So I decided to upgrade my system in my truck after two years of running a lone sub. I unfortunately punctured the dust cap of my JL 12W6v2 and this little cosmetic flaw was driving me nuts so I have a lameass excuse to slurge on unnecessary things! :p:

My new system:

HU: Kenwood DDX812 with iPod control
Components: Image Dynamics CTX65CS
Component Amp: Sundown 100.2 (Thanks to Trkle! :thumbsup:)
Sub: 12" Diamond Audio D6 dual-4 ohms
Sub Amp: Alpine M1005
Box: 1.25 cu ft ported at 33 Hz. Designed by Chris and built by BJ at fishercustoms.com

1/0 ga power wire to a distro then 1/0 to the Alpine and 4/0 to the Sundown.
Big Three with 1/0 ga wire.

100 sq feet of RAAMat

I apologize for the image quality, they were taken with my iPhone since I don't have a proper digital camera.


http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0058/web.jpg
My truck!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0059/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0060/web.jpg
Butt secks :D

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0040/web.jpg
Deconstruction!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0035/web.jpg
New wiring for my Alpine.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0036/web.jpg
Wiring for the Sundown 100.2

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0039/web.jpg
Some install kits from Crutchfield. My front speakers are 6x9s and I'm going to put in 6.5s so I needed an adaptor. Plus a new dash kit for the Kenwood.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0038/web.jpg
10 feet 1/0 KLM wire with 300A fuse.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0044/web.jpg
Old power wire vs the new!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0043/web.jpg
I ran the wire from the back to the front, using the older wire to help pull the new, thicker one through the car. Helped a bit.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0049/web.jpg
Will get silicone to seal that cut up a bit.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0045/web.jpg
A giant fuse holder, this thing is HUGE! 200A fuse for this one.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0048/web.jpg
I will get better/longer zip ties later. But the power wire to the back is done!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0053/web.jpg
First part of the big three! I tried to get the bolt off the silver chassis, but couldn't. Felt like it was welded on from the bottom, and the black metal is actually part of the chassis too (front chassis).

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0051/web.jpg
Battery Negative test fitting. Would this work fine??

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0050/web.jpg
This is what it looks like so far. I probably will have extra wire so I can cut a longer wire and go around and under the positive terminal for a cleaner/safer look.



Now I need your help on several things.

I removed the plastic covering the positive battery terminal and found this:
http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0047/web.jpg

I took care not to touch it but wtf is that?



Also, I was looking for a nice bolt on the engine block and found this:
http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0054/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0055/web.jpg
The front view

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0057/web.jpg
From behind.

Would this bolt work? The metal plate seems connected to the engine block, but I could be wrong. It's hard to see because the whole engine compartment is a mess.


I also don't know which bolt on the alternator to attach the wire to. I don't see any wires going to the alternator as well (I'm sure there are wires to the alt, but I can't find/identify those wires). It's really hard to reach too, but I did find a diagram a while back showing how to easily access it through the passenger wheel well but I lost it and couldn't find it since. So any help with this would help A LOT.

Today I'm going to run a new set of RCAs for the Sundown. I'm keeping the ugly green one for the Alpine.

I'm also going to mount the amps in my hideaway compartment and cut some holes for the wires to run though.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0041/web.jpg

Nice looking setup you have going. Can't wait to see the finished project.

I got a friend that is using sundown audio amps in his setup in a 07 mazda cx-7..... has 4 amps total, one for each side of his componets, and one for each of his 18's in a wall in the backlol ill have to get some pics,

I got a friend that is using sundown audio amps in his setup in a 07 mazda cx-7..... has 4 amps total, one for each side of his componets, and one for each of his 18's in a wall in the backlol ill have to get some pics,

hahahahaha, that's hardcore.

Nice looking setup you have going. Can't wait to see the finished project.

Thanks! Should take a week as some things still have yet to arrive (RAAMat, speakers, subwoofer, head unit) so I am doing mostly preliminary work.

