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An abbreviated install log of my own car :)

74K views 175 replies 82 participants last post by  mumbles 
#1 ·
well, its acutally been a few weeks since i finished the installation on my own car, but with the crazy work schedule, i havent had any chance to organize the pics i took and upload them.

With the G35 out of the way, i finally got a chance to sit down, relax a bit, and comb through the pics and start to put together an install log. One thing that immediately became apparent was that i am apparently much less patient at taking pics of my own car's install than the last time around haha, as a result, this is going to be a pretty abbreviated install log, compared to many similar logs posted by other DIyers.

so anyway, lets get started...

Goals:

1. achieve a decent level of sound quality (than previous system)

2. keep everything hidden completely under the floor

3. throw in aspects of my skillset into the install so i can demonstrated to potential clients what certain things can look like (i.e. wiring neatly through grommits, routed plexi, led edge lit plexi, etc etc)
-------------------------

okay, i guess before i go into the install, a little bit about the vehicle?

its a 2005 subaru legacy 2.5GT wagon...with some mods. here is a list and the most recent pics of i have of it:

KN intake
Cobb Pulley
Perrin turbo inlet hose
Perrin TMIC
760cc injectors
Walbro pump
aquamist methanol injection
18G turbo at 20psi w/meth
flex UP
Cobb DP
Crucial P/P exhusat manifold
BC Racing BR coilovers
Tranny Cooler
crossdrilled/slotted rotors
magnaflow exhuast with porsche 911 style tips
20 Tint
AEM UEGO wideband
autometer boost guage
accessport with custom tdc/harmann map
GFB BOV at 50/50
Kosei K3 18x7.5
General Exclaim 225 40 18
Debadged with L7 badge ont he back i made
mesh grille
cleared headlights
4500 HIDs
engine cover and bracket delete
urathane control arm bushings
two large cracks in the windshield curtesey of cali highways lol
all told about 400hp/450tq at crank, 300-325 awhp depending on mustang or dynoject

may have mised a few things here and there













 
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#2 ·
okay...onto the audio portion. before i dive into the current install, a quick revisit to the previous install. which was extremely simple. pioneer avic-z1 to a single DLS A5 3 channel amp, whcih powered a set of DLS nobeliums in kicks upfront, and a single idmax10 in the back, with an audiocontrol DQT providing the tuning. the car sounded okay in a normal sense, but paled terribly when compared to the SQ systems people were building. Coupled with the fact that more and more clients seem to be interested in going in that direction, i figured it was finally time to ditch the old and build something a little bit more proper...

so here was the old cargo area set up:



as you can see, a single idmax10, the A5 amp, and two passive xovers took up the entire space.

so...this is where the challengs for the new install began...this time, in the SAME space, i needed to fit roughly TWICE the stuff, if not more :)

and here are the big pieces thats going into the back:



so...lets take stock:

IDQ10 sub
DLS A4 4 channel amp (bridged for midbass)
DLS A5 3 channel amp (tweets, and subwoofer)
Zapco DSp6-SL processor

and add to that:

.75-.8 cubfeet sub enclosure
two D-blocks on display
two barrier strips on display
a slew of edge lit plexi borders....etc...

so all that in this space...and have to look decent (though cosmetics was never the driving factor in this setup)



so quite the headache then, setting this limitation on myself...you may wonder why? well...i guess i will let the pictures do the talking. This is my car on a weekly or bi-weekly basis:



infact, this is a light load :) normally, there would be a few more sheets of wood and carpet in there.

so this is why my install in the back must not take up ANY space other than the spare tire well :)

okay...this is about as far as i am gonna get tonite before passing out and going to bed...will try to get some more stuff typed up tommorow...

before i go, rounding out my equipment list is a Rockford Fosgate 8250Ti headunit and Seas Lotus Reference 6.5" two way set

aight off to bed...:)
 
#13 ·
lol...i am not as hardcore into performance as you may think, virtually all my power mods were done via trade with a performance shop (i did a stereo in one of their cars and they did stuff on mine) hehe

see, my way of thinking is totally different, i see the car modding hobby as a whole, as a COMPROMISE, its always a compromise...and the goal is to make the best compromise possible so the car is osmething i end up enjoy.

so my goal is to have a car thats pretty fast and have a good system and can haul lots of stuff, as far as adding weight to slow the car down, umm...thats not relaly a factor now is it?

