"taking Oval To Blue Horizon" Lenny's Build Thread 2010-2015

[JC600]

I'd get the brackets powder coated, alot better finish and choice of colours. :)

[Lenny]

I'd get the brackets powder coated, alot better finish and choice of colours. :)

Going for powder coating next month just plain old black will do nicely,

Question: ive drilled M6 holes for mounting to panel and M5 holes for mounting the amp (because amp is M5 holes)

Should i encounter any problems with inserting bolts after powder coating process or will the bolts still fit?

Dont want to have to drill it after powder coating because breaking the surface would defeat the purpose :)

[JC600]

You might have scrape a bit of powder coating out of the holes.....but you won't know till its been done.

[VickiW]

Scrape powder outta the holes lol best quote ever

[JC600]

:D

[Lenny]

You might have scrape a bit of powder coating out of the holes.....but you won't know till its been done.

thanks Jamie

Scrape powder outta the holes lol best quote ever

ye dirt bird!

[Lenny]

February Purchase Update:

Earlier in the month i had a bit of an unexpected purchase consisting of two Avon ZZ5 225/35/18 Tyres aswell as laser tracking,

Because the rear camber was excessively negative wearing the tyres down through to the wire as saw in a previous post on page: 73 of this thread

First item to arrive this month was;

The 19mm and 22mm Hole-Saw drill bits from China,

Link to supplier: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191479794962

Much cheaper than purchasing from B&Q and i only need to use them once to drill the MDF so i didn't see any point in investing a lot in to Hole-Saw's

Next item to arrive was from "Cable Stop" these guys supplied me with two Gold Plated Phono cables measuring 0.5 Metres (50cm) in length these are very high quality for the low price, the plugs are proper aluminium and gold plated.

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330632624521

Next purchase was from "99David66" supplied me with two of these Gold plated RCA Female - Female adaptors,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111563019142

These 0.5M RCA cables are for plugging in to the 4Ch Amp,

The female adaptors will be fitted to opposite ends of the 0.5M RCA cables at the rear of the panel making all connection easily removable without touching any connection on the amplifier.

I was concerned about introducing too many connections in the audio lines due to risk of sound deterioration but the experts tell me as long as both the connections are Gold its not a problem additional noise is only created when the sound has to transfer between two different materials.

So should be fine, if not i can always add some RCA ground loop isolators ill see how it goes first.

Next item to arrive was from "Kim-L227" on eBay, supplied me with four Aluminium 8mm tall Bushes,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281585096410

I've purchased these to fit between the 4 channel amp and the MDF panel like washers on the bolts; allowing an 8mm gap for air flow between amp and panel to aid cooling.

The next few items to arrive were from "Demon-Motorsport" on eBay, supplied me with the following items:

Four M5 x 15mm Aluminium Allen head bolts Anodized Black, these will be used to grip the Mono amp to the brackets,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151211574998

Four M5 x 25mm Aluminium Allen head bolts Anodised Black, these will be used to grip the 4ch amp to the MDF panel.

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151211574998

Quite a useful business card from Demon Motorsport aswell; has there business details on one side as expected but some useful conversion tables on opposite side:

Next two items were from "Boltbase" supplied some M5 & M6 Stainless Steel Penny Washers to broaden the grip surface at the rear of the panels.

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221061609656

Next few items were from "KayFast1" supplied me with some A2 Stainless Steel M5 & M6 Nylon thread lock nuts,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150783000310

They also supplied some M6 x 20 A2 Stainless Steel Hex bolts, for use in securing the Mono Amp brackets to the boot panel,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160804543604

They also supplied some black plastic ball head nut caps to cover the ends of the M5 & M6 nuts at rear of the brackets for that OEM finish aswell as avoiding sharp edges.

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161276119711

M5 nut caps:

M6 nut caps:

Next item purchased was from "Wiy-sond Technology" they supplied a Digital Voltage Multi-meter

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300594820660

Excellent quality for the low price, I've gotten this far in build progress without purchasing one of these Multimeter's however it is required when charging up a capacitor for the first time via a resistor to avoid it exploding in ya face so here goes :)

I'll create a short guide on "Charging your Capacitor" when i finally fit mine to the car.

