[mxl16]

This was my first attempt at a major install so if something “looks” like a rookie mistake…it probably is.

I have an 06 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab (double cab). I previously had a JL 300/4 and a JL 500/1 under the front seats feeding passive K2P comps and RE SE 10. After lurking around on the forum (and getting hooked) for a while, I decided to put a little more investment into the hobby.

I picked up a used MC440M and some used Scan 12m’s. I am going to try to grab some scan illum. tweets and probably SLS 6.5 mid-basses (which are more or less drop-in).

At this point, I am still using my passive focal K2P comps off of the 300/4 as I do not have the tweets or midbasses to complete the front stage yet.

Now for the install….

I gutted the interior of the truck and was surprised how easily it came out.

This is the amp rack. Simple and elegant…

The rack is fastened to double layered sheet metal brace just above the amps. So I did not have to put holes through the cab wall.

I used almost an entire roll of deadener on the cab floor, rear cab wall, and pillars.

Turns out I had to remove the seat mount from the passenger side rear seat and install it (w/o the seat attached) BEFORE mounting the Mac. Once the Mac was mounted I could then mount the rear seat to the bracket. See lower left of picture.

The down side to mounting amps on the cab wall is I can no longer fold my rear seats up all of the way. They obviously will fold down but will not fold up far enough to lock in place.

The DRZ power converter and Changer are mounted under the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

 

[mxl16]

I made this nifty little distribution/terminal “rack” on a whim and it worked out very well. The terminal block has quick disconnects for the front stage speakers and labels (although some fell off during installation). The rack replaces the drivers side rear storage bin and mates up to my sub enclosure. The enclosure houses an RE SE 10 with approx .67 cu ft. I know the enclosure looks “rough” but I prefer to think that it adds character. Seriously though, it was my first attempt at it and it sounds pretty freakin good. Probably has too much of some things and not enough of other things.

On a side note, I ran out of speaker wire which would explain the missing connection at the terminal block.

Sirius tuner in the sunglass holder.

DRZ with custom face plate. I basically made a backing structure to mount some painted plexi-glass cut to size. The plexi is pained on the opposite side to give some depth and shine. It came out great.

I ran 1/0 gauge to the rear to power the amps. Upgraded the block to ground and battery to ground w/ 1/0 gauge. I was able to fit 1/0 gauge through the regulator on the negative side of the battery. I did not get a chance to upgrade the Alt to Battery w/ 1/0 gauge yet. No, I do not have any issues with my knu battery terminals. The wire is secure and the terminals fit on the battery perfectly.

and finally…the money shot……

Still need to purchase and install mid-basses and tweets, upholster enclosure and terminal rack, possibly add some LL Pro, and deaden the roof.

I have a list of things “to do better/re-do” the next time the seats and carpet some out. One is obviously run the last speaker wire to the front but I also have some faint alt whine (have a pretty good idea where to look for that).

I am also attempting the sarotech optical media player setup. I have everything except the monitor but not all of it is installed. I am going with a sunvisor monitor. This way when I want to change play lists all I have to do is flip it down, use the remote to make the change, and flip it back up an out of the way.

 

[ss600r]

Good looking set up.

 

[lennon_68]

Very nice!

 

[PatFitz9]

looks like a pretty clean install. Good work!

 

[Bretfred]

nice work its always fun ripping apart a new car

 

[mxl16]

Thanks guys.

 

[prophet_ca]

Im nit picky and a noob myself, did you try and see how the mc would look inbetween the jl's? Great start though..

 

[lashlee]

Good looking!!

 

[mxl16]

Im nit picky and a noob myself, did you try and see how the mc would look inbetween the jl's? Great start though..

That was actually my first choice. I am generally particular about symmetry. However, do to the position of the rear seat brackets and studs in the cab floor that the brackets mount to, there would simply not be enough room on the rack for all three amps.

The Mac would have to be mounted directly in front of those two seat brackets (where the 300/4 now is) and the seat brackets extend all the way back to the bottom of the amp rack. Which would interfere with the amp.

