zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) I've had a few scattered build threads across the forum for a few weeks/months now. Thought I'd consolidate them into one big build thread which I'll keep updated! This is mainly for myself, coz I like to go back every now again and admire my car lol, but given that I'm quite DIY with the things I do, could be pretty nice for other people to see too Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So, I've always been a DIY audio installer for all my cars, and sift through hundreds of forums to help me do it - thought I'd finally give back to the community!! Here is my Nexus 7 and aftermarket sub install (in the OEM Bose location). First and foremost, took all the Bose crap out, changed the headunit and replaced all door speakers (sorry I don't have any photos of the dismantle, but it's pretty straight forward and you'll find hundreds of forum threads detailing the procedure with very good photos. I never use OEM wiring, generally because they're not made for solid power, but also because I just like to know I've got my own stuff in the car. It's the way I make the car mine. I used JBL components for the doors, replaced the factory tweeters too. The tweeters take some persuading, and feel like they're gonna pop out of the OEM tweeter mould, but its finee, strapped em down with a small metal plate, and all is well. The JBLs were £40 from eBay, and do their job well. I use my components just for vocals, as once the sub goes in, there's no point having much low end bass coming from the components. I just use them to fill the gap between 60-80Hz or so. Next came the dash removal, this one gets a bit more tricky: 1. Put your fingers under the rear silver ring on the gearlever casing thingy, pull it up. Will pop pretty easily. 2. This will just lift and twist around (together with the AC controls), and just move it 90degrees to get it out the way. Note, there is a white ribbon cable connected to the back of the controls, this deals with the AC controls AND your speedo/petrol/temp gauges behind the steering wheel. 3. You'll see a plastic white box from which that white ribbon cable came from, this box is held on by two screws at the back. Pretty easy to find 4. Now you'll see a metal bracket with 2-4 screws in it (can't really remember). This releases the Bose stereo. The key to the dash removal is start from bottom up, because the topmost screws are always hidden by the panel that's just below them. So you have to hunt for the screws! The cheekiest ones are under the little rubber mat in the cubby hole. The easiest thing probably is, if you really get stuck dismantling, give me a shout and I'll help. I want to focus this write up on the tablet. Once dismantled, you'll be left with this: The more observant of you will notice a little yellow RCA peeking out, this was for my rear view camera. For £15, I seriously recommend you get one! I bloody love it. Took the dash bits into the shed to work on: And hello Nexus! I bought the tablet for £30 on eBay with a smashed screen. The eBay listing showed a nearly invisible hairline crack, but this is what I actually received!! Figures eh! Alas, I got a new screen for £20 and replaced it so I was happy in the end. Mocking up: The tablet looked pretty good in the headunit location, but I already had my headunit to go there, so had to move the tablet up top. This is where the fiddling comes in. 1. Remove the cubby from the front fascia, it's held on by 4 screws which are very easily identifiable round the back. 2. Remove the lid of the cubby, it's held on by two silvery screws on the hinge where the entire lid pivots. You'll see it. 3. Remove the cover of the lid, because this gets completely in the way when trying to close the lid over the Nexus. I wanted to be able to hide the tablet when not in use. 4. I had to dremel the top left, and top right screw holes (nearest the metal bar) otherwise the lid wouldn't close. 5. Test the tablet fit 6. The actual cubby box, was removed, but put back on. You will need to dremel the left and right sides of the cubby hole by about 2mm, and dremel the edge of the tablet by about 1mm for everything to fit in. Without this, the tablet can be forced in, but the pressure will cause the screen to bend and discolour. Don't do it. It's pretty safe to dremel the edges of the tablet, its all plastic, nothing important or electronic. 7. The tablet fits bloody well, the edges fit in perfectly, and just enough pressure to hold it so it doesn't fall out even under hard acceleration. Also, on the right hand side of the tablet, I cut a little slot for the USB, so it can be charged from the headunit. Also, arranging the tablet with the USB port to the right hand side (when looking front on) allows the power/sleep/volume buttons to be accessible on the top left. 8. You can just about see the little USB cutout above 9. So, I idiotically broke the metal bar off the plastic, and couldnt get it back on! So had to superglue, using washers and little bits of metal to hold the glue, otherwise it just dripped through the holes. Don't break this!! 10. Tablet in! I removed the cubby button as it was too big, and pointless now. So I just use that little hole to lift the lid. Pretty nice. The tablet is DEFINITELY worth installing. I use spotify on it, sync all my music when I'm in wifi range on my driveway, and then drive off! And google navigation is unbeatable in my opinion. I hate standard GPS devices. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for the subwoofer Currently, I have dual 12" sealed AudioBahns in the boot. Which take up the ENTIRE boot. Don't like it So started work on putting an aftermarket sub in the stock Bose location (behind the drivers seat).. The test fit looked pretty nice, so I carried on. But also at this point I realised I'd have to cut some plastic to get the sub sitting flush and proper. The sub wouldn't fit without cutting the plastic up, so here we go... Cut the a section of the bottom bit out, so the sub could fit. Also, you can see my badly made MDF ring on the floor there. But it suffices for the job at hand I used no nails glue here to seal the MDF to the metal, but also used the 4 original bolts that came off the Bose subwoofer. These will work if you sink them into the MDF by about 8-10mm. This was 18mm MDF btw. Note - DO NOT USE NO NAILS FOR THIS. The second I got the subwoofer in, and started a test playlist, the no nails cracked around the edge. It was still held on so it's fine, I just didn't like the crack. So I took it all apart, sanded everything down, cleaned all the glue and crap off. And started again using silicone sealant instead. It dried pretty strong, and the screws are there to hold it in, so the silicone does its job well as just an air seal. Took everything off, and dismantled alot more of the plastic this time so I had more room to work I spotted a can of matte black paint in the shed, so thought why not! Didn't want the MDF ring showing through the BOSE speaker grill at the end With everything done, I tested the system. It's far better than the stock BOSE for the entry level audio guy. But, the sub does not/will not drop low because the enclosure is not air tight. This location was designed for a free-air (infinite baffle) subwoofer, which mine is not. But I wanted to try this option out to see if it would suffice at all for my needs. I didn't use any form of dynamat in the back to seal the space off and make it air-tight, but the sub works fairly well without this. The reason I didn't go on and dynamat the back (which I think would make a huge difference) is because I realised that with the sub hitting at full power, I really wouldn't like that much vibration against the driving seat. So I'm moving on to the under-strut sub box option. But I'm glad I ruled this one out first. This is a cheap and easyish install for someone who wants just a touch above the BOSE. But I got rid of my BOSE in the first day, it was beyond a joke. For anyone more into their sounds, go for a sealed boot box! Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Given that the aftermarket sub in the OEM bose location sounded rubbish, I started building an under-strut box (all credit goes to Patch for his attempt at this first!) Got the templating done, and the box sized up and built. Just need to unscrew it all, add glue, then screw back and completely seal up. The box at the moment is held on with minimal screws so I could keep test fitting to the car. Fits very snugly! I don't plan on carpeting it, gonna try matte black spraypaint first, and if it really looks crap then I'll carpet it. Templating: Template done. Bought a coupla workbenches from Maplin for £10 each! Definitely needed these! Most parts for the box fit on one 18 x 606 x 1220mm MDF board (Wickes). Two of these boards or equivalent will be needed for a full box. I bought 4 because I overestimated the amount I'd need, but also because I wanted to make a new MDF floor for the boot. I trashed my existing boot floor when installing the amps. So tomorrow I'll test fit this again to the car, just to see if I need to shave any edges off. Then I'll cut the hole for the sub, and finalise the entire box! Quite pleased with the nearly finished result though. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to update with how much better this sounds compared to using the OEM bose subwoofer location. Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Box done!!! Can't start a new day without cleaning up the mess, and arranging my tools Finally found my beloved G-clamp, made life a lot easier today! Sub fit perfectly! Was pretty pleased at this point Went a bit crazy with the glue and sawdust/glue mix - but I'd rather do this properly once, did not want an air leak! Will clean up with the dremel and a sanding block tomorrow! As I said, went a bit crazy with the glue and sawdust mix. Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) The rain has held me out for a few days, so I couldn't carry on with the build. Still haven't received the carpet, so couldn't finish the box, but I've done the amp rack and fitted it behind the seat! Although, in all my playing around, I've managed to generate a power leak in the car, it's killed off a brand new battery overnight. So need to find the leak now! Fun times I also had to hot glue the edges of the box, as the sawdust mix left some small gaps. It looked airtight, but I thought I may aswel be doubly sure, wouldn't want to rip the carpet off if i find a leak later on. Progress pics: Finally got my bootspace back!!! Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) Progress pics: Installed and tested!! The bass is very tight and clean and does drop low; there's zero rattle that I can hear when it drops hard (and that's without using any Dynamat). This box is 100% better than installing an aftermarket sub in the OEM bose location - no doubt whatsoever. I messed up the box a bit, as it sticks out by just under an inch on the left hand side of the above photo. But not enough for me to care. I'm not great at woodworking, but has done the job well for me. I now have my bootspace back, and my amps are all hidden and neatly installed! I put my spare tyre back in, as that holds the boot floor up very well - easier than building a new floor for now. Job done. Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) So, my clutch went. MOT failed due to a broken exhaust, and I needed a P3 service (just because I wanted the first service in my ownership of the car to be a P3). After a few posts on the forum, I decided to with Clark Motorsport with a Stage 2 Competition Clutch and ultra-light flywheel that he had on offer. And then I found my godsend, Sly @ Kaizer, who did a frikkin good job doing the clutch, flywheel, exhaust repair, MOT, and P3 service! Here's the post I made of the work: Just got the work done from Sly. This guy really knows his stuff!! He had no issue with me standing by, asking all the questions that came to mind and he'd answer them more than happily! The amount of awards he has from Nissan really does speak for itself. photos: Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS8055 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Nice thread mate... looking forward to seeing more updates soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Gimme a few weeks to get some parts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Nice thread mate... looking forward to seeing more updates soon! +1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirag1988 Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Very impressive build project. Like the sounds you've done 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Cheers mate. Well worth the sounds! Stock speakers were so crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Good build thread lots of info there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I was wondering if you'd ever get around to doing one of these threads zubairhussain123 after all your hard work on the Zed. Good to read and look forward to your progress updates along the way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 Thought I'd quickly show my face back on this thread! So, for all those forum people that say the lightweight flywheel rattles, but you can get used to it - are wrong! The flywheel rattle is very loud, and doesn't fade over time, sounds pretty @*!