Sound system questions

[SadbutTrue]

So, I just got rid of my Cadillac and tore the system I had in it out, except for the front speakers and wiring harness which I didn't have time to get at and figured I might not have been able to use anyway.

The system includes a Pioneer HUD, a Kenwood 800W amp for the speakers which include 2 Kenwood (65W RMS) 6x9s and 2 6.5" fronts (haven't got them yet), as well as a Hyphonic Zeus 650W amp for a single Kicker 12" sub (probably could run a second but 1's good for now). I'd probably add a Sirius module to the HUD since I already have Sirius in my Focus.

My major questions are:
1. Where should I stick the 12"? I had considered several options, including but not limited to building a custom box that would fit it under the dash somewhere and/or cutting it and placing it in the center of the rear deck (between the 6x9s). In the Caddy it was just in the trunk but for both sound quality purposes and a desire for my car not to rattle like mad everywhere I go I figure somewhere in the cabin would be better.

2. When sound deadening the floor, is there a material that is roughly as effective as dynamat but a bit cheaper? I plan on dynamat-ing the doors, kick panels, behind the rear seat etc... but it'd take quite a few of those $40 each sheets to cover the floor, I think.

3. Does anyone make full wiring harnesses for these cars that can handle modern stereos? Where can I get them and how much?

4. I was planning on the 3g alt conversion and figure nows the time to do it sicne I'm not sure the stock alternator can handle this. I know I've asked before, but could someone point me towards some reading material on how to get started on that swap?

5. Anyone wanna recommend a good 6.5" front speaker, preferably one with a 65W RMS capacity?

6. Anything else I should consider?

 

[suki243]

1. I'm not sure a 12" is pretty big and to get the right air flow and space for the box you'd need a bit of space. I put mine under the package tray in the trunk, in my coupe the for some reason i couldn't put in in the middle of the trunk because it wasn't allowing the trunk to fully close. But if you're building a custom box you should be able to get it to work or even make it so it fits on one of the sides. Behind it on the back of the rear seat i put a piece of plywood wrapped carpet around it and put the amp on there.
2. I went to secondskin.com for my sound deadening its a matter of personal opinion i guess, i've heard peel n stick from lowes works as well
3. Do you mean a new head unit? its not that hard to wire from the generic harness they give you. You connect the ground, and the power, and the one wire to power the amp on and off. If i remember correctly; the speaker wires are generally a different set, depending on your head unit. Those usually come with amp wiring kits.
4. I have a 600W amp powering 2 6x9s, 2 components and a sub, the stock alternator will not be able to handle it. I'm running a 3g alternator at 120 A, its barely enough, lights still dim when the base hits but it also depends on how much pull the amps are doing. The swap is really easy, the important thing is to get a 3g alternator and one that fits right, otherwise drilling and headaches can get to you.
5.
6. Once you get your setup, you might want to see if you also want to upgrade to an optima battery, maybe even a yellow top. If you don't already have one.

 

[jcode68]

2. When sound deadening the floor, is there a material that is roughly as effective as dynamat but a bit cheaper? I plan on dynamat-ing the doors, kick panels, behind the rear seat etc... but it'd take quite a few of those $40 each sheets to cover the floor, I think.

I used RaamAudio product and am very pleased with it. Very similar to Dynamat, there have been some great comparison writeups on the differences and RaamAudio rated right up there, but is substantially less than Dynamat. I used in the whole car and it really helped kill the road noise, squeaks and rattles of our old cars. Also tamed down the drone of my Flowmasters.

 

[Shakin66]

I have two free air 12s behind my seat. I have had this set up since the 80's and still have the ol' Rockford Punch 150 pushing them

 

[SadbutTrue]

1. I'm not sure a 12" is pretty big and to get the right air flow and space for the box you'd need a bit of space. I put mine under the package tray in the trunk, in my coupe the for some reason i couldn't put in in the middle of the trunk because it wasn't allowing the trunk to fully close. But if you're building a custom box you should be able to get it to work or even make it so it fits on one of the sides. Behind it on the back of the rear seat i put a piece of plywood wrapped carpet around it and put the amp on there.
2. I went to secondskin.com for my sound deadening its a matter of personal opinion i guess, i've heard peel n stick from lowes works as well
3. Do you mean a new head unit? its not that hard to wire from the generic harness they give you. You connect the ground, and the power, and the one wire to power the amp on and off. If i remember correctly; the speaker wires are generally a different set, depending on your head unit. Those usually come with amp wiring kits.
4. I have a 600W amp powering 2 6x9s, 2 components and a sub, the stock alternator will not be able to handle it. I'm running a 3g alternator at 120 A, its barely enough, lights still dim when the base hits but it also depends on how much pull the amps are doing. The swap is really easy, the important thing is to get a 3g alternator and one that fits right, otherwise drilling and headaches can get to you.
5.
6. Once you get your setup, you might want to see if you also want to upgrade to an optima battery, maybe even a yellow top. If you don't already have one.

