: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Audio Install

Thanks to the team at Snake Pit who will be doing the installation on our Scion xD Community Project car. This page is dedicated to tracking the Audio install portion with the most recent updates on top.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Nov 20, 2007
 

New interior shots of the Scion xD:

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Oct 5, 2007
 

Updated pics from the crew at Snake Pit!

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Sept 26, 2007
 

Many of us have inspirations in our lives that make us strive for bigger and better.

The build is coming along strong, but if the pics show you anything, it's how much work it takes to build a professional quality show car. Around hour 32 the guys were lacking so much sleep that the Hershey Kiss aluminum foil idea sounded possibly like the greatest install EVER!!! However, being the pros they are, they continued to press on.

The guys have been workin� hard making this simple xD into something really amazing and we have to give the guys in the Pit some props here because they�ve been putting in long hours and weekends making this concept a reality.

Our hats go off to the Build Crew:
Bryian Sones
David Parhat
Derek Dawson

Thanks for all your hard work so far. We CAN"T WAIT to see the completed install in all its glory!

At this point the guys are in cruise-control mode and things are really moving along. The speaker pods that will hold the Orion 6 �� HCCA components.

In the doors, the team cut a pair of custom-fit speaker adapters for the 6.5" drivers. Not only do the custom-cut adapters make the new drivers fit perfectly, they also help deaden the driver once installed into the door's flimsy sheet metal.

Using a double-DIN kit and wiring harness adapter from Scosche, the Clarion MAX-675 easily dropped into the dash.

Big thanks to crew at Scosche for that and all the killer Accumat sound deadening that now covers just about every inch of sheet metal in the xD.

Moving to the back of the Scion, you can see we're now at the point in our journey where we move miles but it seems like we've only moved inches. The fiberglass is down, body filler has been applied, the fitment is looking good, and we're starting to lay primer.

One of the most time-consuming part to building a car of this caliber is the amount of prep work required before you can even consider shooting your first coat of paint. Really, the longest process to perfection is sanding...

And sanding.....

Oh, and just a bit more sanding.

Paint and vinyl will always show even the most minute imperfection in your work, so getting it as close to perfect is an absolute must!

And just when you think you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you turn and see four more pieces that need hours and hours of sanding. Not a problem for the Snake Pit Crew... We've almost reach that light. So bear with us, the primer is next and the end of the tunnel (SEMA!) gets closer and closer.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Sept 12, 2007
 

You know when things are going so well you just know a bomb is about to go off? Well, this bomb consisted of a five-gallon bucket containing ten gallons of�ah, you know where I�m going with this. We�ll get into that later.

Our fearless installers are well on their way to creating another masterpiece. Of course, one person�s noise is another person�s sweet-sounding SPL, so what exactly counts as �noise� to an SPL lover? In our world, the real bad guy is road noise. What better way to kill road noise than with Accumat sound-deadener by Scosche? Our guys are working diligently to line the entire CarDomain Scion with Accumat to keep the good vibrations in and the irritating sounds of the world out. Think of it as creating your very own little happy place.

As we push forward on the build, we taped off even more of the Scion, adding aluminum foil protect the paint and prep the panels for the fiberglass.

The amp rack is laid out and the fleece is all set for fiberglass.

Here, the side panels are receiving their first coats of glass resin, and the woofer rings are in place, waiting for their turn for a similar treatment.

We�re just happy that HR isn�t around this week, with all the fumes we�ve been making. Whoa, look at all the pretty colors�we can, like, see the music!

After getting some fresh air to clear our heads, we spent some time on the sub enclosure. Remember the five-gallon bucket? Well, trying to fit two of the 12� Orion HCCA subs into the back, we realized that we would need to stretch the xD enough to accommodate a couple of bodies. We decided to simplify our lives and get a couple 10� Orion HCCA subs in place of the 12�s to resolve our issue; so much for ten gallons of you-know-what.

