This is my '89 Volvo Wagon, I'm installing an aftermarket stereo

[Joe89]

My equipment includes the following:

Electrical
Dual Alternators (220amp at 14.8v, Mechman 320amp at 19v)
(6) runs of 1/0 total (1) 12v pos, (1) 12v neg, (2) 16v pos, (2) 16v neg of 1/0 awg (Kicker and KnuKonceptz flex)
Kinetic HC2000 for 12v, under the hood
XS power XP1000 16v
12awg to speakers

Front Stage
Alpine 9887 (active crossover)
2 Eminence Beta 8"s and 2 Selenium ST350 supertweeters per front door. so (4) 8"s and (4) Tweeters
Memphis md300/4 bridged to the tweeters
Kicker zx850.4 bridged to the 8"s

Subs
(3) 2005 RE XXX 15" or something
Memphis Mojo 4kw @ 19v

Pictures:



Above Image: Where the amps will go


Above Image: Sound deadened.


Above Image: Rear hatch floor for amps sprayed with adhesive


Above Image: Amps fit by about 2cm in any direction.


Above Image: Stealthy Headunit Install


Above Image: Front door dynamatted and modified with Sawzall to make room for speakers


Above Image: Selenium st350 tweeter (left) vs memphis PR tweeter (right)


Above Image: Speakers will be fiberglassed into doors about like that

Thanks for looking, I'll put more pictures up soon.

[Mitch86]

Very nice start! Should be an awesome set up..

[Joe89]

Thanks mitch86.

A note to all, I'm self taught and far from an expert. If you have done large systems before I'd love to hear any tips or advice you have.
Also, to the less experienced, feel free to ask any questions you have and I'll do my best to explain.

If anyone has any advice on how I can best reinforce the long, flimsy roof, let me know.
I'm not looking to enter any competitions at this point...
I was planning on cutting 3 identical sheets of 1" MDF, doing the roof in TWO parts, notching the MDF (kerfing) lengthwise so it will contour to the roof, and then using a propped up jack to jack up a 2x4 attached to the center of an extra, identical MDF sheet that will just be for applying even pressure and holding the roof sheets while the adhesive bonds it to the roof. Thoughts? What adhesive should I use?

[Joe89]

Here are some pictures of my charging system.


Image Above: Pic of both alternators (Mechman's on the left, 220a on the right [from a 5.0 mountaineer]


Image Above: 220a alt grounded to chassis with 1/0 KnuKonceptz Flex


Image Above: Pic taken below the front bumper looking up toward the hood at the alternators. Mechman 320a Universal w/ Adjustable Voltage Regulator on left, 220a 5.0 explorer alt on right.


Image Above: Mechman alternator grounded to the chassis with the sweet alternator casing terminal post.

[Mitch86]

@Buck used some adhesive call Loctite in his SUV build to adhere MDF to the roof. Not sure exactly what kind but maybe he will chime in. Seemed to work for him at the time. I'd start with deadening the hell out of it and go from there.

---------- Post added at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 AM ----------

Alt set up looks awesome btw!

[Buck]

@Buck used some adhesive call Loctite in his SUV build to adhere MDF to the roof. Not sure exactly what kind but maybe he will chime in. Seemed to work for him at the time. I'd start with deadening the hell out of it and go from there.

---------- Post added at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 AM ----------

Alt set up looks awesome btw!

Yes I used loctite PL premium (yellow tube) to stick wood to my roof for bracing and to seal my sunroof. Worked very well and I gained quite a bit from it.

[Joe89]

Yes I used loctite PL premium (yellow tube) to stick wood to my roof for bracing and to seal my sunroof. Worked very well and I gained quite a bit from it.

Thanks Buck! I am going to try the same thing.

I'd like to build my enclosure tonight but I am having a hard time figuring out what to do...
I am going to use 4 12" RD Classics until I get some beefier subs for the 4kw.
I've heard these drivers do best with sealed enclosures, and if they are ported, with a smaller-than-usual port area.

RD Classic 12" Specs:
fs: 38.6hz
qes: .4
(ebp=96.5)
qts: .365
qms: 4.24
rms: 12.07
cms: 0.0803 MM/N
mms: 210 G
BL: 20.85TM
vas: 34.7
xmax: 13mm
xcoil: 36mm


Now, on to the WinISD graphs...


Blue: 4ft3 rear, 5 ft3 ported section. 45hz tuning.
Teal: 4ft3 rear, 8ft3 ported section. 45hz tuning.
Green: 8ft3 ported, 38hz tuning.

The port is set to be a ~288sq in slot port for the 2 bandpasses.
Obviously I want loud but its going to be a daily so I want lows and highs!


