Kickin' Cruiser - Stage 1, 2, & 3 - UBL

[Purplehaze]

Stage 3



Okay, so first order of business will be the door panels. This is what they look like to start with.





This will be going into each door!



8" slim mount subs



2 - 6.5" component speakers



And a set of 5.25" to finish them off. So each door will look something like this:



So first thing we need are some MDF rings! This makes it way easier!







And now we got some rings!

[Purplehaze]

Okay, so next it's time to get some wood. So let's see what the local hardware store has.



There we go! Need some of this.





And about 5 sheets of this





So then I had to cut down the sheet of 1/4" into 4 - 2ft x 4ft pieces



So the next step is to separate the inside of the door panel from the outside. This was no fun at all!!! Took me several hours with a heat gun.





Plastic welds SUCK!!!





One down, one to go



No turning back now!

[Purplehaze]

So then I use the inner piece as a template to cut out the new piece



Also, had to clean up the inside of the outer panel.





And this is what I was shooting for!



Something like this, except with 5.25's instead of tweets up top.





And that is where I quit for the day! Tomorrow, I'll figure out how to mount the new panel to the door, and how to keep the armrest while doing so!
Thanks for checkin' out my work! Stay tuned for much, much more to come!

[Purplehaze]

Okay, so how about some updates?

The last few days I've spent figuring out the best way to be able to mount the panels, and remove them if needed. This needs to be addressed first, before I start to actually build the panel.

So here is what I came up with.

This shows how much room I have to work with.







First I took that stupid plastic off. Sound deadner will replace it.



Then to remove the arm rest



Easy enough.



Now gotta cut it out, for a template



Then the next step was to cut some mounting blocks





Okay, so I made three mounting spots that perfectly match the factory.





Test fit time



Yes okay. Now w/ the outer panel



Sweet! Now the armrest?



Bingo!! Time to finish the other mounting points!



And that's when I called it a night. Get to do it all again tomorrow to the other side, which should go a lot smoother this time.

Thanks for checkin it out!

Please leave comments HERE.

[Purplehaze]

Okay, so I haven't got to work on my doors any at all the past few days, been really busy trying to get my SOTM Tie Breaker video made and posted.

In case your wondering what the hell I'm talking about, me and "bassman" tied in Jan. SOTM, so we're having a "Sudden Death Vote Off" to determine the winner.

You can place your vote right here as long as it's done before Feb. 7th @ 11:59 pm.

And since I put so much time into learning to edit it, I'll go ahead and post the vid here. It shows exactly what the car has at this moment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWbVZx9XKQE

Now that I have that finished, I am gonna start back on the doors today. I'll post up some pics of the progress as soon as it's made!

Please leave comments HERE.

[Purplehaze]

And oh yeah, how about some updates?
I haven't gotten anything done to the doors, actually I put them on hold for the moment. I need to address the battery situation. My plan is to move the rear Kinetik to the front, and connect the two with a small set of bus bars. I'll have to build a new battery trey to hold them both. While there, I have a new radiator fan to install. Also, I went ahead and pulled out my interior, and pulled the rest of the wire and 4ch amp from under my seat. I am gonna go ahead and lay down my damplifier to finish out the car. When those things are done, then it will be time to start back on the doors.

So here are a few pics to show where we are at.

First we pulled the rear panels to get to the rear battery.



Then it's time to pull the amp, wires, and crossover rack



Crossovers out!



Now out with the seats!



Then I put my son to work pulling the spare tire so we can un bolt the base





Amp and seat are out of there!



And now the base



And this is how she sits at the moment. All we need to do now is pull the headliner, and part of the dash, and that will be all the interior.



Okay, so for today, I will be working on the new battery trey and bus bars for these.



Oh and here are a few pics I forgot to post. It's me opening my SOTM prize, which I am getting ready to use!







Okay, so now you are all up to date. I will try to keep busy now that nice weather is here, so stay tuned for much more to come!
And sorry for the crappy update, I have just been trying to get life issues settled before fully concentrating on the build.
I will get some stuff done now!
Believe that!
More to come...

[Purplehaze]

In case anyone was wondering what all is in these boxes, here it is. I'll try to get a pic of everything laid out.



2 - Kicker KS 6.5" component sets
2 - Kicker KS 5.25" component sets
1 - Kicker KS 5.25" co-axle
1 - Kicker KS 4" co-axle
2 - Kicker 8" CVR Shallow Mount subs
1 - Kicker ZX 350.4 (for both component sets)
1 - Kicker ZX 350.2 (for the 8" subs)
1 - set of Q-Logic kicks
50 ft^2 of Damplifier Pro
4 - Skar 15's D4 ohm
1 - DC 5.0K
6 - DataSafe "Batt-cap wannabe's"

Also in the pic is a new power steering rack, new tie rod ends, new ps reservoir, hose from rack to reservoir, and a new pump.
As well as that bushing kit I've had for over a year now! And new bearings front and rear. Man I have a LOT TO DO!!!


Anyway, I got a little done yesterday, here are the pics. I hope to finish up the battery tray today, and hopefully the bus bars too!

But first up was the radiator fan. No more over-heating





She's tight



Got it!







Okay so now since that is done, time to start on the front battery bank.
So is there gonna be enough room? How about a test fit?







Fits like a glove! Sweet!

So today I hope to finish the battery tray and cut and drill the bus bars.
Once that is done, the plan is to jump on the deadner, then get started back on the doors.

So I better get to it! Check back for more updates soon!

[Purplehaze]

Thanks guys! Well it's official: I'm back!

So I got some more work done, who wants to see some pics?

Okay, so I need a new battery tray, for both the Kinetiks. Let's build one!
So we start with this:





First layer is cut.



Second layer. This one has to be recessed, to allow clearance for the motor mount. I also got the mounting holes drilled.



Third layer going on. This one is just a guide for the batts. Glued and screwed, as is the whole piece.








The one beside it is the last one I made for the single Kinetik

Okay, now to make it weather proof. First lets play with some glass.



Top side done.



And bottom

[Purplehaze]

So next it's time to sand it and knock down the edges.






Then how bout some body filler for good measure





Then more sanding fun







Test fit: It still fits!





Now some paint





Ready to install, for now. I gotta get a battery tray kit to replace the strap, but it will work for now.




And here she sits in her new home...



Back side of the fuse box



And here she is for the moment. I still gotta make bus bars, and replace the strap. Gonna try to incorporate a Stinger volt meter into the pic somehow as well.





So there it is, dual Kinetik front battery bank. Stay tuned, lots more to come!


Please leave comments here.

http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/132828-kickin-cruiser-stage-3-door-panels/page__pid__1923021__st__40

[Purplehaze]

Okay well someone will want to see this eventually, so here it is.

I picked up this yesterday, cause my old set-up was just too big, and too much in the way.



And got it installed.

So after I got that put in, I started on the volt meter batt hold down. It will replace the strap, and should look alot better.





Now as soon as this storm system goes away, I'll get this piece finished.
In the meantime, I think I'll start on the bus bars.

Please leave comments here:

http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/132828-kickin-cruiser-stage-3-getting-back-to-work/page__st__60