Loud & Low 8th Gen Civic UBL #2

[scooter99]

Ok, it's time to get busy! I started out by taking pics of the current battery, Stinger SPP1200. In that I also took voltage pics. Not bad. Good battery, never given me any problems. But, it's time for a change. Here we go.

Stinger SPP1200 resting voltage.

Stinger SPP1200 running voltage. Not sure if that's the proper term . I just turned the car on. That's what it was when I turned it on. Like I said, not bad.

Now I was just going to throw the new XS Power Batt in, but I ended up getting fancy. Figured if I'm going to do the work, do the work right!

Had an idea for this a while ago. But I never did anything about it. But this was the stock I bought for it. 1 inch x 3 inch by 12 inch and a 6 inch piece too. We're going to use the 6 inch piece for this one.

Also got some 1 inch by half inch stock from Kyle, thanks buddy! That will be used later on in the build. I can't wait to use it. Looks good!

Ok the battery I'm going to be using in front is an XS Power D4700. It has cut outs for the terminals. This can present a problem when it comes to multiple runs of cable and not a big space to put them in.

So to start, I'm going to use the 6" piece of aluminum. Got it taped up and ready to draw on. This makes layouts easier.

This is the basic layout. Now I have to get it from one big piece, to two 3" pieces.

Going to use the vise for the first time! WOOT!

This is what I decided to go with. May not exactly be the right way to do it, but I thought I'd give it a try since I have no band saw and I'm not feeling warm and fuzzy about using the table or chop saw. So here we go.

ALWAYS remember safety glasses of some sort. Especially in a situation working with metal. If you've never had a piece of metal shaving in your eye, I HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND IT!!! It hurts!!!! Let's do this!

Aaaaannnnnnddddd 5 minutes later.......................

10 minutes later.

Home stretch

Metal shavings anyone!! There's more on the ground too.

Not too bad for using a jigsaw.

[scooter99]

little jagged

pretty close to straight.

Let's just see how straight? Hard to see here but we're within a 1/16th of an inch. Pretty damn good!

Let's put this baby to use!

Needed to put a nice round on the corner. You'll see why in a moment.

Not too bad!

Before look. Forgot to take a before pic. This is an opposite corner.

Before it was cut. See on the battery it has a little round to that back corner. It doesn't allow the block to sit in there very well just cut straight like that.

After the round over. See how much tighter it sits in there.

Both corners in the upper center are done. One + and one -. Time to lay it out.

I'll spare you the boring details. Measured, laid it out, did it with pencil, and then marked with a sharpie just in case.

Ready to drill

Finally get to use this beauty. This is pretty much exactly why I bought this thing! Time to put it to use. Need to test it out before I dig into the blocks. I used the 1" x 1/2" stock to do a test.

THIS THING DRILLED LIKE BUTTER! OH MAN! Sooooooooooo happy!!

Ok so now the hole is drilled, I have to get them tapped. Let's see!

Almost there. The stainless steel screw at the bottom that needs to go in.

And we're good! No problems at all. It actually wasn't that easy. I went through a couple drill bits before I got the right one. But it's all good now!

[scooter99]

Then I drilled out the blocks.

This is the best way I could hold the block in place. Problem is these clamps suck ass! So I'll be getting new ones for this tomorrow.

But they did do the job at the end of the day! Making aluminum coils! WOOT!

Now they're all drilled out.

It's time to tap them all out for the screws.

And done! Well, done with the first block. Got them all tapped and cleaned out, and the screws and terminals on to get a look at what they're going to look like.

This is what it looks like temporarily on the terminal. I need to drill out the center for the screw and washers to sit down and give it a flush mount look.

Overall look. Second block needs to be done still.

Metal shavings anyone! WOW!

So that's as far as I got with it. Thought I'd get it done tonight, but I'm not feeling well. I have some work to do on the room tomorrow and then we'll see what tomorrow night brings. I have big plans for under the hood, wire management, but I'll hold off revealing that until later.

Thanks for checking in!

[scooter99]

Got a little more done today. Let's get started.

First things first, I went ahead and moved the grinder over to the end of the table like I was thinking. I like it much better. Gives me more room to work on the table. Not sure why I didn't think about that sooner.

Got some more stuff from Depot. Clamp, grinder bit, 3/4" drill bit, wire wheel for the grinder, a pair of 4' angle iron, and some braising rods. Those are for later on!