taking away the heavy full size spare i had, the tools and all the other stuff in the spare tire well, i would guestimate that weight gained by this system is somehwere around 40-50 lbs total...that translates to about 3 horsepower guys...you get more difference with a hot day or a slightly crappy gas :) plus, the weight is towards the back of my car, whcih if i was really anal, i can argue that it helps my weight distribution :)

i expected the guys on like the Evo or 350z forum to have this sentiment, but didnt think i'd hear it on diyma :D I am surprised no one said "why did you do all the power mods to a wagon, if you wanted to go fast should have started with a faster, lighter car"...;)
 
#14 ·
i expected the guys on like the Evo or 350z forum to have this sentiment, but didnt think i'd hear it on diyma :D I am surprised no one said "why did you do all the power mods to a wagon, if you wanted to go fast should have started with a faster, lighter car"...;)
Because people here understand the need for a vehicle for utilitarian purposes :D ;)
 
#15 ·
okay, got some more time...

lets move to te headunit portion.

Becuase the legacy GT has a one piece circuit board with AC and stereo, its very difficult and expesnive to try and install a headunit into the stock location. IN addition, i intend to leave the stock system completely intact (as before), so i can provide A/B demo to potential clients if needed.

so the other solution is to mount the headunit in the stock cubby spot in the upper/center dash, between the AV vents...

so firstly, the wires needed for the new headunit, along with an antenna adapter, was extended to the upper cubby spot, i used female/male quick disconnects for easy removal and service of the new headunit:



next here is the Denford's wiring harness organized and protected:



what you see on the left is the stock ac/vent cubby piece, with the cubby removed, and on the right is the JDM AVO singl din dash adapter piece that allows a headunit to be fitted, it needs to be trimmed a bit and parts of the dash structures needs to be cut off, but its a great solution for the legacy GT.



here are the two pieces mated together:



here of course, is the unit itself:



and the rcas all bundled up and protected, as i will not be using them. the unit has simblink style balanced Din outputs, that i will be tapping directly into to connect with the DSP6.



here are hte brackets for the AVO kit attached to the unit:



remote wire techflexed and ready to go:



the simblink cable similarly done:



all the wires lead out to the spot and ready to mount headunit:



and the headunit secured with all the wires attahced:

 
#21 ·
Very nice... I love shaggin wagons!!! :D I still miss my '97 Accord Wagon! I'm tuned in, waiting for more pics!:cool:
 
#23 ·
highline does make a double din adapter, but at over 1000 bucks a pop, it seems a bit too much for me, plus i am just doing a signle din anyway and having it up high seems a bit more sensible :)

no, the LGT wagon version was dropped from the subaru line up for 07 :) only made in 06 and 05 iwth the EJ25 motor :)

marquies, i cnat remember, some website who sold techart or something like that, i can try digging it up, its been almost 3 years with them on there...

b
 
#25 ·
i run my own custom audio install business :) see the link in my sig.

the car should run high 12s, but the biggest issues is that with the mods, the car's tranny doenst react fast enough in first gear full acceleration and hits the rev limiter, we then removed the first gear rev limiter but guess hwat, it still revs too fast and it hits hte fuel cutoff :( so that means i have to manually using hte steering wheel buttons to shift if i were to do a full run, and i dont think i can get it right a lot, so most likely, i will run low to mid 13s for the majority of the time and maybe once in a blue moon, when i shift perfectly, it will dip into the high 12s hehe
 
#27 ·
Beautiful car. I really like the LGT wagons. Used to have a 1.8T Jetta Wagon, but didn't work well with 2 carseats, so it had to go. Sure was fun though, and the same look as yours with silver and tinted windows.
Can't wait to see how the install comes together.
 
#32 ·
the one on the left is the aquamist meth injection guage, boost in the middle, uego on the right...

i was under the impression that hte zener diode would only help when engine detects too hgih a boost level and cut fuel, what i am hitting is the RPM limiter fuel cutoff at around 7500 RPM (redline is at 6500)...i would think that a zener diode would not help there, as in first gear now, even if i dont boost and just hold it in first in manual mode, and slowly rev up, it will still hit this fuel cut off at around 7500 rpm even with no boost. no? if i misunderstood it, let me know, cuase i would love to find a solution to this but as far as i know, with the 5eat tranny of our cars, wtih similar mods as me and the lightweight pulley, no one hsa been able to figure it out :(

hehe, my car doesnt whistle, the GFB hybrid doesnt make much noice, which is why i choose it, infact, i would prefer it doesnt make naynoise at all, but my stock BOV leaks at high boost hehe...but all it does is a sound of ai going out, like the sound of an instake...marginally louder :) you can add a whistling trumpet to it should you wish to fly above the radar.

juts got back from marvs not too long ago, gonna rest a bit and keep updating this

b
 
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