will give you the reverse camera at any time (not just while in reverse). You need to activate this in the Kenwood setup screen.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that! I will give it a try.

Two questions:
1. After your 3 days of fishing that wire in the back door, any advice on how you did it? I gave up after 1/2 day and simply connected to the top of the rear glass (camera mounted on the inside). I'd love to get the camera down to the position you used.
2. Did the sound deadening knock out any road noise?

Click to expand...

That was a headache. I actually got to a point where I called an auto glass shop to see how much it would cost to remove a window and then put it back on

Here is about where my wires are. I am assuming you are getting stuck in the red corner, right?

I fished a normal wire through from the center, and then out the side hole. I wrapped the thin wire around the camera plug twice and then tightly wrapped it with tape, including the plug to give it a more streamline profile hoping it would prevent it from getting caught.

Keep the wire low. Push it down into the channel. I finally got it past the corner using a push/pull motion with both hands. Dont pull the wire too hard, you might break the tape and it will get caught on the corner.

Keep it loose and push/pull with both hands. Also, try having someone hold the door half closed to keep it level. I used straps to hold mine down.
If you do get it through, then its easy to to fish it down to the rubber boot. The grommet comes out easy, and separates from the rubber boot. Getting the wires through the rubber tube is tough, but manageable.

Sorry if my illustration looks obscene

About the Damplifier, This was a long install because I have to work everyday, so I was driving around without any interior panels. That is like driving around in an empty soda can! I it does make a difference. But it is not like nearly as quiet as my Jeep Commander.
The headliner removal/LCD/Damplifier install was actually done in one day, so I could tell a difference in the roof matting right away. I mostly did it because I wanted the cheap speakers to sound better. And they do.
If you really want to kill road noise, your best bet would be a layer or two of Damplifier or Damp Pro, and a layer of their Luxury Liner. It would be easier to notice a difference if I could hop out of my car, and into a stock one.
I know the Damplifier works because with all the windows and doors closed, you can barely hear the sounds at max from 20 feet away.
Hope this helps!

bgibb68 said:

i wanna see the 3 install now and how you got the mdf to curve exactly....i wanna do a flat box style kinda like that for the back of my p5....that is awesome man. great job

Click to expand...

After I figured out the dimensions of the box, I cut the vertical pieces (sides, center, front and back) all to the same width with my table saw. The front curved piece was left a little long as I said for leverage. I placed 2, 1 foot long 2x4s on my work bench. Centered the front piece to be curved over it, then sandwiched the 2x4s, front piece and table together with bar clamps.

then gradually tighten the ends with clamps to start the curve. Let it sit for a few day, and tighten some more.

Once it starts holding, you can add another block. I let mine sit for about 3 weeks and it was pretty close to the right shape. Use the storage cover/box to check your curve. The box is pretty much the same dimensions as the storage box it replaces.
Take your time, and dont rush it. Keep it dry also.

camryman said:

If you hold the NAV button down for 1 sec on the Kenwood, that will give you the reverse camera at any time (not just while in reverse). You need to activate this in the Kenwood setup screen.

Click to expand...

I tried it, and it totally works. It switches right to the backup cam. The only problem is that the camera itself is powered by the reverse lights. So even though the HU is switched to the backup cam as a source, the camera itself is still off.
I need to figure out something else, or just be happy with it

There is a switched power source right in the left rear panel. However looking at your pics it looks like your camera box is in the right side?