Does the '05 have the current sensing thing around the ground wire between the chassis and the battery post?
By using your new body to battery post ground cable you are bypassing the sensor and you might find that the charging does not keep up with the drain. (I presume the sensor tells the alternator how much to charge, though I am not sure).

Let us know how it works out. It is looking good.

That's "WTF" thing is just corrosion. You can get a copper brush to get rid of that.

Does the '05 have the current sensing thing around the ground wire between the chassis and the battery post?
By using your new body to battery post ground cable you are bypassing the sensor and you might find that the charging does not keep up with the drain. (I presume the sensor tells the alternator how much to charge, though I am not sure).

Let us know how it works out. It is looking good.

I read about that current sensor thingy, and I think I do have it since the manual said to ground to that specific post next to the battery. I've read around and seems that it's not a big deal and on top of that I am keeping my stock wiring so it should not be a problem :)

Didn't do much today except more wiring, cleaning up, and prep work.

I installed the 2nd run of rca's and fixed the green one. there was too much of it all bunched up in the dash (thanks to best buy!) so I pulled it out and extended it, which was what I really needed so i could reach the sub amp.

Also cleaned the gunk off the battery and repositioned the fuse to the top of a fuse box. I also dremel'd off the tips of the screws and added electrical tape to the ends to protect the wires/fuses.

I will check into an optima yellowtop. I need a D35 according to optima's website, but this is not on top of my priorities right now.

Also did the power and ground wiring to my amps and spliced a second remote wire so I can power both amps on. It got dark fast so I couldn't grab a picture of the finished wiring in the back, but the last pic gives you an idea of what it looks like.

I tested it and it works! I didn't blow up my apartment or melt down my truck, so that's good. And on top of that, I gained 0.3 - 0.5 volts so my sub amp is now getting 14.1v compared to 13.6 - 13.8. I haven't finished the Big Three yet since I can't figure out how to reach the alternator. I would really like your help with this! :) I am hoping to gain another 0.3 from the Big Three so I can constantly push 14.4v to my subs for max powaaahh :eek:

RAAMat should arrive Monday so once I finish the speaking wiring I'll get started on the door panels. Would it be worth it to RAAMat under the amps (trunk floor)?? It's only like maybe 25" x 18" (have to measure) so it's a small area.

Anyway on to the pictures!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0064/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0065/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0067/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0068/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0072/web.jpg

What is this neat yellow penis shaped tool for?

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0043/web.jpg

Haha, nice description James! I've seen people use those to get the plastic pins off / get the side moldings off.

What is this neat yellow penis shaped tool for?

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0043/web.jpg

lmfao, it's a panel puller. i ordered it from crutchfield.com and got six, 3 yellow and 3 black. so far I've only used one so the other five are going to waste. you can have it if you want :p

lmfao, it's a panel puller. i ordered it from crutchfield.com and got six, 3 yellow and 3 black. so far I've only used one so the other five are going to waste. you can have it if you want :p


Are the black ones bigger than the yellow? Or is that just a myth?

Are the black ones bigger than the yellow? Or is that just a myth?

they're about the same size but harder. could be a myth ;)

OMG LMFAO!!! I nearly spit my Dr. Pepper all over my friggin laptop!

Simply amazing guys....

they're about the same size but harder. could be a myth ;)

Sure man, go ahead an send me one of your detachable penises.

Send me a hard one. Nobody likes a floppy knob, and I have heard that once you go black, you never go back.

I have also heard that once you go black, you go in a wheel chair.

Can you make sure that the packaging is discreet please? Thanks

lol wow...

Guess what arrived in the mail!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0074/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0075/web.jpg

125 sq feet ZOMG!

