Day 1 of Exige Audio Mod Hell - LotusTalk

wildwhl · 01-06-2007, 04:23 PM

No pics yet, just a starting post.

I've fiddled around with the rear panel and stock speakers in the S, without much improvement. I've insulated, etc. Really a waste of time it seems.

Anyway, I picked up a Boston GT40 amp that fits quite well behind the passenger seat. 2 channels will power the front components, and I'll bridge the other two for the sub. Yes, I'm adding weight. Flamesuit on. I'll be retaining the stock Alpine head unit that will power the stock rear speakers, and started today replacing the front speakers with some Alpine components I found on Ebay. Little paint here and there, some grindage on the tweeter mounts, etc. Didn't really get that far.

This brings me to a few questions. I've searched for most of this without luck.

I have the starter button panel out, and want to pull the ends of the dash out for some flush mount tweeter action (yikes, I'm cutting holes!) but can't seem to get it out. I don't want to break anything. Any tips?

Also, there are 4 leads going to the starter button. It appears the black is ground, and each green +12V when ignition on. One of them is probably illumination, the other the trigger (hot) wire for the starter circuit. I'm guessing the remaining white/red wire is the hot back to the starter relay?

If all of this is correct - is there any problem with pulling power from one of the green leads for a Passport radar det.?

I also proto'd a sub box out of acrylic to verify the output will be sufficient with the 6.5" Tang Band subs I have on hand...should it work out I intend to pull a mold of the rear storage tray below the harness bar and make a plug. There is a JLAudio box inbound for comparitve purposes only (hopefully) as I really don't want to have the sub take up the front passenger area and prefer it behind the seat, at hopefully less weight. Stay tuned.

Thanks for any and all input...I'll post pics whenever it gets done.

wildwhl · 01-08-2007, 10:10 PM

Still too lazy to take pics...but...I hacked up the useless rearview mirror mount and now have the Passport there, with the remote near the starter button (cubby next to the steering column).

I also managed to get the 4" components in the front and they came out quite well I think. The factory color is a titanium gray on the grill surrounds so I painted them matte black to better match the interior.

Next weekend is the amp and rear speakers. Two weekends and I'm hacking into the TB and cutting that D shaped gasket up (breakin service next week). Mod-hell is a disease - avoid it if you can.

So, anyone need a set of Alpine E-series 4" fronts with grills? Prolly have about 1 hour on them

WW

wildwhl · 01-14-2007, 03:04 PM

Nothing groundbreaking here...but is all in and sounds really quite good. Separates are from Alpine, X series, 4" in front and 5.25" in rear. I stripped the x-overs of their housings and sealed them with some big heatshrink. The fronts and rears are wired in parallel with the tweeter output set to -2db in the rear and +2db in front...after some screwing around. Sounds pretty damn good, I must say. I didn't think I could get the rears in (about 2.5" deep) but removing foam made it happen. Notice around the harness bar there is some "great foam" escaping. Need to clean that up still.

The JLAudio sub is in the footwell running off the other 2 channels of the Boston GT40 amp stashed behind the driver's seat. I still have my prototype box to screw with too...but to be honest...the JL is really good enough for me.

Probably added 20 lbs or so in the install, oh well, time to diet

Thanks to the excellent information on this site, most of this was a breeze

Also, figured out what to do with the useless RV mirror.

WW

wildwhl · 01-14-2007, 03:06 PM

more pics

wildwhl · 01-14-2007, 03:13 PM

The new parking stop

tonykomo · 01-14-2007, 03:47 PM

how did you remove the rear view mirror?

Rugbyduck · 01-14-2007, 04:32 PM

Great use for the rear view mirror!

Bet all you Exige people are happy to have that mount now!

wildwhl · 01-14-2007, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyyoshi

how did you remove the rear view mirror?

Using a small rubber mallet I gave it a couple of taps from the bottom (parallel with the window plane) and off she came! There's no tab like the mounts found on some the Fed Elise cars.

WW

tonykomo · 01-15-2007, 02:54 PM

so it left the mount glued to the screen still?

wildwhl · 01-15-2007, 03:41 PM

Yes. I can tell you from experience the glued on mount is nearly impossible to remove without breaking the windscreen, if not impossible.

WW

tonykomo · 01-15-2007, 05:39 PM

my elise one fell off and then we found if you hold a heat gun over the glass, nothing too hot, the thing will just come off with some very gentle tugging. the glue melts in the heat....

gameson · 01-15-2007, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwhl

The new parking stop

That thing can really be a parking stop? I thought it would crack....

wildwhl · 01-15-2007, 06:52 PM

The glass is gone...and the housing is glued to the floor. Getting all 3 cars in the garage is a trick - they all must be in the perfect spot or severe door dinging occurs

Hey, I had to find some use for it. It works far, far better as a parking stop vs. how well it did as a RV mirror (got tired of looking at the reflection of the stereo off the rear window/intercooler).

