Well, time to start my first audio build. The car is a 98 Dodge Neon R/T. This will be a sound quality only build. No 150 db spl monster subs. It will be done in 2 stages, the first which will happen over the next month and a half. Total investment so far is around $3600+.
Equipment for stage 1:
Headunit - Denon DCT R1
Processor - JBL MS-8
Sub - Kicker CVX 10", prefab Kicker ported box
Mids - Hybrid Audio Imagine 6.5"
Highs - Hybrid Audio Imagine 25mm
Sub amp - Kicker ZX1x500
Mid/High amp - Kicker ZX2x200 (this will change to a JL HD600.4 soon after install)
Power Wires - Streetwires 0 and 4 gauge
Speaker Wires - Kicker X-Series 12 gauge
Sound deadening - Second Skin Damplifier Pro, Luxury Liner Pro, Overkill
This first stage is mostly focused in front of the front seats. The mids will go into the kicks, in vented fiberglass enclosures, aimed in between the front seats. The tweeters will be in the a-pillars, aimed at the center of the windshield. I have 70 square feet of Damplifier Pro to go in front of the front seats. Three layers on the front floor, three on the firewall, three on the lower a-pillers. Over that, a continuous layer of Luxury Liner Pro. The dash is completely out of the car, as well as the HVAC, and pretty much everything else. I'm currently finishing pulling the stock junk deadening, as it wasnt stuck on too well in some places. I'm using Hybrid Audio for all mids and highs.
On to pics.
Denon Head Unit
0.008% Distortion
110 db signal to noise ratio
Head Unit and Damp Pro
Damp Pro and back of Head Unit
36 Square Feet of Luxury Liner Pro
9 Square Feet of Overkill
JBL MS-8
Low, High and Bandpass crossovers, anywhere between 20-20000hz
Automatic room correction
Time Alignment
8 Channels
31 Band Equalizer
Last edited by TOOSTUBBORN2FAIL; 02-25-2011 at 11:29 PM..
Well, I got the rest of the stock deadening out today, and a lousy coat of primer, mostly so it doesnt rust. It was dark and 48 degrees out, so not ideal weather to paint in. Tomorrow when its light out, I'll wet sand the primer, and lay another good coat down, around 10am, then around 3pm I'll lay a coat of white down, and that'll be it. Its mostly to make sure theres no bare metal under the deadening.
I should add, I couldn't have done all of this without my wife. She bought me the head unit, helped remove the deadening with the heat gun and putty knife, helped sand the leftover bits down and wiped everything down with acetone before I sprayed the primer.
Last junk post before real work gets done. Got the paint down today, gonna smooth it tomorrow, and start making templates for the sound deadening, and get to cutting it. Wednesday the first layer or 2 will go in.
not going to lie, when I saw the title with first time sq and neon all in the same title I had my doubts but I can already tell you mean business and have some badass equipment so you sir have def proved me wrong!!!!!
I'm currently a trash truck driver with a wife that loves me. Oh, also I'm a perfectionist, which means I usually never get things done. I want to make this my first fully finished project.
Working on getting a higher paying job, so I can start stage 2. Legatia SE 3way, HD amps, rest of the car sound deadened, and FI IB subs.
I'm currently a trash truck driver with a wife that loves me. Oh, also I'm a perfectionist, which means I usually never get things done. I want to make this my first fully finished project.
Working on getting a higher paying job, so I can start stage 2. Legatia SE 3way, HD amps, rest of the car sound deadened, and FI IB subs.
You'll fit in perfect here and especially with car audio overall. There is always something to alter/swap/or plan for
just becareful about the perfectionist thing, i started out like that and it led me to trying to remold and build the entire interior of my truck, it ended up being sold a few months later in half built condition...
just becareful about the perfectionist thing, i started out like that and it led me to trying to remold and build the entire interior of my truck, it ended up being sold a few months later in half built condition...
but i wish you the best of luck!
b
Thanks for the advice. I'm more just trying to stay away from the local shops. The one good shop in the area, got raided by PD and shut down, for taking money and not finishing projects. Sadly, they were the only ones that did quality work around here. I have until the end of this year to get stage 1 where I want it, and then I go on a 6 month break, as I'll be going through the police academy. After I get out, I'll be able to start stage 2.