Angle iron.

The grinding bit I got for the bottom part of the terminals. I wanted them to sit down on the terminal of the battery instead of just on top of them. More stability I think. Not sure it was going to work, but for a couple bucks why not. However, if it doesn't work, I'm not sure what will happen as the end result.

It sits about 3/16 - 1/4" above the top. I don't like that. As much as this is going to have hanging off of it, I want it to be as stable as I can get it.

Lining it up on the drill press. Not really feeling this, but we're gonna give it a go. Using the new clamp too.

Ok here we go

Sooooo, this is the last pic of it. It did not work out so well. Really a couple of reasons why too. One, the clamp wasn't strong enough to hold it down. The block kept moving around and also, the grinding wheel wasn't perfectly circular so it wasn't spinning very well. Hard to explain. Anyway, didn't work out.

So I drilled out the top piece for the allen screw and washers.

Doesn't drill down a perfectly flat interior like a mill would, and it's quite possible I just don't have the right bit, or even the right knowledge of h ow to do it.

But it works! Positive side

Negative side

[scooter99]

Both are now bolted on. After having them both on there I was confirmed in my theory that it's not very stable. It is tight and on fine, but you can definitely tell on the edges that hang off where the cables are going to be, that it will put some sure stress on the screw. I don't want any issues later on down the line because of it. I'm gonna have to figure something out.

This was my solution. I'm sure it's not the best way to do it, but it's a possible solution.

This is what it looked like after the grinding wheel. Like I said, it didn't work out so well. The square is what needs to be removed. Here goes! Safety glasses again, VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU"RE DOING THIS!! Now this was the first time I've ever done anything like this, so there was some definite apprehension when getting ready to do it.

It also really makes a mess. And this crap is NOT EASY to clean up!

On the table too.

It's a little ragged but it worked out ok. Have to be sooo very careful when doing this if you do it with a router. Remember very very small bits at a time. I was doing about 1/16" per pass in depth and one initial full bit width, and then after that each pass was about a half bit width. Very very small. I tried originally with a larger bit, but it didn't last long. I found a smaller one worked out much better. I used one that was about 1/4 or 3/8, I can't remember.

And this was the look and height I was going for. See the difference between the left and right? Much better. Nice solid base.

Close up of the left

close up of the right.

Now it's time to do the other one. This one I decided to do a bit differently cause I felt like I took a bit much out of the first one.

Here you can see that. I even changed the direction after this.

Here you can see how much needs to be taken out.

[scooter99]

Couple more things for the build. I got these before I left for my mini birthday vacation to San Diego.

I ran out of speaker wire. My wife and I decided we should run some in the sunroom so that we could have some outdoor speakers for when we have parties. She doesn't know yet that I'm going to be building some towers etc in my shop yet. But that's ok, we can do these too. LOL

SKY HIGH FOR THE FUTHER MUCKING WIN!!!!!!!!!! Even in the home!!!

Sunroom should hopefully be done by next weekend btw! WOOT!

So because I used all of that up there, I had nothing left for the build. But I know that I have other stuff coming up as well. My truck, and then the shop when the car is done. So I decided what the hell, and ordered a spool of SHCA 14 ga speaker wire!

So moving on. When I got done with my parents house a couple weeks ago, I had to get my stuff re organized. I had shit everywhere in my shop and it's starting to irritate me. So I decided to get some organization outside of the shop to clear out some space inside.

Got my chop saw, paint sprayer, and pressure washer outside, and hung up the hoses on the side of the shop.

Next I needed a spot for some extension cords. Up front seemed the most logical spot since I always use them. So these were up, out of the way, and yet easily accessible.

Last thing is my ladders. Over the years I've collected a few. I have a 40' extension (heavy bitch), an 8', a pair of 6' and a 4'. Well they take up a lot of space and I didn't want them laying on the ground. So I used the back side of the shop. I call it my "Great Wall of Ladders".

So now with that stuff out of the shop, I can start thinking about the second workbench, as well as the electrical that needs to go in. With the Chop saw out, and the table saw out, I can have room for my new compressor when I get it. I'm also going to run pipes for air inside the shop as well as outside, so all i have to do is hook up a hose at any outlet and I have air tools! WOOT!