Supplied with removable silicone case:

Picked up battery's separately

Philips head screw

Should last a lifetime considering amount of times I'm going to use it.

Next purchase was from "Vibe" had to log on to vibe.co.uk for 4 Metres of VIBE 13AWG FlatBass audio cable, this item is not yet available to purchase individually on eBay

Link: http://shop.vibeaudio.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=105&search=flatbass&category_id=0

This audio cable is thicker than standard 16AWG FlatFlex Audio cable and is specifically designed by Vibe for Sub installation use has a solid copper core.

When purchasing this cable i assumed it was sold by the meter,

So assuming if you want 4 meters set quantity to four.

Well i realized upon Delivery that its sold in rolls of 3 meters

When i set Qty: 4

I received four rolls @ 3 Meters per Roll.

Thankfully a single 3 Meter length is enough to tidily get from one side of the boot compartment to the other without extending,

So I've now got two Brand New rolls of this stuff for sale in my listings thread link: http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/66675-audio-upgrade-items-sale/

I don't like hoarding excess equipment.

While logged on to Vibe,

I purchased a 5.0 Meter FlatBass Solid Core RCA cable with 90 degree plugs,

The existing 5 Meter Vibe RCA feed to the Amp was going to be a Vibe FlatStereo RCA same as two for the 4 channel, but this one is designed purposely for Mono Amps says the solid core aids bass response and the 90 degree plugs on this cable suit the design of this Mono Amp install better.

I've gotta say; having now saw the prices on Vibe website,

There's a significant amount of savings to be made by purchasing from them directly rather than through Halfords or an eBay seller, shame I'm only finding this out now though as I'm done with purchasing the vibe range of items.

Next purchase was from my good friends at "Fastcaraudio" on eBay supplied two sets of JL Audio C3-650 6.5" Component Speakers.

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/fastcaraudio/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

The C3-650 are not currently listed on there eBay shop, i got on the old Mobile Phone and Text in this order paid invoice via PayPal Saved 15GBP on RRP.

JL Audio even supplied screws and fork crimp terminals for inserting in to amp instead of bare ends,

Surprisingly no audio cable supplied but im using Vibe Flatflex anyway and gotta admit these Speakers are damn heavy lol

Surly gonna bounce,

Considering fitting with some MDF rings on the 6.5" to aid resonance of unwanted vibration.

Next item to arrive was from "AutoStar" on eBay supplied me with two Rolls of Insulating tape,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-Rolls-FLAME-RETARDANT-PVC-Insulation-Tape-19mm-20m-/180483578968?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item2a05a8dc58

Range of colors available,

I required:

1 x Red

1 x Black

Plan is to insulate the Terminals on the RCA extensions for easy recognition of polarity.

Next item i picked up in a local DIY Store, Dome head black M6 self tapping screws for mounting the 10" Sub in to the MDF enclosure there a bit long but all the had in stock for this type.

Next item Purchased:

I'm awaiting there delivery from China,

This time its two 4 AWG inline trip switch circuit breakers,

Now some of you may have saw VIBE now supply a circuit breaker with there FlatBass install kit instead of a fuse;

The vibes circuit breaker is rated at 160A they don't currently supply them in any other sizes,

So my only option was to source two from RadioWorld within the UK or China;

Since the item is identical from both suppliers and I'm in no immediate need for them; China supplier was half the price so went with them.

Having read this link regarding fuses:

http://www.bcae1.com/fuses.htm

Then reading the Manuals of the JL Audio Amplifiers I've found the;

JX400/4 takes a 40A Fuse

JX300/1 takes a 30A Fuse

Both the Vibe Fuse box's come from factory with an 80A Fuse inside,

Bit of false security there lol Amplifier would be spittin flames if it was to overload but the vibe fuse wouldn't blow atall,

So rather than messing around changing fuses I've ordered in line circuit breakers instead:

30Amp

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311016749602

40Amp

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311016749602

Other sizes Circuit Breakers available,

I've just linked these as there the ones i required,

Never need to change a fuse, if it trips, just switch it back in again :)

Hope to hide both at rear left side of the battery secured with M5 Cheese head bolts.

