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2000 Jeep XJ Build Log (Phase I)

7K views 28 replies 14 participants last post by  jab4au 
#1 ·
I've finally collected all of the parts to start my build...and thus start the obligatory build thread.

The goal of this build is to be a stepping stone of sorts....like a gateway drug if you will. All components have been selected to have the ability to be repurposed in the future. I don't want to have to throw away/set aside/ditch/sell anything. Any components that may be upgraded are able to be used in other parts of future installs.

The Vehicle:

2000 Jeep Cherokee. This Jeep is actually the wife's old ride before we bought her a Mazda 6. I had a Cobalt SS Turbo. I agreed to trade in my cobalt for her car if I could drop some coin on the Jeep.

Here it is as she sits now. I just finished installing a 3" lift and 31x10.5 tires on 15x8 procomp wheels.





The equipment:

Headunit:
Pioneer DEH-1500. This is a cheapy the wife put in when she was in High School. It has am/fm and cd player. A single unbalanced 2V output will serve my needs for the time being.

Processor:
Audison Bitone.1: I decided to spend some money here, as this is a component that will serve me well along all future upgrades. We all know the capabilities of this unit.

Front Stage:
HAT imagine 6.5" components running active: I couldn't pass these up based on reviews. I really wanted to run 3 way active up front, but these really seemed like a great compromise for this build. When it comes down to it, I'm driving a jeep with noisy all-terrain tires. I'm not sure if I could really enjoy a 3 way setup with all the extraneous noise I'll have. HOWEVER, If I feel the urge to run 3 way, I could either add a midrange or move these to the rear soundbar and run them passive in a mono setup for the off times i'll have passengers in the rear.

Sub Stage:
Image Dynamics IDQ12V3 D4. Another place I didn't want to skimp, because if I ever upgraded, the old sub would be tossed or sold...not something I want to deal with. Plus I got a killer deal on this guy in the classifieds.

Amplifiers:
Alpine PDX-4.100: Will run the 2-way front stage.

Alpine PDX-4.150: Will be running the sub stage. Yes, this is not the ideal setup...I know. And, I'll only be able to send 300 watts at 8 ohms to the sub. If, once installed, I feel this isn't enough, I could bridge channels 1&2 to one voice coil and 3&4 to the other voice coil. I'm not a crazy bass head, so I'm not too worried about it. In future installs, this guy could run rear fill and/or front midbass, and I'll then add a pdx 1.600 or 1.1000 for the substage. The reason I chose the 4.150 over the 1.600 or 1.1000 was because I really think I'll be happy with 300w to the IDQ, and this will give me 2 channels for an easy and cheap upgrade...whether that is rear fill or moving the midbass to this and adding a midrange to the 4.100 for a 3 way front stage. If I had bought a mono amp, I'd have to purchase another amp for the next upgrade.

Sound Deadening:
Right now, i'm only looking at deadening/sealing the front doors for the midbass. After that, any leftover materials will be used to fix rattles. More sound deadening may come in the future, depending on how much of an impact this first install makes. I have 10 sqft of damplifier, 36sq ft of overkill, and 36 sq ft of luxury liner in the mail (Thanks Second Skin for the black friday sale!)


I've already upgraded the big 3 with 4 awg wire. I've run 1/0 to the hatch (overkill for now...leaves plenty of headroom for future) The Pioneer Headunit will be the master input on the bitone. I'll also have a 3.5mm connection in the center console for ipods/iphones/friends phones connected to one of the aux RCA inputs on the bitone.

So since this is phase I, here's what I envision for the future:

Phase II: Ipad 3 in the dash, digital out of the ipad into an istreamer and then to an aux RCA input on the bitone.

Phase III: Adding midrange to front a-pillars. (Right now, looking to be a distant dream)


All will be installed in the hatch in a semi-hidden setup. The only thing visible will be the sub box glassed into the side of the hatch. I'll leave you with the installation setup I'm envisioning. The amp rack build will probably take a lot of ques from simplicityinsound.





Sorry for the iphone photos, the dslr was dead. I promise better photos in the future. I hope to be able to start this weekend, thanks for looking and sorry for the long read!
 
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#4 ·
Thanks for the compliments! Well today, I tore out the rear carpet to start looking at running wires (and I had to patch some holes I cut in the rear floor panel to install the new shocks) I started looking more about how to mount things and I had an epiphany....I can use the spare tire to hide and protect the subwoofer. So, the new plan is to build a shallow sub box within the false floor, with a protruding cylinder where the subwoofer will be mounted into. This protruding cylinder will be the exact inner diameter of the underside of the wheel. When the spare is placed over the cylinder, it will in effect be secured in place. The subwoofer will be mounted in the protruding cylinder, with plenty of space for excursion. Also, by elevating the spare with a false floor, I can clear the drivers side wheel well, allowing me to push the spare further to the side and gain some clear floor space.

Some mock-up photos:



And proof that the sub will fit inside the spare:
 
#8 ·
Well the wife had some minor surgery today, so naturally I took the day off to 'tend' to her. So with all my free time today, I got a good chunk of work done!

