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E36 BMW 328ic BIG BASS, SMALL BUDGET!


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Ok, I'm finally done with my system for my 1996 BMW 328ic.

Here are a few pictures!

I walked into a local pawn shop just to say I tried them out. Glad I did. There they were, along side some newer RF T1 15's. Old school Kicker Solo-barics!?! I wanted these way back when "Sound Advice was still around". The box was cracked on one end, one sub has a small tear in the surround. Ohm reading was 4.3! "OMG the v.c.'s aren't beaten up!". After a little haggling, I was able to buy them for $70.00 OTD. I wa able to fix the surround with lack silicone.

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Off to Home Depot I went.

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The E36 series convertible has a relatively small trunk space, so the decision was made to gut the trunk. What the hell. I have AAA. lol. I found out this vacuum device sat under the spare tire so I had to work around it!

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I started making a template using Priority mail boxes.

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The box slowly started to form. I used hardwood. Same stuff furniture is made out of, it's pretty light, and rigid.

1 1/2" nailer, followed by 1 5/8 dry wall screws. Yes, I also had to work around the bolt that holds the spare tire.

It actually came in handy since it holds the box inplace later on.

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Sorry. Had to fast forward a bit. The box is completed. Originally I wanted a stainless steel grill to protect the subs.

So the subs were recessed. But after finding out the sheet was too small, I went with a more stealth look.

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Here is what the original plan was.

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Next, the side panels for a flush look. More Priority mail boxes.

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I used the same hardwood for the side panels since I was going to put stuff on them if I ever had to use the trunk.

So back to Home Depot for more wood. Time to make speaker grills. I LOVE FINDING BARGAINS!

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Here's the first grill.

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Here's the first grill. Painted it black, than stretched grill cloth on it. The subs would be protected and covered by a piece of

carpeted wood board if I ever needed to use the trunk.

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Here's the box, with side panels and amp rack. Took all day to build.

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Fast forward past the initial carpeting. I had to return the following day to do the last part of the build, the amp flush mount cover.

Though different brands, I still wanted to show off the amps. I LOVE PRIORITY MAIL BOXES!

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Here is the finished product.

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Here are the amps I used. Since the Kicker's were 8 Ohm, I needed a 4 Ohm load amp.

I was worried about finding a cheap amp with real watts to drive these subs. Luckily I ran over to another pawn shop

and found this gem. Old School Crossfire VR602 Class A/B amp for $130.00 OTD with a 6 month no-fault warranty!

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Than I found this small wonder. Old School PPI APA Sedona 200ix for $25.00 with a 6 month no fault warranty!

This tiny thing is pushing my Eclipse 8264's perfectly!

What I like about this amp is that it comes with a S.I.P crossover chip installed from the factory. Set at 90 Hz. The

chip is also tied into the amp's RCA outputs. So when you use this amp for highs, the output RCA signal is

converted to low pass! So the system is split at the 90 Hz cutoff respectively.That's ingenious!

No need for an external crossover or multi-adjustable frequency knobs to "guess the frequency!"

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This sound system is actually sounds great. I had 2 Rockford Fosgate HX2 10's in a 2 CF box and they could not

reach the volume of these Kickers. The only down side is these Kickers do not play as low as the HX2 10's can.

So I have to watch what music I play when cranking up the volume. All in all I am very pleased with the bass!!

This project cost me:

$96.00 for the wood,supplies,and carpet.

$70.00 for the subs.

$155.00 for both amps.

------------------------

$321.00

All I have to do now is remove the gray panels and spray them black.

Please let me know what you think?!

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Ahh.. The E36.. One of my favorites :D

On 5/8/2011 at 7:38 PM, Kranny said:
On 5/8/2011 at 7:35 PM, 'Maxim' said:

It hurts me inside when I read stuff like this and remember you're 15

LMFAO so true

:blush:

Mitsubishi 3000GT (Old Build)

Headunit: Pioneer 80PRS

Frontstage: (2) McLaren Audio MLT-2 Tweeters & (4) PRV Audio MR Series Neo 6.5" Mids

Substage: 4 15" Hybrid Subs - Tantric Motors & Sundown Softies

Amps: Banda 2.4D Amp (Tweets), American Bass VFL 350.4 (Mids), and (2) Ampere 3800s

Electrical :Singer 260A Alt & JY Power Lithium

 

2005 Chevy Colorado Ext Cab

Headunit: Pioneer 80PRS

Frontstage: 4 PRV 700Ti Tweets & 6 10" Delta Mids on 3000wrms

Substage: 6 Fi BTL 18s in a 4th Order Walkthrough on 3 Wolfram 4500s

Electrical: Singer "390" and JY Power

My Official Feedback Thread

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More pics of my vehicle....

She's the best car I've ever owned! I have since put on the BMW 55mm emblems on the TSW Indy 18's.

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Making the door pods.

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I'll be honest, they do stick out abit much. LOL. I can always redo them later. They were a pain in the ass to do in the first place! I do like the midbass though!

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Thinking about painting the amps black as well.

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I guess I have to have newer equipment to get a thumbs up. lol.

I love old school stuff. I'm thinking about buying these.

They had some great reviews. I don't really like their newer stuff. Currently running their VR602 for the subs.

Crossfire CFA354

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Crossfire CFA602

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Crossfire CFX3Q

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-Frank

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