Next item to arrive was from Advantage Motorsport these

guys supplied me with two pairs of 6.5 DEI BOOM Speaker Baffles

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301308874480

These

are made from Closed-cell polyethylene enhances frequency response for improved sound

clarity and highly

recommended when upgrading your Speakers as they help keep the bass inside the

car aswell as protecting the speaker from water that can be carried inside the

door panel from the windows.

Next item to arrive was from my good old friends at Car

Audio Direct these guys have a great website www.caraudiodirect.com detailing

the spec on everything however these guys are like an online Halfords Store,

They display all items very well but there process are generally

astronomical, I recommend logging on for a look then purchasing elsewhere,

Anyways they supplied me with 4AWG Gold Fork Terminals yes these do come as part

of the VIBE Slick Amplifier install kits, and are used to terminate the

connections entering the amplifier but Ive messed up one of them on crimping

resulting in me having to purchase as replacement so here the are

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191046308941

Next item to arrive was from Stickwithus09 on eBay these guys supplied me with two packs

of Heavy Duty Velcro Strips capable of supporting 15KG each apparently

I plan to use this

stuff to bond the sub enclosure to the inside of the wheel arch, this stuff

should be well able to hold the enclosure in place under "Lateral G"

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140772079122

One item im still awaiting Delivery of is from South Korea of all Places, from a Seller called RubyRuby79 on EBay, these guys

supplied me with some Umbrella Clips, fantastic idea for mounting the umbrella

on to the door car of the boot panel, as the last thing I want is an umbrella

floating around in the boot after fitting the sub enclosure,

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261681811992

I will be creating a short installation guide after fitting myself,

If interested the guide can be found here:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/67840-guide-fitting-boot-door-umbrella-holder-focus-mk2-mk25/

Here's some images:

Nice free gift aswell:

Some Brown Rice Green Tea yum!!

That's the end of February's update guys.

There will be progress updates between now and March as i prepare the sub enclosure for install and powder coat the Mono Amplifier mounting brackets.

The next Purchase update will be 1st March,

Since December through researching sourcing and planning everything we have come a long way in progress quite quickly.

The Build has become for me; quite intense and a bit stressful studying every item online comparing each item to others in its class ensuring all specs and quantity's are as they should be while steering the build in the right direction ensuring no parts are forgotten or purchased in error,

Then photographing & documenting everything upon arrival for future reference on the build thread, while working 48-50hr weeks and being a father of three kids giving them my time aswell

I'm going to take the next two weeks out from research and purchasing; to take a step back from the project and find time to enjoy the process again, its been a busy two months and were well ahead of schedule for May/June Install.

Lenny's gonna take five,

Thanks for reading :)

[Lenny]

Progress Update,

Since the Vibe 13AWG cable had now arrived aswell as some M6 Black Dome Head self tapping screws; I was now able to mount the JL10W0V3 10" Sub in to the Basser Mk2 Focus Custom sub enclosure

Firstly unpackaged the Sub enclosure to find its official title is Basser Ford Focus Mk2 as saw below this has been etched out of the inside rear panel:

Seems a waste of time since nobodys ever going to see it again inside the enclosure figured id post a picture of it to give it some viewing before I sealed it up forever lol

Started off with the Vibe 13AWG cable and used a Stanley blade to peel off some of the rubber insulation, this stuff has solid copper cores which result in lower resistance which enables a heavier pulse to be transmitted through the line designed specifically for bass installs.

I then open the previously purchased Gold Plated Crimp Spade connectors which I purchased from Car Audio Direct and crimped them on to the ends of the cable,

I am aware the rubber sleeves are fitted back to front, I purposely fitted them this way in this case to insulate the broad width of the flatbass cable.

Followed then with the Negative spade Crimp:

Heres an image I thought helps display how solid this stuff really is,

Can shape it like pipe cleaners anyone got a blue peter badge?

I then stripped the opposite ends of the cable and inserted them in to the spring terminals on the sub

All ready to insert inside the enclosure,

You can also see the red line polarity marking on the flatbass cable in the below image:

Following this I inserted the crimped spade terminals on to the spades inside the enclosure ensuring the polaritys were correct red to positive and black to negative.

