J. Rayth's 3k system install
03-09-2008, 09:41 PM
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Still trying to figure out how Arc sold out... but here is the spec sheet from the booklet that came with the amp.
Yup yup. We still have to add on the foam tomorrow, but after that we (and when I say "we" I mean "Brannon") will be running the wires and beginning to mount the XEQ. I don't think I have mentioned where we are mounting that yet... oh boy this will be a fun surprise! 
It is going to be quite a fun project requiring us to cut the trim out and fabricate some custom brackets. 
It is going to be quite a fun project requiring us to cut the trim out and fabricate some custom brackets.
Last edited by James Rayth; 03-09-2008 at 09:41 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
03-11-2008, 02:40 AM
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Overkill application
Before I go into the Overkill stuff, here is what the Spectrum looked like after 42 hours of drying:
Passenger side
Drivers side
Unfortunately there wasn't much to the Overkill, just spray the surface its sticking to with adhesive, spray the Overkill sheet, and stick them together. It actually went so fast I didn't have much time to even snap many pics, so here are the best 3 that pretty much describe the process.
Spraying the surface (the spray comes out like spider webbing, very tacky and webby)
Spray the overkill, then wait about 60 seconds
And last, press, form, and hold. This pic is right when they came togehter, we pulled the wrinkles out right after the pic (not that it matters considering its covered up by carpet)
And then we finally got to install the carpet again. This was exciting for the simple fact that now we can maneuver much easier in the cabin so the trunk and door dampening will go much easier.
Front of cabin with carpet reinstalled
Back seat with carpet reinstalled
The only real noticeable area where we could tell the thickness of the addition of the dampening products had any effect was where under the carpet there was a pad, where the rear seat passengers feet would be (the worn area in the carpet on the pic above). The factory foam pad that went under the moulded carpet was raised and caused the carpet to be raised a bit in the seat area. But, it won't have any negative effect on anything since the rear seat will push it down. If anything it added more padding for the rear seat passengers feet.
The other semi-exciting thing we were able to start was the running of the wires. Still nothing major, but here is a shot of the RCA wires beginning their routing. Keep in mind these long ones will actually be connected to the back of the XEQ and run to the amps. I'm still holding back the XEQ's secret location
Before I go into the Overkill stuff, here is what the Spectrum looked like after 42 hours of drying:
Passenger side
Drivers side
Unfortunately there wasn't much to the Overkill, just spray the surface its sticking to with adhesive, spray the Overkill sheet, and stick them together. It actually went so fast I didn't have much time to even snap many pics, so here are the best 3 that pretty much describe the process.
Spraying the surface (the spray comes out like spider webbing, very tacky and webby)
Spray the overkill, then wait about 60 seconds
And last, press, form, and hold. This pic is right when they came togehter, we pulled the wrinkles out right after the pic (not that it matters considering its covered up by carpet)
And then we finally got to install the carpet again. This was exciting for the simple fact that now we can maneuver much easier in the cabin so the trunk and door dampening will go much easier.
Front of cabin with carpet reinstalled
Back seat with carpet reinstalled
The only real noticeable area where we could tell the thickness of the addition of the dampening products had any effect was where under the carpet there was a pad, where the rear seat passengers feet would be (the worn area in the carpet on the pic above). The factory foam pad that went under the moulded carpet was raised and caused the carpet to be raised a bit in the seat area. But, it won't have any negative effect on anything since the rear seat will push it down. If anything it added more padding for the rear seat passengers feet.
The other semi-exciting thing we were able to start was the running of the wires. Still nothing major, but here is a shot of the RCA wires beginning their routing. Keep in mind these long ones will actually be connected to the back of the XEQ and run to the amps. I'm still holding back the XEQ's secret location
Last edited by James Rayth; 03-11-2008 at 02:41 AM. Reason: Forgot to post last pic
03-11-2008, 06:32 AM
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FYI dude if you are even remotely thinking of competing get your wires protected with flex-loom or tech-flex mesh tubing, or else you will lose points.
everything is lookin good!
everything is lookin good!
03-11-2008, 11:05 AM
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160 Sq Ft Damplifier
36 Sq Ft Overkill (4 sheets, each sheet is 9 sq ft... I would have increased this to 6 sheets or 54 Sq Ft)
36 Sq Ft Overkill Pro (again I would increase this to 6 sheets)
1 Gal spectrum
1 Speaker Tweaker set
Brushes or spray gun (around 25.00 either way)
Roller for Damplifier
1 Can of Spray Adheisive for every 2 sheets of Overkill you buy
If you bought all that at once it would come to around 700 shipped, 850 if you went for the 6 sheets of overkill though.
