REVOofRustler Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Hey there! I guess it's time for me start a build log on my 2002 Dodge Dakota! I got the truck back in September for dirt cheap. Only problem was that the engine was blown! Me and my dad took on the project and swapped in a remanufactured motor (4.7 for those who are interested). Anyways, this isn't gonna be an insane build with a wall or a blow through. It's my daily driver, so I need to keep it practical.My system before this build is as follows:- Sony Head Unit (Unsure of model)- Polk Audio PA880- 12" Alpine Type R SWR1243D- Prefab Box- Fierce Car Audio 4 gauge amplifier wiring kit- The truck came stock with the amplified Infinity sound system- Carquest BatteryMy Current Plan is:- Crescendo Audio BC2000d (UPS Man should be delivering it tomorrow!)- Fi Q12 D2- Optima Yellow Top or an XS Power 3400- Rockford Fosgate 1/0 gauge power kit- Eventually I'd like to replace the Sony Head Unit with something a little better- I'll start thinkin about mids and highs once the Bass is taken care ofThe Polk amp sounds nice, but it has to be the most unefficient thing on this planet! I don't have access to a DD1, but I did use a DMM to set my gains. The thing heats up after 30 minutes at a reasonable volume to the point where I can't keep my hand on it for a few seconds. I've even set the gains a tad under what the amp is rated at. Right now it's probably giving around 450-475 watts rms to the type r, and it's wired at 2 ohms. I've read the amps tend to run hot, so I'm just glad it's being replaced tomorrow!Onto the pictures!About 1 or 2 months ago, I heard my first system that was actually loud (SnowDrifter's 2 Crossfire 12's while they were in his Jeep) and ever since I wasn't satisfied with my one Type R and the prefab box. I started looking into ported enclosures and how to tune them and all that. I want to stick with a single 12, and I want something loud that will still sound good, so I've decided on getting a Fi Q 12 with the cooling package, extra spider and the internal leads. Before I get that though, I need something to put it in and something to power it with. I was on vacation the past three weeks and I spent quite a bit of time playing around on Torres and Sketchup trying to find the right box for my truck that would work well with the Fi.This is what I came up with:Two nights ago I went over to a buddies house to start cutting out the sheets for the box. A skill saw and a roto zip later, most of the cuts were less than awesome and the hole in the baffle was too big... I'm gonna be using the Type R in the enclosure for now while I upgrade stuff to get ready for the Fi. The Fi has a bigger cutout that the Type R, so that's why it ended up huge.So, I figured that even though my first box isn't gonna be perfect, I might as well just start over and just take my time on it. I was also planning on buying myself a router this morning, and when I asked my dad if he wanted to split the cost with me, he told me that we already had one! Definitely a nice surprise!The surround on my driver door speaker was completely seperated from the basket, so it would rattle a ton if it ever played around or below 120hz. I had my high pass filter set to 140 to try to phase it out. I had some Kicker 5 1/4" speakers layin around from my old car, so I decided to get some practice on the router and I made some Speaker rings!Fits well!They aren't pretty, but the door panels do a pretty good job of hiding themYou can see the seperated surround on the speaker on the rightThey sound great and I can actually keep my High Pass down around 80 now! 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7 club cab - Sold 2004 Audi S4 Avant - Fi and Crescendo - Stock Bose System - http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147725-2002-dodge-dakota-end-of-the-road/?hl=%202002%20%20dakota 136.4 Sealed @ 29hz 137.0 Drivers window open @ 26hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REVOofRustler Posted July 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 So I went and picked up a new sheet of mdf today and went over to another friends house to make the cuts using his table saw. These cuts turned out MUCH better, and they were actually straight! Little Mock up of the box I definitely didn't want to free hand the speaker cutouts in my baffles, so I went to Home Depot to buy a circle jig and they didn't have one! I went home and found a thick sheet of plexiglass and I made my own! Mounting hole cut out It fits! Outside baffle cut out with a 1/2" roundover Sits in there pretty well! Ready to glue the baffles together Not enough glue Much better! Got it lined up This oughtta help... So that's where I've left off for the night! Lookin forward to a package from Crescendo Audio tomorrow! I'm always looking for tips and advice! 