Kickin' Cruiser v.2 - Project is dead, thanks to thieves....

[Purplehaze]

Anyway, I know this is a lot of boring pics, but it is all part of the build, and I don't wanna get too far behind with the pics, so they will be shown. Plus, I think it's good to show people just how much time and work this build really is. I definitely underestimated the amount of work there was, and how long it was gonna take. It takes much longer with no garage too, and I didn't account for that. But hopefully I will be moving into a house with a garage in the next few months, so then I can really get going!

But enough of that, lets get on with the pics!

First up was the amp racks. The plan is to mount both the ZX350.2 and the ZX350.4 under the front seats, but I did that last time, and found out the floor is not very level. So, this time, they will be mounted to boards that will be bolted to the floor, so they will set up, and level. Here are the making of those.



Adding a small edge so they will set level, they they get sprayed with bed liner.





Once they were dried, I had to drill some holes in the floorboard for mounting. They got t nuts in the top side, and are then bolted thru the bottom with grade 8 bolts, nuts, and lock washers.





Then, I took advantage of a pretty day, and pulled the steering column so I could paint it. This is just a temporary fix, it will eventually get a cool aftermarket steering wheel. But for now, this will work, so we can try to get this baby back on the road!



Here is what I used to paint it. It's a flat black, so it will stand out a little against the satin black everywhere else.



And here it is painted. Not bad, it will work for now.







And I had to take this shot while she was gutted



Then, I made a little trip to the junkyard, to get a few much needed parts.
First up, the center console. This one (on the right) is out of a 2006 model. I need it for the armrest in the center, since the doors no longer has them. Beside it is the original one that I painted last fall. Paint did not stick.



It will get painted with bed liner, to match the doors.

I also picked up another dash piece. The old one fell victim to the bass



And I got some door seals in black as well. Now almost all of the brown/ tan is gone 4 good!!!

Oh, and since I mentioned the doors, how about an update on them too? Well, I tried to get them wrapped up, but couldn't find someone to do it, and I got tired of waiting. So I figured I would attempt to spray them in bed liner, and if it looked like crap, then I'd just find someone to wrap them. Well, I didn't get any pics of the spraying process, but here they are. I think they look okay, good enough for the time being. My girl Jess says she thinks I should leave them like this permanently, but I still want to have them wrapped eventually. So here they are.









A little close-up, to show the texture



More pics coming, I can only fit 20 per post

[Purplehaze]

Okay, so then it was back inside the car, to get everything setup and ready. After getting the amp racks mounted, I did the same thing for the dist. boxes.

Here is the fuse box, ready to go in for good!



Mounted



And the LED box... Mounted



Then, to have a place to run the wires safely, I decided to use the ducts from the rear heat/ air. These will no longer be needed, as there is no longer a back seat. So, time to cut them up!









And now that is done and ready! So let's start the wiring fun!

First, the fuse/ distribution box. Got the power and ground in (1/0) and the fuse block and breakers wired.



Grounds



Used the dremmel to get it cleaned and ready







So then I needed some 4 gauge ring terminals, for the breakers and amps. So, instead of waiting, I went down to my local shop and bought these.



Only to find this. I didn't know copper or gold would rust....





Brand new rusty terminals FTMFW!

So anyway, I just sanded them down and used them, until I get some good ones. Then it will all get re-done.

Everything getting hooked up.



Here I am a little farther along









But wait, there's more...

[Purplehaze]

So then I started hooking up the LED box.



Red



Green



Blue



Then, I jumped back to the doors. Time to solder some wires! 12 pin molex plugs are first:
Drivers side







Passenger side



wires marked before heat-shrink is added



Pins soldered, first row inserted



And to make sure they are all done right, a little home-made diagram



Passenger side done!



Then, I started running wires thru the doors. First, I ran the harness for the 8" subs. Here is how I did that.



First, I cut the 2 wires needed to length, leaving a little extra just in case.
Then, I remove the casing where it will enter the door, and install heat-shrink. So now, only the wires themselves will go through the factory grommet.



Then I hooked them up to the 350.2, and now that part is all done. Now for the fun part: the 4 channel.

The ZX350.4 will be used with crossovers, to run 4 component sets total. Each set will be ran parallel @ 2ohms.
So, first up, I needed to make new crossover racks, one for each side. I will put 4 crossovers on each side, and wire them accordingly.

So here they are.





Then I noticed something on one of the crossovers. I hope it's still good!



This is the only one like this



And so that's where I am at the moment. VERY CLOSE! All that's left to do is wire up the crossovers, run the rest of the wires thru the doors, and install the tweeters and kick panels. Then we will finally get to hear what it all sounds like! I can't wait! So, barring any major setbacks, the next update will be a good one!

[Purplehaze]

How about some new updates!!!

So I've had this build on hold for about 8 or 9 months now, and I'm finally ready to pick back up on it. After plenty of time to think about it, I realized that I should have built the wall first. It would be pretty hard to finish the interior w/o it already being in place. So, lets build the wall!

First up is the floor, or base. This is very important, every good wall begins with a good foundation!



Everything will be double layered, 3/4" birch.



Template







Laying it all out



Now to build up the bottom to fit the floor









Test fit w/ bolts thru to the old seat bolt holes



Second layer



And some blocks to finish it off





More on the way...

[Purplehaze]

So here is the final test fit, and I was pleased!



Nice and flat and even



Then it was late so I decided to shoot some foam in the voids



Door panels hanging around... still need wrapped.



So next is to cut all the wood. I only got three sheets to get started, will surely need 3 or 4 more.



But first, I need to get the design details in order. I ended up designing it completely myself, since RAM screwed me, and no one else wanted anything to do with it.
Effit, I got this. Check it out!





Measure twice, cut once!





More coming!

[Purplehaze]

The ported section's shell





Still have plenty of leg room!







First of 4 inner baffles cut. (one will be for flush mounting the subs)



From the back, plenty of room for the sealed section, which will come up at an angle at the top.



Then I got the inner layer top and bottom, and started bonding the two top pieces into one.



Pre-drilled and countersunk all holes







And that's where I called it a night. I have to get at least 3 or 4 more sheets of wood, and around 40 ft of 1/4" angle and flat bar, and we can get this beast done!
I can't wait to get to finally hear this! Stay tuned, more is ahead!

And thanks for looking!

[ShortWide1994]

This build is full of win. Those doors look AWESOME!!!

[rockFord_Expedition]

Tuned in, looks good brotha!

I am particularly interested in the door panels, and I like how you did your bus bars. Im too big of a wuss to leave any bare metal anywhere, even if I have plenty of clearance, but I for sure admire your ingenuity.

[Noel989]

Glad to see it back up

[banginhummer]

Love how you did the doors. Did you spray them with plastidip?