I SOLD THIS RIDE. REPLACED IT WITH A 2001 HONDA ACCORD EX V6

Not that I want to be a "ricer" or anything. I just love my Camry for its reliability, and wanted a great car. And it truely is a great car. Amazing.

But this car will remain on here for ya'll to enjoy. Too bad that I sold it to a pair of 16 yr. old brothers that lived down the street, then three weeks later one of them hit a deer, left the road, rolled the car several times... fuckin' totaled it. He spent two weeks in the hospital and forgot where he was a couple times, but thanks to the strength and size of the 5th he lived and is doing fine now. Still, a sad end to this great car. It had a lot of years left in it.

pAge oNe: intro
pAge tWo: sound system design
pAge tHreE: pics of it all
pAge fOur: ramblings and rants
pAge fiVe: *******updates*********

On the left is the car in March '02 and the right is June '04 - 30k mi. later. The lower left is Oct '04 at 110k, and the lower right is February '05 at 120k.

Bought everything new to install in this car. Alpine 7874 running things up front. That stereo signal is sent to an Audio Control EQL, which provides all the necessary tuning. I am utilizing an Xtant 403A to run all the speakers in the car. That beauty handles everything very well. Rockford Fosgate speakers throught the car, and three MTX 10" in their proper enclosure. Custom amp rack houses the amplifier on the drivers side of the trunk and hides a .5 Farad cap. Sirius tuner is also hidden. This allows for a more function trunk space. I also fabricated a cover for the tire well in the bottom of the trunk. A door opens, which allows access to the spare tire and tools. Everything is carpeted in charcoal grey.

Due to the distances I drive, this is not a racer, nor a wanna-be. It's exactly how I want it. Stealth, comfortable, and enjoyable. Accent lighting is the only external mod I will invest in. Mainly because I can shut off the attention it attracts.

Here's a list of repairs or upgrades:
-Tires (Goodyear Regatta II)
-Front Struts (Monroe)
-Rear Air Shocks (Monroe)
-Brakes
-Power Steering Sector (transfers angular velocity to lateral displacement, in short)
-One rear wheel bearing (not sure why)
-Radiator
-Optima Red Top battery
-Alternator (165 amp)

Pictured is the Alpine 7874 head unit and the Sirius satellite radio display. I switched from a Blaupunkt Hamburg in order to keep the illumination in the car green. I fabricated the mount for the Sirius display, which utilizes a factory trim screw. Page 2 goes into features of this equipment.

Some people ask "Why a 5th ave?" Well, here's a couple reasons. I was shopping on a deadline and i drive about 3000 miles a month, so comfort was #1. I also wanted to do something different. In fact i hadn't considered a 5th ave until i saw this one for $2400 at a local dealership. (Kelly Blue Book is $4100) Obviously a trade in from a elderly couple. The nice thing about buying older low milage cars in WI is that at least when they're driven here, they're at highway speeds, unlike some city cars. It is a very well made luxury car. It rides like a dream and is freakin solid. It's not a cheap compact and it's in a league above the GM crap cars. I looked at park ave's but they depreciate quickly and are not as well rounded as this 5th ave. I'm speaking from years of experience with all types of GM autos. Ford and Chrysler can make crap also. You know what they are. I looked at caddys, but i'd have to go pre 1990 deville with a built 350. caddy's are hella pricy and tough to work on. Just like a chrysler. I should have researched that. I was looking to go Pontiac. And i'm always looking for that special Trans Am for sale. I'm a huge fan of 68-71 and 75-78. So sad to see the bird die. There is no replacement. 95-02 are pretty slick though. my wife and I will have a bird someday. Hell, I grew up in a 77 Formula with the 6.6L, if my mom didn't have to drive it, it would have been a T/A. But, my budget narrowed the field. I own 3 other vehicles (88 Ford Ranger 4x4, 88 Chevy S10 Blazer 4x4, 98 Toyota Camry), and this car contrasts the others quite well. With a much larger budget i would have looked at Audi, Infinity, BMW, etc... Course, money influences most of our decisions.

