sq_mgb

Welcome to the forum!

Yes, it is your best install. But, it has been a PITA to keep you on track. Like I said earlier, it's taken all 3 of us (Ray, Jimmy and me) to keep you on track. I think that there were even some threats of butt kickin if you changed to one of your off the wall ideas. Hello , if you lived here, you would have a lot more help! I had to get that jab in. How many years have we been helping each other on installs or just stuff? Helpin out ain't nothing but a thang. I think there were multiple threats of butt kickin' during this install both from you guys and Kim if I didn't stay on track. She has pretty much kept me going on it when I felt like just saying to heck with it. It has been a long line of cars we've helped each other out on brother. First install we worked on was on the 86 Cavilier....and it's all yours and Ronnie's fault for getting me into this stuff! That Kicker 2x10 and the 1752 in Ronnie's car was the beginning of the end for me. Then your gold Regal got a bad case of metal mites and all the sheet metal got these huge holes in them just waiting for speakers to fill them up! Good times there. I just hope ALL you guys know how much I appreciate all the help you gave me on the build, both physically AND mentally, and I'm grateful to have friends like you. Thanks a million!!!!

Hey Jay-cee...a video won't show much as far as sq goes and I don't know if I can shake the truck enough to tell on video with just the 6's, but I guess I'll have to borrow a video camera and find out. With the sub on I might make something move enough to see, I'll just have to try. John, did you know Ray is bringing the Lightning out of retirement? OldSkool_08...thanks for the compliment on the install, it's by far the best one I've ever done as 6APPEAL can tell you, but also the most time consuming. I learned how to do most of the tricks I used in this install from Jimmy Walker, along with hours of reading how-to's on the web. I have to give Jimmy the credit for "teaching the young grasshopper" how to do what I call "pretty work." Most of my other installs were just a board with carpet on it, this was my first attempt at a real install to take to shows. If you look at it close you can see my noobness at upholstery, but at least I gave it a shot! I appreciate all the kind words from everyone, it makes all the time and effort I put into this install worthwhile, and I appreciate all the help I got from Ray and John and everyone else who was involved. Did I leave anyone out?Not a clue!

They will play low, I've played 30Hz tones through them and as long as I don't get too crazy with the knob, they will shake the truck. They won't shake it as hard as a subwoofer will at that frequency, but they will make you wonder how high the sub level is, and freak you out when you find out it's not on. The main thing about these is they have very good detail in the midrange as well as the ability to get low when required. And it's a very easy load for the amp to drive as it's almost a dead flat impedence curve from top to bottom. Once the drivers are available to everyone, the website will be updated with all the specs. I think there's a show around the Memphis area coming up and I'm going to try to make that one. If you see a black chevy truck with Missouri plates just ask and I would be happy to let you listen to it. I would appreciate hearing someone's opinion from outside our circle. Thanks again for the kind words.

I'm still working on making the Biloxi show....that's an 11 hour drive for me one way....but I'm going to try, that's for sure! As for staging and imaging, Ray's working on that....once he gets it figured out.....we'll just have to wait and see what happens then!

