My goal was to build a great sounding system to play my tunes and not loose functionality of the vehicle. I am not trying to let the neighbors know I have a loud system so I focused on sound quality instead but it has plenty of volume for my needs.

Well here it is, or should I say "What can Brown do for you" as Santa Clause drives a brown UPS truck this time of year. He brought me a 10" alpine type R sub, 6.5 MBQuart Reference speakers, 6.5 MBQuart Discus speaker, 600 watt mono alpine sub amp, and a 75x4 Alpine amp. Head unit was already installed several weeks ago but its an alpine 9847.



I decided to build my own box. This was due in part because every box I looked at really cut into the cargo area which would cause me to loose functionality.

Prep work for the project. Plastic, painter tape, and foil everywhere in case of spillage of fiberglass resin. Don't want to hose up my brand new ride.


Here is the back of the box completed and trimmed up. Put in the truck to test fit.


This is the box with the 5/8" mdf board glued into place. I did it with a hot glue gun and it worked great as hot glue sets very fast but gives you time to work. Make sure you fit the board up and glue it when the box is in the truck. I did not do that initially and had to cut the glue and reshape the board. This is important because if you glue it while out of the truck it will cause the fiberglass to flex and then it won't fit right.


After that was complete I stretched material over the top and front open sides, hot glued it in place and put resin on it. I then cut off all the excess material with scissors and a dremel tool with sander blade which was needed because the resin hardened the edges. I don't have pics of this but I covered the opens spaces only. Why cover the front of the box in material and have to apply resin it. That adds time and money as resin is expensive. After that I fiberglassed the material/resin covered areas on the inside and outside of the material since the material/ resin is pretty weak.

After that I sanded it down and bondoed the heck out of it to get it smooth and make her puuuurrrttyyy!! Lots of sanding!


Here is an install picture. The rear internal plastic cargo panel is not hard to remove. To truly remove it you have to take out the rear seat. I did not do that so I just flexed it a bit so I could get behind it. I sound deadened the heck out of the body metal behind it and ran 2 1/4x20 bolt though the cargo pane and though the box to hold the box in place. I then ran the speaker cable and bolted it all together. After that I caulked the heck out of the holes (created by bolts and speaker wire) so I could have a sealed enclosure.


Here she is installed and completed!

Here is a door that has the speaker installed and has been sound deadened with eDead.


Here is my regular amp installed under drivers side seat. I installed it onto a 1/4" thick plywood piece that I custom cut. I place a 2x4 on the side close to the door so it would level it out a bit and fit over the A/C vent that run under the seat.


Here is my sub amp and distribution block installed under passenger side seat. Mounted identically to the regular amp.


Here is a crappy picture of my crossovers for the MB Quart Reference speakers. Up under the dash on the drivers side there is a free space of bare metal on the inside of the quarter panel. I screwed in a 2x4 spacer with self taping metal screws and a 3/8" piece of plywood to make a mount for the crossovers. One thing to note is that all the power wires and such did not interfere with the crossover sound. I got lucky.


Here is the head unit.


That about does it. I ran my RCA signal cables around the door frames and my power wires up under the center console. To remove the center console just remove two screws on both sides near the floor on the very back edge. After that you pull up your emergency brake up as tight as it will go and you can lift from the back end. It won't come out but will give you access to run your wires.

Now I get to enjoy her. Only thing left to do is to sound deaden the rear hatch door.

Sorry so long winded.

Great job!

Now, can you make me one, too?

Looks great. Time and money permitting I have plans like that!

Wicked Pissa!!!

Nice!!!

Great job!!!! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!!

Great job! I've been avoiding fiberglassing my X, but you've inspired me by jumping right into it with your new 05. BUT I'M NOT CUTTING ANYTHING!!! lol, I'll wait another month or two before I start with all of that.

Thanks folks. I did this post not to brag (ok maybe a little) but to show what could be done with an 05x especially since not many people have done something like this to the 05s. All of the install work is easy to do with the exception of running your own wiring though the doors. Thats not too bad but its a real pain.