Next I was thinking about the finish of some of the compartments. Amp Rack, Battery Rack, Component Rack, etc. I came up with this:

Next up is this big package I got last week.

Kyle and Laura (Kylar96) came through for me big time. You da man my friend!! Got some plans for this sexiness but for now I'll keep it in it's pacakge and store it away. I'm not quite ready for it yet. Soon, very soon.

So that's about it. I have some other things going on for other folks, in my minimal spare time. RCA's, wire panels, etc. I have pics of those, but they're over in my facebook page. You're welcome to go check it out, it's linked in my signature. I'll be making my own RCA's for this build as well. I'll post those when that time comes.

So the plan is this. As soon as the sunroom is finished, I'll be able to start back on the build.

First order of business is to finish the amp rack. I have another little goodie in the mail on it's way to me now, that will allow me to do that. Once that's done I'll work on the other parts, most likely altering the sub enclosure. But the amp rack needs to get finished first.

Got to thinking and I'm overwhelming myself by doing multiple projects at once. I want to finish one part then move to the next. So, when I get back to working on this thing, it will be amp rack to finish.

Stay tuned! Much more to come soon!

If you want to comment on these pictures or want to see the behind the scenes talk, check out my build log which is linked in my signature. If you want all the info before it's posted here, check out and like my facebook page, also linked in my signature. Thanks!

[scooter99]

Ok let's see if I can get some pics posted. Now, I'm not trying to turn this into some of the threads around here that look like the home shopping network, but right now that's pretty much what I have.

This weekend I will be done with the sunroom interior, and then next week I'm going to start juggling the exterior finish work, and getting back to working on this.

So let's get onto the new stuff.

I made a change that I wasn't really wanting to make, but in the long run, it's going to be worth it. We'll start with that.

I think some of you remember I was going to install the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in my car. I made a mount for it once, but it didn't work out because it was tilted too much toward the roof and got bad glare and just wasn't very visible at all. Well after that, and having an idea of what I wanted to do and how much work it was going to take to do it and make it look good, then also seeing a couple others that I absolutely DID NOT like, I decided maybe cramming a 10" tablet in the dash wasn't the best idea. Instead, while keeping the tablet format and not buying a double din unit, I decided to sell off the 10.1 tab, and picked up a new Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. Also got some other goodies with it. Let's take a look.

Galaxy Note 8.0, HDMI dongle, and cheap case.

This is the HDMI dongle. This is so I can go HDMI to my converter. If you remember, or if you don't, the converter will take the HDMI signal and give me dual HDMI out for monitors if I want, but also gives me an analog RCA output, as well as and more importantly an optical digital signal out.

To get the HDMI signal to work, it has to be a powered signal. This is good two fold. It provides the power to the signal, but also charges the tablet at the same time! Win win!! So the standard mini usb port goes in this slot.

Cheap case. looks very similar to an ipad case, but it's not. It's just a cheapy. It was $6.00. The reason I got it was to possibly use it for the mount. But if I don't use it for that, it's quality enough for $6.00 that it will keep it safe otherwise.

Actually not bad feeling for a cheap case. Solid, so it will protect for sure.

Has these two little magnets to keep it closed.

felt suede type material inside.

Back is plastic. There you see the camera lens hole.

[scooter99]

Onto the good stuff. The tablet itself.

Out of the box it feels pretty good. Honestly feels like a large phone. Course the way things are going these will be the phone sizes in the near future. Except the iPhone, they'll still be in the 4" screen range, a step behind, lol. Let's not start the war in here.

Has the home button and the menu and back buttons just like my S3.

This is the only side with anything on it. Has the power button on the top, and the volume up and down buttons under that. Looks like it has some kind of IR lens on the side as well, but I'm not sure about that just yet. I have to read up on it more.

The top is where the headphone jack is. Was a little disappointed in that they didn't give me headphones with it. All the phones come with them, why not the tablets?

The other side, nothing to see here.

This is the bottom where the mini usb port resides. This will be good for docking purposes.

Back side, has an SD memory card slot. This will be good if I decide to download all my music or whatever on one. I have to decide if i want to tether from my phone, or if I want to get a separate WiFi hotspot to connect to. Or if I want to just put music on the card. Still thinking on that one.

S pen. Look it up, I still don't know, but "it's not a stylus".

Nice little hiding place though. Again, I still have to do more research on it. Will suck if I have to get to it when it's in the dash. But I'll figure something out.

