2001 Accord EX Sedan - it's long

[focused313]

the cleanliness of this install, as well as the great pics and explanations, has led me the decision that I must pull everything out of my car (if I can get those front seats out) and rerun every dang wire in there. I also am inspired to make a beauty panel as soon as I learn how to cut around my ports correctly.

Thank you for this. One of the best logs I've seen.

[keep_hope_alive]

tip for beauty panels: make a mock up out of cardboard first. don't worry about wasting cardboard, remake until it is perfect - then you have a template to cut the wood. for tough areas, make the mockup in sections (to work with smaller cardboard pieces). you can eyeball the first pass, then make notes on it for how many inches out each section needs to be, then remake. obviously, measure as much as you can to get as close as you can.

once you have the cardboard mock up - trace on your wood stock. then smooth the line by hand (cardboard is jagged).

when i run wire, i am not afraid of rerunning if i don't like how it lays (i.e. it is on top of wires that i feel would be better to be under). i don't worry about time and focus on how OEM would run it. i try to logically route away from pinch points and since split loom is cheap, i loom all wires for the entire run, even under carpet. OEM does, so do I. i use aluminum foil tape to secure wires and loom down. it sticks well. i secure wires as often as necessary, but usually every 6-8". i use black zip ties where possible when i can tie to factory wires. on car metal: i don't use screw holders or the stick-on zip tie holders since they are all bulky. i do use screw loops or tie holders on boards and racks. i do use wire strain relief, especially on any moving parts.

removing seats is easy. removing panels is easy. removing the center console is easy. removing carpet is easy. should take 45 min. you can drive without carpet and panels while you wire the car. just note if you start the car without seats (and seats have airbags), your SRS light will come on and your dealer will need to turn it off.

[keep_hope_alive]

Which drivers are you using?

when?

haha. i have tried 4 different midbass drivers, 5 different midrange, and 4 different tweeters.

i liked the OZ Audio drivers, but i was persuaded to sell. right now, my plan is using the following 4 ohm drivers (about $160 in drivers):

Vifa OT19NC00


Dayton Reference RS-100


Silver Flute W17RC38-04



reasons:
I've ran the Vifa ring radiator back when i ran the Alpine SPX-177R. they are better in spheres.

I like Dayton audio drivers and i like a dedicated full range (midrange) in the kicks. i will locate these more on axis (and play with aiming) and may run with just a high pass. they are good to 10kHz on-axis but with my current install they roll off above 3kHz so i don't have a low pass filter on them. we'll see how they blend with the tweeters when on-axis. right now, you cannot locate them - everything is above the dash.

I heard great things about the Silver Flute drivers in a midbass application - provided they are well installed. we'll see how i like them using the door cavity. I may also pick up the Dayton Reference RS-150 and try both.

[fish1234]

Those Vifa's look to perform very well on axis, I'll be excited to see them mounted in spheres!

[keep_hope_alive]

Those Vifa's look to perform very well on axis, I'll be excited to see them mounted in spheres!

They are. See previous pages.

[pieper88]

Can I just drop my Escape off to you have you build it lol?

[keep_hope_alive]

I mostly work at night

[matt_bennett05]

I still find it hard to have that much outright dedication put into every detail, including the preventative maintainence for unexpected issues that you could run into. If I had half of the patience and knowledge on a few things I've seen I would be more than happy.

Guess I ought to hang on D.I.Y. sometime. Very indepth informative work man.

[keep_hope_alive]

I still find it hard to have that much outright dedication put into every detail, including the preventative maintainence for unexpected issues that you could run into. If I had half of the patience and knowledge on a few things I've seen I would be more than happy.

Guess I ought to hang on D.I.Y. sometime. Very indepth informative work man.

Thanks. Patience is key, you cannot feel that something isn't worth the time/effort. Don't hesitate to redo something or to experiment. You learn during the process. gotta keep hope alive!

[knightrider2k6]

awesome. awesome work. very very detailed. me likey. thanks for the info and pics.

[SuperSaeYoung]

I've seen your work on honda forums awhile back and loved it.

[murph]

I have no words to say...

[keep_hope_alive]

finally got around to putting the silver flute 6.5" midbass in the doors. required cutting metal, fabricating a new mount to make room for the massive basket/magnet, and cutting the door panel. next is making a new door panel grille to retain a factory look.

used 3/4" birch for the base and 1/2" MDF for the ring.

but you have to start somewhere, and that's with mockups. i previously removed the stock grill.


with ring to see future panel conflicts. depth required the door panel to be modified.




test fit


drilling holes


hurricane nuts 8-32


driver test fit

[keep_hope_alive]

panel test fit, had to make a few passes to get the clearance right, hence the odd shape on the one side. had door panel seam conflicts


some of these are with my camera phone, hence any blurry pics


coated in resin




passenger side bolted in place, green glue damping compound, Raammat BXT for seals


green glue on ring too


mounted/wired

[keep_hope_alive]

the Green Glue was quite runny on this hot day.


used closed cell foam for my rain barrier ring inside the door. this is an application of Green Glue on the back of the mounting ring.


driver side is the same as passenger






used a dremel with a cutting wheel for the first pass on the door panel. final cutting may be larger just for consistency of lines... we'll see. for now, i can take my 700 mile trip with new speakers to listen to




how the amps are currently wired

An Alpine DRE-A200 providing an extra active crossover split between mids and tweeters.



start to finish, the pics you see were done this weekend while also spending 8 hours wiring a boat, playing with the kids, and hanging with friends. i think it was about 7 hours of work total.