I just wanted to thank everyone that helped me with my install / stereo questions. I finished my little project yesterday and am now just tuning the system to my liking.
A quick summary of what I did and lessons learned along the way:
(1) Already had an previously installed an Alpine 9856 headunit and iPod
(2) Memphis Audio MCH600 5 channel amplifier
(3) Memphis Audio 6.5 M Class components front
(4) Memphis Audio 6.5 M Class coaxials rear
(5) Memphis Audio 12" M Class subwoofer in a ~1 cubic ft. sealed box
(6) eDead80 sound deadening
I ran the rca cables (2 sets) down the center tunnel on the drivers side.
I ran a 4awg power line through the grommet on the passenger side of the firewall that also has my boost line / vacuum line as well as my oil pressure and temperature wires. I ran the power line along the side (under the carpet and plastic trim pieces) -- it is completely hidden and there are no bumps.
I ran the ground, also 4awg to the center bolt that holds the rear seat back down. I did sand the paint off around the bolt hole and was able to get a nice ground < 0.2 ohms with the cable.
I mounted the front crossovers under each respective front seat and ran the speaker wires along the tunnel and then over to the crossover (under the carpet) -- relatively easy since the carpet is really not held down by any glue. From the crossovers, I ran the speaker wires along the sides, up through the door and up the A pillar. I was a tad concerned about running the speaker wire through the door, but it really was rather straight forward with a coat hanger -- my recommendation is to start inside the car and push the the rod / hanger through the door boot, tape the wires to the hanger, and then pull through....
I wanted the system to be very clean / stealth, so I used the factory tweeter location (and so far have the tweeters set to -5 db) -- I don't like overly bright systems. Mounting the tweeters on the A pillar was a pain for me to get perfect, but is possible with patience -- I wanted the tweeters to align perfectly with the grill. I used an epoxy to hold the tweeter to the A pillar -- I hope it holds, but if not I can screw the tweeter to the pillar. (The only reason I did not go that route, was that I had trouble drilling the pillar and decided to test the epoxy
. )
For all of the woofers, I made a 1/2 MDF spacer / baffle. Installing the fronts was straight forward, but the rears were a real pain in the neck
. Basically I had to trim the factory plastic grill to get it back on and screwing the speaker / MDF down to the rear shelf is a really pain as there is very little space (with the rear window in place) to screw the rear two bolts.
I made an amp board and just free handed the shape to closely match the contours of the trunk. I also screwed in a piece of MDF to the cross-member behind the rear seats, so I could screw the amp board to something. (An obvious note -- don't cut MDF inside the car as it will likely spew dust everywhere and smoke up the car -- dohhhhhh!!! )
As far as sound goes -- unreal with the car off. The speakers are so clean and smooth. I enjoy music, but don't go nuts when it comes to equipment -- generally get stuff in the Boston Acoustic, Klipsch, Velodyne category. I honestly believe the Memphis Audio M Class speakers are in the same league or better than the Boston Acoustic Pro stuff. Bottom line, I am very happy with how the car sounds. I preface all of this with the fact that this is with the car off -- the noise of the exhaust just ruins acoustics IMHO and is a big issue with me right now -- fed up with the loud droning exhaust. I am going to drive the car today and will know how much the sound deadening helped with the loud exhaust, but I doubt it will address that issue. That said, there are no rattles when cranking the system beyond levels at which I could bear....
I still need to secure the subwoofer box.
(Sorry for no pictures...I have plenty, but have not yet reduced their size so as to be able to post...PITA...I'll post pictures later...)