You would want to find a friend to help you as if you had a shop do this the labor alone would be 5k or so, as it takes over a week to fully complete. But, doing it yourself is super easy, you could work on it a few hours each day and do it in sections so your car can remain driveable. Only real downtime is letting the Spectrum dry 36 hours.
03-11-2008, 01:20 PM
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Well if you know how much Sq Ft is needed before you order, you can order everything in one order instead of over 3 orders like I did and you will save quite a bit of money. Total materials needed so far:
160 Sq Ft Damplifier
36 Sq Ft Overkill (4 sheets, each sheet is 9 sq ft... I would have increased this to 6 sheets or 54 Sq Ft)
36 Sq Ft Overkill Pro (again I would increase this to 6 sheets)
1 Gal spectrum
1 Speaker Tweaker set
Brushes or spray gun (around 25.00 either way)
Roller for Damplifier
1 Can of Spray Adheisive for every 2 sheets of Overkill you buy
If you bought all that at once it would come to around 700 shipped, 850 if you went for the 6 sheets of overkill though.
You would want to find a friend to help you as if you had a shop do this the labor alone would be 5k or so, as it takes over a week to fully complete. But, doing it yourself is super easy, you could work on it a few hours each day and do it in sections so your car can remain driveable. Only real downtime is letting the Spectrum dry 36 hours.
160 Sq Ft Damplifier
36 Sq Ft Overkill (4 sheets, each sheet is 9 sq ft... I would have increased this to 6 sheets or 54 Sq Ft)
36 Sq Ft Overkill Pro (again I would increase this to 6 sheets)
1 Gal spectrum
1 Speaker Tweaker set
Brushes or spray gun (around 25.00 either way)
Roller for Damplifier
1 Can of Spray Adheisive for every 2 sheets of Overkill you buy
If you bought all that at once it would come to around 700 shipped, 850 if you went for the 6 sheets of overkill though.
You would want to find a friend to help you as if you had a shop do this the labor alone would be 5k or so, as it takes over a week to fully complete. But, doing it yourself is super easy, you could work on it a few hours each day and do it in sections so your car can remain driveable. Only real downtime is letting the Spectrum dry 36 hours.
03-11-2008, 02:19 PM
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Hey if i were to do this to my trunk how much do you think it would run and will it help eliminate all the rattles and also will the bass get deeper??? That looks great man! I really wish i could afford to do it to my whole car, but im saving for air-ride now....I would really love to do the trunk though!
Now those are just where you would start to have the most effect. Really if you reduce the road and engine noise it allows you to hear the music much better, and on the flipside, dampening the trunk and doors also reduces exhaust and some road noise.
Either way you go I would suggest to do it right the first time, one section at a time. That way you don't have to go back and do more later. So, if you are focusing on getting more bass, start with your trunk but either grab 40 Sq Ft of Damplifier or save a bit and get 40 Sq Ft of Damplifier Pro, and use some of the Damplifier on the wheel wells as well but the majority in the trunk and rear speaker deck. Then ride around with that for a while and see if the difference is enough for you, or if you now notice the door rattles and stuff. That way the next time you can either dampen the doors, or if you want more of a thump from the trunk still, pick up some Overkill Pro and lay that in the trunk over the Damplifier.
03-11-2008, 02:23 PM
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Wow didn't realize it would cost that much! Good work. I am looking for fiber glass enclosures for my door speakers to help project for of the sound out and not let it get absorbed in the door. Have you gotten these?
03-11-2008, 02:55 PM
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pdub I would have to look but there is a guy that built some fiberglass door speaker units on here. I would go find the thread but im a little busy Ill see if I can look it up though
sorry pdub the guy is not logner a member.....His name was Revomad and I cant find his post do to the invalid user
sorry pdub the guy is not logner a member.....His name was Revomad and I cant find his post do to the invalid user
Last edited by JRANGER; 03-11-2008 at 02:55 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
03-12-2008, 01:44 AM
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You could also get Second Skin's speaker tweakers, which isn't a full fiberglass enclosure but it is a rubber circle that you mount behind the speaker to help redirect the sound back out instead of it getting stuck in the door. I have pictures coming really soon that show the best way to get them in there considering we have the crash bars in our doors.