I like so many people was hessitant to rip into the interior of my brand new ride but after I got going it was not that bad. I have done installs before but this is the first time I have not used factory speaker wiring (ran my own) and my first fiberglass/wood sub enclosuere I have ever made. Key thing is to allow plenty of time and not rush it. Another tip: Expect problems. Example: I figured I could bolt in the rear 6.5" speakers to the doors with out adaptors. WRONG. Had to make some which took a bit of time because the fit has to be perfect or else the interior door panel won't go on correctly.

Lets see some other peoples systems?!!?

mtbcyclist,

Do your seats slide back and forth properly with the amps mounted under them? I had a small Alpine amp under my passenger seat and it blocked the seat from sliding on its track.

Nevermind, I just found the answer to my question. You have a 2005 which has more room under the seats.

I went and checked my 02 x and you have a hell of a lot more room. I was wanting to put a 10" JL w7, but I'd definately have to cut to do that. Oh, well, time to get busy.

not done with my fiberglass box but i'll post what i have currently

I didnt pop in the top tray just yet because im installing the PAC controller for my steering wheel to connect to my eclipse cd8455








tweeters for the dash...


my jl 450/4 did run longer than i thought, the rear floor mats have to lay over my amp a bit but still very clean and i like it. seats clear the amp fine. problems running wires back and forth and thru the doors. but got that done as well.

i'll post my sub in a week or 2 when the damn thing is done.

does that amp really fit under the drivers seat? i would hate to see people in the back kick it over and over again... i would put some sort of barrier up if it hangs out at all.

shit... sorry, i just saw your last post...

i would still build some sort of kick detourant.

just saw your post and the pics of your power wire for the amp. do you think you can show me where you stuck it through to get it to the inside from under the hood.

thanks adv.

If you are looking at the firewall (like the picture shows) there is a point in the far right hand side a few inches down from the top of the firewall where the vehicles wiring haraness passes though the firewall. I simply cut a small slit in the rubber boot and passed the power wire though it. I then caulked the slit in the rubber boot I made shut (obviously after running the power wire) with silicone house caulk so water would not get though the hole I made.

Snowboard guy: Your amp under the drivers side seat is way too small. You will never be able to here it. Oh and nice work!

Snowboardguy: You have the stereo controls on your wheel. Do they work now after you put in your new HU? Any thoughts.

They shouldn't work unless you get the PAC SWI-X adapter to allow for use with factory steering wheels with audio controls.

highly recommend what mtbcyclist said about slitting the boot and sealing it up.

HAHAHA...OK everyone...let me have it about the amp...i can take it...

they dont work after i installed everything.

and max6spd is right...must use the PAC SWI-X controller to get them to work. which i just bought 2 days ago.

ok i take that back...i probably cant take it ...im a sensitive guy...

here is a pic of the floor mats over it and a pic of how much the amp actually sticks out behind the seat...like i said, IT ISNT THAT BAD!!! ROAR!!!


just playing everyone...your my friends, your my friends... :rolleyes:

Hey MTB Contgrats on finally finishing it! Good job.

Here's a few pics of my amp installation under my front seats..

1. Driver's side 2ch amp


2. Passenger's side 4ch amp


3. Amps hidden when seats are in regular seating position


4. Height clearance on passenger's side



5. Height clearance on driver's side

mtbcyclist

Nice job dude i want something nice like that.i dont think ill cut anything probably just drop a 10 inch JL in a q logic box which shouldnt take that much room.But dude nice work.

snowboardguy

Good lord! Nice job very good job.I like those huge amps dude i never owned a JL amp i only owned there subs.JL subs are great let me know how those amps work out.
What series of subs are you gonna put on it?
Just go ahead and list all your setup im curious to calculate in my brain how its gonna sounds. I have 2 12 inch jl W6 in my 04 tundra getting pushed by a small fosgate (300W) amp and they still bumped like crazy!
Wish i could start working on my X 05 but it seems my wife and my daughter are in it more then me and i wouldnt want them going everywhere with so much equipment so im gonna stay basic NOT STOCK basic like mtbcyclist .

Good job guys keep it up.

