JonGS3

Thanks dude!

Driver's side VC gasket was completed without issue

Yep you called it. The VSC wire was totally severed and the swaybar has some marks from contacting the body....so now it's flipped and correct

LatinLS430

iTrader: (1)

What fuel injector connectors did you use? I always enjoy your updates and pics.

JonGS3

Thanks! I used these https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...t=2577&jsn=893

JonGS3

You guys should know by now I can't leave well enough alone.

After a bit of EQing and (barely) learning to use fancy EQ acoustic software (REW), I got the Focals sounding pretty good but never really got on with the tweeters. It was my first time with metal domes and I guess the sound signature just isn't quite for me. Naturally, that got me going down the car audio rabbit hole after not being into it for quite awhile. So, onto stereo version 2.0:

First thing was moving the speaker amp to the trunk because I realized I pigeon holed myself into too small of a space with it behind the glove box. If or when I decide to upgrade to a DSP in the future, I won't have room for it there. I went back to the original amp I intended to use and located it in place of the OEM amp and navigation hardware. The platform is ABS plastic for now but will be upgraded to a sturdier MDF when I get a sub amp in since the plastic has a bit of flex to it.



Speakers were swapped for a set of Hertz's once I realized I could buy a lot of European brands from an Italian retailer for quite a bit less than they sell for in America. This was also my chance to do a better job mounting the tweeters. I dremeled out the stock cover and mounted the tweeter cup using my new plastic welding tools:





But I had to cut out one of the mounting tabs so I used JB weld plastic epoxy to affix it to the A pillar trim



The outcome wasn't quite as elegant as I wanted but still better than the prior one with the tweeter cups just screwed into the mesh cover



Woofer mounted up with some Resonix CLD applied to the adapter since it had a bit of flex to it and don't want it vibrating





I also trimmed out the top edge of the silicone woofer cup to try out the Resonix speaker trim rings instead

JonGS3

Remember how I was irritated that a bit of vinyl had pulled up on the door panel over the black wood trim piece? I found a mint black door panel on ebay for surprisingly cheap. And because my prior one was starting to get a bit flimsy, I took a chance to try and strengthen it a bit where it's joined together. Armed with my plastic welder, I applied some steel mesh to two areas in the forward most section of the panel where the two halves are joined together. This made is noticeably stiffer so I was happy about that



And because some of the plastic rivets that hold everything together were a bit loose, I hit them with the welder to build up those spots a bit



I also snipped out some of the inner speaker grille thinking it may help sound waves pass through with less interruption but still left the center strip to help protect the speaker from passenger knees



And used some JB plastic weld in spots that were a bit too tight to get the welder into

JonGS3

Of course I started reading more into sound deadening as well and decided to try some of the very highly rated Resonix CLD tiles. I was noticing the door panel was still vibrating a bit on lower notes so those were applied to the inner door panel along with some of the leftover Siless I have (which apparently isn't rated very well although it's been doing mostly good for me so far).



I was still feeling vibrations on the outer door skin as well so I scraped out the original stuff I used, applied Resonix CLD, and then added Second Skin Mega Zorbe in hopes of it doing a better job of dampening sound than the Siless foam





All buttoned back up with no more vinyl peeling to annoy me

JonGS3

Also working on doing more prep for the sub install.

The flat area of the trunk over the rear diff still resonated a bit so I put some more Resonix CLD there with a layer of Parts Express Sonic Barrier over it (other half was covered with it but not pictured).



Also applied some to the trunk light trim piece. Dog inspected and approved



Made for a little too tight of a fit but some threaded holes in the body came in handy. I'm not sure what they're for since my trunk didn't have any trim retainers there but I used some hex head bolts to help fit it in place



More CLD added to the rear deck



And Parts Express's thicker barrier with MLV applied to the deck lid trim piece. It just barely compresses enough to fit it into place.

8M6

iTrader: (2)

I bought ResoNix CLD about a month ago when it was on sale, but still haven't installed it. I'm waiting to get ResoNix Fiber Mat the next time they run a big sale like on Black Friday, then install both together on the doors. I only plan to do this once because I dread constantly removing and reinstalling the inner door panel. If it isn't the leading edge getting bent away from the inner door skin, or a snap fastener getting bent from not cleanly going into its hole, or a random piece of beige plastic chipping off out of nowhere, or struggling with the door lock actuator cables, rest assured there will be some new annoyance to be encountered.

I hope you'll notice a difference between the ResoNix CLD and the Siless in road noise more than anything else. This weekend, noticing how obnoxiously loud the Tesla Model Y is at highway speeds (and some unacceptable wind noise from the B-pillar) despite not having an ICE has reinforced my desire to pursue a quieter cabin. However, fixing my exhaust leak and, surprisingly, installing those TRD door stabilizers have both made quite a difference from where the noise levels were previously.

JonGS3

It's hard to say if there's a difference in road noise since my back seat is out now but I definitely feel less vibration through the outer door and door panel compared to the driver's side so I'll take that as a win. The new speakers are in on the left side but I need more CLD to redo that door as well.

I got them EQ'd as much as I could with my head unit's 31 band and they're sounding pretty good. Definitely an improvement over the Focals...not that they were bad at all. Better aiming of the left tweeter also drastically improved the sound stage but I also butchered the tweeter cover in the process so that will need to be redone to look better when I get back to doing the driver's door.

And in other news, the whistling noise I was getting from the passenger side is cured. I wasn't expecting that and I'm not sure why. I had tried taping various body/panel seams around the A pillar and mirror but it made no difference. I then had a couple passengers help me try to pinpoint it and both thought it was coming from around the front belt where the top of the door panel meets the window. Perhaps some part of the forward edge of this new panel seals better around the A pillar or against the window...