But didn't get started on it since it was really tacky and i had to cool it off. I finished off the wiring and reattached my seats ftw.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0077/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0080/web.jpg
Now you see it.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/back/web.jpg
Now you dont



But sad news. My car wont start now :( I disconnected the battery negative while I was working on the back (due to the seats I had to relocate one ground to another bolt and the distroblock a couple inches closer to the side) then when I plug in the battery everything looked fine. my interior lights came on as usual, but when i went to start it, it didn't quite crank at all and lights were just flickering on the display and the spindles on the speedometer, tach, gas, oil, etc were all "shaking" but my lights still work? is my battery dead or did i blow a fuse? the fuse to the back isnt blown at all so i am really lost. nothing is really any different except the new ground for the sub amp (which I cleaned and sanded to bare metal) and moved the distroblock.

UPDATE: I was able to jump my car and it works now but two things- I lost the total miles on the odometer, any way to get it back? Also, my exhuast now smells funny and is leaking something. Is it possible I fried something in the exhaust by the reconnecting and disconnecting my battery?

i dont understand what the exhuast has anything to do with you batt, unless you completly reset the ecu and its running really lean and causing the cat to heat up and give that rotten egg smell like when someone goes by you on the highway wide open you can smell it....... but it doesnt make since for something to be leaking............ and on another note, while it looks like you know what your doing, do you mind me asking why your closing your amps up..... if your going to drive any decent sub with one of those its going to get real hot.... i would cut out some vent under niethe and around the sides but thats me........ actually i would mount those up in a nice amp rack.... i have a good idea what im doing with my 2 polk audio c500.1 and 2 sony X plodes.... gotta keep the X theme lol.......... its way over kill but i like the X on them

i dont understand what the exhuast has anything to do with you batt, unless you completly reset the ecu and its running really lean and causing the cat to heat up and give that rotten egg smell like when someone goes by you on the highway wide open you can smell it....... but it doesnt make since for something to be leaking............ and on another note, while it looks like you know what your doing, do you mind me asking why your closing your amps up..... if your going to drive any decent sub with one of those its going to get real hot.... i would cut out some vent under niethe and around the sides but thats me........ actually i would mount those up in a nice amp rack.... i have a good idea what im doing with my 2 polk audio c500.1 and 2 sony X plodes.... gotta keep the X theme lol.......... its way over kill but i like the X on them

I don't know. Could be coincidence that it happened when my battery died. Just wondered if it was the battery since I lost the miles on my odo and wondered if I reseted anything else. Seems that it might be a clogged cat, maybe from when I was trying to start it with a dead battery. Will take it to the dealer/mechanic tomorrow morning and see if the long drive helps some.

I do have concerns about heat with the amps, yes, but the alpine doesn't get too hot since it has two fans. The sundown does get warm but reports from other people said it never got too hot to the touch. I am hoping that it does not get too hot. I probably would do vents later if it does become a problem. I didn't want to build an amp rack, I still want some trunk space and I also want a "hideaway system" where you only see the box (which will be hidden by the trunk cover).

i dont understand what the exhuast has anything to do with you batt, unless you completly reset the ecu and its running really lean and causing the cat to heat up and give that rotten egg smell like when someone goes by you on the highway wide open you can smell it....... but it doesnt make since for something to be leaking............ and on another note, while it looks like you know what your doing, do you mind me asking why your closing your amps up..... if your going to drive any decent sub with one of those its going to get real hot.... i would cut out some vent under niethe and around the sides but thats me........ actually i would mount those up in a nice amp rack.... i have a good idea what im doing with my 2 polk audio c500.1 and 2 sony X plodes.... gotta keep the X theme lol.......... its way over kill but i like the X on them

Btw, Polks are nice :) am not too crazy on the Xplodes but hey it matches the X theme :p

Just make sure your box isn't to high. Mine was so I had to take out the cargo cover, another good place to hide your amp is underneath the driver or passenger seat. That's where mine is. :D

Just make sure your box isn't to high. Mine was so I had to take out the cargo cover, another good place to hide your amp is underneath the driver or passenger seat. That's where mine is. :D

my box will be 14 inches high and it's 14.5" from the floor to the top of the cargo cover so I have room to spare :D

just cause the amp didn't heat up with the other guys is cause they didn't have them in a enclosed area... i know my fosgate amp gets pretty hot and it in the open on the back side of my rear seat....

