Well, the install is complete! Here is the final look! Tools I used: Masking Tape Tape Measure Writing Utensil 10mm Socket 17mm Socket 18mm Socket 19mm Socket Torque Wrench Utility Knife Phillips Screwdriver 2†Hole Saw Reciprocating Saw File Door Panel Removal Tool If I forgot anything I will add it later. Believe it or not, the install is pretty straight forward. Start with the tear down, making sure to take your time to locate all the screws that must be removed. It does make the job easier if you remove ALL the interior rear panels. The one overhead panel and the side panels above the quarter window are only held in by clips, so use gentle tugging to remove. To remove the interior quarter panels you will need to remove the rear speaker covers, the seat belt at its anchor point (19mm), and the cushion on each side of the rear seat back. Be careful when removing the side cushions. They are held in place by a bolt at the bottom (10mm) and a metal clip. Once the bolt is removed, grab the top of cushion to make a narrow gap (DO NOT FORCE IT), then use your finger or a screw driver inserted from the side to push the top of the metal tab down far enough to pull the cushion away from the body. See picture below of the clip. Before I removed the screws from the side panels I placed some masking tape as pictured, 12 inches apart on the vertical and about 4 inches apart on the horizontal. I then put tape on the body so I would know where the panels line back up in relation to the body and the brace. After the interior side panels are removed, remove the insulation covering the mount area. Be careful as these insulators are molded but it is still possible to tear them (I know, because I did). Each one has a Christmas tree fastener holding it on. This is where the door panel removal tool comes in handy. After the insulation is removed, install the cross brace as the directions that came with it indicate! Reassembly is the FUN part! Probably the best advice I can give for this part is to do one side at a time. The reason for this is so you can learn from your mistakes (if you make any). Start with installing the insulation. You will have to use your best judgment on where to cut. You can use pictures as a guide. I started with the top cut first, then the bottom, then a cut from top to bottom. Think of an “H†lying on its side. Then I cut all the way to the bottom of the insulation. Kind of hard to explain, but it should be more apparent when actually doing the install. After measuring and re-measuring several times I took the plunge and using the 2†hole saw, made a hole. To get the top and bottom measurement, I measured inside the car to the top of the forward cross bar and then the panel. For the side to side measurement, that is where the vertical strips of come in handy. I really wish I could provide more guidance on this, but you need to measure everything to make sure you get it right. It is not that hard, but you have to take it slow and measure 5 times before you cut once! The attached pictures should serve as a guide. The reason for the 2†hole is because I wanted to make sure I had enough room to get panel back in place. After the holes were drilled I used the reciprocating saw to cut a vertical line from the bottom of each hole, down to the bottom of the panel. To test fit panel I place in vehicle with the interior of panel facing up, worked the panel over the brace, then test the fitment with the holes cut. As you may be able to tell in one or two of the photos, one of the panels holes are slightly more off then the other side. I did use some pipe insulation to fill the gaps left around the cross brace. After making sure each side fit properly, I reinstalled everything in reverse order. For those that want to know how much room is between the brace and floor it is about 4 inches. For those with the kicker subwoofer, the distance from the back of the seat to the forward crossbar is about 8 inches. Total time spent from start of tear down to completion of reassembly was about 6 hours. It could probably be done faster, but I wanted to be sure I limited the damage done to the panels as they are probably pretty expensive to replace if you mess up. Feel free to post up with any questions or anything I can elaborate on.
Hey bro, didn't realize you were over here too. Well I replied on the OC but I will say it again here too ... CONGRATS, LOOKS GREAT!!! NICE JOB!!! Now, how's the handling/ride??
I will let you know on the handling as soon as it drys out a bit. Not sure where in Nor Cal your at, but here in Cen Cal it has been raining off and on for the last several days. I will keep you posted!
The Kicker Sub does not fit with the RE Rear Strut Brace. For me, I just decided to re-position the box and secure it to the brace. A local car audio place has a box that will work for about $125-$150 but I figured I would wait until I get annoyed by its current position. Here are some pics:
Check out these ... http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_stealthbox_detail.php?fit_id=1534 http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/manualsQuickInstall/thunderforms/DMAGW05_specs.pdf
Holy crap! Great job! Great write up and pics on the install too... but when I get mine I'm hiring you to put it in (I still have visions of Bud in his trunk with tin snips and a Rambo knife).
Thanks for the thumbs up everyone! I like the MTX, but I will wait a while before spending the $250 on the box. It will look a lot cleaner once I get this. I only paid $120 for the Kicker sub and about $30 on the wiring, so for $150 total, I don't have a lot invested in it and figured I would wait. I do have some funds being freed up for mods and am trying to figure out which ones to do. There are the cosmetics, and then there are the HP gainers. So we will see. Quick: If you need help with the install, I would be more than happy to. If you can get the brace and there is a Tech-N-Tune we are both attending, lets do it!
Well, it's kind of hard to explain. You would probably have to take the same corner in a MSRT8 with the brace, and w/o the brace to really notice a difference. An example: near where I live there is a freeway offramp where I turn left to go over an overpass. The angle of the left turn is about 85 degrees, so not quite 90 degrees and the road is pretty wide (but I can usually stay to the inside lane. I have taken this turn at 50 MPH and it feels like I am on rails. Like I said, I can notice a bit of a difference, but without doing a comparison like noted above, I can't make any sensational claims.
New Box Made Well, since the factory box was getting a little annoying real quick with how much room it takes up and that it wouldn’t fit with the rear strut brace, I had a box made today. A little smaller, but it is sealed, has poly-fill, and produces better bass than the factory box (IMO)! Here’s some pics:
