Tweeters Glassed into A-Pillars - Installed

[rob chaw]

Great Custom Work...

You've got a Great eye for attention to Detail.

rob

 

[Kurt Hertel]

First off this is great work.... I've been looking to do the same but I could figure out how to get the tweeters to stick out from the pillar like you have... So could you point me in the right direction... In a nutshell, How did you get the Tweeters to not be "flush" or on the same plane as the pillar?

 

[Carey Frennier]

I'd send you my tweeter mounts if it cost less combined than having the same thing done here.



Man...you do excellent work. Very impressed. I know if I had the space and time I could eventually do it but...I really am pretty blown away that you made these yourself!

 

[Gypsy me]

Excellent job!

 

[Rahul Sharma]

j.vocaty - the wiring for these is simple. once these are done, you just drop in your tweeters and thread the wire through the back. i installed these last night and will post some pics in a bit.

st sails - thanks, these were done using the mounting cup provided by focal, specifically for the focal tweeters. most components come with 2 mounting cups - one for flush install, and one for an angle mount. i used the angle mount cups to mount them 'beside the a-pillar' as opposed to on it. i hot glued the cup in the a-pillar and then streched the fabric over top. the resin soaked fabric then dried up securing it in place. i could have (maybe should have) layed a layer or two of fiberglass between that and the bondo, but these are really not panels that take too much abuse, time will tell....

if you only have the flush mount cup, then you can also hot-glue a side of it to the side of the a-pillar. you just have to be careful in your angle and make sure it doesn't hit the windshield.

psycareyo - i have no idea of the costs to do something like this...i'm positive that you could do it yourself though. as you mentioned, time and space are literally the only requirements. being the first time, i spent a lot of time in planning, test-fitting, planning some more etc. that will now come own tremendously. primiing, texturing and painting were about a 1.5 hour job with breaks in between. the sanding and body-filling....that was the bulk of it. the time and patience you put in there is what you'll see in the end product.

 

[Rahul Sharma]

Here are some updated install pics of the a-pillars:



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From the outside...not 100% stealth, but it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb...man is that fiberglass dust fine...clean-up is going to be painfull....

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And the back for the wiring, and i just taped it down with some "tuck tape". its behind the a-pillar now so even if the tape comes of, it's not going anywhere. In hindsight, i should have dynamated it in and this way it would have cut any vibrations down as well....

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[Carey Frennier]

Amazing job man. How does it sound?



I wonder, do all Gen2 STs have stock tweeter locations or is it just the Limited + trims?

 

[Tony Tassillo]

looks good but i worry about imaging with them there. They might be a little bright. You may want to knock them down about 6 db.

 

[Carey Frennier]

I wonder how much the SQ will suffer with the windows open.

 

[Rahul Sharma]

The sound? I don't know if it's the speakers, or the fact that the doors have 2 layers of deadener on each skin (probably both), but it is AMAZING...my Altima came with a bose premium package that i just love...and this is Better. i spoke with the Focal tech support and they recommended ear-level placement as long as they fire at each other. if they were to fire into the driver and passenger, they recommended a lower mount. i am getting louder and cleaner music at a volume of about 9-10 on my head unit than i did at 15 or 16 with the old clarion pos speakers. i have the exact same headunit in my altima as well, so i can really compare the sound.

I am installing the crossovers on the door, just above the pocket for easy access. i have tried them at 0db, 3db, and 6db. they actually sounded best at 3db, and are pretty damn good at 0db as well.

The subs in the new box behind the seats provide the perfect thump in the new larger enclosure with seperate airspace for both subs as well.

 

[Rahul Sharma]

I wonder how much the SQ will suffer with the windows open.

still haven't taken it on the road to test yet. i rarely drive with my windows down so it's not an issue. but i bet there will be a loss if i did.



this is definately an SQ system, not one for SPL.....i am an audiophile and i hate the slightest distortion in music. i know there are $3000 component speakers out there, but i am very satisfied with this set-up.....it's been said before, but proper set-up, staging, matching speakers to the right power from amps and sound-deadening make more difference than the price tag of your equipment....i can testify to that now.

 

[Tony Tassillo]

it's been said before, but proper set-up, staging, matching speakers to the right power from amps and sound-deadening make more difference than the price tag of your equipment....i can testify to that now.

very true. I'm an audiophile myself. What subs are you using? how many? Selaed or ported? what is the cabinet tuned to? what amp are you using on the highs and mids? what head unit are you using?

 

[Rahul Sharma]

Clarion Max675VD Head Unit w/80Gig iPod

Focal K2P 6.5" woofer in Front Doors

Focal TN-47 Tweeter in custom fabricated A-Pillars

Clarion SRC5796 5x7 door speakers in Rear Dors

2 - 10" Kicker CVT Shallow Mount Subs in sealed fiberglass enclosure behind rear seats

Rodek 275i Amp - front stage

Rodek 2150i Amp - subs

4awg Wire

120 sqft of B-Quiet Ultimate sound deadener.



pics of all of these are in my library....

 

[Carey Frennier]

Here is an excellent site on sound deadener:

http://sounddeadenershowdown.com/



It looks like RS chose wisely...again!



RS, you probably have one of the most well researched, well designed and well executed installs I've ever seen done by a "do-it-yourselfer."



How much money did you end up investing?



What is that switch for on your dash between the steering column and the center stack?

 

[Tony Tassillo]

I'm running:



Peripheral FORDAH - CAN Bus add-a-head module

Pioneer AVIC Z3 - NDBT1 (bluetooth module) - CDIB100II (ipod)

Exonic Reverse camera w/ might vision.

4 x 6.5 Coaxial Alpine Type R (one per door)

2X MMats 1" silk dome tweets (one per front door)

4 X JL Audio 6x0 subs behind rear seat, ported (ports firing up), tuned to 65 hz 0.75 ft2 after displacement

1 X MRD-605 Alpine 600x1 Monoblock V12

1 X MRV-F545 Alpine 75x4 Class A/B V12

Stinger UBER-flex 1/0 AWG

Stinger PRO Disrtobution blocks

72 ft2 Stinger Expert Roadkill

 

[Rahul Sharma]

thanks psycareyo!

The switch i have is a carbon-fiber ignition swtich wired into the Clarion head unit between the grounds. flip the switch, and presto, you have video while in motion....its a parking-brake bypass switch. Could have used a $3 radio shack one, but i wanted to display it.

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as for $$$....I can't say honestly....i'd say somewhere in the range of $3500-$4000...? Just a little less than what MPTony looks like he's listed!!!!:lol: that's a great list there Tony!

 

[Tony Tassillo]

you would be supprised. I have insiders in almost every manufacturer, I work for Stinger Electronics. It pays to be in the biz. I was also a custom installer for 8 years before this. Thanks

 

[Carey Frennier]

WTF! RS....you did your own work and you spent that much! Wow.

 

[Rahul Sharma]

well i have a lot of equipment in there the headunit, ipod, comp speakers, 2 subs and amps were about $2500....then i still have the reer speakers, all the wiring, sound-deadner (it was $260!!) and fiberglass, resin, body-filler, paints, carpet etc...i'm guessing another 700? so maybe closer to $3200? And it's all in Canadian dollars as well....

 

[Tony Tassillo]

not to rub it in but i got about 1700.00 total in my stuff. Perks of being in the biz.