Battery-wise I swapped out my old, 480 CCA battery for the one that was in the Caddy... that one is brand-new, worked fine with the system in the Caddy and pulls 900/1000 CCA, etc (Duralast Gold or something, it was a $140 battery). I think it'll work.

I'll check out soundskin.com. So long as it does a 'good' job of keeping excess exhaust drone/road noise out and sound in, I'll be happy. Thanks.

When I refer to wiring harnesses I really mean where I could get the wires. If actual harnesses exist that allow tidy and invisible installation of the wires, all the better.

I may consider smaller subs if I can't get the 12" in there anywhere. You're right, it is pretty big and I really haven't found anywhere in the actual cabin that would work particularly well. I do have a plate of sheetmetal dividing the rear seat from the trunk, in theory I could mount the 12" into that (cut into it) and build my box around it. That way the sound basically would only have to go through the rear seat's vinyl to get to the cabin, and I think it'd rattle the car around less than if it were in the trunk. It'd also take up less trunk space... always a good thing.

Any more info I could get on the 3g swap would be appreciated too.

Thanks!

 

[SadbutTrue]

I have two free air 12s behind my seat. I have had this set up since the 80's and still have the ol' Rockford Punch 150 pushing them

Can't see the photo at the moment, I'll check it out at home though. I think my idea of sticking them behind the rear seat by cutting a hole in that metal sheet will work pretty well.

Also gonna check out the raamaudio page. Good stuff.

 

[suki243]

As for my 3g, i did the following, i first bought an old ford taurus alternator and tried to put it in; the holes were a tad off; i then searched on ebay for a rebuilt 120 amp alternator for mustangs, and I was able to pick it up locally, I regret not getting one more powerful, but i hear you can buy a rectifier for not too much to step it up to about 200 amps.

When you go about installing it you take out all the old wires that lead from the alternator to the battery and the regulator; you can take the regulator out as well (i left mine in just for looks) and you also need a large gauge wire to run from the alternator to the battery. I used a 4 gauge wire i picked up from kraigen. You also have to buy a rather large fuse, I forget how much mine was but i do remember it was a pita trying to find one and a holder.

 

[calpolymustang]

Heres an old pic of my JL 12" during mock-up. Its a sealed box design. Be careful that the box clears the trunk lid, i made a small dent while not paying attention. Not sure how the coupe fitment works. The pic is old and doesnt show the tank-cover either. You may want to think about covering the tank with either metal plate or thick plywood, so it doesnt explode when you get rearended at 60mph like on 60minutes.

Anyways,
It used to be a 1.5 cu ft box, but I later cut it down to 1.2cu ft. Its only a 12w0, but works well with the car. When the box was deeper, it couldnt be removed unless i took out the trunk latch piece, but with the smaller size, it comes out.

I'm currently running 6.5" components in the front and 6x9s in the back. I removed the back trap door and replaced it with cloth-covered wood (didnt want to cut the original trap door). The amp has since been replaced with a 5-channel Eclipse and sounds very nice. It took a lot of work to address various rattles. I built my own cross-overs with the specific goal of having it sound good while I'm driving down the freeway. (I design Agilent Spectrum Analyzers for a living). Basically, I have the kickpanels for 6.5"s and need a shallow magnet. So, I took some Pioneers 2-ways and rewired/resoldered the woofer/tweeter. If you want, I can provide a circuit diagram of the filters.

The sub sounds great for bass guitars and some bass drum kicks. I have a JL 10w3 in my truck, and the 10 is definitely more punchy. Just depends what sounds you want. The truck is a Ranger extended cab without a lot of cab volume. The 12 goes much deeper, but hard-hitting punch-bass tends to cause more rattling in the Mustang.

For dynamat, check Amazon. I think i paid $120 for (36sqft ?). Just buy the big box once. Local stereo shops are a rip-off.

I strongly recommend MB Quart speakers. I have the Premium 6.5 components in my truck and love them. The magnets are bigger, so they wont work with most kickpanel setups. But, 6x9 MBQs would be great on top of the back seat. I bought these from either
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/
or
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/
i cant remember, but both are near you.

 

[iskwezm]

I have some MB quarts in stock now and can get whatever else you need at lower then retail. PM me.