super clean!

 

wow man

great build

you sir have an awesome XJ

 

I would be a little worried about my amp overheating putting it behind the panel like that. Did you put any sort of ventilation running back there so the hotter air can escape?

 

Love the idea and the clean install, but I have to agree with 99redclassic. That amp probably won't last too long in that confined space. Under the rear seat is just as bad, as far as air flow goes.

 

I like the look of the headliner. I don't know if using carpet would look as well. I am interested in seeing how this works out for you. Keep us informed.

 

Thanks guys. I liked the idea of keeping the system out of plain sight, to help deter thieves.

I understand your concerns.

For now though, I'm just going to keep a close eye on it. I'm not pushing a lot of power, I think the amp's max power output is around 300w (75w x 2 RMS 4 ohms bridged ). And it's likely lower since many manufacturers inflate their power ratings, especially the lower quality units. So, hopefully heat generation won't be astronomical.

I do plan to monitor the ambient air temperature inside the quarter panel with this, at least for a little while:



It won't exactly be scientific, but at least it'll give me an IDEA of what's going on in there as far as temperature goes.

Additionally, it's not like this "enclosure" is truly sealed or anything. There are plenty of vents and escape paths for air. That is one of the reasons why my wood mount doesn't cover the entire area (notice the amp is visible behind the wood mount). Also, air can easily escape on the other side near where the tailight is mounted. Air CIRCULATION however might not be amazing, but we'll just have to wait and see how it affects the air temperature. Worse comes to worst, I'll either move the amp or install a small fan, perhaps a computer cooling fan or something.

Thanks for posting guys! Please continue to post up your concerns, questions, etc.

Yeah, the headliner doesn't look too bad. I had a big roll of it just laying around that someone gave me so I decided to put some of it to use.

I'll be sure to keep everyone posted, I haven't gotten to do any serious sound testing yet because I finished up kind of late last night and it was a little too late to turn up the volume in the garage due to living in a condo where neighbors bedrooms are on the other side of the garage, lol.

 

There are tons of options if you want to install a fan. I'd go with a 120mm fan and a nice grill, if I were going to use a fan. I like the looks of this one, it's simple and looks clean:

 

major props... referred to this thread MANY times in my build.

 

i like how careful you were in sealing the area around the sub! my only question is how does it sound w/o an enclosure?

 

I really like the headliner. Somehow it makes it look stock. Sweet xj man.

 

That certainly looks like a viable option. I'll keep something like this in mind if I do decide to go that route. Thanks!

Glad you found my thread helpful. The show will continue. It's the build thread that just keeps on giving! haha

Initial acoustic impressions were SOLID. It certainly isn't the most powerful system I've heard, but I didn't expect it to be. At low and moderate volumes (normal listening) the sound is crisp and clear. Plenty of low-end fill in the cabin now.

I did push the system a bit to test the upper level of it's power output (rocking out) and it did well. It doesn't POUND hard, but I think that's attributed to the quality of the equipment over the enclosure. At higher volumes, I found a bit of vibration/rattle which resulted in an investigation. I located the source of the vibration by hand and applied a little more foam insulation in that area which solved that issue.

For now, I'm very happy with the outcome and completely satisfied with the sound quality. You can't hear me coming down the street, but that wasn't my intention, it simply sounds great inside the cabin. A tremendous increase over the stock sound system.

Thank you sir. I kind of like it now too, I might just stick with the headliner. I need to figure out how I'm gonna permanently, or at least more securely attach it to the interior panel though. As previously mentioned, it's only taped to the back of it with blue painter's tape right now. Perhaps I'll take a picture of it later tonight so you can see what I'm working with. I guess glue might work...

 

Brown Santa dropped some goodies off:



Just a tow bar and some Tow Bar D-Ring Adapters....

Planning a nice weekend of wheeling at Rock Run Recreation Park in Patton, PA for the weekend of September 16th.

I've decided to tow the XJ, rather than drive it ~9hrs. there and ~9hrs. back. This way, I can be bit more aggressive on the trail without having to worry as much about whether or not I will make it back to MI.

My buddy is towing his TJ down, it has around 4'' of lift and sits on 35's. It should be a good time. We'll try to shoot some video and take lots of pics.

 

love the build.just read through it and it wasnt the first.gave me plenty of ideas to add on to my rig! keep up the good work!!

 

What are you gonna tow it with?

 

Glad to hear, thanks!

Well, I don't have a truck, my daily driver is a Mazdaspeed3 so I'll be borrowing a friend's newer Ford F-150. It's a pretty nice truck, it should do work.