It was def. a challenge fitting all of that equipment in a small space and still look presentable. I would not compromise and put the 500/1 under the drivers seat. For some reason, I just feel that all of the amps should be in the same place. If I didn't have the 500/1 on the rack, I would have had a lot more mounting options.

 

[mxl16]

Turns out the Alt noise was one or many of the dangling RCAs at the head unit end was grounding out against the metal under-structure of the dash. As I was driving around with the ALT noise this past week, I would notice that it would go away for a second or two when I braked hard or came to a compete stop. This was my first clue (lol).

I think I am going to do what this guy did and zip tie them neatly. For now I just taped up out of the way quickly because it is raining and nasty outside.

I got a couple sheets of Luxury Liner Pro on the way as well as a sun visor monitor fro the optical media system. Although I am having issues finding the correct clarion optical cable that will fit into the DRZ. Will also take the time to fix anything I don't like about the install while the interior is out.

So next weekend I will probably finish off the deadening and wiring portion of the build. After that it is time to start installing new drivers.

 

[talibmohamid]

Ohhhh man.......I love the Nissan builds.......I bet it sounds great.

 

[mxl16]

Some more progress…I ripped apart the truck this weekend to run some more wire. This gave me the opportunity to fix things I didn’t like. I more or less re-routed some wiring, changed some grounds, nothing real exciting.

I also put down some luxury liner pro. This stuff is pretty heavy. I ordered 3 sheets and only used about 2 and a quarter (did the entire floor of the cab). It makes a significant difference in road/tire noise, not night and day, but worth the $140.

I was able to test fit the sun visor monitor. I got a cheapo pyle one which I will probably have upholstered to somewhat match the rest of the interior. I only need it to navigate through play lists on the sarotech so I wasn’t too concerned with quality.

I noticed that the adhesive that I used to fasten the plexi to the backing structure on my HU face plate started to pull away. I am guessing with the drastic temperature difference we have had this past week caused this. I think I am going to get some nice SS flat heads and use them instead of the glue. So if you are attempting this, either make sure you read the data sheet on the particular adhesive you are using or use some hardware.

I also started on the temp/tune mount for the mids and tweets. Mids are Scan 12m and tweets are scan illum. My idea is to temporarily mount them in a number of locations, testing and tuning for a few days or so at each location, until I have listened to all possibilities. Since they are going in the A pillar and/or sail panels this seemed to be the logical solution…

The mid baffle will be mounted to the A pillar with some flexible steel or alum stripping. The tweet baffle will be able to rotate around the mid and will secure to the mid baffle with a couple of screws. This with the flexible stripping will allow me to semi-securely mount the baffles in any orientation, at least secure enough to drive around and not worry.

I had to free-hand the cuts with a jigsaw so they look at bit rough.

I am still having some issuies tracking down the correct the optical cable for the DRZ. Some people say the DCA-006, others say the DCA-005. I have a DCA-006 and DCA-005 on order from pacparts so hopefully one will fit.

 

[mxl16]

Last weekend I managed to mock up the mids and tweets. Both sides on axis but I am still playing with it. I am in the process of finding a shop to mold me A-pillars as I am not too comfortable doing them myself.

Turns out my Mc has an worn fan and it's rubbing the mesh grill. Makes an awful sound when it rubs, kind sounds like some wires are crossed and it's throwing sparks (no, it's not really that. I checked, believe me!)

Found the correct optical cable finally; DCA-006.

 

[less]

Very nice bud! Very nice indeed! I like the visor monitor and I bet it works really nicely for scanning the media player lists. Actually though, it looks like you have room for a monitor in the dash - going with two single dins instead of just centering the DRZ. Is that an optical illusion? I spose its probably safer to not have a nice monitor sticking from the dash though and that the visor mount is more stealth...

I've found that I really like watching TV/Movies during lunch hours and other off times though. In fact, the ability to play video has added a nice extra element to my sound system. Concert videos are pretty enjoyable to listen too and watch as well... if you like Pink Floyd and jam music, for example, check out David Gilmour Live in Gdansk's Barn Jams! Those tracks just can't be beat for rolling and relaxing... and its fun seeing Gilmour and Manzanera kicking back jamming together too.

Please post some updated shots on the speaker installation though! I love the little touches - so that Viablue toslink end almost gives me wood! Classy touch.

