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05 Monte Carlo LT Build

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press fit
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#1 ·
Intro! If you just want pretty pictures, keep scrolling, there’s a ton. If you have 3 minutes to spare, read on.

Finally starting a build log for my 05 Monte Carlo LT. A little bit about the car: I decided to go with the red/black/chrome theme, and began adding little accents soon after I got the car.



Red stripe:



Seat/steering wheel covers:



Carbon fiber Di-Noc /vent trim:





Brake calipers. While working on painting the front two calipers, I did a stupid thing and jacked up both wheels. The tire jacks caved as I was taking off one of the front wheels and the weight of the car was resting on one corner of the jacks and the tire. See here :eek: :D:





But it all turned out alright:

 
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#160 ·
'YOU CRAZY KIDS!' <in my best Grandpa Simpson voice>

This is a lot better for your health then what those other kids are doing.....

Stupid question - I always kinda wondered what they used to show excursion of drivers (or in this case - to blow it up) - I've seen those videos from Nick and Jacob tearing up subs, but I didn't know if they used music or something else to make it move like that - what did you guys do?
 
#163 ·
#164 ·
Quick update without anything to update yet. I'm finally having some real progress on the car again!

Yesterday I went on Christmas break until early January. I left the car at Mark's (Audible Physics) to do some fancy trunk install for the AE SBP15. If it winds up looking anything like what we had talked about, it's going to be a very attractive (and effective) enclosure. I'm really excited for it. But it's a secret until then... :D

Anyway, next update in January will be the resulting install pics, and I promise it will be cool.
 
#174 ·
Post 1 of 4

Time to unveil the overhaul that was 8 months in the making. This is, to date, the most drastic change my car has undergone and the modifications are essentially permanent*. Therefore, much time and planning went into this project. It is the collective brainchild of myself, strakele, and the man, the legend, Mark Brooks.

* "permanent" is referring not to the inability to ever change what's been installed - quite the opposite, actually - but rather my consistent lack of interest in ever doing so. More on this later. You'll see why.

Also, Mark would kill my ass.


What was produced from the month-long grueling work done by Mark included the following:
  • Acoustic Elegance SBP15-4 subwoofer
  • A baffle made of 1" thick acrylic plexiglass
  • MB Quart Q4.80s mounted vertically on the baffle, thus visible from both sides
  • MB Quart 1500.1 sub amp mounted atop the rear deck, out of sight
  • A pair of prototype midranges nestled in the kick panels
  • LEDs, LEDs everywhere. Like Satan's trunk up in there.


I had a few non-negotiable features to be implemented in this project, in no particular order:

  • Install must be creative - no cookie-cutter setups here. Great sound and great looks are of equal importance concerning the trunk install.
  • Kick brake must not come in contact with kick panels, yet still be fully functional (though I hate the damn thing)
  • Trunk space must be retained somehow (amp location was once up in the air until later)
  • Kicks must be non-intrusive and not call attention to themselves. Stealth, basically.
  • Shock towers must be accessible
  • This must look bad ass.



Enter spoiler commentary by my partner in crime:
 
#175 · (Edited)
Post 2 of 4

So those were her goals. She was very secretive with her ideas as she was coming up with them and I had to ask a ton of questions to even get an idea what she wanted it to look like. We knew the current install (3 amps on the floor) would have to be moved several inches to make room for the sub baffle, and that was the original plan - just move it towards the rear of the car.

However, that wouldn't leave much trunk space, and, while I thought the idea of a see-through plexi baffle was cool, I suggested putting something on the sides of the baffle around the sub so that, from the trunk, you weren't just looking through and seeing the back of the seats. We tossed around a couple ideas, but on the day the car was to be dropped off for the install, I thought of mounting the two matching Q4.80 amps to the baffle on either side of the sub, with their bottom cover removed so that, from the cabin side, you see the their guts through the plexi. Then just put the sub amp somewhere out of the way like below the rear deck.

Basically, I envisioned it looking like this:



The red glow around the sub would be from the LEDs that she loves so much. Getting all the amps off the floor gives maximum trunk space and easy access to the spare tire (and jumper cables that she keeps in there that have saved my ass no less than 3 times...)

She liked my idea, and so those were the instructions that went to Mark.