Accessories. Again, no headphones, boo. Got a hand book, usb cable for charging etc, and a wall charger. Pretty basic

The tablet in the case. Nice, sleek, and again, cheap.

Powering it up the first time. Very vibrant coloring, and display. Time to go play!

[scooter99]

So basically this is where it's going. Flipped around so the home button is on the driver side though. I have some thoughts on how I want to mount it, but I have to see where that goes. You all know me, I usually get into it and things change. Also I want to still take that vent out on the left, and put my S3 there. My plan is to utilize the NFC chips for the phone and the tablet, and then I can slide them in and they'll do what I want them to do. This is going to be fun!

Also ordered this up to get my amp rack finished. Oh my! I thought I was ordering a quart, and it ended up being a gallon!! NICE!! 1 Gallon, off Amazon for $48.97! I'll take it! I should be pretty set on filler now for a bit. Happy! Never used Rage anything before but after talking with Kyle and using the other stuff for so long, i thought I'd give it a try. He said it was well worth it, and being an amateur like me, I was excited to hear that from him.

Check out his build log if you haven't seen it. Speak of the devil, see the link "It's rebuild time" in his signature the post above this one. Hi Kyle, I know shameless plug! All for you buddy!

Also had some big plans to customize my amps. Those things are sick already but I wanted to be separate from everyone else. So I got these to do some of that with. These are actually not the good ones. There were some issues with them, and the letter sizing and looks. But we talked and he figured out the issue, and he's already re cut them and they're on their way as we speak. Great guy. I'll refer him to anyone if he wants me too. Until then, I'll keep it anonymous. No it wasn't Carbon's Graphix, sorry don't know that name off the top of my head. Anyway, let's take a look!

There are two different sizes. These are the 3/4"

And these are 1" or 1 1/2" I can't remember.

Next, along with the changes to the tablet and dash, I also decided to make another step and add some stuff to the system.

My kids are in my car with me daily, either in the morning, or afternoon or both. Depends on the day and my wife's schedule. I've been driving around now for about 3 months without rear speakers as a test. Every time we're in the car, they ask me to turn it up cause they can't hear it. By the time it's loud enough to hear, it's almost too loud for me up front. I know I only drive a Civic, but still I can understand why it's not "loud enough" for them. It' not that it's not loud enough, it's that it's not clear enough.

The speakers stock locations are down on the bottom of the door and makes it very muffled when people are sitting there. Even when it's just me, it's a little muffled. I can tell when I move my legs around. That being said, I finally decided that I was going to go ahead and spend the money to add speakers to the back.

Well along with that, and my ocd of matching equipment, I decided that I'd go ahead and add a pair up front too. This way I can really separate my frequencies up front. Right now I have the set up planned of 2 PWX8's, and a single FT-1 tweet up there. By adding the PWX6s I can cross the 8's lower and use those more as mid bass, and then make the 6's more the middle range frequencies. I actually thought of this long ago, but never really had the reason to do it. Now by adding the rears, it gives me a reason.

So with those, I'll also be adding in a second Crescendo c1100.4 to power those.

Here they are. Dropped off by Mr. Jon Rabe himself! Pristine boxes too might I add!

I have to get some payments on my card made and then I'll be placing the order for the C1100.4. Besides paying off a little debt, they're not in stock at the moment. So By the time I'm paid up and ready, they should be back in stock.

So now the design of the trunk has changed a little bit, but not much. I'm doing some moving around of a few things, but nothing will be slowing me down at the moment. Unfortunately the enclosure will most likely take a back seat to the rest of the stuff in the trunk. Reason being is that with the amp rack the way it is in the spare well, I won't have the ability to mount the second amp in there if I have to wait to get it. So, I'll still work on the enclosure, and I have to make some alterations anyway, but in the meantime, I'll move onto the other parts of the trunk.

I think that's about it for now. Monday or Tuesday the build should start back up. Thanks for being patient with me guys! I know it's been a while. I'm chomping at the bit too!

More to come, stay tuned!

[scooter99]

Couple new things to show. Got my new replacement decals in the mail. Much better uniform in the 4. The old ones are on the bottom and the new ones on top.

Then here is the new toy!

But where am I gonna put it!?! This looks like a good spot!

Yeah I think that will work for sure! "Like a Glooooovvvvvvvveeee"!!