RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 SMD is a forum I have been on for several years, but have not been active until very recently. Out of all the forums I am on, this is the one on which I have learned the most. I have done many write-ups in the past, but compared to SMD, my builds had never been up to par. Big systems are not the norm by me. I have usually been the loudest, and I have always been quiet. Regardless I have always wanted to do a monster build (this is not the monster build) I have built race cars, I do metal fab and offroad builds, but car audio has always been my main passion. I have had this 4runner for over 4 years, and it has always just been my mule. But when I had to move away for graduate school, I sold off the race car, and put off finishing my offroad rig (BUILT 83 Toyota) to make the 4Runner into a reliable daily for the next 4 years. Since I would be moving 100 miles away from my shop, and living in an apartment, I did a lot of maintenance to get it where I wanted, but I put off some minor cosmetics to get a good start on the stereo. Keep in mind I now only get to work on it once a month, so the completion will be slow, but a LOT of work was done over the summer. Also, feel free to give advice, but know that I am pretty much in a position to be able to change very little. Also, this build grew to much more than I originally planned, so some things may not seem to make sense, mostly in my batt and wire situation. Now on to the build: Main components (as of now) Pioneer AVIC x920bt Polk mm6501 Polk mm5251 2 x Boston G5 10" 2 x Boston GTR radiators RF r1200.1d RF r400.4d 2 x Fi Q 18 (cooling, P chamfer, QTS, I heat ring, external leads)' 2 x Hifonics Brutus BRX2400.1d 16 Kicker FHS fuse holders (ouch $$$) 60' of Kicker blue 1/0 OFC 30' of Kicker grey 1/0 OFC 25' of AudioTechnix black 1/0 CCA Mechman 150a (for sale now) XS Power d5100r 2 x XS Power d680 3 x XS Power d3100 200 square feet of dynamat xtreme 150' of dynaliner (1/2" on floor, 1/8" on rear doors, 1/4" everywhere else) 6 3" fans 2 NVX remote turn on triggers I'll start with some gear pics, and the build pics will follow in subsequent posts. I have a lot of pics, but I will try to stay conservative in how many I post. Second Hifonics amp was added later, and came with the seal broken, but not removed. Amazon took care of me tho. Makes the tens look tiny. I started with intentions of 2 10s and 1 18. I'll explain why that changed later Impressive boxes for shipping And bass baby approved Old Kicker fuse from the 1/0 wiring kit I had from almost 7 years ago vs the new Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Onto the actual build: Got it in the garage and stripped down. Wiring for the head unit. Volt meter is custom mounted behind the factory tinted clock screen. Clock was removed. Very happy with that result, but I have no good pics of it right now. Right in view, but not too bright. Driver side hump has the fuel tank filler, which makes my box not perfectly symmetrical (future note) Got the remainder of dynamat I had left here to start. Then I found out the other 5 boxes I had were black dynamat... Found this underneath the rear heat blower fan unit when I stripped it all down. Not from when I owned the vehicle, but very fitting for an audio build Didn't want my license plate to rattle More matting Inner and outer skin of every door done, and 4 layers on the rear hatch Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick580 Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Nice start sir! cant wait to see how this turns out as I also own a 4runner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Front battery. I made the hold down work with stock bracketry Alt fused on side All wiring in the engine bay is fire retardant heat shrink wrapped. 2 runs of power run across the firewall and down. You will see where it comes in later.I also later added a CCA interconnect ground between all the batteries, which is drilled thru the firewall. Big 3 of course. You can see the rubber grommet here. I used this as my entry. I did not even know this was in the car until tear down. The 4runners had a rear heat blower fan mounted under the passenger seat. Coolant ran to a heater core, and the fan blew out the bottom sides of the center console. The fans are very loud, and I had never actually used it, so I pulled it. The floor was sunken at that spot, and made a great spot for batteries, and had a water-tight seal for 2 runs of 1/0 gauge. Perfect! (yes i cleaned and matted it first) The dynatape covers the CCA interconnect ground. It is flush run between dynaliner and taped over. Can't tell at all. The mounting board idea is actually my dad's logic. He got me into stereos. He was big in it back in the day. I have some receipts from his "builds" dating back to 83, with gain boosters and the like haha. All pretty With the hood back on, and interconnect ground run Like I said above, I designed this whole build around this being my only vehicle for 4 years, so I kept space for my tools and such Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 True stripped pic Stock alt (60a) Mechman (150a) Switch for fans, bass knob for