[TheTodd]

Sorry Todd, I shouldnt have highjacked your thread. Hope u figure out your issue. If you have any spare hoods or headlights kicking around let me know

No worries. I can actually check on parts when I get back to work on the 27th. The important thing is everyone is ok (I’m assuming since it looks minor), stuff can always be replaced/fixed.

I can’t recall what the overnight low was last night but it was right about 30 when I got the chance to check it at 8am this morning. No noises at all. According to the weather channel app after a high of 50 at 2am tomorrow, temps will steadily drop to about 6*F overnight Friday and stay there until Christmas afternoon. So over the next 36-48hrs there should be plenty of opportunity to get it sorted out.

 

[TheTodd]

Current temp situation:

And it’s been below 25 since about 11am or so. I just went out and gave it a quick test run… completely noise free. Here’s hoping it stays that way.

 

[BP1Fanatic]

 

[ItsonlyaHONDA]

Perfect weather for work tonigh.😃

 

[saltyone]

21 degrees here in north Louisiana. Feels like freaking 9 degrees. This is some f*c*ed up s**t 😂

 

[JI808]

Current temp situation:
View attachment 359052

And it’s been below 25 since about 11am or so. I just went out and gave it a quick test run… completely noise free. Here’s hoping it stays that way.

So after all of this...could've been anything.

Hitting a bump and it coming back in and playing leads to loose connection. Seeing the setscrews weren't tight adds to that being the culprit.

 

[Mic10is]

I had an issue with an amp that has a bad solder joint. Took awhile to diagnose.
Everything would play normally . Then hit a bump and left midbass would cut out.
Go back check all connections everything tight and secure. Everything playing again.
Same thing would happen.
Finally I figured out that the left RCA for the midbass on the amp has a bad solder joint.
When it could cut out, I just had to slightly move the RCA and it would come back on..

 

[dkc7]

Im having an intermittent issue with a home amp. The shop has had it running a week perfectly. Hooked it up yesterday and worked, today no right channel again.
Todd I”ll keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[TheTodd]

Just braved the 7/Feels like -10 and played it for a minute or two… no noises & everything works. Took a little bit to get the drivers themselves loosened up but it plays fine.

So after all of this...could've been anything.

Hitting a bump and it coming back in and playing leads to loose connection. Seeing the setscrews weren't tight adds to that being the culprit.

Agreed.

 

[TheTodd]

So everything has been noise free for the last 4-5 days… until today. Now the right tweeter was intermittently cutting in/out. I managed to fix it though.

So first, the speaker wires just needed tightening and the tweeter is back to working fine. Second, while it was apart… AGAIN… I tightened ALL the speaker wires to be sure. All were snug except the aforementioned tweeter plug and the L mid plug. Third, I will say this… I really like these Alpine PDX amps but I’d like to meet the person that designed the plugs and slap him/her around a bit. Why on this big blue & green marble did they feel the need to use the smallest allen screw they could possibly find?

 

[naiku]

Third, I will say this… I really like these Alpine PDX amps but I’d like to meet the person that designed the plugs and slap him/her around a bit. Why on this big blue & green marble did they feel the need to use the smallest allen screw they could possibly find?

Yes!!! I hated those stupid plugs, I also hate the plugs that use a tiny screw requiring a jewelers screwdriver (which I can never find when I need one).

 

[Stycker]

Glad your working it out. There is nothing more frustrating than taking your car apart several times to fix problems. Especially in the cold. I have a heated garage but then theres all that winter MUCK on the floor to deal with.

 

[TheTodd]

I do have a garage and with the corvette now long gone it’s open & available but it’s SMALL. The Vette barely fit and with the size of the Avalon it’s just not possible to work on it (at least easily) with the garage door closed. And opening doors is even tighter. At least when I’m working on the trunk I can back most of it in and stay dry… warm is a different story.

I’m fairly confident that everything is finally in 100% working order. With the “new” V9 I tried to match the gains as precisely as possible but it must have been just a tad more than the other because the R side was just a bit much so I used the balance control on the HU to tame it a bit but it never sounded quite right. This morning is pretty warm so I swapped the old V9 back in and I’m back to happy.

While I was at it I swapped out the tweeter caps. If you remember back a bit I accidentally got the wrong value caps and instead of my safety HP being about 2-2.5k it was actually closer to 5k… doh. So a little bit before that awesome cold snap that caused all this I bought new ones but I wanted to wait until all the noises were settled before replacing them. Today was that day.

Old ghetto looking caps (looked ugly but got the job done):

New ones (I used the quick disconnects to ease in replacement just in case & already proved a smart decision):

I gave a very quick listen and it already sounds noticeably better. Not a LOT but it’s also possible it’s also because of putting the other amp back in and/or it’s psychoacoustics and I just think it does. I’ll try to find time to hook up the laptop and play with some new tweeter crossover points. It’s currently 7k (because of the old caps) but I’m going to try dropping it down to the 3.5-5k range and see what works.

But all trim panels and everything else are back in and secured. It feels good.

