sl33py

Hindsight... They will fit, but just barely. I'll try to get pics, but seriously I'd avoid the headache and get 6.5's and shallows if you can. Will be a lot less trouble and sound just as good (nice 6.5's of course). the extra .25" isn't worth hours to make them fit (UNLESS they're free... sort of). hehehe. It only takes a min to pop a panel off - so maybe when we hook up we can take a look at the inside of the door. it would be a biatch to get a good pic of it after it's all sealed up...

It would be cool to hook up and compare. I also get down south occasionally for work, so either way. Was looking at the Pioneer, JL (too $$), Memphis, RE, and SI slim subs. (from least to most interest) Would love to rock the SI in the soob, but ETA is vapor at this point... I read some disappointing reviews on the memphis, can't afford the JL (overpriced for what you get IMO), want an SI (who doesn't...), so RE it is. Still a bit more $ than originally planned, but finding a box of Damplifier saved me $... so I ordered the RE sub. Techronics had it shipped that afternoon which was nice. Should show up today or tomorrow. Can't wait for non-blown speakers and tunes!

I will eventually have SI sub, but not in the soob. I was looking at the pioneer slims for quite a while (fair sub), but ended up ordering RE Audio SL 12 instead. I'm going to have a small box made (.6 - .7) for it and bridge my back channels for the sub (300w RMS) which should work perfect. Not booming down the road shaking windows, but should have some decent bump. That's the plan! We'll see what actually happens. rob

That duct foil/foam looks promising. I'd only be concerned about any open cell foam for wet/mold issues. And temp range for adhesive life. Cars get hot and it may fail from being too hot inside. but for that price it's worth looking at. I'd look at it in the store first to make sure its some sort of closed cell foam first though. As for clearing the windows - not easily. Having to really mess with it to make them fit unfortunately. If i were getting speakers specifically for the soob i'd get regular 6.5" speakers - preferably shallow mount ones. Then it's a drop in upgrade. (don't forget new wires!). HTH! rob

Hey Mike - yeah, they are just a bit bigger. I didn't hold it totally tight on the side, so maybe an 1/8-1/16th probably less. (from looking at my pic) I'm using some spare Second Skin Damplifier Pro i have kicking around. I got too much for my Landcruiser project truck. So the sooby gets it. I'm just using the Mat, no spray. I don't plan on actually buying anything else - these are all bits i had and repurposed to the soob. Trying to keep cost down because this is my commuter and if i were to add it up probably worth more than the car. Hopefully it will sound great and be worth the effort! rob

LOL - yeah i want to be cool like you's guys! What door speakers are you running in yours? From HU or amp'd? All i know is - if these don't sound F'ing amazing after all the time i spent sealing and dampening the doors... I'm going to be pissed. But i think they will sound great - we'll find out soon! rob

update - doors and dash kit. Doors - i did some work this weekend on getting them ready for dampener. So I cut some thin flashing to the right size and siliconed it into place so it won't rattle. Sealing it up is supposed to make the midbass sound better/cleaner. Before After Also - unfortunately the dash kit they sent me (though i ordered the AI one above) - was the same Schoshe Metra Equivalent Nomad pictured above. I know it works, and it looks fine. I'll live with it being the same as the rest. No biggie. Getting dampener finished and will get more pics soon. rob

I have one somewhere my buddy sent me - cell phone pic. let me find it and post it up. She's pretty clean, but did sit out for a lot of years so some moss/lichen ate through the paint in some spots on the hood, oxidized paint etc - most fixed by a good buffing and wax. Before i got her - after wax. After tint. I'll try to wash her and get another full shot w/ a decent camera. She's been great so far!

yeah, I don't care if they are illegal as well. If aimed a bit lower it won't be any worse than most other cars. I got the autopal reflector lenses since they had that internal "mushroom" blocker thing. Which i figured would help with HID's not blinding other people. If i don't go HID, i'd probably do some Narva bulbs - better than silverstar (most are - i agree). I just know the autopal bulbs are blue tinted crap. Anything would be an improvement. :-\ The nice thing about HID's is that you get a relay with them. 2fer! anyway - Roobie's coming along nicely. I need to motivate and go finish the doors for stereo install Tue. rob

