1997 Buick Centruy

[Ryan from Ohio]

Well heres the start of this project. As many of you know I have already purchased and installed my JVC KD-AR7000- which is a $549.95 MSRP Radio.

http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/JVC-KDAR7000.jpg

Nice eh?

I currently have purchased two ARC Audio amps:

KAR 400.4
KAR 900.1D

I will be picking these up from Justin next weekend...(Done paid for ;))

Next comes the electrical. I am adding a second alternator to this vehicle. Yes it may sound crazy to some but here are the facts:
-Stock Alternator is 90-105 Amps (some variances found)
-Reworked Alternator of 160 Amps= $160
-Amplifiers will consume 130 Amps combined...
-Reworked Alternator is not sufficient

So tonight I ripped the Stock Alternator and Mounting hardware out to measure it up. I did take pictures for refference and for here:
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alt1.jpg
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alt2.jpg
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alt3.jpg
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alt4.jpg

After looking into this better and tearing it apart I am 100% confident I can do this without much trouble. It only took me about 3/4 hour to get this all out and and 1/2 to get back in hehe. Behind and under this alternator is where the secondary will be going. The + wire will be run down the passenger side- right off the Alternator. I plan on using a piece of 1/4 CRS 1018 Steel to mount the second alternator. I will connect the two by adding a second pulley (welding) it to the current pulley and maching it to size. I will probably use a cog belt or similar (not sure yet) to keep a positive non slip roatation.


more to come, as it happens...

[audiobass10]

Pretty sweet how you got the CAC logo on ur JVC..looks real cool. Can't wait to see how the dual alts turn out.

[Justin from Detroit]

Love the logo on the HU! Can't wait to see and hear this whole setup! By the way, I took a look and your amps, they are beautiful :)

[Ryan from Ohio]

Ok,

I have the amps at home now.

Currently looking/working on the alternator selection.

Motor City Reman Quoted me $119 for a 160 AMP alt and $140 for a Adjustable VOltage Regulator (13-20Volts). The regulator is a TAD pricey IMO- so Im looking for another price/quote from someone else.

Im also trying to figure out my wiring situation...

Knukonceptz is now only producing two (maybe three) styles of RCAs, the twisted pair and the "cheapies" I wont consider and something else I dont even want to look at :surprised

So Im at a loss for RCAs. All I know is nothing cheap! ha :bigwink:

[Justin from Detroit]

Yeah, i was real disappointed that KnuKonceptz got rid of the Kasa Kable RCA's. They said sometime in march they will be releasing their krystal Kable, which will take the Kasa'a place. I bought a set of StreetWires ZN2's (Zero Noise 2). Very nice RCA's.

[lotas]

wow ryan thats gonna be quite a project. pretty cool you know how to weld and do all that mechanic work. good luck.

[Ryan from Ohio]

Weld?

I dont know how to weld. But I got 4-5 mainteanance guys at work that can.

I can machine my own stuff, but what the hay. Time to call in a favor to our tool room. 2-3 guys per shift. They can whip out the brakets I need in no time....

[lotas]

awww you led me on!
"I will connect the two by adding a second pulley (welding) it to the current pulley and maching it to size."

still cool ;)

[Ryan from Ohio]

Well,

I ended up buying my comps today.

Rainbow Profi CS230

Seelling price $619
Paid Price- VERY CHEAP :p

Linke Here (http://car.rainbow-audio.de/products/details.php?lan=3&pro=1&lin=4&art=231496)

I should have them in about a week and a half....

[William from NOLA]

So YOU'RE the one who stole my components!!! lol, j/k

[Ryan from Ohio]

Last set brother....

Money Order went in the Mail Saturday.

For the price I got them, no complaints from me.

Now I have the Alternator, Regulator, Yellow Top, all wiring to buy.

The ARC 10's will work temporary. But I still need to find a sub.

About $800-900 to go.... :(

BTW Im officially broke....lmao :excited:

But Im happy with what I have so far!

BTW the goal in the end for this car is 150 dB

Yeah I know Im stretching it, but its feasible...

[audiobass10]

150? Thought you were goin sealed? :)

[Ryan from Ohio]

Damn Im an impulse buyer....

lol

I just bought a Compustar 2W900FM-AS hehe

$200 investment. Time to upgrade over my old Compustar I guess. The big upgrade here is range....3000 feet now compared to about 250-300 previous (without extra antenna)

http://www.compustar.org/img/2W900FMR(WHITE).jpg

[Justin from Detroit]

Ryan! That could have been your wiring, or even a subwoofer! I am VERY disappointed in you!

[Ryan from Ohio]

None of my audio will do me good stolen?

lol

Actually I think its a smart move. Its the best alarm system out period, so how can I go wrong.