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7 club cab - Sold 2004 Audi S4 Avant - Fi and Crescendo - Stock Bose System - http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147725-2002-dodge-dakota-end-of-the-road/?hl=%202002%20%20dakota 136.4 Sealed @ 29hz 137.0 Drivers window open @ 26hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REVOofRustler Posted July 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 Part 2! The baffle turned out pretty nice! And then it was on to predrilling and countersinking all the screw holes! I had an interesting time getting the back port wall to stay lined up will I flipped it over to drill holes through the bottom... This is before gluing it all together: The UPS man decided to stop by too... Set the amp aside and got the box all glued up! I let it sit like this overnight Here's how it turned out this morning! 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7 club cab - Sold 2004 Audi S4 Avant - Fi and Crescendo - Stock Bose System - http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147725-2002-dodge-dakota-end-of-the-road/?hl=%202002%20%20dakota 136.4 Sealed @ 29hz 137.0 Drivers window open @ 26hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REVOofRustler Posted July 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2012 Sticking it in the truck Sub is loaded! I took it for a quick drive with the Polk still hooked up, just so I could see what difference the box made. It made a HUGE difference! The lows were no problem anymore. I was a bit worried that I would lose the tight, precise bass I got from the prefab because it was in a much larger space, but I'd say I definitely gained sound quality. The Crescendo is a bit bigger than the polk... The amp rack for the polk was waaaaay too small for the Crescendo. Also, the box was basically resting on top of the amp, which was no good. So I made a new one! Another issue that still remains is that the passenger seat will bump the amp a tad if it's pushed into it's furthest back position. Shouldn't be too much of a problem for now. All installed! I used a DMM to set the gains while the head unit volume was at 31 (out of 50). I never really go past 26-27 though. It didn't hit quite as hard as I expected, so after I got back from work I reset the gain while the head unit was at 28 and it made a HUGE difference! It definitely shakes my truck quite a bit better than that polk. Also, after about 25 minutes of having it up pretty loud (about 27 on the HU) the amp was still nice and cool! Anyways, I still need to paint the box. I'll probably get around to that sometime next week. Next on the list is some 1/0 gauge wiring and a new battery. If it would fit, I'd like to go with an XS Power 3400. The truck has a pretty huge battery tray though, so I don't think it'll be an issue. That's all for now! 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7 club cab - Sold 2004 Audi S4 Avant - Fi and Crescendo - Stock Bose System - http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147725-2002-dodge-dakota-end-of-the-road/?hl=%202002%20%20dakota 136.4 Sealed @ 29hz 137.0 Drivers window open @ 26hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh9119 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Lookin good, any videos? 