I'm gonna use this first part of the install as a learning process. I've never worked with fiberglass, so I bought the cheap bondo crap before reading up more, but if I can do half decent with that, I'll use US composites next time. If not, I can practice with the cheap stuff some more until I'm ready for the good stuff.
I actually have someone else doing the interior remold work for me. He works with carbon fiber, so I'll be slowly sending him pieces I have laying around not being used, and he'll be making a mold, and redoing the whole thing in pure CF. I've had 3 neons, and 2 were gutted race cars, so I can do this without leaving this car torn apart, and just swap parts as I go.
I should say, we dont have any good SQ shops around here. Seems every shop here specializes in SPL builds. We had a HAT, Hertz, and Morel dealer here, based in a custom car shop, but that shop got raided and shut down, a week after a meca show.
They've had a few meca shows at a shop in fresno, but when I was there, it was 90% SPL cars, and the SQ cars were from out of town.
The #1 shop in visalia still tells people that speakers can distort from not running enough power, and they dont mean from clipping either. They also kind of change their prices based on who you are, you pay above MSRP if your not one of their favorite, which is ok for me, because all they sell there is kicker and RF.
oh roadshop eh? we were there last october for the finals.
actually, audio innovations in fresno, Ray and Ryan are REALLY REALLY friggin good at building SQ cars...its just their clientel prefer SPL...you should really hit them up...i would easily trust them to do my own car.
oh roadshop eh? we were there last october for the finals.
actually, audio innovations in fresno, Ray and Ryan are REALLY REALLY friggin good at building SQ cars...its just their clientel prefer SPL...you should really hit them up...i would easily trust them to do my own car.
Yep, I was there spectating last oct. Wanted them to do some work for me, but then they were shut down.
Audio Innovations was where I was talking about in fresno, I actually considered taking it there, but at the time, my wife had been laid off from her CO job, and then I decided I'd like to learn for myself, plus save myself some money. Your probably right, all the cars I saw there were SPL cars, although its probably the area more then the actual shop. I think once the installs done though, I'll head up there if I need help tuning anything (which is likely, being a noob)
Looking forward to seeing more. This thread should deliver. Nice job for a first timer. I am not a first timer but I cant swing a list of equipment like that. Keep your wife happy!
Thanks. Ya, I love my wife. Helped me remove sound deadening in two cars now, with a heat gun and scraper. Helped my acetone this one, and put in sound deadening today. I just need to get her civic's deadening done as a thank you to her. Its sad that stock for stock, a 2010 civic ex is at loud on the freeway as a 1998 dodge neon.
Well, sicker then crap, but I got a little done. Didn't rain, but was cold, so it was hard to mold the deadening to form. The aluminum on this stuff isn't nearly as flimsy as on dynamat. When I would heat dynamat with a heat gun to get it flexible, the dynamat would fold under its own weight. This second skin damplifier pro doesnt.
Got part of the floor done. I'm trying to avoid putting any damp pro over the caulking for the seams, as thats where the stock stuff wasnt sticking to. I'll go over it with luxury liner pro. More cutting for me, but less worries later.
There will be three layers everywhere forward of the seats. It may be past the point of diminishing returns for road noise, but I'm bolting speakers that take a lot of power to the floors. I don't want any vibrating panels, and one layer just wont cut it for that.
So, neon owners know that the bezel around the headlight switch rattles. Its also not completely removable, so I didn't feel to bad about doing this...
No more annoying rattles over bumpy roads, or during the 50 mph roads that seemed to make it resonate so bad.
crazy install so far man, just take your time and try not to cut corners. it will bite you in the ass in the long run. i didnt wire my car that way i should have when i first installed my stereo, and i just ripped it all out and redid it haha.
98 Dodge Neon Build, First Timer SQ
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