03-12-2008, 03:24 AM
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First a little forewarning. For whatever reason, I sucked at taking pictures today. I took plenty, but they all came out a little screwy. Okay, moving on.
Damplifier and Spectrum applied in trunk
Today was a looooooong day. I got what I thought would be the last of my Damplifier in, the remaining 80 Sq Ft; however I wanted 2-3 layers in the trunk and to seal off the quarter panels and I was left with none for the rear speaker deck or doors. So, I need another 40 Sq Ft of Damplifier and also 2 sheets of Overkill. Its amazing how fast this stuff goes when you want really thick coats and excessive amounts of coverage. :p Keep in mind that this is way beyond average application. This car will be nearly silent when driving without the system on, and we are also designing the dampening of the trunk to work with the box, maximizing the sound amplification and direction.
Just a quick side note, check out the difference in thickness between Overkill and Overkill Pro. The Overkill is on the left, Overkill Pro is on the right.
We kind of did everything all at once, a little here and a little there, but I'll throw the pictures out in a way that makes a bit more sense. First off...
Speaker Tweaker preparation
The speaker tweakers are designed to reflect the sound produced from the component's mid range speakers back out into the cabin of the car instead of having the backfiring sound lost in the door. It is intended to be mounted directly behind the mid range speaker by means of epoxying it to a sheet of Damplifier (which is included in the Speaker Tweaker set).
The problem us Cobalt owners face, as with some other car models, is we have two big steel crash bars running through the door, so there isn't a flat surface to work with. The solution is pretty simple, make the surface flat.
Here's how we did it.
This is what you start with: A door with the speaker removed and a big freakin bar in the way.
First, lay two strips of Damplifier between the bars. Since I plan on putting Damplifier all over the inside of the door, this just saves me having to do this one spot.
Next find some styrofoam and cut it to size. I used the protective styrofoam used to protect my amps when shipping. They were the perfect height and length, I just needed to shorten the width some. From the outer door to the inside of the bar was 1 1/8", so I trimmed the styrofoam down to that size.
Then place the styrofoam around the bar...
...and apply a square of Damplifier to pull it all together.
Now when we epoxy the speaker tweaker pad to the Damplifier pad it will be a flat surface.
On to the next accomplishment today...
Dampening the trunk
There really isn't much progress pictures needed since I think everyone gets how this stuff is applied now. But we got the entire trunk covered with 2-3 layers of Damplifier. Most of the wheel well was 2 layers, the drivers side is where the exhaust goes under, so that got 3 layers to dampen out the exhaust drone. The trunk side of the wheel wells got 3 layers, and everywhere else got 2 layers.
The trunk lid with as much Damplifier cover as I could muster (P.I.T.A!!!)
We also fully coated the lower brace for the rear speaker deck as this is hollow and would basically act as a tuning fork when the vibrations from the subs start.
I also learned that our air circulation vent is in the trunk, and it pulls the air over where the wheel wells are (which is why those rubber plugs are in the quarter panel), so that nixed the idea of filling that area with something as it would impede on the airflow.
Here is the trunk with the air circulation vent circled in white:
Since we realized we weren't going to be able to fill the wheel wells, we plugged the holes with the rubber stoppers and sealed it in with 2 layers of Damplifier. Here's the drivers side...
...and the passenger side.
Spectrum Spraying in the trunk
Before we sprayed the trunk with Spectrum we taped off any areas we didn't want sprayed and put newspaper over the rear speaker deck so nothing would spray up to the tinted windows. We also hung newspaper over the back of the trunk as we didn't want the Spectrum coating it. You'll see why later.
Last thing before we sprayed, we used the plastic gas/water barrier from the door as a nice cover to the trunk as we also didn't want to spray the trunk lid.
Spraying was pretty straight forward. It is so much easier to spray then it is to paint. With the recommended 80psi and the Second Skin spray gun and nozzle (~$25), the overspray is minimal, no more then a few inches.
Any areas that were too compact for us to get any Damplifier in we sprayed Spectrum in. We were very excited to see how well this worked. Coverage was excellent, we can't wait to hear the full effect in a month or so (Spectrum isn't fully cured for 30 days, so the best results will start appearing then).
Here is a few shots of the final coverage. Drivers side:
Center:
Passenger side:
And finally, from the cabin looking back to the trunk. Here is where you can see what I was referring to by taping off the back. This is so the bass will reflect off the back wall (which has 3 layers of Damplifier), amplifying the sound (even if only slightly).
And a shot to the right:
Now we are letting it dry another 36 hours and then we will be applying the Overkill Pro in strategic places.