WW

01-06-2007, 04:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	Day 1 of Exige Audio Mod Hell No pics yet, just a starting post. I've fiddled around with the rear panel and stock speakers in the S, without much improvement. I've insulated, etc. Really a waste of time it seems. Anyway, I picked up a Boston GT40 amp that fits quite well behind the passenger seat. 2 channels will power the front components, and I'll bridge the other two for the sub. Yes, I'm adding weight. Flamesuit on. I'll be retaining the stock Alpine head unit that will power the stock rear speakers, and started today replacing the front speakers with some Alpine components I found on Ebay. Little paint here and there, some grindage on the tweeter mounts, etc. Didn't really get that far. This brings me to a few questions. I've searched for most of this without luck. I have the starter button panel out, and want to pull the ends of the dash out for some flush mount tweeter action (yikes, I'm cutting holes!) but can't seem to get it out. I don't want to break anything. Any tips? Also, there are 4 leads going to the starter button. It appears the black is ground, and each green +12V when ignition on. One of them is probably illumination, the other the trigger (hot) wire for the starter circuit. I'm guessing the remaining white/red wire is the hot back to the starter relay? If all of this is correct - is there any problem with pulling power from one of the green leads for a Passport radar det.? I also proto'd a sub box out of acrylic to verify the output will be sufficient with the 6.5" Tang Band subs I have on hand...should it work out I intend to pull a mold of the rear storage tray below the harness bar and make a plug. There is a JLAudio box inbound for comparitve purposes only (hopefully) as I really don't want to have the sub take up the front passenger area and prefer it behind the seat, at hopefully less weight. Stay tuned. Thanks for any and all input...I'll post pics whenever it gets done. __________________ ...................... She's gone.

01-08-2007, 10:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	Still too lazy to take pics...but...I hacked up the useless rearview mirror mount and now have the Passport there, with the remote near the starter button (cubby next to the steering column). I also managed to get the 4" components in the front and they came out quite well I think. The factory color is a titanium gray on the grill surrounds so I painted them matte black to better match the interior. Next weekend is the amp and rear speakers. Two weekends and I'm hacking into the TB and cutting that D shaped gasket up (breakin service next week). Mod-hell is a disease - avoid it if you can. So, anyone need a set of Alpine E-series 4" fronts with grills? Prolly have about 1 hour on them WW __________________ ...................... She's gone.

01-14-2007, 03:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	Nothing groundbreaking here...but is all in and sounds really quite good. Separates are from Alpine, X series, 4" in front and 5.25" in rear. I stripped the x-overs of their housings and sealed them with some big heatshrink. The fronts and rears are wired in parallel with the tweeter output set to -2db in the rear and +2db in front...after some screwing around. Sounds pretty damn good, I must say. I didn't think I could get the rears in (about 2.5" deep) but removing foam made it happen. Notice around the harness bar there is some "great foam" escaping. Need to clean that up still. The JLAudio sub is in the footwell running off the other 2 channels of the Boston GT40 amp stashed behind the driver's seat. I still have my prototype box to screw with too...but to be honest...the JL is really good enough for me. Probably added 20 lbs or so in the install, oh well, time to diet Thanks to the excellent information on this site, most of this was a breeze Also, figured out what to do with the useless RV mirror. WW Attached Images __________________ ...................... She's gone.

01-14-2007, 03:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	more pics Attached Images __________________ ...................... She's gone. Last edited by wildwhl; 01-14-2007 at 03:11 PM.

01-14-2007, 03:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	The new parking stop Attached Images __________________ ...................... She's gone.

01-14-2007, 03:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
tonykomo Exige S Komo 280bhp Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 648 Images: 1	how did you remove the rear view mirror? __________________ User formerly known as tonyyoshi 2007 Lotus Exige S Aspen White with LSD, Traction Control, Komo-Tec Phase 2 280bhp and SJR Titanium Exhaust. Komo-tec Acceleration Watch Me Race

01-14-2007, 04:32 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rugbyduck Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Beaverton, OR Posts: 2,806	Great use for the rear view mirror! Bet all you Exige people are happy to have that mount now! __________________ '06 Krypton Green Elise (touring/LSD/HT) '05 Magnetic Blue Elise (sport/HT) dedicated track car '07 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door!) Excelsior-Henderson Super X/Ducati Monster 620 ie 3 Series BMW/Acura MDX Carver Yacht

01-15-2007, 02:54 PM	#9 (permalink)
tonykomo Exige S Komo 280bhp Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 648 Images: 1	so it left the mount glued to the screen still? __________________ User formerly known as tonyyoshi 2007 Lotus Exige S Aspen White with LSD, Traction Control, Komo-Tec Phase 2 280bhp and SJR Titanium Exhaust. Komo-tec Acceleration Watch Me Race

01-15-2007, 03:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	Yes. I can tell you from experience the glued on mount is nearly impossible to remove without breaking the windscreen, if not impossible. WW __________________ ...................... She's gone.

01-15-2007, 05:39 PM	#11 (permalink)
tonykomo Exige S Komo 280bhp Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 648 Images: 1	my elise one fell off and then we found if you hold a heat gun over the glass, nothing too hot, the thing will just come off with some very gentle tugging. the glue melts in the heat.... __________________ User formerly known as tonyyoshi 2007 Lotus Exige S Aspen White with LSD, Traction Control, Komo-Tec Phase 2 280bhp and SJR Titanium Exhaust. Komo-tec Acceleration Watch Me Race

01-15-2007, 06:52 PM	#13 (permalink)
wildwhl You bought a Locust? Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 782	The glass is gone...and the housing is glued to the floor. Getting all 3 cars in the garage is a trick - they all must be in the perfect spot or severe door dinging occurs Hey, I had to find some use for it. It works far, far better as a parking stop vs. how well it did as a RV mirror (got tired of looking at the reflection of the stereo off the rear window/intercooler). WW __________________ ...................... She's gone. Last edited by wildwhl; 01-23-2007 at 06:48 PM.

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