# when going slow in traffic or idling. However, the difference to acceleration speed is immense and I personally would always get the lightened flywheel over dual mass now that I've been running it for a few months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 However, the difference to acceleration speed is immense and I personally would always get the lightened flywheel over dual mass now that I've been running it for a few months! Good to know. Definitely a mod I'd like to do one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) Also found a pretty nifty Android mod for the in-dash Nexus! Has some subtle but very useful features that really help in the car! The biggest upside is that you can flick a virtual switch which lets you charge the tablet at 1400ma rather than the normal 500ma that a standard USB can handle. This fixes a massively annoying issue where everytime i use the satnav in the car, the tablet dies faster than it charges! I've only added this mod today, so time will tell whether it actually works or just burns my car out! I finally managed to get Torque working over Wifi OBD2 as well, just hunting for a nice non-chav theme for it Tablet screen shots: Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) One of the first things i did when I got the car was go over the engine bay with a toothbrush and de-greaser. Makes me happy to own the car everytime I look at these: Edited April 25, 2015 by zubairhussain123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Headed down to Kaizer Motors in Rochester this weekend for a Service and some work. Always love going there, he always lets me watch the work, and tells me exactly what he's doing and why. Learn a lot every time I go! Just a few photos I took while I was there. Love that there's always a GTR or two outside!! Had a broken rear wiper blade, so thought I may as well ask him to remove it altogether! He kindly removed an additional 2KG boot lid weight that Nissan put in for some reason, now the boot doesn't fall on my head every time (as my struts were weak). It also fixes the problem of having to double-tap the boot release every time just to get it to release the latch, now one-press opening works every time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Love the GTR's and that's Adrian's white Zed on the ramps too, ...lot of cool cars there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Just saw your build thread too! Any idea why my photos keep getting lost after a while of not updating the thread?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Thought I'd quickly show my face back on this thread! So, for all those forum people that say the lightweight flywheel rattles, but you can get used to it - are wrong! The flywheel rattle is very loud, and doesn't fade over time, sounds pretty @*!# when going slow in traffic or idling. However, the difference to acceleration speed is immense and I personally would always get the lightened flywheel over dual mass now that I've been running it for a few months! Just turn your sounds up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Just saw your build thread too! Any idea why my photos keep getting lost after a while of not updating the thread?? Not sure, ...noticed it happening a bit on here lately. Are you using Photobucket to host them or some other site? I use Photobucket which seems ok. Hope you liked my build thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Thought I'd quickly show my face back on this thread! So, for all those forum people that say the lightweight flywheel rattles, but you can get used to it - are wrong! The flywheel rattle is very loud, and doesn't fade over time, sounds pretty @*!# when going slow in traffic or idling. However, the difference to acceleration speed is immense and I personally would always get the lightened flywheel over dual mass now that I've been running it for a few months! Just turn your sounds up That's exactly what I do! :teeth: Just saw your build thread too! Any idea why my photos keep getting lost after a while of not updating the thread?? Not sure, ...noticed it happening a bit on here lately. Are you using Photobucket to host them or some other site? I use Photobucket which seems ok. Hope you liked my build thread. I kind of just drag the images in from Chrome! I'll give Photobucket a try! And yes I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veeg33 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Gosh! It's either my Tapatalk not working properly or something else going on, can't view your earlier post. Reading them with interest but no pictures! Arrrr....... Good write up there mate. Lots of info and it will be useful for me too as I'm looking to do similar mod on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zubairhussain123 Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 Gosh! It's either my Tapatalk not working properly or something else going on, can't view your earlier post. Reading them with interest but no pictures! Arrrr....... Good write up there mate. Lots of info and it will be useful for me too as I'm looking to do similar mod on mine. I think I may have just fixed this, went through and put the photos back on properly! Let me know if that's done it It was annoying me that the photos kept getting lost after a few weeks of posting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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