 

[TheTodd]

So 2 weeks ago or so we had 2 days of pretty steady rain. Then there was a night where it dipped down to about 25-26 degrees… crunchy, scratchy midbass was back. This time it went away pretty quickly, though. Just in case it’s water somehow getting into the speaker I put a rush on a pair of those XTC foam “baffles” from Amazon. It wasn’t until this morning as I was planning the install that I realized my OEM front speakers are actually 8x10” not 6x9”. So it was time to get creative. Since I’m just using them as an extra peace-of-mind rain guard it necessitated a wee bit of McGuyvering.

First up was cutting the back off and the test fit, and then the realization that it wasn’t going to be just an easy drop in.

Again, knowing I just needed an extra rain guard up top I came up with a plan. Cut it at the bottom and used some tape to temporarily hold it in place until I got the bolts back in.

Then connect all the wires and reinstall

For the record, I did both sides but it was starting to snow & I wanted to get it done quickly so there’s no pictures, but it’s exactly the same. I think it was asked previously why I didn’t just get the 6.5” foam baffles and it was because the fitment of the speaker to the adapter is already very snug and I don’t think the speaker would’ve fit back in.

I haven’t gotten the laptop out to adjust or tune anything further and probably won’t seeing as I’ll be getting a tune done at the VA meet in a few weeks.

Now comes the long, drawn out process of designing a new trunk layout to accommodate a second SQL-12 to go trunk baffle. I have 3 top ideas now but I’ll wait until probably summer to maybe fall depending on how frisky I feel.

 

[dkc7]

That baffle foam compresses to almost nothing. Sorry to hear your speaker issue came back.

 

[TheTodd]

I think my speaker issue is gone - knocks on wood.

This past weekend I got a chance to get the laptop out and fiddle a bit. I don’t have a microphone so I haven’t done anything with that yet, but, I dropped the tweeter/mid crossover down to 3.5k from the previous 7k. Boy did that open everything up! I had to reduce the tweeter level a bit as now, with the increased frequency range, they were a lot louder. I got them to a level (by ear) that is acceptable to me and the system as a whole seems a bit livelier.

I’m hoping to get a tune this weekend at the VA meet but I’m hoping to get some really good feedback on this, both before and after. So far, compared to my old Malibu, this car is much better and I continue to be impressed with the Stereo Integrity drivers. Best decision I’ve made.

 

[johnbooth3]

Nice build. I can't seem to make decisions on mine to get it 100%. I keep changing my mind. I have two questions, on the power cable thru the firewall, how did you get it thru the wall. Did you drill a hole or use an existing hole?

On the speaker wires into the front doors, was it pretty easy to get the wire thru the boot. The rear doors have a Molex connector so I haven't tried to get into the front doors yet.

Love the build.

Thanks,

 

[TheTodd]

Thanks for the kind words.

For the power wire I went through an existing grommet/boot near the accelerator. I can try to get a picture from the interior side if that would help you.

Yup, the front doors were easy-peasy, old school type rubber boots… wires slid right through. I didn’t touch the rear doors so I don’t even have the slightest idea what’s there.

 

[TheTodd]

It’s about time to start working on the first revision. This part will take a bit of time and allow me to keep/enjoy the current install while taking my time and building it all in pieces as time allows.

Parts I need to get:
New, bigger, power & ground wire
An additional SI SQL-12d4
Assorted install bits… wood, carpet, etc

What I have:
Second Alpine PDX-V9

The plan is dual SQL-12s in a trunk baffle setup and the amps, DSP & distribution block in the spare tire well while keeping the spare. The baffle will be mounted in the smaller section closest to the rear seat which is only about 3” deep and will vent into the interior via the ski pass.

I plan to mount some angle brackets to the rear shelf & floor and secure the baffle to them to make install and removal (if necessary) easier. The question I have is whether I should use the same brackets on the side as well? I know it wouldn’t hurt but is it necessary? I found this at my local Home Depot to use for the brackets

The next question is what thickness should I use? They have 1/8” or 1/16” (it’s aluminum) and the price difference is about 2x for the 1/8”. Is 1/16” sturdy enough? This is where I plan to mount the brackets

The amp rack plan is to remove this huge, practically useless piece, relocate the jack and lug wrench and construct a new amp rack in its place

I think I can get both amps, DSP, distro block AND the jack & accessories in the same space. That foam piece is about 2” thick (not including the part that extends down into the spare), 28” across & 26” front to back. My thought is to put the jack & stuff down in the wheel space and everything else will stay up top. The amps are 2 1/8” tall so I may have to raise the floor a bit but I’ll have no problem raising the floor an inch to an inch-and-a-half. I’ll just have to come up with a hinge so the spare is still accessible.

This plan should get me an additional 7” or so of useable trunk room back (front to back) and show off the beautiful backside on those subs. I’ll also try to find a way to bling up the amp rack as well. I thought about some plexiglass but, damn, I thought the price of wood was high… 😳. Maybe just some LEDs and/or some suede. 🤷🏻‍♂️

This weekend will be wood purchase and I’ll start on the amp rack. The baffle setup can wait as I still need to get the other sub and it’s gonna be a bit until I can get that.

 

[Freakquency]

Man....you might have this thing ready by May. I need to step it up