Anyway, I've put 50,000 miles on her now and I am very happy. I wanted to feel the car out b4 i did to many customizations. Accent lighting is my next goal, but I am really trying for a stealth ride here. I want people to just walk by it in a parking lot and not notice. That is my main reason for not putting on rims. Also, i just got new tires for the stock 14" wheels (i'd want to replace them with 16's) so in two years when these tires go i'll either sell her (i'll be outta skool then) or take it to the next dimension of pimp. ha! but i think that makin' her glow would be worth it.
I have graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville with a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering. My schooling hasn't taught me anything about audio specifically (besides amplifier design and build, transmission line theory, etc), all I have learned about audio and audio theory I have studied and experienced on my own time, for about 8 years now. Electrical Engineering is, for my emphasis anyway, the design of electronic circuits or power systems, digital and analog. Building the circuits is also required, as well as a vast knowledge of digital logic systems, but what sets it apart from all other electronic fields is the design. I'm not given schematics to build. I am given project guidelines and it's up to me to do all the design calculations, choose the appropriate components, build and test. All while managing several projects for different customers at one time. So i'm proficient in building all types of circuits, analog or digital. Which is really why I became a EE.
*************I graduated! I have a job with an engineering consulting company in my hometown of Moline, IL (in the Quad Cities!)*****************

But back to the car.

This ride has a host of factory options that not many vehicles have:
1. self closing trunk
2. automatic load leveling system for rear air shocks
3. full leather uber plush seating
4. more rear legroom than ANY car i have been in (60's-70's boats excluded)
5. heated mirrors
6. alarm with starter interrupt
7. factory wheel covers require a special key for removal (keeps my sweet Goodyear Regatta 2's out of thieves hands)
8. turning lamps (illuminate the side of the road when the turn signals are on)
9. suspension is a comination of performance and ride comfort (new Bosch struts and new tires helped)
10. No interior panels are just plastic. everyting is covered with felt this greatly reduces wind noise with the windows down
11. rear windows go completely down
12. driver and passenger have 10-way power seats
13. seat memory on drivers seat
14. 3.3L V6 was largest offered, didn't have the crap chrysler turbo. plenty of power to haul the sled over 100mph smoothly while averaging 24mpg city/hwy.
15. i repeat, 100 mph is extremely smooth, feels like 60 mph.
16. factory speaker locations provide optimal imaging and keeps the sound stage above the front passengers knees, while allowing for quality components, not oval junk.
17. purchased with 70K miles, just turned 110K, rust free outside, tear free inside. it's freakin' mint man!!
so how many of these slick options does your ride have?
Anyway...

************Update 04/06/04****************
I finished installing LED's in the interior of my car! I have pics up on page 6. they look amazing! on the audio side, I'm keeping the rockford 5.25" coaxials in the doors. i installed rockford 3.5" coaxial in the dash. they gave me a nice center image. With the LED's finished in the interior of the car, I went on to the trunk lighting. And i'm designing a custom swithing system that will also allow me to make 'em strobe with the beat by utilizing a spare deck pre-out. those electronics will be mounted in the overhead light since i don't have a message center. i have 18ga 4-conductor wire which will be fine since the LED's require so little current! OF COURSE, the entire trunk will be redone, and i'm planning on having a full-size spare, since i live in BFE and drive so damn much. A balance of form and function is my goal. After sound of course!! Oh so little time.
I would also like to utilize my microprocessor board that I had to use for a class. At $90 (w/ LCD) the 8051 Board is quite flexible! I could use it as a brain for all kinds of electronic functions, such as alarm, lighting,) etc... We're also learning communication theory and application, and I designed and built a delta modulator to modulate our voice (from a mic) to a carrier frequency so we can transmit it, then recieve, demodulate and amplify. all for a lab project. And I took first place at the Engineering Expo held at the university! the $100 in prize money funded a half barrel of Leinenkugel's Red, and a hell of a party.

************Update 06/30/04****************
I swapped the factory load-leveling shocks (>$600) for monroe air shocks (<$100), with the ability to control the inflation/deflation in my seat to be added soon. I am really happy with the results. I saved myself over $130 by doing it myself, and I've learned more about the car. Now I have the ability to control how the car sits. If you look closely in the newer pics you can see that the rear is a bit lower than the front. Now the rear can sit even or a bit higher than the front (Top center pic at 60 psi). This puts more of the car's weight on the new $400 front struts, in turn, improving the ride. There will be a whole page devoted to this when finished.