Featured KHA 2023 SS Camaro - SQ Build Log

The trunk floor is very resonant and in need of a lot of treatment.






After full coverage of CLD, the floor is very dead.





Then I covered the floor with CCF from my stock of Ensolite that I’ve had for a while.



I also treated the bottom of the rear deck with CLD

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/e128/phat_funky_beats/20231028_004210.jpg/img]

Then I covered it with CCF in order to hide the silver deadener since the rear deck is visible.

[img]https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/e128/phat_funky_beats/20231028_012008.jpg

With the side panels fitted in place, the scope of CCF is sufficient, even though it’s not a perfect finish, it is hard to get a seamless install.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/e128/phat_funky_beats/20231028_013631.jpg[img]


And here is a first look at where I plan on mounting the amps, a MV600/6i and a MV1000/1 with the MVi Hub.

[img]https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/e128/phat_funky_beats/20231028_013350.jpg/img]

The trunk floor is very resonant and in need of a lot of treatment.



After full coverage of CLD, the floor is very dead.





Then I covered the floor with CCF from my stock of Ensolite that I’ve had for a while.



I also treated the bottom of the rear deck with CLD



Then I covered it with CCF in order to hide the silver deadener since the rear deck is visible.



With the side panels fitted in place, the scope of CCF is sufficient, even though it’s not a perfect finish, it is hard to get a seamless install.




And here is a first look at where I plan on mounting the amps, a MV600/6i and a MV1000/1 with the MVi Hub.

Using 14/2 CL3 rated speaker wire, I ran two pairs of 14/2 and 9-wire from the amps in the rear driver’s side trunk corner to the factory head unit module. I also ran two pairs of 14/2 to each dash corner. This jacketed cable has protection but is stiff enough that it can rattle against the aluminum CLD layer. So I laid down CCF to keep it isolated then secured the wiring with CCF strips to keep it flat. I used Tessa Tape where the wiring is routed without CCF isolation.



I started by measuring the necessary lengths then laying the bundles out. I determined lengths by routing them from the trunk to the front, using velco wire ties to keep them tidy.





I laid down CCF strips where the wiring would route, then used CCF strips to keep the wire flat and organized with no crossings that would thicken the path.







Routing down the sides of the transmission tunnel keeps the wiring away from stock bundles while also managing wire lengths.





I also covered the kick panel area in Resonix Barrier after adding CLD and Fibermat 45 inside the cavity. This was definitely a source of road noise.





Now I can start to reinstall the interior!

I took a unique path in order to keep the new wiring away from factory wiring bundles that can generate EMF due to the amount of digital signals that are present in new vehicles. While it is not a major concern is most builds, because I am making the car as quiet as I can, the electronic noise floor needs to be equally low. For most users, following the factory wiring pathway would be faster and easier and there is space below and/or adjacent to the factory wiring that would allow zip ties or velcro straps every so often to keep the wiring tidy.

Made a big push on Friday afternoon and worked till 3:30am on Saturday to have a completed Phase 1, ready to drive again!

Treated the rear panels with CLD, closed up the speaker hole, and then covered them in Fibermat 45




I reinstalled all of the interior. No reason to show pics since it looks stock. No evidence of what I've done. I finally got to drive it for the first time since August 28th. Around town with some music on at a reasonable volume there is no exterior noise to distract you, it's really nice. I did a 55mph highway noise measurement that was a repeat of the "before" measurement, and I'll share those results when I have time to process the data. I have been taking videos in 4K throughout the process so I'll have a series of videos on the efforts and results. Subjectively (bias, I know), driving around town between 30-40mph is serene, and with a bit of music the outside world is drowned out. The engine is always able to be noticed, but the baffling in the stock exhaust makes it pretty quiet while cruising. The exhaust has cutouts that bypass the "suitcase" muffler, so you get loud cold starts and an awesome tone when you mash the gas, but you don't have any drone while cruising.



I also needed to install some tweeters in the dash so I had some interim tunes while I build the amp rack. So I mounted the Hertz ML28 tweeters using the speaker mount adapters that came in the kit. I terminated the wiring with some plugs so install/removal is “easier”. I put that in quotes because it took a lot of time to get the plugs made since I terminated all four pairs in the dash so the mids would be ready to go when the time comes. These connectors have a multi-step process requiring a specific crimper.







I mounted the tweeters using the Hertz adapters (because I still have the original boxes and all original hardware), and I added come CCF around the gap to close it off, not an aesthetic application but you only have the width of your finger to work in that corner.




Of course, the component set needs passive crossovers for now, since it’s powered by the stock radio. I located these in the truck well as an interim step since I want to keep the amp area clear until I make the switch-over.