Added night pic above. Also - you can get the same LED (which BARELY fits btw if you can't tell from pic) from superbrightleds.com. I'm going to do the LED dash bulbs next from them and just trying to figure out which color i want to do... I'll make sure and get before/after pics. So this update is for headlights: I got the autopal clear lenses from ebay. Not cheap, but not as expensive as the e-codes from Daniel Stern (which i wish i could afford). With this car having sat for so long - it still had the factory installed IKI lights! Now it has some blingy clear lenses: I have a whole series of pics comparing lenses w/ stock... but here's the after shot on a hard to find dark road. Tough to keep the camera steady, so still a bit blurry. The autopal bulbs suck (but were free). I know some silverstars would be better... But i think i'm planning on HID's (way overkill i know...) I'll compare them if i do go that route. rob

She goes by Roobie for short. She's a very young gal w/ only 11k miles. A total find. Here's her 11,111 bday: I've been digging around, asking noob questions etc. (thx for everyone's help!) SO i thought i'd have a single spot to put some of the stuff i've done/plan to do. A couple quick and easy mods: 1 - Domelight LED'ification (i'm a LED geek!) This is during the day and doesn't really show off the brightness! I'll get one from nighttime that really shows how much brighter it is!! (edit - added pic) 2 - Cup Holder - ftmfw! OK, maybe not all that, but it's nice to have someplace to set your coffee. Before... After. Installed - Tall drinks can be tipsy, but everything else seems pretty solid. Cans of soda - no problem. Larger sodas from fast food - no problem. I'd be a bit careful w/ anything sticky until a bit was drank just to be on the safe side. Also - I think the company that made these went out of business. They were stupid expensive originally and if you can find one now they are actually much more reasonable. just in case someone else is looking for a cup holder... I also added the passenger side mirror. i got mine on fleabay for too much, and it did not come with the screws to mount it. A quick trip to the local McLendon hardware... m5 .8 w/ washers = golden. I've got a stereo install / build going. (some nice components, HU, Amp, and eventual sub) Headlight upgrades will be next for this build thread.

Thought it might be helpful to see what the old ones looked like for dimensions, then compared with new: Old New! And a bit 'o Driver Pr0n! Damn they are sexy... imo. (but i won't be using any extra chubby hole in my car) Next update will be pics of the doors and Damplified.

Yeah you probably have the Metra 99-8900 install kit (or it's re-brand equiv). Then the wiring kit is Metra 71-8901. Just trying to post up all the options for the next person searching. I decided to use the wiring kit just so if i needed to i can easily swap in the stock stereo again. I don't have any plans on selling the DL anytime soon, but good to have options. HTH! rob

Thanks Nomad! I have mine on it's way. I wanted to try one i heard was pretty good - American International SB-K930 I like how it's a bit more angled on the ends. Worst case there's a Metra kit at the local audio shop i can use. Umm...:-\ an extra "chubby" hole? Dude you need to get a girlfriend! it's ok to love you car, just don't LOVE your car! hehehe. I got a lot done to the doors the last few days - Second skin audio rocks. Updates and pics soon. rob

Dry ice for the win! Did this in my landcruiser - even better than heatgun is dry ice. get one or two 5lb bags - let it sit on the tar then hit it with one of those rubber/plastic head hammers - comes right off (and in big chunks). My brother and I did my entire FJ60 in about 1.5-2 hours this way. Let the dry ice sit for a minute or two on the next spot you will be going. having a second bag helps speed it up - an extra set of hands of course helps. HTH - GL!

hehehe - nice. I think we are different types of geeks. I don't code, but am a server guy - more hardware and solutions focus. Get me on LED's and i might give you a run for your money! back to topic - yeah BT has come a LONG way recently. I still pop a cd in on occasion (typically on the way home from buying it), or when i don't have the ipod handy... I still like the flexibility. I will hopefully have this setup w/ an easy access usb port to just plug in (either ipod cable to ipod, or usb drive w/ mp3's). I'll get pics as i go and may start another more general "cool stuff i've done to my soobie" thread. where i can post up my COOL new cup holder, and LED replacement dome light.:cool: rob

