2000 Subaru Legacy B4

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Here is my first real build. Took a lot of prep work and research. Mostly satisfied with the visual results so far. Haven't set gains yet, need to do that tomorrow. Right now they are only 1/4 of the way up, and the sub I have not really turned up that far.

Work wasn't too bad, but there were a few things I missed. I installed the baffle upside down. If you look close you will see the sub is off center. I also forgot to stain the top and bottom of the inside of the port.

Oh, lol, almost forgot. I had to redo the speaker connections. The first time I did it, I got everything done, turned it all on, and the head unit was going into protect mode. I was like ****, I know I didn't connect anything backwards. So a quick Google search revealed how much of an idiot I am. I dove back in behind the head unit, and turns out I wired the 9 conductor speedwire from the 4 channel amp to the head unit, instead of to the speakers lol. So had to redo those, luckily I had spare butt connectors.

Besides that, I think it turned out alright. I wanted to try to stain it, as I don't see that alot. Plus I figured if it didn't turn out well I could go back and carpet it. I probably won't be doing that again though. Too much work. Carpet is so much easier.

Some pictures are attached.

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Click to read more...

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Here are a couple more I had to resize.

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Front component speakers are next. Anyone have any recommendations? My budget is about $150 for the front pair. I'm not positive on the mounting depth, but I would like to keep it as shallow as possible just to be safe. They are 6.5".

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

interesting amp mount. what drove you to choose the back seat and not the trunk?

At that price, either used or the basic brands.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

interesting amp mount. what drove you to choose the back seat and not the trunk?
At that price, either used or the basic brands.

I was a little concerned about the heat. I am quite paranoid when it comes to electronics and heat. I wasn't going to at first, until I noticed that the armrest that was there had some bolts at the bottom that came out. Luckily the larger amp fit right in there. That, and I didn't want to lose too much trunk just yet. For my next build, I'm pretty sure the trunk will disappear though. But all I did was cut a peice of wood to mount to the back of where the armrest was, cut up a old seat cover I had to upholster it so there wasn't bare wood showing, and mounted the amps to that. I like the way it looks. The only thing I am worried about is the right side passenger seat and the wiring. I don't haul people around too much though.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Well, toasted the sub amp, removed it and sunk the 4 channel back into it's spot in the ski pass. Going to be ordering an AQ2200D very shortly.

I do have a question about amp mounting position. I want to put the new amp on a board sitting right in front of my sub. I'm talking, maybe an inch between the sub and amp. Am I going to have issues with either woofer excursion clearance, or with the amp due to vibrations? I could put the amp behind the sub box, but I would prefer to display it.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Time for an update.

Here is some work I have done and how the trunk currently stands:

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Here are some photos for what I am going to be doing:

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Thanks to @mylows10 for the amp and @Buck for the box design. The amp rack design was done by me. Was at the woodshop today and came home with this:

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And a quick mock-up to make sure I didn't totally botch something:

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Hoping to wrap each in carpet. Got some work ahead of me.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Not really sure how to mention. Could someone bring in Mylows10 and Buck?

 

[VisceralSound 10+ year member]

@mylows10 ;

@Buck ;

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

You are so very welcome

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wave.gif.002382ce7d7c19757ab945cc69819de1.gif

What up, yo?

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

I finally got my DC Power alternator I ordered 2 months ago! It seemed like about 6 months. But it looks nice. Also, I originally ordered a 230A alt. I opened the box today, and the tag says it's a 270A!! I don't know if they mistagged it or if they sent a 270A on purpose, but I'm not going to be asking questions! Lol.

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Got the amp rack together, just need to drill some holes for a voltage meter, a switch for the fans, and all the wires, and then carpet it. First got to pull my DC 2.0k out of my trunk to do a mock-up this weekend before I drill holes. Only thing I am worried about is how close it is to the sub box. I think I'll be alright though.

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Sub box should hopefully be coming together this weekend as well. Got a typhoon to ride out, so I'll be locked in the house. No one to invite me out boozin to pull me away //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Not like I mind though....

 

[Jroo 10+ year member]

never seen an amp mounted that way. Seems like a complete hassle for anyone trying to sit in the back seat and a sign to anyone to say "steal me," Im right in the open and easy to get out quickly.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

never seen an amp mounted that way. Seems like a complete hassle for anyone trying to sit in the back seat and a sign to anyone to say "steal me," Im right in the open and easy to get out quickly.

Nah, much better than it looks. Passengers have enough room, and trust me, it's hard for even me to take in and out. The amp has to be mounted to the board first, then mounted to the ski pass, and taken off in the reverse order. It's the way the bolts fit in and how it's mounted, so for someone who had no idea how it was on there, it would take a good half hour, if not longer, provided they remove it properly and don't bust it. And I'm not in an area where I am worried about anything getting stolen.

Don't matter though, that amp is disappearing soon, replaced by the 175.4 that will be in the trunk. A step up in all departments //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Got my DC Power 270XP alternator installed, been running great, albeit with very little draw. Only have a 50.4 for front/rear speakers in there now.

Made progress on the box and amp too. I have been working a ton, so haven't had a whole lot of time, it's been going slow. But got everything carpeted and wired (what is not in my trunk anyway), and pretty much just waiting on the DC Level 3's to be built and shipped here before I throw all this in my trunk. Wired all the fans under the amps to that switch, and it works well. That voltage meter I threw in there in the middle of the amps for tuning pretty much, but I think it looks pretty good too.

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Thinking about picking up a Pioneer 80PRS pretty soon, this Kenwood KDC-448U that I have isn't going to cut it as far as sound goes. We'll see where my gains end up, but from the low output I had it set to before, gain was up way higher than I would like. This HU only has 2V outs. Figured I might as well get a better HU, rather than spend a good chunk of that money on a line driver. I do like the interface and controls on this one though; easy and work well.

Starting to run out of room for attachments. Looks like I'll be creating a photobucket account pretty soon.

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

I would save up for a head gasket with that car Just Sayin'