I started by removing the door cards, installed some damplifier in the outer door skins, filled the big holes in the doors with sheet metal, and layed some CCF down. Also ran all the speaker wires to the mids and tweets, and ran the RCA's, DRC cable, and remote wire to the back of the jeep.

The naked door with weatherstripping applied around the big opening.


More weatherstripping


Larger door openings filled:


CCF applied (before being fully trimmed):


And in the middle of running wires:



I'll have pretty much all weekend to work on it, so there should be some really good progress coming. Stay tuned!
 
#9 ·
sweet man. coming along. hoping to get my xj in the garage this weekend and see if the head is cracked so i can order a new heard. once thats done im getting started on the system.

keep us posted. im still debating them hat imagines.
 
#14 ·
Well, here's a small update. I did some work on the sub box today. This thing is a major pain in the rear because it has to be angled perfectly for the spare tire to sit on top of it and allow the hatch to close. After a lot of mocking up different scenarios, I finally figured it out.

Here's some build pics:



And with the top on. I picked up a Bosch plunge router and am TOTALLY loving it.



Added some red vinyl to match the exterior...the amp rack will be done the same way. Like I said, very Simplicityinsound-esk.



And with the top piece that will be covered in carpet



Going to try to get this in and hooked up after work tomorrow. More to come then..





Oh by the way, the front door set is installed. No photos yet because I still need to trim the door cards to allow them to fit. The 6.5" mids needed a 1" spacer to clear the window track. Still so much to do, but I can at least listen to music now. Gotta get this all wrapped up soon, the ipad 3 is rumored to be released in March. This has to be done by then so I can focus my work on getting it glassed into the dash.
 
#16 ·
More work done last night, finally got the sub playing!! Woo Hoo!! Si far I like it, I think with some tuning and level matching my gains, this is going to sound fantastic.

First a little detail I thought I would share. I know we always have trouble sealing the speaker cable connections and this has been done a number of ways, well here's my take.

So you have your typical hole through the box with your wires running through and sealed with silicon.


Take a spare piece of mdf and route a groove.


Lay a bead of silicon in the groove, as well as around the groove and some adhesive around the outside .


Your speaker wires will sit in te groove and are now sealed with silicon for a depth of about 4 or 5 inches.


Terminate the wires on a terminal strip and your set!



Covered the box in carpet


Spare tire fits too!


And the sub clears.


Still have access to fuses and speaker terminals too with the seat folded down.





More to come after tonight!
 
#17 ·
Very cool spare mount! I hope you're gonna have a way to bolt it on so it doesn't crush your amps or sub! :eek:
 
#18 ·
Yeah, I've thought about that.I'm not too concerned because it's wedged in between the seat and hatch. I'm thinking I'll address that when I get a high-lift jack and find a way to strap it all in together...neatly of course. For now, I can't even manually move it when the hatch is closed. Just have to be careful when the back seat is folded down.
 
#19 ·
Looks real good man. I keep trying to get my buddy at work to upgrade his system but he keeps whining about not having room to put stuff. Now I can show him this.

On a different note have you thought about getting a roof rack spare mount/equipment rack to free up trunk space? Or do you keep it in a garage which would then make it too tall?
 
#20 · (Edited)
Looks good, man! I don't see any reason for the iPad3 not to be released by March (I assigned one of my crew members to work on the advertising photo shoot for it. ;) Unfortunately, I was already booked on another project and couldn't work on it myself. :( That was the week before Christmas and it was final product. WooHoo! Can't say anything more...under NDA, haha...whoops, it slipped! Hope the Apple Police don't show up at my door. DOH!

Nice install. Hope you're enjoying the tunes! Interested to see how you plan to incorporate the new iPad. Why not go straight into the BitOne.1 via Digital using an i-20 Pure dock?
 
#24 ·
Well, here's tonights progress. Spent about 15 minutes putting a quick tune on it to get me by. Then went on to cover the amp rack with red vinyl/carpet. I'm a little disappointed, as I had cut the trim piece perfectly to fit the PDX amps, well now with just the thickness of the vinyl it no longer lines up perfectly. Oh well...live and learn. I just need to shim the amps up and center them a little better to fit in the holes in the cover piece.

Now for more lovely iphone photos:








And one from inside with the hatch closed


Still to do: Trim the front door cards to clear the 6.5" midbass spacers, build the rest of the trim pieces and wrap them in carpet around the sub box, fiberglass the DRC for the bitone in below the heater/ac controls, and tune this damn thing.

Right about now I'm glad I went with a 2-way front stage - couldn't imagine still having to fiberglass a pillars.
 
#28 ·
My fear is gas mileage. I do a 100+ mile a day commute and while I understand the 6cyl is bullet proof they are not exactly economical. As to mods, I have a good friend who is a mechanic and owns a 2001, I figured a small 3" lift and change out the rims/tires. My money goes into the audio part :D
 
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