I made an appointment for Tuesday, September 2nd to have my truck looked at. See if I need a new battery, fix my odometer and possible replace the cat in my exhaust (might be flooded, leading to the bad smell). So for now I am not moving my truck to prevent any further damage.

This aside, I got started on installing the RAAMat!

I currently have two layers in my drivers door, and one 1/4 layer in the passenger. I stopped because I was hungry as hell and I was getting a bad sunburn. I have about one and a half roll left so I might do three layers on the outer sheet metal and two layer on the inner sheet metal on the front doors.

I am hoping to finish the RAAMat by tomorrow as my speakers and sub should arrive and I can hopefully install it by the night's end :D

I will be going to home depot to pick up some perforated aluminum, silicone, and a small piece of mdf so I can patch up the gaps in the doors so it'll be easier to lay the RAAMat over it.

I decided to dremel out the bottom/side of the plastic storeaway bin, mat that area and glue the piece of MDF down, then attach the amps on that wood. Should give me some more breathing room for the amp and make it easier to take care of my wiring without having to remove the stupid store away compartment to access my wiring as it's already hard enough to move stuff around. So I kinda will be building a "false floor."

On to the pictures! Not many pictures as the process is the same for both doors and my hands were dirty from the asphalt and didnt want to mess with my iphone :p

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0082/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0083/web.jpg
I need to figure out if I can still use my MDF circles I got from teen. If not, I might lay some some rubber damping material between the door panel and the "extender." if you look at the last picture with the RAAMat you can see a bar that runs on the bottom of the door that would have interfered with the speaker magnet if not for the extender. If I can't use the MDF rings, I still won't have any problems with the ID CTX65CS's (I measured).

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0085/web.jpg
Crummy factory speakers FTL.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0084/web.jpg
One layer of RAAMat. It looks better with two layers and the rap test produces a very solid and heavy feeling.

are you going to raamat the rear hatch.... thats where i wouldve done the most work is in the back part of the X... I dont get that "tin" sound from my front speakers so i never worried about s/d-ing the front...........

are you going to raamat the rear hatch.... thats where i wouldve done the most work is in the back part of the X... I dont get that "tin" sound from my front speakers so i never worried about s/d-ing the front...........

yes i am going to raamat the rear hatch. i am almost done with my first roll and it will be going on the passenger door. then i have another 60 sq feet to use, prob will go in my trunk area, rear hatch, and a little in my rear doors but most of the 2nd roll will be in the rear hatch. at the same time i dont want to make it too heavy.

moar presents!!! the ids are sooo nice! i cant wait to plug them in and the d6 is hot as hell too. sadly i wont be using it for two weeks until my box gets here :(

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0090/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0091/web.jpg

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http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0097/web.jpg

more werk on the doors.

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0087/web.jpg
plexiglass ftw

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0088/web.jpg
all done!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0089/web.jpg
guess what? the IDs are so awesome they dont fit in that bracket i bought. nor do they fit in the mdf rings that teen made for me. do-do? make my own. i dont have any power tools aside from a dremel and a hand drill (thats why i bought my own bracket and had teen make me some. so i borrowed a hacksaw from a friend and made this:

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0099/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0101/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0102/web.jpg

hey here are some pics of my friends ride.............. these are just the rough mock up... he's still not sure on how he is mounting the amps that he has on the floor right now... the one sub is out becuase he blew it at the last comp he went to, but before it blew he hit 156db, his amps are starting to clip becuase of a lack of power... he just ordered two blue top optima batts the deep cycle marine ones. we are making a battery box underneith the car in the tunnel that is for the awd version.... anyways the crossovers are being mounted on plexi glass rack like the fiber board you see there and red soft glow neon will be around the whole amp/ cross over rack anyways i thought you might like it