Overall, great work and (since you now use 90% the same eq as me) excellent selection of equipment! We'll be wanting the bit one report soon too!

Jim

 

[less]

I am still having some issuies tracking down the correct the optical cable for the DRZ. Some people say the DCA-006, others say the DCA-005. I have a DCA-006 and DCA-005 on order from pacparts so hopefully one will fit.

Bah - I had this exact same issue... so I did the research, got the part and then MADE A POST clearly telling folks which cable worked! Sadly though, others also made posts with the wrong information confusing the sending and recieving ends and more...

Glad you got if sorted though. Next time - just trust me =)

Jim/Less

 

[mxl16]

I’ve failed to keep the thread updated because I’ve been busy these past few weeks. So here it is…

I traded in my RE SE 10 for an Aura NS10-794

Made baffles for the Peerless SLS 8s. This was my first time using a router to be gentle…

They are stepped because the door cover tapers and it is really tight on space .

Some sheet metal trimming will be required...

 

[mxl16]

8”s do fit in this door! Not without slight modification of course…

I had to modify the baffles I made last week and cut off the little tab, not sure why I had it there to begin with but the door cover wouldn’t fit with it.

This took several test fits as there is not a whole lot of space in the door cover for a driver that big to fit. So once I figured the best location for the baffles where the surround wouldn’t hit the door cover and cleared the window I put a couple screws in. Marked the outline with a marker and got my trusty jig saw. Turns out the jig saw blades specifically designed to cut metal, suck at cutting metal. The blades designed for wood cut metal WAY nicer. Just FYI. I trimmed the hole as shown in the picture.

I ended up cutting off the top ½” MDF ring on the baffles. So total baffle height was 2.25” and with a driver that has a 4” mounting depth, there was STILL room before the window would hit the magnet.

You can’t really tell from the pics but I sealed the baffles to the door with some silicone and after it dried I deadened the inside of the baffles which also helps to seal it. They are SOLID.

I made filler panels out of ¼” MDF, painted them, used some self tapping screws, and laid deadener over them to “seal” the door. I actually did this last year and it helped tremendously with mid bass response.

It fits!!!

my next project is taking this crappy sunvisor LCD…..

and…..

…..

more to come.

 

[mxl16]

I should also mention that I installed a bit one (-s) last weekend. Everything that went wrong with it, turned out to be my fault. I had a few issues initially but was able to work them out. My only open issue with the B1-s is it has a semi high noise floor on all inputs. I was just at my dealer and we were speaking with Larry something or other from elletromedia and came to the conclusion that the B1 had to go through the initial setup again to recalibrate input gains. We were running out of time so the issue is still open.

The DRC has a very cheap feel. You can tell the turn wheel knob thingy is really cheap flimsy plastic. Compared to the DRZ with its machined aluminum volume knob the B1 DRC feels like a toy. The B1 unit itself is very solid, I was very surprised how much mass it had. It did not feel cheap or flimsy in any way.

Now for the good news. Aside from the issue/s stated above, it sounds phenomenal. I would even go as far as saying it surpasses the DRZ (comparing optical sarotech device). As far as tuning, I sat in my truck for 2 hours messing with all of the tuning capabilities and I haven't even scratched the surface. The ability to mute separate channels while you tune is AMAZING. I haven't even touched the EQ yet. It is a really cool piece of equipment to say the least. In general, the highs are more realistic and clear. The lows are more firm and accurate. Has a very "warm" sound. I've been listening to it for a few days and am very pleased with it's performance (aside form the noise floor).

Things that are still on the list:

-Mount the LCD in the Dash with a nice cover plate
-Make a slide in mount for the sarotech
-Cut/solder RCAs on B1, clean up the install a little
-Make baffles for the Mids/Tweets
-Glass pillars
-Finish work
-Probably want to make a nice enclosure for the Aura
-Get everything upholstered
-Possibly looking into a more stout midbass amp, would be nice if I could run the mid basses off of a set of channels at 8ohms and run the sub off of a bridged set of channels at 4 ohms on the same amp. That would simplify my install

I will write a more detailed review of "how it sounds" in the coming days.