Next thing to buy in alternator!

Then wiring

Then sound deading

Then sub(s)

I gotta pace myself now. I probably wont buy the alternator for 2-3 weeks now... Unless I luck into some money :)

[Justin from Detroit]

Sound deadening should come AFTER the subs :)

[audiobass10]

"I gotta pace myself now"

You're tellin me lol. I was tryin to calculate yesterday how much everything in my next setup would cost and damn, money doesn't go long at all hah. I'll be buying things in pieces as well so i don't end up broke AGAIN lol. The alarm looks sweet. It's cool knowing that you could unlock your doors 10 minutes before you actually get to your car lol.

[lotas]

Damn Im an impulse buyer....

lol

I just bought a Compustar 2W900FM-AS hehe

$200 investment. Time to upgrade over my old Compustar I guess. The big upgrade here is range....3000 feet now compared to about 250-300 previous (without extra antenna)

http://www.compustar.org/img/2W900FMR(WHITE).jpg
ah yeah i have that same system (remote is blue though)

it's really nice. I havent really tested the whole distance thing, only thing I dont like about remote is that it doesn't seem to work in concrete and big buildings. Like it wont work in my school, i have to be outside.

i just cracked the face of it though, was sliding into this truck and the steering wheel was rubbing against my leg and keys were in pocket and crack!

yeah i dont remember if i have to pay 35$ or if its free, still works though so no biggy. did you get the RPS too? thats such a cool feature.

[Ryan from Ohio]

RPS?

Whats that?

I do have a glass break sensor....

[Ryan from Ohio]

Im so fucking pissed off right at this very moment.

The seller says he wont ship to my address as it is unconfirmed. Pay Pal does not require him to send ti to a confirmed address.

I had my ex pay for it with her Pay Pal and bought it through HER e bay. I told the seller there is no way to confirm that name an address as Im not her and she does not live here.

If this pecker head doesnt reject/refund the money Im gonna have to fight with him through pay Pal...

For $230 I might just take a plain trip to Cali and whopp his ass....

[Justin from Detroit]

If you are unconfirmed you can simply take the money back. Just do that and tell him to go fuck himself.

[lotas]

RPS?

Whats that?

I do have a glass break sensor....
remote paging system...its this little circle pod thing that is attached to your windshield and when the alarm is armed ther is a Blue L.E.D. that blinks. It's sensitive to pressure or whatever so if someone taps on it or knocks or hits the windshield where it is it pages you. So if friends are coming over to my house, I have them hit my windshield and page me so then I know they're there.

plus it's another L.E.D. that makes people think alarm

[Ryan from Ohio]

Well I emailed the seller.

Either I scared him or there was a miscommunication.

He said he just wanted me to email my address to him also to confirm it is correct....

[Ryan from Ohio]

I bought a $150 worth of wiring last night.

Purple primary wire and Silver ground.

I also bought their digital display ANL block. It will break the 1/0 into 4 ga to run to the amps using their 4 Ga spade terminals.

I didnt buy an inline fuse holder for up front since its going right fron the secondary alt into a battery. I may still do so.

17 1/0 Primary
5 4 Ga primary
1 1/0 ground
5 4 Ga ground
100 Remote Wire
Fuse Block
Various crimp/solder connectors (Will solder!)
Nice big 10" sticker :p
Gormets for 1/0

Seemed more expensive than I was planning on :(

[Ryan from Ohio]

Got my wire today. I ordered it late wednesday.

Now to email that guy about ym alarm I have yet to receive....

[MobileAudio219]

Sounds like its going to be pretty nice... Hopefully I can get started on mine soon. :cheers:

[audiobass10]

Damn, wiring was quite pricey but atleast you got it. Do you have 1/0 awg ring terminals for the battery? I got some fusion ones online and it was a PITA fitting 2/0 in there, but it's the only way I could get it done.

[Ryan from Ohio]

What I need:

RCA's ($90)
Alternator ($240)
Fans ($60)
Sound Deading material ($70)

Cash on hand $0... :excited:

I need to start my Car Audio donation fund....hahaha

Im glad nobody told me this was going to be cheap...

[lotas]

What I need:

RCA's ($90)
Alternator ($240)
Fans ($60)
Sound Deading material ($70)

Cash on hand $0... :excited:

I need to start my Car Audio donation fund....hahaha

Im glad nobody told me this was going to be cheap...
wish i could help you out, hey I have like 2sq ft of edead left :cheers:

[Ryan from Ohio]

I started in on the amp rack yesterday for a few.

On amp will lay flat, the other on a 45 degree angle. I will use 8 fans in total to keep the air flowing.