(Also yet to be determined, but I think this thick acrylic wall will be fairly resistant to small caliber gunfire. Will be testing with leftover scraps :D)
 
#210 ·
Edit- doh- beat again!

(Also yet to be determined, but I think this thick acrylic wall will be fairly resistant to small caliber gunfire. Will be testing with leftover scraps :D)

And my friend... something to take with you on your future career path. Acrylic not gunfire friendly- even if accurate with the term "small caliber" (as if that is a worthy comment ;))..... enter GE Plastics and their development of Lexan; or for the rest of the world Polycarbonate. That sir is what you you will bet your life on in said future. ;)

Things are well down here... miss they folks in GA very much!
 
#176 ·
Post 3 of 4 (see previous page for more information on the install's goals and plans)

Back in November, I paid a pretty penny ($160 + shipping the 30-odd lbs it weighs) for a fat sheet of acrylic plexi glass to act as the baffle for my sub. Why plexi? It's so expensive! Because it looks damn amazing, and I've never seen nor heard of anybody doing this before. I made sure the material would be sturdy enough and not cause any resonance or other unwanted issues in SQ. And it doesn't.



Here the baffle is cut and sealed to the sides of the trunk. There is absolutely no foam in the car, everything is press-fitted to seal. Where you see sound deadening are two wood panels with three layers of mat covering both sides and slightly around the conjoining corners of them and the baffle.


Now on to kicks.

They are actually a ~4L sealed enclosure. The grills were also press-fit. They are holding a prototype driver, and that's all I'm at liberty to say.



The sub baffle and kicks are so tightly pressed that it's possible to move the car with them. :D








Now on to the finished product.

Here she is from the outside. Beauty panel is press fit like everything else for easy access to the amps.



Cabin side beauty panels





Shock tower accessibility remains uncompromised. Eventually there will be another beauty panel to cover this opening, whenever there’s time to do it.
 
#177 · (Edited)
Post 4 of 4


Without beauty panels



Touch ups are necessary for the back of the rear beauty panel, I'll do that later.



And here, I have yet to settle on a way to cover up the top of the rear deck around the amp. Thought of carpet, or truck bedliner so far.



Black carpet on the trunk lid will be fitted at a later date to pretty it up a bit.











Also unrelated, things Mark left behind. Paper clip, scraps, something that looks like it was once attached to some part of the car, rusty box cutter.

]

Mark Brooks, THANK YOU!!

"Bad ass" doesn't quite do the install justice, both visually and audibly. Mark did an absolutely phenomenal job in all areas and went above and beyond with his effort. As you have seen, he does outstanding work, pulling absurdly long hours to have his projects nothing less than perfect. I know in this particular install, Mark had some parts completed, only to spend hours redoing them for a slight yet significant difference.

He did this in the midst of his own car being out of service and in need of repairs as well. Thanks to that kind of rugged dedication to a car that wasn't even his own, I am extremely proud to be an Audible Physics team member and to have this kick ass install I never would have had otherwise.

Thank you Mark, you're the best.



Next project, I'll be taking on the a-pillars and finally providing the xsoul 2s with a more permanent home than the top corners of my dash.
 
#180 ·
Nice install
when was the work on the car finished?
 
#183 ·
Thanks everyone for the compliments! Good to see it was a success.



Thanks. It was done about a week ago.

That is Bad Ass Ally! After seeing the pics, it matches exactly the descriptions of what you were after. I am very impressed with the vision you guys had as to what would look the best and Mark's skills to execute your plans. I really like how the kicks turned out as well. In a way, it is pretty cool that you held us off at arms length to audition the Monte - this demo is going to be fantastic! I certainly have a few fru-fru sq tracks to test out the capabilities of the system;)
Thanks Jason. I knew what I wanted, but just didn't have the time, space nor tools to do it. Like I said, if not for Mark, I'd probably still have a 1.75 cu ft box and a $60 sub in the back. I'm so impressed with this. Can't wait for you to hear it! And I'm glad you approve.
 
#181 ·
That is Bad Ass Ally! After seeing the pics, it matches exactly the descriptions of what you were after. I am very impressed with the vision you guys had as to what would look the best and Mark's skills to execute your plans. I really like how the kicks turned out as well. In a way, it is pretty cool that you held us off at arms length to audition the Monte - this demo is going to be fantastic! I certainly have a few fru-fru sq tracks to test out the capabilities of the system;)
 
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