Whodat.... I had the old Blues drivers in my truck on the way down from Springfield, MO and when I got to TIPS, Ray himself installed the NEW Blues drivers in my doors. 6APPEAL (John) worked his @$$ off helping me do my doors, as did Ray. I sort of felt like a bump on a log while the work was being done, and I don't know how to express the gratitude I have for what they did. (THANKS GUYS!!!) Ray spend a couple of hours aiming the tweeters and listening to them to help me get the stage and image right and it's close, but he's not satisfied with it yet. Since John has the same basic truck as I do, they are going to play with his since he's local, and when they get it dialed in, I'm heading back down for them to do mine. The truck is night and day different from when I came down to when I went back, it's CRAZY at the difference the new drivers made. I didn't like them at first running passive, but Ray checked my amp out and said it had an occillation (whatever that is) and reset the bias (again, whatever that is) in the amp and the harshness I heard coming down disappeared and they were as smooth as silk. I had them running active on a DPS Q50, and before the 2.2HV was brought back to spec, I liked the active setup better. Once the 2.2HV was tweaked, it blew the Q50 away in volume, dynamics, staging, everything. I don't know what he put in that passive crossover network he built for me, but I've NEVER heard a passive setup that can do what these can. It's easily the best sounding system I've ever had, and I've run Blues drivers since I had my 89 Probe with the original 6.5's and tweets in the doors and Blues Triso in the hatch. That may not be saying much to some of these guys, as I'm sure some of them have TONS more experience at designing SQ systems than I have, but I trust what Ray tells me. He has tons more experience at what it takes to build a good sounding system than I'll ever have and if he says to do something, I'm going to do it, especially after hearing what it sounds like after one weekend of him and John working on it. I can't take ANY of the credit for the sound, that's all Ray. I can take credit for the install, but that's it. By the way, who's your buddy? Rusty? I don't know who all Ray showed the truck to, but I know he kept asking me for my keys! Thanks for the kind words, there's still work to do, but I hope to get it dialed in soon. With Ray and the rest of the gang's help, I'm sure it won't take too long.

I have a build log doing almost exactly what you are trying to build. It's under SQ_MGB 02 Silverado Reg cab, feel free to use it for ideas. My box is 13.25" wide, 14.50" tall, and 27.5" deep, outside dimensions. The port extends from the back wall to under the dash and is 3" of the overall height. I have approximately 1.87 cu. ft. before displacement of the woofer, port is external to the box. If you go sealed, you can get over 2 cu.ft. and put darn near anything you want in there. There is another member (6APPEAL) on here with a box similar to what you drew up with his sub downfired and it sounds pretty good to me. I'm sure there are others as well. Here's one of the pics of mine.... Be sure to make a build log so we can follow your progress. Good luck, I'm sure it will turn out great!

X2 With the resources you have available down there, you definitely need to start a build log on here......and tell Jimmy to start one too! I have an HHR to do at some point and I'm waiting to see what he does in his so I will know what I'm getting myself into. The alternator is from Mechman. It's a 200A unit, I didn't need the 270A, I just don't have that much current draw. It was $300 and he has free shipping too. Very good guy to work with. Just be sure to lift some weights before you install the darn thing....it's HEAVY!! Putting it on the truck was a breeze.....unbolt old one, put new one in it's place. Remove old belt, install new one. Run wires. Done. I changed the alternator in about 20-25 minutes, most of which was spent removing plastic panels around the front of the engine bay and over the fan. Once that and the K&N was out of the way, I had plenty of room to work. I thought changing the belt would be a nightmare, but I did it at work in literally 10 minutes....didn't even get my hands dirty! It charges at a nice 14.55V. I see 14.53V at the battery, so I'm losing there, but not much. Upgrading the charging wire should help prevent loss (I guess??) in the couple of feet to the battery, and I have 14.35-14.41 at the amp unloaded. I have not done a power test to see what happens at full load. It was late, and I was in the driveway and didn't figure the neighbors would appreciate it. I'll try to test this weekend and see what happens under load. I also want to see how many amps it puts out at idle and at 1500 rpm so I will know if I got what I paid for. From the reviews I've read, I'm pretty sure I did, and from my seat of the pants gauge, it seems like my lights don't blink as much and when they do, it's not as noticeable as before. I am going to upgrade my main power wire to the amps from the battery with 1/0....never thought I would see the day when I used wire that big, but I guess it's time to step up and do it right. The 4 gauge I have now just isn't going to cut it. Ray told me I need to have 4 gauge going to EACH AMP, instead of to my fuse block and going down to 8 gauge for the amps. If I can get the wire size increased, maybe I won't have as much loss from the alt. to the amps and I'm sure that would make those 2.2's happy. Let me know if you need any more info on the alternator, and I'll get what I can for you.

