DIYMobileAudio.com Car Stereo Forum banner

Ford fiesta install from the UK

16K views 29 replies 14 participants last post by  dave  
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I signed up over here quite a while ago but never posted and kinda forgot about the place. :blush:
I see quite a few names i recognise from other forums and plenty i don't. Anyway, this is my new install in a ford fiesta. I already know the car pretty much inside out having had another one for the last couple of years but it's always fun to start from scratch.

The kit list itself is pretty much the same as my last instal but with a couple of small changes.
Pioneer P90 DEX & DEQ
Genesis profile ultra amplifiers
Hybrid audio L6, L4 and L1. Most likely changing to the L1v2's
The sub is new, was previously using an IDmax but now want to experiment with 8" subs up under the dash.

First of all, a quick look at how it stands at the moment. It seems the car may already have the Ford audio upgrade which to be fair really isn't bad as far as stock systems go.
Image


Image


Image


Image



Here is the original plastic inner skin removed.
Front.
Image


And back.
Image


It's reasonably stiff due to the moulded shape, but it's still very light and not good enough for a proper speaker mounting.

Now i am going to cheat a little bit here, these inner skins will go into my old fiesta, and the inner skins from the old one will be used here as they have already had all the work done. So in a Blue Peter stylee, here's one i made earlier.
This is the back showing the recesses filled with fibreglass filler. This adds a lot of weight and stiffens the skin. The same has been done to the front.
Image


On the front of the inner skin there is also a layer of dynamat extreme to add mass and then a covering of box carpet to eliminate any contact of hard surfaces.
Image


You will notice the speaker mount has also been modified to allow the fitments of the rather large L6 midbass driver.
 
#2 ·
I have most of a bulk pack of dynamat extreme that will be used on the doors and possibly some other key areas. There is also a bulk pack of maxmat waiting to be used on the rest of the car.
Image


So, the downside of the plastic modulated inner skins is they need a bit of work to get them suitable for mounting a speaker to. On the plus side it makes access for sound deadening an absolute doddle.
Image


In each door i have added two layers of dynamat extreme, then directly behind the midbass there is an additional two layers.
Image


There is then a layer of second skin overkill closed cell foam to add a barrier to road noise.
Image


The new/old inner skins are back on and the oh so lovely ford speakers are back for the time being.
Image



I took a trip to collect some acoustic carpet underlay and also a Focal 8" polyglass 21V2 i spotted on ebay. I have no idea what it's going to be like, we'll have to see how it sounds when i do some testing with it once the rest of the install is done.

Image


Image


Image


Image
 
#21 ·
There is then a layer of second skin overkill closed cell foam to add a barrier to road noise.
Image
You'd be much better off gluing some MLV on top of that foam. Foam alone won't do squat for most road noise. If you haven't already put the door panels back together, try some vinyl or thick cotton batting just like you have on the floorboards.
 
#3 ·
I have done the rest of the sound deadened and got the cabling run down the car.

First i stripped every last bit of trim out the car bar the instrument panel and the doors which have already been done. To remove the carpet i would have had to remove the dash, gear stick and linkages and also disconnect the steering column which i couldn't be arsed with so instead i am just folding the carpet from one side to the other depending on what bit im working on.

Image


Image


Image


Image


Image




Everywhere has been deadened with a bulk pack of max mat and the last of my dynamat.

Image


Image


Image
 
#4 ·
Image


Image


Image




Onto the wiring. I am using black braiding on all cables, here is the main power cable entering through the firewall using the existing grommet and sealed with silicone.
Image


Image


The cable is then cable tied down at regular intervals.
Image


Here you can also see the ipbus and optical lead for the p90 and also a sub remote cable coming down from the instrument panel.
Image
 
#5 ·
Where the cables pass through metal work they are protected with convoluted tubing and hard neoprene .
Image


And running down towards the boot.
Image




On the drivers side we have the speaker cables all run in the same way.
Image


Image


Image



Over the top of the wiring i have laid down the sound deadening underlay i have.
Image


I have put the stock ford sound deadening back over the top, i have cut away where the cables run to keep the level correct.
Image


Exactly the same has been done to the passenger side.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for posting Dave, my mate actually emailed your thread from another forum to give me more ideas with mine......

Will be watching this closely, good luck!

Jono
 
#16 ·
I know it has been a long time since i updated this, and you could be forgiven for thinking i had given up. I have just been busy with uni and still needed to get a couple of bits, but now we are back on track.



First off i collected these little beauties. Hybrid Audio L1V2s.

Image


Image


Image





And ordered this from caraudiodirect to replace the pioneer bluetooth and ipod interface units.

Image





And tonight i have made a start on the boot build. I already know what i want to do, it is going to be a simple false floor so that i have a usable boot for a change. I just need to work out how on earth i am going to fit everything.

Image


It looks nice and easy, but the sides will be set in from the edges and there will also be a hatch for access to the spare wheel that i will need to work around.
So this is what i will go with i think.

Image


The two profile 2 ultras have to be stacked to make room for the processor, the profile sub and 4 ultras could sit next to each other on the hatch, but that will not leave much room for wiring so i reckon it will be best to stack those too.

So now i know what i'm doing i can carry on with getting the flase floor built up.
 
#18 ·
The parrot kit is designed primarily for use in cars with stock systems as it has a little class d 4 channel 20w amp to run stock speakers. But it also has a stereo line out that i can feed directly into the p90 so shouldn't have any issues there, both the phone and ipod function will be used through the aux in. Not the epitome of SQ i know, but it's nice and convenient for 90% of the time and of course i still have the p90 to play cd's.
 
#19 ·
Here is this weekends progress.

The false floor is pretty much built. The contoured side pieces are removable so that the main part of the build can be dropped into the boot in one piece, the side panels are then slotted in after and fixed tot he main build. This saves any faffing around building and assembling the build in the car.

Image


Image




To mount and stack the amps i have knocked up some very simple brackets.

Image




Profile 4 Ultra and sub ultra.

Image




Two profile 2 ultras.

Image




All installed in the build along with the processor and distribution block.

Image




And a quick test fit in the car.

Image


Image




Just need to get it in paint and carpeted and then the joy that is wiring can begin.
 
#22 ·
I see, i may well give that a go then.

Finally there is something in the car.

Image


Image


There are a pair of latches to hold down the spare wheel access hatch.
Image


And another to hold the lid open for setting up.
Image


And of course the wheel is easily removable.
Image


Image


Image


Just need to hook up the main power and earth cables and get the speaker wires in and connected.
 
#24 ·
Made a start getting the front end in today.

First job was to get the speaker cables that i had left coiled up under the carpet in the kicks into the doors. So off they came.
Image


Image


Now on the bootlid thes is a rubber umbilical used to get the rear screen washer pipe into the boot lid.
Image


After a quick trip to the scrappy i had a couple spare.
Image


Made some holes in the door shut, both on the body and on the door so i had this.
Image


Image


Now with the door refitted you can see the speaker cable entering the door is very neat, stock looking and water tight.
Image


I did exactly the same with the other side, though of course i suffered the obligitary rounded bolt and had to grind the head right off before it would budge.
Image
 
#28 ·
Because i am still undecided on what i am doing with the sub i have decided to install the head unit using the standard fitting adaptor for now. When i decide on the subs i will come back and re do the head unit and the control panel i had planned.
Image


Image



And here are the a-pillar builds. Tomorrow i will do the final cleaning up on them and get them trimmed.
Image


Image


So it's all up and running now and not sounding too bad, of course there will be plenty of tuning to do though.