Started one tonight after uploading my pics. (here). and a bit of a sneak peak - driver porn! SO sexy... it's a shame to hide it in the door... Thanks for doing most of the legwork!! rob

Cup Holder!! Hard to find these (i think company went out of business), but luckily cheaper now (still too spendy honeslty). But dammit i want someplace to set my coffee! On a side note - this is w/ a full "skinny" 24oz water bottle that made it a bit tipsy. A regular cup/can of soda, or even 24'ish oz cup from drive through fit much more securely. Necessary - no. but nice to have! rob

Thanks GD. Yep - i have the Metra wiring kit on it's way and the adapter kit for the HU should be here any day as well. I saw the boss audio mp3 deck a while back - but i'm going for more geek points with bluetooth and ipod control... hey i'm a geek. Don't even get me started on LED's... Thanks!! rob

I need to get some updated pics after some elbow grease on the doors themselves. Meanwhile, here's the door speakers i'm going with: The New and the Old... Can't wait! I have some comparison shots (size, depth) and will get more pics of them soon - hopefully after install! It will be a few days, but i'll try to come back and make updates as i go. Thanks for everyone's help! rob

So i got a bit into it the other day and wanted to start a thread for the next noobie trying to figure it out. First off - this isn't going to be a show car. It's my commuter car and I just want quality tunes w/ bluetooth support (i always miss phone calls while driving...) Even though part of me says to keep it simple I tend to go a bit overboard and will likely do more than really needed. So here's where we stand now: Stock stereo (AM and FM!): I barely can call these speakers... they really are more of a hiss/pop/fuzz generator at this point... Left and Right. As you can see - the surrounds are GONE - totally cracked/missing from sitting / just plain old. And amusingly enough - here's the back of the speaker: 10 Watts! woohoo - the POWER! General other pics: Doors were in good shape - if anyone is local and wants these vapor barriers - they are clean and free to a good home. hate to throw them out, but won't be using them. some odd venting at the bottom and a couple spots of foam - this one right behind the stock speaker... obviously to help calm down all 10w of serious power. i tried to get a decent shot of the stock standoffs - here's the best i could manage one handed... OK, with that out of the way - here's my plan: Doors - some nice components i have kicking around. Head Unit (HU) - an extra Pioneer DEH-P710BT i was going to put in my landcruiser, but now is soobie bound. Cruiser will get something different when it's finally ready. Amp - PDX 4.150 for doors. Sub - Still TBD, but leaning towards an inexpensive "slim" sub like pioneer has. Again - no stereo competitions planned, but good tunes are needed and I like a bit of (non rattling) bass.

There's some OEM dampener/tar mats on the metal now. To get the best adhesion you may want to get rid of those. BUT it WILL make it quite a bit louder without any dampening on those panels. Another option is a product called lizard skin (i think) - which is a spray on liner that also is a dampener. If money isn't an issue then check out second skin's product line... good but $$. GL!

Bummer man. Hey at least you have tunes... I was working on mine today and had to drive around for a while w/ both disconnected. Not that they work well even when connected. The surrounds are completely dry/cracked/missing. Sounds like crap. I'm not going crazy, but probably overboard (as i usually do). I think my components are worth a large chunk of the entire car itself... lol I took a bunch of pics today as i knocked out a few small projects. got pass side mirror, cup holder, and doors soundproofed (one more pass on interior panel). I'll get a build log going somewhere to share. Good luck with your setup!! rob

Hey eulogious! Looking to start a build of my own, and thoroughly read up on yours. Where are those pics of your front doors and components? I'm trying to figure out how i want to do mine. I'm probably just going to do a slim sub in the back to save on dog space. looks great! rob

Thanks GD! I appreciate the validation (or whatever the opposite is)... I typically take everything i read online w/ a grain of salt, but it made sense to me. I only have 11k on my engine, so maybe a 180 vs 195 would help? Not with HP, but just long term cooling? with so few miles, i'm not really in a rush one way or the other, but mine did sit quite a bit and working out some quirks as we go. Thanks! rob