Eclipse cd8455
diamond audio HEX s600s
diamond audio D361i
diamond audio D612D4 (traded a CM312D2, had to upgrade my sub due to the power of my mono amp)
JL audio 450/4 amp
JL audio 500/1 amp

JL amps are very good, IMO. no problems with them yet. their subs also hit very hard. i had a 10W0 in my little geo before and it was nice. I heard that diamond subs hit cleaner so I went with them instead.

good luck with your future install.

how do u take out the tweeters, on the window side

thank you

Had a special phillips head screw driver similar to one of these and it worked quite nice:


Got the speaker coves off with a utlity knife. Just stick the blade in the crack and pry up gently and they pop off very easy. If you decide to run your own wire for your new tweeters the dash it is VERY easy. Just get a bunch extra and start shoving it in the dash till it pops though the under side of the dash.

you can also use your fingers and finger nails. doesnt take much to get the tweeter covers off.

I see snowboardguy and mtbcyclist both replaced the front 6x9s for 6 and 6.5 components. Looks like there is only 1 mftr that makes 6x9 components (MB Quart) so I see why. Would with either (or both) of you elaborate on the process for modifying the 6x9 speaker pocket to accomodate a 6 or 6.5??

Also, where did you mount the crossoverS for front and rear speaker sets?

Thanks guys - your posts have been very helpful so far.

this is what i did for my front doors. I took the factory 6X9 and traced it onto some 3/4" MDF. cut a hole in the middle to accomidate your speaker. get some 2" screw with the same thread and your good.

If you look on the 1st page of this thread you will see that mtbcyclist has a picture of where he placed his front crossovers. thats where i put mine as well but the passenger side i placed high up over the floor area (where your feet would be if your sitting normally). you shouldnt have rear crossovers. if you run front components and rear components that would just be a lot of highs in your X IMO. juts gets some mids and your good there as well.

I don't have cross overs for my rear speakers. I purchased cheaper 2 way speakers to provide "fill" since you can't here them from the front anways and I rarely have passengers in the back.

fosgate has a set of 6x9 componenets. you can find them in crutchfield. i am assuming they are a version of the stock 05 units

I got the back speakers in over the weekend. Even though replaced with 6.5's I ended up having to fabricate a template to get them lined up. Was actually a lot more work than I anticipated (but I have not done this before). And no way am I going to try running new wires! Got lots of pics - will post once project is further along.

I am going to put front components in tomorrow night - is there any way to avoid running new wire for the tweeters/crossovers? Seems that factory front speaker wire must now go from HU to a factory crossover with two sets of wires going from factory xover to tweeter and door. Does anyone know where the factory tweeter and factory door speakers meet - I assume this would be at the factory crossover (if there is one). Best case would be that I leave all wiring as is and just mount the new crossover where factory crossover is. I see a lot of discussion about replacing the fronts and mounting the x-overs in the doors or under dash but not much about the wiring aspect of it.

Holy cow that's awesome.

I was just talking about making the same enclosure the other day to get rid of my bulky in the way box...but in my '03 there's a 6 X 9 right in the way there and I don't knwo what to do...

Great work!

svalldaybc,

I have the same problem....so I'm gonna remove the 6x9 (cause they suck anyway) and use the space for a SUB. Then I'll add 5.25" drivers in the rear doors.

Thats a good idea too. I had also thought about just running 2 10's and incorporating new 6X9's into the box...If they flush up like I would want them too it should work out nice...I'll keep an eye out for your ideas!

Go here:

http://www.cmcworld.net/#

That guy has an older X. He put rear speakers in the rear doors. I did not have too because the 05 X has rear speakers in the rear doors. He did a pretty sweet job too.

Thanks for the plug.

mtbcyclist or snowboardguy - what install kit did you use? I just installed an Alpine 9855 with a kit from Best Buy that turned out pretty bad. I wasn't able to get the trim plate on the Alpine either - your kits look much better. Any help is appreciated.

i used this...
scosche

you can buy it here or check out the local audio shops around your place.
car domain

Thanks snowboardguy - I checked Scosche website before posting but somehow missed this one.