While the stock head unit and stock amplifier are being used, the difference is staggering. Granted, it should for the quality of speakers and the amount of work I've done, but I'm still surprised. Bass out of the doors is effortless, clean, and you'd think I had a sub hidden up front. The Hertz Mille passive crossovers aren't cheesy and really complement the speakers well. The tweeter attenuation and HF contour for the woofer really helped build the sound stage using the stock radio. It stages well and images decent. Everything is above the dash, but not a "clinical" feel, just musical. IYKYK.

I also took the opportunity to recover the knee bolsters since they are just hard plastic on the SS. I used Resonix Fibermat 25 for padding since it has an adhesive layer to stay put, then wrapped them in fleece fabric and secured with 3M Super 77. Not a pro job, and the driver’s side was first so the passenger side looks better, but It’s much more comfortable.













The cut shape is weird, but that’s just how I wrap corners with a stretchable fleece.



This is the worst one I did, which is why I’m sharing this and not my best.



End result of both knee bolsters on each side:

Since I had to change the tires from summer to winter, I took advantage of the effort to acoustically treat the wheel wells, kick panels, and quarter panels.





There is a small amount of sound absorption in the space between the quarter panel and kick panel.



The passenger side has the added challenge of the windshield fluid reservoir.



I used some Resonix CLD on the quarter panel and then Fibermat 45 in the cavities and on the flat areas.



Next, I covered a lot of the areas with Raamaudio Ensolite CCF, including along seams for cut edges of Fibermat due to the amount of water that that area is subject to.






I switch to winter tires for an obvious reason. The all-season summer tires aren’t rated for use below 40 deg. F. Here you can see the front/rear stock tires with 20,000 miles. The Blizzak tires are used (left) and new (right) with the new tires going on front (steering and braking).

After the noise treatments in the doors, floor, and rear of the Camaro, I turned my attention to the firewall. These vehicles have a tube that runs from the engine intake pathway to the firewall, with a diaphragm to isolate airspace but allow sound to pass through. The solution is to 3D print two pieces that let you plug each of the holes – one at the firewall and one at the intake pathway, just before the throttle body. I printed these out of ABS.

The fire wall connection looks like this, with a 10mm nut:




https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/e128/phat_funky_beats/20240124_211949.jpg[img]

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The hose connection at the intake pathway looks like this:
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And the rubber hose clamps are easily opened and removed as they just use push-clips.
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The diaphragm is held with T50 Torx bolts:
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With the hose removed, you have this:
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The result at the firewall is this piece with butyl gasketing:
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The result at the intake pathway is this plug that fits perfectly:
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The result is very noticeable. All of the intake noise is gone. The chugging noise from V4 mode is gone. The cabin is much more comfortable.

This install is still in process. Amplifiers are in and my sub stage is waiting for a final configuration. I'd like to go IB but then I lose the pass-through which is needed for a lot of thing. If I just sacrifice the pass-through, since it's not a practical car anyway, then I just need to decide on which sub(s) I'm going to run.

The front doors play beautifully, with plenty of output down to 50Hz. I'm still planning on building midrange pods for a 3-way active front stage but that's when time is available.

2026 Updates



Needed to get the amp rack installed and I went with the previously coordinated location, the well on the driver’s side. A mount was constructed so the MVi amplifier pair and MVi hub would be compact.







These amps work well for this application because they have everything on one end.







Next, I needed power. For power I made my own terminal with copper tubing.



















I wanted the factory battery cover to fit after adding the new power cabling.









I added a fuse holder where it would be accessible and protected.







Then I could start testing and seeing what I like and don’t like. Once everything is finalized, I will shorten cables and finalize routing. For now, flexibility was important. All of this is covered by the factory side panels anyway.







For tuning, I configured the MV600/6i amplifier so I could see signals and correct them.







This is the factory EQ signal that we are trying to fix:

I modified my rear seat to let bass through, since I will be using a forward-firing sub stage that is sealed off from the rest of the trunk. This is due to the extensive treatments I’ve already done in the rear. The rear seat has a hard wooden backing that needs to go, and since no one sits behind my seat, that foam section needed to be removed.



Start by opening up the cover and removing it.













The latching mechanism needs to remain, so we have to leave the center.







Cutting the foam out was easy with a long bladed knife. Just avoid cutting through metal and I retained the Velcro strip so the seat would look good.



















Completed











This was a test, the final configuration will be custom to fully seal to the opening.







Can’t tell anything is different.

I made a change to the speakers up front to try a wideband driver in place of factory. I’ve experimented with two different drivers, a Kicker KS and an Audio Dynamics ADMC23











A 3” mid won’t fit in the dash locations without cutting, so pods will be needed for larger mids.





The adapters with the Kicker KS series fit perfectly. These sounded pretty good for the money. I didn’t use the 6x9 midbass that came with the kit since I already had much nicer midbass drivers.













The deck cover is also treated with foam to eliminate any buzzes.







Then I decided to try swapping to Audio Dynamics for both dash and doors. I wanted to experience this combo.











I moved the foam seal to the door panel since more speaker swaps will occur.