The amps will be mounted on mirrows. The wiring will be neatly displayed :)

Now to get ahold of the guy who is going to laser cut the plexi :)

[lotas]

I started in on the amp rack yesterday for a few.

On amp will lay flat, the other on a 45 degree angle. I will use 8 fans in total to keep the air flowing.

The amps will be mounted on mirrows. The wiring will be neatly displayed :)

Now to get ahold of the guy who is going to laser cut the plexi :)
damn that sounds likle it is going to look pretty cool.

[Ryan from Ohio]

I started working on putting the 5 1/2's in the doors.

So far its been a non stop pain in the ass.

I mounted the crossover only to find its not going to fit.... SO I guess I will be looking for a new home for it...

The driver didnt fit the stock location worth a crap... :(

[William from NOLA]

Bummer. What have you had to do (or will you need to) to get them in?

[Ryan from Ohio]

Update

Rainbows were installed as of Tesday 4-19

4-20 Firewall drilled for power wire- Removed passenger side front seat.

4-21 Box is built but needs to be finished- about another hour or two.

2- 10" Arc Audio DVC 2 Ohm per coil subs. Rated 250 WRMS each. I will be sending 750 WRMS @<hidden> 2ohms into these bad boys. The box is 2.5 Cubic Feet and will have removeable ports so I can change the tuning frequency. The one I intend on competeing with is tuned at 65Hz. This gives a 9.41 dB gain @<hidden> 70.34 Hz :D

I will need the gain to compete against those guys with super subs...

Saturday I WILL be going to Detroit to Motor City Reman for my second alternator. If everything goes right Im hooking up with Justin for a few to peep out the Elevation system and the mic.

I may half ass the 900.1D to the stock alt to just meter my new box while Im up there. Dunno...

[ridr4lif]

Sweet man. Cant wait to see install pics and see what kind of numbers you produce.

TEDD

[GlassWolf]

here's an idea
use linear actuators to make an adjustable port :)
if its round, have a sleeve that can be lengthened or shortened with the flip of a switch to change tuned frequency.
if its a slot port, you can use two actuators to extend one plane of the port inside the box to extend it, with the edges in a channel that allow the shelf to slide back and forth.
with plexi, it'd look pretty killer hehehe

[GlassWolf]

PS that also would allow you to seal around the port itself to prevent air leakage which you'd get a lot of with a slide-in port. leakage will affect tuning.

[Ryan from Ohio]

lol.... Its funny you mention this. I was talking with Audiobass on AOL about making a telescoping port adjustable from the interior...lol

Maybe in the future, but for this box I will utilize a plate, some carraige bolts and wing nuts. Make replaceable ports :D

[Justin from Detroit]

Hey try to get everything hooked up by tomorrow so when you stop by we can use my mic and figure out when frequency to play and everything!

[Ryan from Ohio]

The goal is to finish the box tonight, install the subs into it. Totally ready to go. Get the rear seat out.

If I have time run the power direct to the Stock Alternator... If not we can easily do this up there.

My car is in pieces and a mess...lol...

Not to mention the front end is f'ed up still... dammit :(

[Ryan from Ohio]

Pictures...finally:

Rainbows installed:
http://caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/rainbow1.jpg

The area I have for a second alt:
http://caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/alt1.jpg

My new box. 2.5 Cubes before, switchable port via 6 1/4-20 Carriage bolts and wing nuts:
http://caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/arc-box1.jpg

I will be making two plates for it for now: 65Hz and 35Hz

[ridr4lif]

Lookin pretty good!

Cant wait to see final install pics in the car.

Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming :cheers:

TEDD

[Ryan from Ohio]

Just so nobody forgets, that box/subs are temporary!

Heck I might come home with a 15" SX tomorrow.... :p

Who knows....

[Justin from Detroit]

Green vinyl? I hope that's temporary ;)

[Mercedesbends69]

Man I wouldn't mind checking that out, as well as the Elevation setup. When did you say you were coming up lol?

[William from NOLA]

Nice, very nice! I'm digging those components :)

[lotas]

Green vinyl? I hope that's temporary ;)
what! im digging the green vinyl ;) you can tell people its croc skin :cheers:

[Ryan from Ohio]

Today Kevin...

I still have your cell phone number and if Justin agrees/has time I will give you a call.

As far as testing my system today it just isnt going to happen. I have to run all wires to the rear and tie into the factory alt. Also need to finish my port plate- which is the biggie.

If it wasnt so crappy out it may be possible to do. 40 degrees snow/rain are not ideal conditions :(

[Mercedesbends69]

Definately not ideal conditions. Yeah though if you guys are just gonna be hanging out for a bit give me a call. Only thing I'm doing today is getting my alarm installed but I'm going to do that in a few minutes here.