What would happen if I replace the stock 6x9 in the front with my infinity 2 ways 6x9's that I had in my old Xterra and keep the tweeters in dash? I have all my speakers from my old X that I was going to install in the new 05 until I found out they reversed the order (bastards) of the speakers. So now I have a set of Infinity 6x9's and a set of Infinity 6.5 components that I donno if I want to use since I don't feel like fabricating pannels just to mount 6.5 in front when I have a 6x9 hole. So I was thinking why not just plop the 6x9 two way in and be done with it. Has anyone tried putting their seperates in the back door as in using 6.5 and a tweeter?

No problem there! I put Boston SL95's (6x9) up front, and left the factory dash tweeters as is. I was orginally gonna unplug the dash tweets 'cause I figured they would suck and detract from the sound. It actually sounded better with the factory dash tweets left "on" - so that's how I left it.

Only potential issue I see is that those 6.5" component speakers might be better than the 6x9 two-ways. Normally you want your best speakers up front, of course.

I say give it a shot...

Should work just fine but your 6x9s won't have any high frequency sound comming out of them effectively making them a one way speaker. Thats because the factory crossover will filter out all the high frequency sound out and send it to your factory dash tweeters.

Don't the factory crossovers only filter out low frequency to the dash tweeters, leaving the full signal going to the 6x9's?

Not sure on this, but I assumed that the dash tweets were the only thing affected by the "crossover" which I'm assuming is just a cheesy capacitor right on the tweeter. (in effect, a high pass filter only affecting that speaker)

I have not removed the dash tweeters so i don't know for sure. If what mtbcyclist says is true I gotta revisit my set up!!!

I'm not an electronics expert and I could be way off base on this, so I'm guessing mtbcyclist is right and I'm wrong on this??

He's right. Your 6x9s won't get any high end signal, because the xover will send it to the pillar tweets...effectively making the tweets in the 6x9 useless.

I think the pillar tweets sound like crap compared to the tweets in the aftermarket speakers. They sound like air hissing through a leaking box...and very dirty at high volume. It's your system, but you'll be hard pressed to get people to agree with the idea that the stock tweets sound good when you have components/coaxles in the doors.

-sky

Of the two dash photos we've got in this post, I see two different dash kits... one being the Scosche and I can't seem to figure out what the first member used? I'd prefer the one with the wider pocket (pictured first, below), anyone know what it is?:



This is the Scosche, and a slimmer opening for the pocket:

mtbcyclist I hate to say it but I have copied most of your install! I am almost done and have two questions re the sub box.

1. Do you know how many cubic feet the enclosure you made provides? Looks like the 10" type R I bought requires about .6 -- I was thinking I might need to drop down to an 8" but thought I'd check in with you first.

2. Any tips on brand of fiberglass - is there a kit that you recommend? Any other tips on working with fiberglass - I have never used it.

Dont worry about copying. I would have done the same but my I was one of the first 05 X owners so I had no body to copy. I just dived in and did it.

It provides about .6 +/- 10% which is within alpines range on the specs for a 10". I actually filled it with mulch to get a fairly accurate volume measurement. I use mulch cause that was all I had access to that was easy to work with. I suggest sand if to get an exact measurement. Make the box to an approximate measurement. If to big add a 2x4 chunk. If to small cut off on of the ends and re-do it. My advice is to keep the 10" as you have plenty of room. It will hit deeper and move more air. Combine it with a 600 watt alpine amp and it will shake the X. But if you truely want bass and love rap music you need two 10"s and 2 600 watt amps. I am very happy with my setup as I am not a huge rap fan. Its very loud and more importantly crystal clear. I literally hear stuff in music I never head before.

Walmart baby!!! Got all my stuff from there. If you can find a marine place where you can buy a gallon of resin I would suggest that. You may get a better price on a larger quantity. Just do a price comparison.

There used to be a few very good web sites that showed "how to" but I just checked them and they are not online anymore which stinks because they helped me a bunch.

Do you need a quick how to? If so I will post a seperate "how to" in this section since the online resources I used (which rocked) on the web do not seem to exist anymore (sucks).