Did you have the truck playing when discussing locations, or were you guys just hashing out ideas? And tell Jimmy to be sure he puts a build log on here for that HHR!!!!

Sorry for the long delay on pics guys (and gals if any are looking at this), but I finally got off my butt and took some. So.....here they are! This is how the door started....minus the green sheet in the door. That was added after we listened to it with the new drivers. It is a dampening material that is used in aircraft. Don't know if it's any "better" than other stuff, but it worked for what we wanted it to do. Here's a closeup of the dampener / deadener..... The new Blues 6.5.....final production drivers will have the Blues logo on the dustcap. Then it was decided that the big hole in the door had to go..... Covered with dampener.....all the other holes are for mounting the door panel....I can't do anything about those. Closeup of the new Blues 6.5.... Compared to the old one..... Then since the old alternator crapped out, I had to get a new alternator....decided it would be a good time to upgrade.....went with a 200A Mechman unit.......This thing is heavy! Wiring is temporary, until I can get by the welding shop to get some 1/0 welding cable and heatshring to fit. And the guys who made it happen.......Damn, I need to learn how to smile! From left to right....Randle Johnson (Cablguy), me (SQ_MGB), Ray Rayfield, TJ Lacharite, and John Neal (6APPEAL).

Didn't Randal come? He was there, but ran in a different class than me. I didn't see the scoresheets so I can't directly compare the two trucks. All I know is the judge said she liked what she heard. The best compliment I got from her was after she finished judging my truck, she showed me her arm and said it gave her goosebumps. I guess I'll have to wait for another show to see if I can beat him heads up.

Well, went to the show today. The judge scored the truck well, and said she was pleased with how it sounded. However, I don't know how it compares to anyone else because I was the only one in the class. The judge complimented me on how it sounded which gives me hope that I can do well at future shows. I still have work to do on the a-pillars to get them right, but the angles are close now. Once I get the tweeter position finalized, I'll glass them in place permanently. As I was told today, the day you stop working on a system is the day you sell the car, so I will always find something to tweak. More pics to follow on the a-pillar build......stay tuned!

Thanks guys, I'll do my best. Been practicing my speech.... Blah, blah...cosmetic integration...blah, blah, attention to detail....blah, blah... God...how do these guys do that stuff???

I must do them on the dash, if they where on the a-pillar they would be to much in my line of vision on-axis. As you can see with the mock up horn I should clear the airbag panel. I know theres a few people on here with the FF85K in thier rides, If nothing else I will PM them for a hands on opinion. Gotcha.....I wasn't thinking line of sight. My thought process was cut a hole in the a-pillar and recess it as much as you could into the pillar and glass a baffle to that, but that doesn't exactly help with the venting issue on the backside. Sounds like you have a plan and have thought it through much better than I did. You do have the advantage of having the car with you however! Now get off the computer and get out there and get them in! HaHa!

What if you attatched the Fostex to the a-pillar? It would get it up away from the airbag and you could always use the foam to make a shape that when hollow could vent into the area where the factory tweeter is. I can't be of much help on what the Fostex requires for airspace or venting as I've never used them, but I have heard great things about them. From what I understand, the L3/L4 wide rangers from HAT need to be vented so maybe these need to be as well. Hopefully someone on here has used them before and knows the requirements. Good luck on the build! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

What if you were to make the baffle for the Fostex's and wrap it in aluminum foil to keep the foam from sticking (also use pam cooking spray on the foil) and spray the foam around the baffle and into the taped area so when you glass over the mold everything is already the correct shape for your baffle. I saw it done somewhere (fiberglass forums maybe?) and the idea just kind of stuck with me. If I can't get the tweeters right on my a-pillars, I may end up doing the same thing with mine if I can get the image better that way. Here's an idea for you for your midbasses in the doors.....doesn't help the sound a bit, but it looks cool as hell! Fiberglass Forums

Dude....I can't wait to see that front stage install.....It's going to be a BEAST of a front end! For making a form for your fiberglass mold, you could tape off the area really well, put on a couple of layers of double side tape for thickness of fiberglass and wrapping material, put down your choice of mold release (pam, vaseline, etc...) and use spray foam to fill in the area you want for the pods. Then sand it to the shape you want, glass over your foam mold, let it cure, tear out the foam, and viola! There are your pods......now if it were only that simple! Be sure to take LOTS of pics when you make them.....If they look half as good as that box in your trunk, they'll look incredible!

