Jag Xj install

[samuelellis]

So this is my toy, a 2000 Jaguar XJ v8, this is the 3.2 version of the v8 so has around 240BHP if memory serves right

Typical Jag - rich leather, propper wood and deep pile carpets

Only just fits in the garage

Yes this is a real place, always makes me giggle when i drive through it

So the plan with this car is a good SQ system, a few things will get in the way

-The Headunit is not a full 2din size and single DIN units look daft

-The boot is sealed from the cabin with a massive fuel tank

-My Mrs has said that it has to be tasteful and practical, no walls

So this is the plan

Leave the stock headunit inplace, the stock unit looks right in the dash and has tape/cd and radio

Mount a tablet where the centre vents are for MP3/FLAC playback though either a USB DAC or bluetooth

I did think about replacing the headunit with a tablet but it wont fit

Mount a small 10inch sub in the front footwell, the one i have chosen is a Ground Zero woofer

This will be run off an amplifier i already own, it will be run from an Audiosystem Twister F2>500 Class A/B amp, I own 2 of them - they were both installed in my old daily drive but the new install wont need them both

The front components and amp are still to be fully decided but i have an idea on what they will be

In order to make the tablet/stock headunit work i will be feeding all of it though a external procesor so it should look a bit like this

Unfortunatly this is going to be a slow build as this is just a weekend car and im doing a massive build in my daily as well because i have just had to scrap my old daily boomer. Plus some of the cash i had put aside has had to be diverted to repairing bodywork

Yep a shelf fell off the wall damaging the wing and bonnet, its not too bad but it does need doing

[Berto]

Why did you decide on doing the sub in the kick panel area?

[samuelellis]

The boot is pretty much perfectly sealed from the cabin due to the tank and it is that tall you cant hang anything off the rear shelf so it kind of rules out putting subs in the boot (Shame as i have a pair of DD 3510's doing nothing that would have been lovely)

This only left me a few options -

build an enclosure for shallow mount woofers on the rear shelf - would look odd

Under seat woofers - Not brilliant choice on the market

no subs - would work if i used massively powerfull mid-bass drivers but that would mean multiple drivers in the doorcards to get the level i want

Front mounted passenger footwell sub - this seems to be the best option

You cant really see it but the footwell goes back quite a big behind the dash so i have more than enough space to fit the sub box under the dash in that area, front mounting a sub like this is done more than you would think by SQ competitors over here in England so i know it does work if setup right

[Tecomah]

Tuned in. Sounds like interesting woofer placement

[samuelellis]

It does work really really well - as the box will be undersized slightly it will be very tight and responsive but the driver has enough excursion to do some lows as well

[samuelellis]

A pair of Ground Zero uranium components for the Jag

Very nice set of SQ speakers, just a shame that the mids will be hidden behind the OEM trim as they look a lot like dynaudio mids

So on with the front sub box, first step make up some cardboard templates

Now make wood panels from the templates, trim and adjust as needed - tack them together with hot glue to hold the shape

Check the woofer will fit in the box

Now the first coat of fibreglass, The reason for this is to fill gaps where the wood does not meet fully.

This looks a bit odd i will admit but i do have method behind the madness, when people usually make stealth boxes etc they tend to just fibreglass to the area and put a MDF front on it to hold the woofer, by doing it the way i have i will have more strength than just a straight fibreglass box.

That is all i got done today as it will need a few more layers of fibreglass, then put a front panel on it then trim panel