Just thought I would add a few pics of my system which I just finished up last week. I covered the Amp Rack and Sub Box with a faux suede, however my technique was less than perfect so there are a few wrinkles. I may end up re-doing it with speaker carpet. I knew that I wasn't going to paint it so I just sanded things smooth, but not smooth enough for a good paint job. A great site for fiberglass work and help is Glassman\'s Custom Forum I pretty much used this site to teach myself how to build my system, which was my first.

daaaaanmmm!!! is that a 15" sub?

nice work tho

mtbcyclist, check your PM's... you've got one from me. thanks!

Yep, it an Orion H2 15.4 4 ohm dual voice coil rated for 2000W RMS 2500 peak. Thanks for the thumbs up.

Holy sheeiitt!! That is a BFS (bit freakin speaker!)

I thought my single 10 ratled my X pretty good. That one probably rattles the rear view mirror off.

Nice work!

Thanks MTB. It's got a lot of power to it. I'm driving it with an Orion 8002 in bridged mono, 800W RMS at 4 Ohms. I don't dare turn my headunit up past halfway, it just too damn loud. But I wanted a system that would impress visually just as much as it does audibally. Orion stuff is not as popular as JL, Alpine, etc. but you'll find it at a lot of competitions. I have an Orion 4004 driving all of my separates: Orion 6.5's in the front door factory location, JBL tweeters in the front pillars, JBL 6.5's in the rear doors and Clarion tweeters above the rear seatbelts. The sound stage kicks ass, and the orion is driving it all at 100W x 4 at 2 Ohms. Surprisingly the Sub really doesn't drown out the mids or highs. I just want to get a remote gain control for the sub amp so I can crank it up when the urge arises and I'll be done with the system in this truck. That is until I get the double din DVD/Navigation unit that Kenwood makes!!

Hey we'll have to hook up in a few weeks. I'll be moving from Pittsburgh to Raleigh (Wendell to be exact) at the end of August. I'll be leaving behind a great club in the Western PA Xterra Club that I started 5 years ago so I'm going to hopefully start another club in the Triangle after I get settled in.

Brian

Sounds good to me. Send me a PM or post out here when you move down here to Raleigh.

mtbcyclist - how did you get the netting out of the way - did you cut it out or is there a way to remove without destroying?

Also - any specific tips on how to pull the rear panel out? I have the service manual but it is not very helpful.

BTW - I am chickening out on the fiberglass for now. I am trying to do an MDF box but not sure how its going to turn out.

I destroyed it. My system is permant. I buy vehicles I really like and keep them forever so I really did not care what happened to it.

1. Remove the cargo rail. When you do that use the right size screw driver and a lot of weight behind it because if you don't you will strip it and then you are hosed.

2. There are 2 (or three screws) you must remove. One is where the roll out cargo cover goes. One is under a small cap that must be popped off near the rear hatch. I can't remember if ther is another one because I am not looking at my X right now.

3. Pull forcefully but gently and it will come off.

**** This does not remove it but allows you to get behind it. If you truely want to remove it you must take out the rear seat. I did not do that and worked around it.

Fiberglass is not that hard. I am a first timer at it and look what I did. Just take your time and ask for pointers. If you need other advice just ask.

Thanks mtbcyclist - as always great advice.

My thoughts on the enclosure are to go with MDF and then finish out with fiberglass, e.g., smooth out the edge from the MDF to the body panels with fiberglass/bondo. Hoping this ends up being easier than your project - and while I am learning about fiberglassing I will have an operational MDF box - which may not look great but should sound great.

Here's a snapshot of what I got done today:



As you indicated - there is plenty of volume available for a 10" - I will probably have to add sand as you suggested to get bring volume down to .6

This is probably a really dumb questions but, When you screw the amp to the floor,how are you doing that? Are you drilling holes in the floor and screwing the amp into it? If so, what do you do to prevent any rust and so forth?

Also, the crossovers? How do people affix them inside a door? Do they use 2 sided tape?

if the screws poke through to an area exposed to elements, use some silicone. As for xovers, I try not to mount them in the door, as the moisture is bad for them. Try to get them inside your dash someplace, and pull 4 (instead of 2) wires into the door. If you must mount them in the doors, double sided tape, zip ties, and small screws all do the trick.

Covering them with a plastic bag is a good idea if you insist on putting them in the doors.