RF, bass knob for Hifonics These sit right inside my leg, so I can adjust without it being noticed, and so nobody else knows they can play with it. All the 1/0 is soldered this way First cuts Jasper jig is awesome Lots o circles Ready to assemble My pre drill setup Flush board makes it look so much better Fits the design Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Wrap time And just for fun I checked the impedance when wiring them up to the amp...and...I had a bad coil in each sub My nephew didn't take the news well I had these subs since they cam out. Added the GTRs later. Loved them. But I had previously had them on a questionable amp, and no DD-1. I am guessing I burnt it up over the years at some point, and likely didn't notice in between cars. When one blew, being on one amp, the other one probably shortly followed suit. While this sucked at the time (I moved that day), it is a good thing in the long run. Mixing 10s and 18s side by side isn't the best, but I was gonna do it because I had a boner for the Bostons (and still do). Yes Boston has some recones left over on the shelf, but I saw this as the sign to move on. Took me a few months to decide that tho. Here was my amp rack for that setup, which never did get finished, nor will it So i ordered another Q 18, amp, 2 more batteries, and some wiring and fuses Drew this up, cause I wanted to do 2 ply But I hated the style and squared off fender well spots. Total waste of potential internal volume. So I decided to glass the wells instead. Also, my older version of sketchup wouldn't allow me to export images. Now I can So I went to cardboard (that 4runner mat is now friends with Oscar the Grouch) My friend Mitch was almost as excited as me for the new build phase. That was a test cut to check internal diameter before wasting board. I wouldn't let the walls be that thin Since I am making the box 52" wide, I can only get 2 cuts out of a full sheet, so I did tests with scrap to make sure. Also ripped some quick rear brackets I did the router work on an old school WorkMate Test dropped one in, because I only had one at this point It was at this point we realized we were going to have to build the box in the car Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Out with the old In with the new (can you tell I planned this carefully) That was all months ago, but I will be going home and working on it Saturday. So I started drawing up my plans, so that I could get a solid vision of how it was gonna go. All the plates are going to be plasma cut by me, and I will be using either 3/4" or 1" solid rod, welded to the plates, and carriage bolted through the box. I am making it single ply but strong (2 ply mounting baffle with one ply beauty board) And just a picture of my shaved hatch. No more wiper or badges. I also have a camera in the key hole. I need to paint the back to match the black line body point set by the bumper, which will also hide that rust And before you can comment on my hifonics amps I do not expect them to be putting out max power at all times, but they will be properly tuned, so I at least hope they put out around RMS of the sub at a perfectly clean signal That's all the pics I have for now! Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Thanks guys. Hope I don't disappoint. I followed the whole Stormtrooper build, and I'm honored that you even have interest in mine. My original idea was the 2 10/PR setup on stands over the wheel wells with 1 18 in the middle, removable. But then when I found the bad coils, and could only send them half power, I decided it was time to let them go (for this car). I loved the radiators. They still slam. They make small boxes sound so huge, but bass response is so tight still. I really want to do something in the center console. Maybe with radiators, but I need to hear a center console setup first. I am likely gonna put ideas on hold until after SBN 2014 I am trying to maximize audio gear in the vehicle but still maintain function. I still drive a bunch of drunk people around, so my speakers stay behind door covers. And I still do mobile work for people, so the 18 box has room for two toolboxes behind it. Trying to keep daily driver groundpounder being a real term haha Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossGo Posted November 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 And if anyone likes offroad Toyota's too This is my ground up build I put on hold to do this stereo build. Really just have to get it sand blasted and painted then it's reassembly. Wiring in this is so much easier. I converted it to propane so it only needs 3 wires to run haha Yes I have a lot of stereo weight. I build for Smiles Per Gallon not Miles Per Gallon LOLZ My build - 1996 4Runner with 2 18s - 149+ in a sealed box (with radiators) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COLTON94 Posted November 14, 2013 Report Share Posted November 14, 2013 Stereo looks good and the propane rig is bad ass. Iv been wantin to learn more about propsne conversions lately just think it would be good and practical in my hot rod build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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