These graphs look really ugly. I am thinking I will build the port separate so that I can shorten it if need be.

Any thoughts? Advice? What enclosure specs should I try first?

[Buck]

What's the group delay on the teal?

[Joe89]

Ok, I switched to another computer so I had to reinstall winisd and redo the enclosures...

Teal: 4 ft^3 sealed 8 ft^3 ported @ 45hz, 288 in^2 port
Blue: 4 ft^3 sealed 6 ft^3 ported @ 45hz, 288 in^2 port
Red: 4 ft^3 sealed 6 ft^3 ported @ 55hz, 288 in^2 port

Here is the group delay graph.

[MECHMAN]

Good looking alternator install.
The unit on the passenger side is the 320a? If so you should run both belts on that unit, a single v-belt doesn't have the traction you need to turn that unit once it sees full output.

Where are you at in Nor Cal? My parents are in Sac and I travel out there frequently, would love to see/hear this when it's done.

[Kangaroux]

Looks good, though I would never run an amp over 16v for a daily, but that's just me. Don't worry too much about the graphs, winisd ***** at modeling bandpasses.

[Joe89]

Couple more pictures...


Images Above: Lots of interior removed for deadening. Spent 45 minutes chipping away at stock deadening... based on how much I was able to remove I'm guessing the hammer/chisel method would take another 10 hours. It is really stuck on there. I am going to use dry ice, like this: Dry Ice Time Lapse - YouTube
I will let you know how it turns out.


Image Above: Amp compartment with a test fit of some 2x4 that will restore some rigidity to the panel and allow my fans to be mounted. I am going to bore out the holes a bit more and clean it up before its mounted in place.
I am running 3x60mm 12v computer fans (pictured above) on the intake side. These will be pulling air from a quarter panel section equipped with an exterior air vent, so it should be nice and cool.
Not pictured but on the other side of the compartment will be an additional 3x60mm fans, mounted with the same method, exhausting the air. I am wiring all of the fans to a relay that is triggered by the amps' trigger wire, so the fans will be on whenever the amplifiers are on.


Image Above: I am going to add the screws at the bottom, but that is how they are attached to the 2x4.

As I am running the Memphis 4kw on 16v, and the box will be atop this compartment, I felt that the fans were a must. I only hope that it will be enough airflow. I can always add more fans though!

[Joe89]

Picking up some additional sound deadening. The car will definitely be a bit slower, but I found a small exhaust leak so hopefully fixing that will help to alleviate the difference in acceleration due to the weight... Yesterday I found a local supplier for MLV and couldn't resist picking up the thick stuff, 1/4" 2lb/sq ft Mass Loaded Vinyl for the entire interior of the vehicle. Also to come is some closed cell foam, and I want to give Second Skin's Alpha Damp a try on my rear hatch area.
@Buck when bonding the MDF to your roof, did you use 3/4" MDF? Did you apply deadening to the roof and then attach the MDF to that? I am worried that the MDF I use will not adhere to every sq in of the roof and cause some awful resonance in those places not bonded to the MDF. Please let me know what you did and if you would have done anything differently.

[Buck]

Picking up some additional sound deadening. The car will definitely be a bit slower, but I found a small exhaust leak so hopefully fixing that will help to alleviate the difference in acceleration due to the weight... Yesterday I found a local supplier for MLV and couldn't resist picking up the thick stuff, 1/4" 2lb/sq ft Mass Loaded Vinyl for the entire interior of the vehicle. Also to come is some closed cell foam, and I want to give Second Skin's Alpha Damp a try on my rear hatch area.
@Buck when bonding the MDF to your roof, did you use 3/4" MDF? Did you apply deadening to the roof and then attach the MDF to that? I am worried that the MDF I use will not adhere to every sq in of the roof and cause some awful resonance in those places not bonded to the MDF. Please let me know what you did and if you would have done anything differently.

I used half inch, but I have 2 layers in some sports. Don't narrow your thought though, use whichever works best.

I stuck my wood to pretty smooth surfaces. It sticks, no matter what, as long as you use the pl premium and keep pressure on the piece of wood while it's curing. Loctite has a 24 hour rated cure time. What I did is used 2x4's and ran them from the floor to the roof to put pressure on the piece while it cured. Only thing I would've done differently is done my whole roof instead of only half!

If you use the loctite, make sure you put a fan in your car and roll at least two windows down while it's curing. You have to circulate air, mainly because of the smell. It can get pretty bad as in you feeling a little sick.

[Joe89]

Thanks Buck! I will try 3/4" along the entire roof. I might be able to do that this weekend depending on how long the rest of the prep work takes. I will have some more pictures and updates over the following couple days.