Cross over in door = bad idea. Weather, pounding of door being slamed etc.

Look at my crappy picture. Its aginst the drivers side front quarter panel up under the dash. There was a bit of bare metal I mounted them. Kind of a pain in the arse to do it but it turned out very good. Out of site and out of mind, and not in the door. It may not work if you have anthing but an 05 X.

^true...tons of room there, thats where i have mine mounted at as well.

plus its even more of a bitch to run two speaker wires thru the door if you place your crossover in the door. the tweeter being located on the dash would have to run to the door just to get to the crossover.

For what its worth - I put the x-overs under the driver seat along with the 4 ch amp. All items that may need adjustment are all in one spot. I'd post a picture but its in shameful condition right now - mine is one of those ongoing install projects!

HA!! tell us about it.

its ok. post up pics...dont know if you can top the pictures that are on the 1st page of this thread.

^Bump^

Figured I would get this thread back at the top of da list since I see a lot of folks are thinking about putting 10" subs in there Xs. 10" w/ 600 watts RMS of alpine power rocks! Its all ya need unless you want to let the neighbors down the street know you are comming home or you like the rap that shakes yer brain bucket (aka skull!)

n2 or mtbcyclist:

im creating a custom box for my 00, to house my 10" solobarric L7. So, Ive got two questions.

1. Ive already got 2 thin layers covering 90% of my box. Is this thick enough? If not how thick should I go?

2. When mounting up the box, how did you attach it to you body and interior?

I attached to the interior plastic. Used two bolts comming from the back side of the plastic though the box. I placed large washers out behind the plastic to displace the stress on the plastic a bit. I then ran the bolts to the inside of the box where I used a couple of lock nuts and washers to finish it off. I then caulked it with silicone house caulk to seal it up.

If I did it again I would put a bolt though the floor too because when I hit large bumps it sounds like it is shaking the box pretty bad since that sub is a lot of weight. Hard to tell but I am going to sit back there and see if it is really shaking it when my wife drives it over a bumpy road. If it is I am going to remove my sub from the box and bolt it to the floor.

As far as thickness I think I did about three. When I was done it was pretty darn strong.

Other then the bolt throught he floor issue it has worked out great. Good luck.

To increase your thickness without haveing to add more chop mat you can buy a can of the 404 thickener from a West Marine store, it's like $11 for a can and is enough to mix with a full gallon of resin. It's a powder you add to the resin the thicken it up. After cutting out the opening for your sub just mix the powder with the resin to a nice thick consistency then add your MEKP. Pour it into the enclosure and start spreading it around paying attention to the corners and where the sub will mount to. Do this in several layers and you can make your box up to an 1" thick. I did mine to 3/4". This is a lot cheaper and less of a PITA than adding layer after layer of chop may. Not too mention you don't have to worry about it looking pretty since it will all be on the inside of the box. just my .02.

Brian

For those who are interested -- I finally finished building and carpeting my sub box. It fits directly into the pocket on the passenger side just past the wheel well.

As you can see I went with MDF rather than fiberglass - not for any reason other than I just don't have any experience working with fiberglass.

I was able to get .7 cubic feet out of this enclosure - just above the .65 that is optimal for a non-ported enclosure for Alpine Type R 10" subs. The system sounds incredible - I can't say enough about the sound coming out of my Alpine system.

Anyway - here are the pics.

Nice work. Did not think a wood box would look that good but I was wrong.

To increase your thickness without haveing to add more chop mat you can buy a can of the 404 thickener from a West Marine store, it's like $11 for a can and is enough to mix with a full gallon of resin. It's a powder you add to the resin the thicken it up. After cutting out the opening for your sub just mix the powder with the resin to a nice thick consistency then add your MEKP. Pour it into the enclosure and start spreading it around paying attention to the corners and where the sub will mount to. Do this in several layers and you can make your box up to an 1" thick. I did mine to 3/4". This is a lot cheaper and less of a PITA than adding layer after layer of chop may. Not too mention you don't have to worry about it looking pretty since it will all be on the inside of the box. just my .02.