So what can you expect in our next update? The Snake Pit Crew has to try and fit all of this somewhere in the little Scion. We�re not worried about it� they don�t call us pros.

Now, if we can just get Ryan at CarDomain to send us a Nitrous bottle, we�ll be all set. Wink, wink!

And just so you all know, the Pit Crew staff are just ordinary guys, but with some of the best training available in the world of mobile electronics. We wanted our fifteen minutes of fame, so here are some shots of us doing what we do best!

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Sept 10, 2007
 

The next set of build pics should be on its way. We have pics of the tweeter pods being built, the cover for the amp rack, and the rear enclosure for the HCCA subs.

There is also a video on its way of David Parhat cutting the metal rings for the sub enclosure with the plasma cutter. The subs are extremely heavy so metal seemed like the best way to go. It has been a challenge trying to fit two of those 12�s in the rear with the space that we have.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Sept 7, 2007
 

One of the first steps in any large install job is removing as much of the interior as needed and protecting the rest to avoid any kind of damage. Because this is a show car, and the Snake Pit crew is working under a tight schedule, the front bumper, fenders and hood were sent off to the crew at Extreme Dimensions to start prepping the body panels for an over-the-top body kit. For the guys at the Pit, this means one less thing to worry about damaging during the install, and less things to have to maneuver around when running power wires from the front to the rear of the car. Without fendors, hood, or bumper, all nooks and crannies in the engine bay are easily accessible.

Everything was removed from the trunk � rear seats, spare tire, cargo mat and cargo cover were pulled out to make way for an amplifier rack stuffed with two Orion HCCA D5000 amplifiers and a single HCCA 4800 with a pair of Orion HCCA 12" subwoofers stuffed into a custom fiberglass subwoofer enclosure. The rear door panels were left in place to make sure the rack design won't interfere with door closure and rear door panels were covered them with a plastic film and blue masking tape. The rear bumper was also given a similar treatment with a protective layer of tape and a terry cloth towel. You can tell the Snake Pit guys are true pros. When's the last time you walked into shop and saw your car so well protected?

In order to make sure the speakers and subs sound their best, a layer of Scosche Accumat will be applied all over the car's interior. To make the job easier, the Snake Pit Crew removed all the seats, panels, and carpet. The Accumat will reduce road noise and panel vibrations and add mass to wherever it's applied, ensuring a solid, dense, and quiet interior. After the Accumat is applied, the crew will run the Scosche EFX power, RCA and speaker wires and prep the doors for a set of HCCA component speakers that will be powered by the Orion HCCA 4800 amplifier.

Using square steel tubing. the Snake Pit Crew have assembled steel frames to mount the slew of Orion HCCA amplifiers. The horizontal steel bar you see here is the first step to constructing our amp rack. The Scosche battery sitting in the lower corner of the pic will allow the car to stay cranked all day (and all week!) at CarDomain's SEMA booth.

The Snake Pit have mocked up how the amp rack will eventually look, clamped it together, and are in the process of welding the frame into one rock-solid rack. The passenger side has already been welded together (which is why you don't see any more clamps) and the right side is in the process of being welded.

A few more touches will be applied, but here you can see the amp rack pretty much complete and ready for the next steps. In the rear and sides of the Scion, the Snake Pit guys have started laying down masking tape and aluminum foil to protect the car during the custom fiberglass subwoofer enclosure fabrication. The Pit Crew will apply glass to the sides and bottom of the hatch/trunk to maximize the amount of useable room for the enclosure.

Measure once, twice, heck even three times� Here the Snake Pit Crew has the first step of the custom subwoofer enclosure mocked up. To maximize the bass, the Crew will use all the available room in the rear of the car (the Scion xD is a fairly compact car, every little bit counts!). The enclosure will house the two Orion HCCA 12" subwoofers on either side of the rear hatch.

So as you can see, the install is really coming along, and it is going to be SICK! Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment. I know we can't wait!