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob4.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob3.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob2.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob1.jpg

hey here are some pics of my friends ride.............. these are just the rough mock up... he's still not sure on how he is mounting the amps that he has on the floor right now... the one sub is out becuase he blew it at the last comp he went to, but before it blew he hit 156db, his amps are starting to clip becuase of a lack of power... he just ordered two blue top optima batts the deep cycle marine ones. we are making a battery box underneith the car in the tunnel that is for the awd version.... anyways the crossovers are being mounted on plexi glass rack like the fiber board you see there and red soft glow neon will be around the whole amp/ cross over rack anyways i thought you might like it

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob4.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob3.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob2.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn239/gixxersixxerman/rob1.jpg

not bad. sounds like a nice setup, are those 15s?

Sorry for the lack of updates. Lately I've been depressed about the instal because of the rain:

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0103/web.jpg

and that I was so tired of having to redo things in the truck, for example the MDFs ring I made would not fit with the door panel so I had to cut out some plastic on my bracket that I bought. It was like the 3rd attempt. On top of that I did the stupid "trying to screw in my components but instead the screw slipped and I punctured the surround of my speakers" trick. The tear wasn't so bad so I got some good silicone and fixed it right up. Also emailed woofersetc.com for a replacement, hopefully, since I just got it.

I did take more pictures of my new speakers next to my factory ones. the difference in magnet sizes is appalling!

Also got around to raamating the trunk area little bit so I could install the amps.

on the plus side, my DDX812 came in! I just installed it and finished everything up in my truck and the only thing I have to do now is:

RAAMat the rear hatch and the rear doors
Get the new box from BJ Fisher and slam in that sexy D6

Anyway on to the pictures!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0105/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0106/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0115/web.jpg
New bracket

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0108/web.jpg
some RAAMat

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0110/web.jpg
All done!

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0111/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0112/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0116/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0117/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/milo/100038/IMG_0118/web.jpg

The DDX812 is hot as hell! The sound is SOOO much better now. I was actually disappointed in the IDs prior to the install and was all wtf those speakers kinda suck! But with this new HU omg it's orgasmic! I could not figure out where my parking switch is so I wired it to the ground to bypass it. Hopefully that works, but I still want to finish that wiring in the back.

those are 18's. and when turned up the car seems like its going to fall apart.... in fact i still dont know how the windshield can flex like that and not shatter



and that head unit looks awesome

those are 18's. and when turned up the car seems like its going to fall apart.... in fact i still dont know how the windshield can flex like that and not shatter



and that head unit looks awesome

18s, shit! any dynamat in teh car?

thats what i figured but i wasnt sure.. LOL i knew they were bigger than 15's

nope no dynomat that i know of.....

i would love to see them in action... LOL

looks awesome, man does your engine looks dirty......lol

how are you liking that headunit so far?? i been in the market for one because im gettin a complete jl audio system for my 01 x and i have heard bad things about kenwood hu's because my brother had one and hated it

how are you liking that headunit so far?? i been in the market for one because im gettin a complete jl audio system for my 01 x and i have heard bad things about kenwood hu's because my brother had one and hated it

when i bought the kenwood head unit last year, it was one of the best rated double-din models out there and i personally love it. movies looks great and its easy to wire as such while you're driving, havent installed a nav unit but im sure its much better than my iphone. It also gives off a "stock model" look since it fits right in with my '05 so less chance of it getting stolen, i'd think.

That's "WTF" thing is just corrosion. You can get a copper brush to get rid of that.

believe it or not that much corrosion is from leaving the car (not running) on to listen to music. just turning the key to power accessories like that will cause horrid amounts of corrosion. some people don't believe me but its true lif it continues go a while without turning the key over and see if it stops. I use di-electric grease on my terminals ad it helps too