2008 Chevrolet ColoradoPioneer DEH-X9500BHSSundown SAX1200dFi Q12 loaded Boston Acoustics GT-275 on: Pioneer TS-D1720cKinetic HC1200 XS power XP750 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiKaZz74 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Looking good bro. Turning out very nice so far. Check out my build for some ideas too. In my sig. Are you doing any deadening? My SPL to SQ Build Log Vehicle:1997 Dodge Dakota Ext Cab 4x4 2009 Dodge Journey SXT5.2L V8 Magnum 3.5L V6 Stock AltEquipment: Headunit- Alpine CDE-147BT Mids/Highs Amp- JL Audio G6600 Class AB 6 Channel Sub Amp- Hifonics BRZ1700.1D @ 2 Ohms Taramps DSP3000.1D Sub- Hertz Hi Energy 12" HX300D SounDrive SDA3 12 Tweeters- Rockford Fosgate Power Series Silk Domes Hertz Hi-Energy Mids- Dayton Audio Reference 4" Full Range Drivers Midbass- Silver Flute 6.5" Hertz Hi-Energy 6.5" Processor- MiniDSP 2x4 RCA- 6 channels of SounDrive HF series Wire- EB Flex 2/0 -Member of Team SounDrive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REVOofRustler Posted July 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 I can probably one little video up tonight. For now Im just gonna worry about getting my electrical up to par. Im hopefully gonna be getting a yellow top within the next few days, and then I'll probably order some 1/0 gauge for power, ground, and the big three. The truck seems to "insulate" the bass pretty well for now so deadening isnt too high on my list. I think my goal right now is to get ready for the Fi. The type r sounds nice on the crescendo, but it just doesnt have the excursion for the really low notes. 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7 club cab - Sold 2004 Audi S4 Avant - Fi and Crescendo - Stock Bose System - http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147725-2002-dodge-dakota-end-of-the-road/?hl=%202002%20%20dakota 136.4 Sealed @ 29hz 137.0 Drivers window open @ 26hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiKaZz74 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Alright. Quick tip. If u have the plastic trim at top in rear seat below window. Pop it off or it rattles to hell. Then im having a problem with the sheet metal behind that. It is rattling bad around 40-49 hz. Any tips or questions for me? My SPL to SQ Build Log Vehicle:1997 Dodge Dakota Ext Cab 4x4 2009 Dodge Journey SXT5.2L V8 Magnum 3.5L V6 Stock AltEquipment: Headunit- Alpine CDE-147BT Mids/Highs Amp- JL Audio G6600 Class AB 6 Channel Sub Amp- Hifonics BRZ1700.1D @ 2 Ohms Taramps DSP3000.1D Sub- Hertz Hi Energy 12" HX300D SounDrive SDA3 12 Tweeters- Rockford Fosgate Power Series Silk Domes Hertz Hi-Energy Mids- Dayton Audio Reference 4" Full Range Drivers Midbass- Silver Flute 6.5" Hertz Hi-Energy 6.5" Processor- MiniDSP 2x4 RCA- 6 channels of SounDrive HF series Wire- EB Flex 2/0 -Member of Team SounDrive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REVOofRustler Posted July 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Alright. Quick tip. If u have the plastic trim at top in rear seat below window. Pop it off or it rattles to hell. Then im having a problem with the sheet metal behind that. It is rattling bad around 40-49 hz. Any tips or questions for me? I actually haven't noticed any bad rattles in my truck yet. There are a few small ones, but they aren't too bad... yet. Haha Is there any way you could stuff a rag around the sheet metal? Anyways, here's a short video I took at a friends house today. I'll try to get some better videos up sometime, but I don't really feel like bothering my neighbors right now. The clipping indicator on the bass knob was just barely starting to flash during the video, so this is about as loud as it'll get until I get the Fi. 2002 Dodge Dakota 4.7 club cab - Sold 2004 Audi S4 Avant - Fi and Crescendo - Stock Bose System - http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/147725-2002-dodge-dakota-end-of-the-road/?hl=%202002%20%20dakota 136.4 Sealed @ 29hz 137.0 Drivers window open @ 26hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiKaZz74 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Looking good. And no its the layers that are stamped behind the trim right bekow the rear window. Only thing I could think of is rivet it if deadener dont work. Its in a crappy spot eitger way. And check for bed rail flex sometime fun as hell to watch My SPL to SQ Build Log Vehicle:1997 Dodge Dakota Ext Cab 4x4 2009 Dodge Journey SXT5.2L V8 Magnum 3.5L V6 Stock AltEquipment: Headunit- Alpine CDE-147BT Mids/Highs Amp- JL Audio G6600 Class AB 6 Channel Sub Amp- Hifonics BRZ1700.1D @ 2 Ohms Taramps DSP3000.1D Sub- Hertz Hi Energy 12" HX300D SounDrive SDA3 12 Tweeters- Rockford Fosgate Power Series Silk Domes Hertz Hi-Energy Mids- Dayton Audio Reference 4" Full Range Drivers Midbass- Silver Flute 6.5" Hertz Hi-Energy 6.5" Processor- MiniDSP 2x4 RCA- 6 channels of SounDrive HF series Wire- EB Flex 2/0 -Member of Team SounDrive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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