Brian[/QB][/QUOTE]

Ive been using the stuff from the start. Im up to a 1/4" inch, think im gonna stop at that. About to attach my Wood panels to it now, a la N2(kinda ripped off his design).
My next question is, when I attach the mdf and cardboard tubing (for curved edges), should I FG it or just pour in the mix with the thickener?

Well, this thread and N2's page have helped me greatly. I am almost done with the box and will be posting pics soon. But I have 2 remaining questions.

1. The box is 3/8" thick minimum for FG should I bring this up to 1/2", 5/8", or is it not worth it and leave it as is?

2. When bolting into the floor, should I tap the holes and bolt direct into the body/floor or should I drill and just use lock nut and bolt?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pburgh:
[QB]Of the two dash photos we've got in this post, I see two different dash kits... one being the Scosche and I can't seem to figure out what the first member used? I'd prefer the one with the wider pocket...anyone know what it is?:



I would also really like to know the brand of this dash kit and where it can be found... thanks

I have the one in the pic above. Don't remember the manufacturer but I got it at Tweeter, it was in stock for about $25. It's a tight squeeze but it works fine.

EDIT: More pics of it here: http://www.xterraownersclub.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=38;t=002715#000000

Got mine from Best Buy. Not sure of the brand.

If you got it from Tweeter, it's an American International.

Just a heads up on thickening the walls on a glass box, you can just use bubble gum mix, not too much hardener because it can crack. Moves so slow that you can spread it evenly along the surfaces of the walls without pooling or dripping. It's fast and effectively eliminates thin spots and leaks in the box.

I just finished having my system installed today. I went with a kenwood head unit with the Ipod dongle in the place where 99% of you guys have your 4x4 knob Replaced the components with Ifinity Kappas. The back doors I had to use 6" and an adapter. I can't believe no one has done this yet but my amp (RF 8002) is in the storage bin under the cargo floor. Clean install, it's out of the way and no can see it to steal it lol. taking up my cargo area (for now, till I get back from Iraq and can build some side boxes) is my big box with two infinity 12" subs.

This setup totally deafens me when I drive with it turned up at all. Sounds great at normal volume levels. I'm totally happy with it. Can't wait to get rid of the big box in the back. I'm really impressed with you guy's ingenuity building those custom boxes on the side. Does anyone know how much volume you need for a 12" sealed box? I'd like to put one on each side like you guys did, facing inboard, so I still have room in the back for gear and stuff.

People have thought of this. I know I have, but I'm concerned about the heat buildup since there's no ventilation in there. Your amp may burn up and crap out.

I thought about the heat issue, and have opened it up after a while of driving and yes it's warm but both sound techs that installed it said it wasn't too hot... and lol they have the warranty through their shop so if it goes I get another one and will mount it elsewhere!!

I actually cut a couple vent holes in the back of the plastic for ventilation...

thats not too bad...
nice

Does anyone know if you can located the factory crossover on the 05? I want to run an amp to the doors but i really don't feel like fishn wires. My thought was i could replace the factory crossover with new and keep the fac wires. Any thoughts would help

Wow, great job!

Tutt15923 -- Good luck... That was one of the reasons I ran my own wires. Did not want to rip into the dash to get to the cross overs. I can tell you one thing, they are not in the doors as I have had the doors apart (obviously).

I wanted to do a set-up like this, but with 10's on both sides instead of just the one.
I am going to get a new head unit, subs, and mono amp. I don't have the money for upgraded speakers yet.

Question is... How will the stock speakers handle a head unit pushing upwards of 50W?
I'm still unlear of exactly which head unit I want, but the ones I'm looking at have between 22-50W/channel.

I'm assuming I can put 6.5's in the passenger doors of my '04 X. Until I can afford speakers, I might just go with fronts and no rears. (sucks for rear passengers!!!)

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm new to the X scene.

Thanx!!!

Nevermind...
Just traded the X for a 4x4 Frontier.
THanx anywayz...

First of all cool install, I like the original look of the sub looks like it belongs there. I see your install included 6.5 speakers. Where they a perfect fit for the front/rear door or did you have to cut into the door or use any mods? response appreciated

I believe that's a metra dash kit. It looks upside down to me but I guess that's just personal preference.