Damplifier and Spectrum applied in trunk
Today was a looooooong day. I got what I thought would be the last of my Damplifier in, the remaining 80 Sq Ft; however I wanted 2-3 layers in the trunk and to seal off the quarter panels and I was left with none for the rear speaker deck or doors. So, I need another 40 Sq Ft of Damplifier and also 2 sheets of Overkill. Its amazing how fast this stuff goes when you want really thick coats and excessive amounts of coverage. :p Keep in mind that this is way beyond average application. This car will be nearly silent when driving without the system on, and we are also designing the dampening of the trunk to work with the box, maximizing the sound amplification and direction.
Just a quick side note, check out the difference in thickness between Overkill and Overkill Pro. The Overkill is on the left, Overkill Pro is on the right.
We kind of did everything all at once, a little here and a little there, but I'll throw the pictures out in a way that makes a bit more sense. First off...
Speaker Tweaker preparation
The speaker tweakers are designed to reflect the sound produced from the component's mid range speakers back out into the cabin of the car instead of having the backfiring sound lost in the door. It is intended to be mounted directly behind the mid range speaker by means of epoxying it to a sheet of Damplifier (which is included in the Speaker Tweaker set).
The problem us Cobalt owners face, as with some other car models, is we have two big steel crash bars running through the door, so there isn't a flat surface to work with. The solution is pretty simple, make the surface flat.
Here's how we did it.This is what you start with: A door with the speaker removed and a big freakin bar in the way.
First, lay two strips of Damplifier between the bars. Since I plan on putting Damplifier all over the inside of the door, this just saves me having to do this one spot.
Next find some styrofoam and cut it to size. I used the protective styrofoam used to protect my amps when shipping. They were the perfect height and length, I just needed to shorten the width some. From the outer door to the inside of the bar was 1 1/8", so I trimmed the styrofoam down to that size.
Then place the styrofoam around the bar...
...and apply a square of Damplifier to pull it all together.
Now when we epoxy the speaker tweaker pad to the Damplifier pad it will be a flat surface.
On to the next accomplishment today...
Dampening the trunk
There really isn't much progress pictures needed since I think everyone gets how this stuff is applied now. But we got the entire trunk covered with 2-3 layers of Damplifier. Most of the wheel well was 2 layers, the drivers side is where the exhaust goes under, so that got 3 layers to dampen out the exhaust drone. The trunk side of the wheel wells got 3 layers, and everywhere else got 2 layers.
The trunk lid with as much Damplifier cover as I could muster (P.I.T.A!!!)
We also fully coated the lower brace for the rear speaker deck as this is hollow and would basically act as a tuning fork when the vibrations from the subs start.
I also learned that our air circulation vent is in the trunk, and it pulls the air over where the wheel wells are (which is why those rubber plugs are in the quarter panel), so that nixed the idea of filling that area with something as it would impede on the airflow.
Here is the trunk with the air circulation vent circled in white:
Since we realized we weren't going to be able to fill the wheel wells, we plugged the holes with the rubber stoppers and sealed it in with 2 layers of Damplifier. Here's the drivers side...
...and the passenger side.
Spectrum Spraying in the trunk
Before we sprayed the trunk with Spectrum we taped off any areas we didn't want sprayed and put newspaper over the rear speaker deck so nothing would spray up to the tinted windows. We also hung newspaper over the back of the trunk as we didn't want the Spectrum coating it. You'll see why later.
Last thing before we sprayed, we used the plastic gas/water barrier from the door as a nice cover to the trunk as we also didn't want to spray the trunk lid.
Spraying was pretty straight forward. It is so much easier to spray then it is to paint. With the recommended 80psi and the Second Skin spray gun and nozzle (~$25), the overspray is minimal, no more then a few inches.
Any areas that were too compact for us to get any Damplifier in we sprayed Spectrum in. We were very excited to see how well this worked. Coverage was excellent, we can't wait to hear the full effect in a month or so (Spectrum isn't fully cured for 30 days, so the best results will start appearing then).
Here is a few shots of the final coverage. Drivers side:
Center:
Passenger side:
And finally, from the cabin looking back to the trunk. Here is where you can see what I was referring to by taping off the back. This is so the bass will reflect off the back wall (which has 3 layers of Damplifier), amplifying the sound (even if only slightly).
And a shot to the right:
Now we are letting it dry another 36 hours and then we will be applying the Overkill Pro in strategic places.
