rmoltis build thread 96 aspire

[rmoltis]

If. You guys don't mind I'm going to copy and past my build over on this site.
Since it is much more active than fa.com :-P.

[rmoltis]

i got a few pics to start off with i got scrounged up for my 1996 ford aspire ill post more as they come.
let start out with some dynamat pictures before i got the stereo installed and before the dynamat...

[rmoltis]

some dynamat now on the outer shell of sheet metal inside the doors and such and recessed spaces on the trunk and rear quarter panels etc 1st layer

[rmoltis]

more on the 1st layer

[rmoltis]

now for the final layer covering up all the small holes and all the large hole/gaps along the doors and trunk and paneling etc to make an airtight right to help keep sound in and road noise out. keep in mind before the last layer dynamat suggests %25-%50 coverage of a panel in dynamat is usually significant to notice a difference so you dont always need %100 coverage but the more is better it will block out more road noise.

[rmoltis]

and heres the final pics of most of the dynamat

[rmoltis]

and when it came to choosing my speakers for my car i went with the 5.25" infinity kappa perfect heres the pics next to the infinity kappas off the 95 aspire. heres the specs on the infinity kappa perfects they are on the right of all these pics

Infinity
Kappa Perfect5.1

Mid-Range Speaker, Subwoofer, Tweeter

Component System

RMS Power
100 W

Min Frequency Response
80 Hz

Max Frequency Response
23 kHz

Sensitivity
89 dB

Peak Power Handling
400 watt

Top Mounting Depth
2.38 in.



Enclosure
Non-Enclosed

Tweeter Size
1 in.
Tweeter Design
Dome

TOP fat foam surround and taller excursion

SIDE fat gold plated screw terminals and nice beefy speaker housing

BOTTOM super fat magnet

[rmoltis]

head unit is cda-9887 so i could utilize the imprint setup.


In-dash AM/FM, CD, MP3, AAC, WMA Receiver with IMPRINT Sound Technology. iPod, Bluetooth, HD, and Satellite Radio Ready.

Infinity Kappa Four



•125W RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms
•150 watts rms x 4 @ 2 ohms
•300W RMS x 2 [bridged[ @ 4 ohms
•Variable high- and low-pass filters (32-320 hz, 12db per octave)
•Bass boost: 0-12 db
•Frequency response: 10 hz to 75 khz
•Non-stop thermal protection ciruitry
•Class-d amplifier design
•Differential balanced speaker-and preamp-level inputs
•4-gauge power and ground leads
•Fuse rating: 40A x 2
•7-1/16"W x 1-3/4"H x 13"D

In
finity Kappa One



•mono subwoofer amplifier
•500 watts RMS x 1 at 4 ohms (800 watts RMS x 1 at 2 ohms)
•variable low-pass filter (32-320 Hz, 12dB per octave)
•bass boost: 0-12 dB
•frequency response: 20-320 Hz
•Non-stop Thermal Protection ciruitry
•Class-D amplifier design
•differential balanced speaker-and preamp-level inputs
•4-gauge power and ground leads and a 120-amp fuse recommended — wiring and hardware not included with amplifier
•fuse rating: 40A x 3
•7-1/16"W x 1-13/16"H x 14-9/16"D


Infinity Kappa Subs



•10" SSI Kappa Series 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm Subwoofer
•Power Handling:
◦Peak: 1400 watts
◦RMS: 350 watts
•Impedance: Selectable 2 or 4 ohms
•Coated glass-fiber woofer cone
•Thick rubber surround
•Selectable Smart Impedance (SSI) lets you set the subwoofers impedance with the flip of a switch
•Cast aluminum basket with voice coil vents
•Single voice coil technology
•2" Voice coil diameter
•Rubber boot surrounds the magnet structure
•Frequency response: 25-400 Hz
•Sensitivity: 89 dB

[rmoltis]