With the work you have done so far, I know you'll get them in there AND they'll look good doing it. I just wish I could be there when you turn them on for the first time!

Thanks for the well wishes J-road....I had no plan and had all but given up hope that I would be able to make it down for the show. It was just LOTS of luck that he had one and was willing to let me use it for the weekend. I would have liked to have the a-pillars finished, but I want to get the tweets angled right before I finish that up. The truck still has a ways to go, but at least she's playing!!!! When I get back I have to pull the box back out and the carpet up to move a wire that goes back behind the dash about 6". I put a rocker switch in the area next to the airbag switch for lights or whatever, and when I re-ran all the wires I pulled the slack out of the wire to the switch. I went to take the panel off the other day and since there was no slack in the wire, I couldn't get it out. The new radio has a usb port with an adapter for mounting to a panel and I'm thinking about putting it above the airbag switch. That way, I can just plug in a thumbdrive or my phone directly into the dash and don't have to go to the glovebox or have a cable just hanging somewhere. It's just the little nit-picky things that I want to do now, nothing major. I can't wait to see how you put those 10's in your doors! Are you worried at all about the weight on the hinges? Good luck with the build, I'm sure it will look great when you're finished!

I love builds like this.....I'm tuned in!

Great news! Our parts guy for my company had an alternator on the shelf, new in box! I have to take it back on Monday, but he sure saved my ass! Wasn't the easiest thing to change, but not that bad either. I called Mechman today and I'm looking at a 200 amp alternator from him, which should be way more than I'll ever use. I figure that alternator and a S1200 XS Power battery under the hood and I should be good to go. I won't have them for this weekend, but I should have them for the next one! Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement everyone....it really helped to keep me going when things weren't working exactly as I planned. I'll have more pics after the show!

J-road....there are some things I need to change around, but they aren't what I had hoped they would be! My alternator decided to take a crap yesterday and my charging voltage is now a whopping ZERO volts! I'm supposed to go to the show Saturday and I don't see how I can get a HO alternator for it before I leave. I talked to mechman today and he has an alt. in stock, but it would cost an arm and a leg to ship it. I'm going to try and get a remanufactured one from the parts house down the street and see if they will let me use it just for a couple of days. If not, I don't know what I'll do. I guess miss the show as bad as I hate to. It sux not to get to go after working my butt off to get it finished in time. I'll figure something out, I just don't know what that will be. Keep your fingers crossed!

Dude....your front stage is going to be a beast! I guess it has to be to keep up with the monster sub you have in the trunk! I'm DEFINITELY tuned into this! And I'm sure I speak for most everyone....PICS! PICS! PICS!

Ok Cablguy....here are the pics of what you have to "battle" with! Sorry for the poor picture quality.....I couldn't get the sunlight to co-operate..... I still have to get all the angles right on the speakers, but per M5's recommendation of playing just the tweets and going from there, I have gotten the stage up on the dash, past the pillars on both sides, most voices are centered, but some still wander around a bit. The sub sounds like its on the freaking hood when playing normal music, but when the knob gets cranked for playing around with a little DJ Magic Mike, you can tell where it is. I still have a LOT of work to do to get everything right, but at least the install part is done for the most part. I want to change the baffle for the 6.5's a little and add some more clay to help cut down on the vibrations in the doors a bit more, and maybe angle them up just a little to see if that helps. The a-pillars still need to be wrapped and I'll post pics of that when I do them, and I still have to mold a piece for the dash bezel, but that's just cosmetic work. See ya this weekend Cablguy! Hope you're ready!

Bet the Pantera would get there quicker!