Could not tell you what brand it is but I purchased it and my deck installation stuff at Best Buy. There really is no upside down or right side up, but as you mentioned its a matter of preferance.

91Trojans: I did not have to modify the door at all. I did have to make custom adaptors out of plywood so the speakers would fit in to the stock door openings. Not that hard to do if you have a jig saw and a dremel tool.

I'm kinda in the same boat with the sub cutting into cargo space. Right now it's just bungy corded to the hook tracks until I need to undo it for space. Consider making and selling boxes?

Hello guys, one question. why is everybody replacing the 6x9 with 6 inch speakers? arent 6x9 supposed to be better?

It would have been a hell of alot easier and cheaper to buy the Xterra with the Fosgate system... it absolutely sounds perfect and after adding the Ipod interface I have 30GB of music all controled from the stock head unit and perfect sound! Sure beats spending thousands of dollars and sounds just as good!!! Just some good advice for those ordering or thinking about buying a new X

It's always neat when someone can dig up a 6 month old post to make themselves feel better about their purchase. It's great that you are happy with your stereo but digging up a 6 month old post just to blather some crap about how it doesn't compare to your stock stereo is moronic.

Comparing your stereo system to this one is well, no comparison. Power, clarity and functions are far beyond what yours or any other stock system has to offer. Just take the paper speakers out of your doors and compare them to any quality speaker. Oh and while you have the door panel off, can you let me know where the crossovers are set at?

Then open up your sub panel and watch it vibrate at differnt frequencies and watch what happens when it becomes overpowered with some great double kicked base. The stock system is really nice for a stock system, but when you are talking about an infinately tunable aftermarket system it can't keep up.

Out of genuine curiosity, are you able to controll all iPod related functions with the interface on the RF unit such as playlists, artists, songs ect. ?

I'm able to do the same iPod functions on my Eclipse CD5000 iPod interface, along with a 7 band EQ , DSP, and 8V preouts. Then there is the area shot, display functions, color changes and ....well...I haven't figured it all out yet.



Neato huh?

It looks as though you may not have room to slide the seat forward/back. Install looks very good.

I actually have PLENTY of room to move seat forward and backward.... that is not even an issue with my install.

Gregory Weiss- No reason to throw mud at everybody in here who likes high end stereo stuff. For what its worth I bought the low trim level of X and put my own high end stereo system in it and came out ahead money wise versus buying an X with a fosgate system in it. What did I lose by doing this? prettier gages, fog light and a sunglass holder? Big deal. What did I gain? A sound system that will absolutely SMOKE the fosgate system. I have done a few installs in my time, but none as nice as the one I just did and when I first listened to it with my old favorites, I was like "wow" never heard that in that song before. Goes to show you what a good sound system will do for you old favorites as well as new tunes you like.

Bottom line: Fosgate is a great system for what it is, but for the money you can do much better IF you do your own install.

Not one of the greatest or straightest pictures ever taken, but here a shot of my udgraded system, no rap listen to in this X 100% Rock & Roll / Heavy Metal. Sounds Amazing.
2 -12" 2006 Kicker L7's
Orion HCCA 2400D Sub amp
1.5 farad cap.
Not shown:
4 channel SoundStream Reference 604
2 Memphis M-Class M-6.5's(fronts)
2 Memphis M-Class M-4x6's(rear) modified no 6x9s
Rockford Fosgate Tweets
Pioneer 860mp Headunit
Pioneer GEX-920XM SDR (XM Radio)

you should make your own thread instead of pulling one up that was last posted on last year

Hi all, I just wanted to show some pics of my recent fiberglass backed box that was inspired by this post. My system as it sits now has: alpine cd/mp3 deck, front speakers: Alpine type S 6.5" (perfect fit) rear speakers: Alpine type S 5 1/4" speakers mounted into the rear door panels (removed the factory 6x9's as the sub box now covers the place where one of them was) Amp: Alpine MRP-M450 Mono Sub amp mounted under passenger seat, and sub: Alpine Type S 10" mounted in custom built box, covered with Herculiner as my vinyl job looked like crap and was not very durable.