it added 44lbs was the shipping weight I used the 72 sq ft extreme dynamat package. It was the biggest pack they offered for the best price I could find. It was like $330-350 and I used up all of it. Yes all the holes were sealed the only parts i didn't dynamat were the roof because the headliner seemed sensitive and since it is in perfect shape I didn't want to chance messing it up Plus it doesn't rattle or let air out.. and the floor I didn't do underthe front area because it had lots of padding already. But from the firewall to the two front doors all the way around the sides were gotten as well as the trunk floor. When you open the hatch I put some mat at the very top of the underside of the hatch close to the hinges to reduce rattle there. Also with the hatch open separate from the hatch was the top of the hatch opening inside the car which was raw metal I dynamatted that also and the rear inside panels where the seat belts mount up top I dynamatted those strips of metal too. I wanted the high SPL. And without the stereo on. The interior noise is much more silent. I used to be able to hear the wind dragging over my car and tell how fast I was going and using the engine sound/intake. Well, to get it to where I used to hear the wind for my certain speed of driving I found I would avg 15-20 mph faster because of how much it silenced it. Not to mention I dynamatted the engine bay firewall to reduce engine noise. That also helped quite a bit. The dynamics of how sound plays with and without dynAmat is staggering. It silenced the interior so much you can hear every detail in the mids and highs. Im sure all aspire owners know how loud their cars interior road noise is and on the freeway how you can't always hear your music clearly even if it is up loud. Or if your on the phone people can't hear you as Well. Or if you have lowered it. The 95 was.lowered and I used to rally it and it was super loud inside and rattly. And even with its old stereo the road noise always interfered. That doesn't happen here everything is reduced significantly. I think the weight definitely affects how it handles too. I noticed that right away. Messes with body roll The mat also helps create a sort of "sealed enclosure" for your door speakers giving them a little stiffness and pressure backing for less distortion, also it separates the wave off of the front of the speakers into the cab while the reflection of the wave off the back side of the speaker is captured inside the door.... Removing any extra color the speakers may add.. Also same for the rear speakers. It was also wrapped around the holes the speakers mount in to reduce vibration. Instead of just feeling the bass hit. You can feel the mids and highs hit too. And the bass. Well first off rattles... My 95 aspire had no dynamat and with its system (being it was a step below my current platform). Would still rattle the ###### out of my car. When I had my stock carpet no rattles. But when I fabricated that floor and mounted things everything started rattling. But now with the dynamat nothing rattles. Everything is super quiet. The bass lines feel like they are super low and stretched out... Not like distorted but it seems like The bass line is super low and long like it stays for a while. The dynamat helped a lot with getting rid of bass cancellation may be why that is. I remember a point when I was working on It at first there was bass but a lot of vibration you would feel in the air. Then the dynamat there was less punch in the air but bass became more audible (easier to hear) and when I made a trunk cargo cover wrapped in left over gray vinyl from the 95 aspire trunk floor. I cut two square holes centered by the hatch side and they matched the port hole size to left the bass into the cab. And after that is gave more distance from the subs to your ears which reduced more cancellation and increased the volume/made it more audible.And your heart and lungs can give you problems sometimes making you think about how you might be forgetting to breathe or how your heart may be beating funny or forgetting to beat at all... Lol I got two of those kappa 10" subs in a vented box. And I was super surprised at the clarity of these subs. They have very high sq but at the same time. For a couple of tens they hit very low notes and hard. They go down to a 20hz. Love them.. would highly reccommend dynamat it made the most noticeable difference in the stereo and ride quality. Best of all with it up almost full volume people outside can only hear a little bit of the vocals. Which if you ever hear it would be surprised the sound actually stays in. I still cant believe it. This is the first time I've ever used/installed/bought dynamat for any of my cars. I had to see what all of the fuss was about, And it's amazing... I reccommend to everyone that they DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!!!

[rmoltis]

Got a picture of my scanguage. When I bought these tires I had them stretched. They had more narrow tread with taller height so it made stock diameter without my tires rubbing.
I had more square tires on the old aspire they would've been nice if these cars had more torque or horsepower but would move under cornering load. The stretched tires don't move on the rim they hold shape so it givesfor more precision in corners with less "tireroll" I guess I'd call it. With less tracking from cracks and grooves in the roads.





Let's compare stretched vs not stretched.

STRETCHED


Not stretched/square edges old aspire.

[rmoltis]

My car has just arrived in pittsburgh. I'm so happy to be reunited. I'll work on taking more pics. I just have to drive somewhere far away so the whole neighborhood doesn't see what I have and know it's there you could say they could just look inside but if you looked through the Windows nothing would really stand out. Everything is pretty out of sight minus the deck.
And the car from the outside just looks like it has rims and tinted Windows. That way I can remain inconspicuous. Took the time to clean the rims by hand and give it a carwash. Thinking about removing the sheepskin seat covers. They are real sheepskin and in washington they were warm but here in Pa they are HOT at least until winter hits. I'm gonna go for a drive and when I return I shall post some more pics.


I replaced the pass side headlight and trim underneath you can tell cuz it's grey from the old aspire, turnsignal, front bumper. Trespass fender is dinged still from when I got it I plan on replacing the fender later. And there was a big door dent pass side but when the dynamite was put in. Giant door dent was popped back out as flat as it could get without body work.
After the dynamat was put in the inside of the doors are no longer accessible. That is the extent of the body damage on this car. There's some minor clear coat flaking off in a couple spots overall is good condition.

[rmoltis]

Here's a picture of the dynamat on the hatch and hatch opening below it.


And here's some pics of the dynamat firewall from left to right.

[rmoltis]

Here's a picture of the front with the red led parking lights on. I got that front licence plate off also thx shaft.


Here's looking through the back window keeping everything hidden.
Since then I've bought and installed the stock parcel shelf.


Pass side door with dent/scrape. Pulled out dent flat as it could but scratch is still there. But look at how clear and blue that sky looks reflecting off the red painted door. Lol.


All in all body is pretty clean... Not perfect or %100 but enough for me.

[rmoltis]

Slotted rotors and ceramic pads.


New calipers.


When I redid the brake system I Used all new parts and replaced them all the same day so I'd have fresh brakes., slotted rotors, ceramic pads, new calipers, new brake lines front +rear, rear black powder coated drums with New bearings inner+outer+grease seals both sides, with new wheel cylinders, new spring rebuild kits, and new premium shoes. And new brake fluid.

And here's my k&n drop in filter.

I plan on later getting the k&n flex tubing posted in the engine section and connecting it from the stock box to a mount through the plastic air dam by the radiator for cold air intake that's the plan anyways.

[rmoltis]

Had the exhaust enlarged from the cat-back from 1.5 to 1.75" with a 1.75"inlet 1.75"outlet muffler. It made a noticeable difference with the drop in k&n filter. As well as compression braking doesn't slow me down as much as it used to with the stock intake/exhaust.
Car tends to coast farther in gear with the ability to breathe easier.