[Justin from Detroit]

Well with the weather the way it is today, my car won't be leaving the garage. But we could all meet up possibly later. If not today, then aren't we all going to that competition next Sunday?

[William from NOLA]

40 degrees snow/rain are not ideal conditions :(
Christ! Yesterday it was 82 degrees and 60% humidity here. The low last night was 65...

[ridr4lif]

Oh shut up William :bigwink:

The weather up here in Central NY is about the same where u are Basstronics.

Its rainy and cold. But last week, it was sunny and in the 70's.

Why cant it just be summer?!

TEDD

[Ryan from Ohio]

I think its the Jet Stream....

With the weather shaping up like it was in Detroit (SNOW) I decided to get the hell outta there....

Motor City Reman was closed eventhough the hours say they were to be open... Nice company... :dif

However I did get a chance to look at a nice subwoofer. I got to toss around a PRO 12 Elevation. mmmm mmmm good. Also got to listen to Justins car...

:cheers:

Not to mention eating at Hooters AND getting my piss on Audiobahn sticker made :p

[GlassWolf]

having snow storms here till at least Monday.

[Ryan from Ohio]

I just found this info on the KAR 400.4

Arc Audio KAR 400.4 Specs
Price & Contact: $699; 209-543-8706; www.arcaudio.com
Test Voltage: 14.4Vdc

Test Results
Measured output power (At 14.4 Vdc less than 1% THD+Noise): 70.2 x 4 into 4 ohms, 124.2 x 4 into 2 ohms, 248.5 x 2 into 4 ohms bridged.
Measured Current Draw (At Max Power): 27.8 amps into 4 ohms stereo, 47.7 amps into 2-ohms stereo and 4 ohms bridged
Measure Amplifier Efficiency (At Max Power): 70% amps into 4 ohms stereo, 72% amps into 2 ohms stereo and 4 ohms bridged
Measure 1/3 Amplifier Efficiency: 32%
Signal-to-noise dBA (Reference 1 watt): 92 dBA
Rated OutOutput power: 50 watts x 4 @<hidden> 4 ohms, 90 watts x 4 @<hidden> 2 ohms, and 180 watts x 2 4 ohms bridged
Transient distortion: less than 0.1% @<hidden> 4 ohms
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
S/N ratio(A wtg): greater than 95 dB
Bass boost: + 18 dB @<hidden> Hz
Input sensitivity: 250 mV - 2.5 V
Crossover: 55 Hz-5.5 KHz variable 12 dB
Fuse: 40A x1
Dimensions: 13 inches x 8.5 inches x 2.5 inches


Im very pleased at what Im seeing. When I called ARC to get an idea on "real world power" they just read off the listed specs... But I like what Im seeing now :)

[William from NOLA]

I think it's awesome they provide you with so much test data. I really like the current draw measurement.

[Ryan from Ohio]

That came for Car Sound magazine :)

[Ryan from Ohio]

Well I got the power ran and stuff installed today. What a night...

I ran the power directly off the alternator to the battery in the back (Marine deep cycle). I ran power then to the block~amps.

I grounded the amps direct to the battery and not the chassis gorund as I didnt ground the battery to the chassis either. With the car running the voltage doesnt go up or beyone 12.6- what the battery is at rest.

Heres a few pics of theteardown:

http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/install1.jpg
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/ryan/images/install2.jpg

SO tomorrow I need to get my wiring looking better and in proper place, get the car back together. Also make my port blocks up.

The rainbows are lound as heck :) Clear also. The subs.... well I need to get port plates made... It was tyuned to around 90-100 Hz...lol

[audiobass10]

lol, get a vacuum to that that thing before u put the seats back on.

[William from NOLA]

You should keep the seats and stuff out like that. You'll get some good performance out of it :D

[Ryan from Ohio]

lol dave, thats what my buddy Joe said...lol

I threw a plate on it to try it sealed. Much better results :)

[Ryan from Ohio]

Well 3 hours later Im finished...

This install is officially done with the exception of that "one wire" which should take no more than 15 minutes once I get the damned wire ;)

With the box sealed (2.5 cubes- arc reccomends 1.3 for the pair!) I would say its hitting 128-133 range... Especially when comparing it to Justins car and the old XXX install.

This is promissing :)

[William from NOLA]

Cool, now where are the pics!? :D

130 is about average for a decent sub in a sealed box, so that's good. I managed to break 131 with a single JL 10" W3 in my van in a small prefab sealed box.

[Ryan from Ohio]

I got plenty of power. Them damn subs are moving almost to Xmech...lol

15 MM is a big distance each way... I think it may be a bit more than 15...

[audiobass10]

SQ wise, how are they? Pretty decent I would imagine.