The next problem to be solved was mounting the sub ensuring the JL Audio Logo was completely Level,

The only straight edge I could use for reference was the bottom surface,

So I used the plastic bag from the sub packaging to cover an old saw I had in the shed,

Some of you may not know this but on the handle of most hand saws there is a straight 90 degree and a 45 degree edge,

I used the 90 degree edge pressed agents the bass of the sub enclosure to ensure the top and bottom screw hole on the 10 sub were both perfectly aligned centre meaning the logo would then be 100% aswell.

Drilled dome 2mm Pilot holes in the 10 sub screw hole locations followed by !Removed! in the M6 Philips head black screws

Kept one hand around each screw while I drilled them home encase the drill slipped and went through the sub can you imagine that happening.

I havent opened the grill yet, going to keep it packaged until I finally fit the sub enclosure to the car, it wrapped up again and back in to storage one step further on in the process.

Now since the Hole-saws had also arrived I decided to finally get mounting the 4 Channel amplifier to the custom built MDF panel.

Unpackaged the JX400/4 and placed it face down on its packaging to mark out the locations for drilling the corresponding holes in the MDF

Three holes now drilled:

Fitted the previously purchased plastic grommets in place, well the 19mm ones were a tad small so Ive got some 20mm on the way instead however the 25mm one fitted a treat in to the 25mm hole.

Insert Image

I then passed all the cables through to the amp on the opposite side, cut them to desired length and proceeded to wire them in.

The next step was to fit the 8mm aluminium bushes between the amp and the panel to allow air flow all around the camp,

This is where I encountered a problem in the process,

As when purchasing the M5 allen head bolts a forgot to take in to consideration the depth of the 8mm bushes, as result when I inserted the M5x25 Allen head bolts they just barely peak through on the opposite side.

However upon encountering this issue I logged on to eBay and purchased four replacements measuring M5 x 40

They should arrive with me in the coming days enabling me to complete the mounting of the 4 channel amp leaving the build that bit further in in progress,

Its getting exciting now as its all coming together,

Next step in the process is to remove the right side upper boot panel and create a 9mm MDF backing plate to fit inside of it,

Ill then drill and mount the brackets for the JX300/1 mono amp, to make sure everything lines up as it should before I send the brackets off to be powder coated.

Ill update progress later in the month when I trial fit the Mono amp and finish mounting the 4 channel.

[Hassen]

This is all kinds of awesome! Your attention to detail is impressive,re JL audio logo being level. On mine, I looked at it, moved it a bit and it kinda looked level and drilled the holes lol. In the summer, I might decide to tidy up the installation and the mess of wires.

[Lenny]

This is all kinds of awesome! Your attention to detail is impressive,

Thanks Hassen,

On a side note; those 4AWG Crimp Terminals are hard crimped, tried hammer and two pieces of wood to squeeze em but wasnt a pleasent finish so ive managed to get a loan of a large sized crimper from work and got crimping on all the ends of the 4AWG cables today i can then cut them the desired length at a later date,

just got two more crimps to do at a later date then there all ready to go.

[b4zz]

looks like you have been a very busy boy

[Lenny]

looks like you have been a very busy boy

+1 Mate has been quite enjoyable piecing all the small bits together but ive gotta be honest; my heads wrecked with purchasing all the small stuff remembering to insert the correct quantity's and stuff, glad to have all the nuts and bolts now done and over with, March's update will be in the first week of the month then im taking time out until April,

Considering changing the build name to "the chronic"

[b4zz]

lol that's fair enough lenny and my head would be in a spin to if I tried doing what you are doing as I woudent have a clue where to start lol.

look forward to the up date.

in joy your time out.

hows the back doing mate?

[Lenny]

lol that's fair enough lenny and my head would be in a spin to if I tried doing what you are doing as I wouldn't have a clue where to start lol.

look forward to the up date.

Enjoy your time out.

hows the back doing mate?

Cheers mate,

I'm free styling it in some areas which is easy because i know in my head whats needed but its a frustrating incident which happened recently was regarding all the bolts that has me taking time out,

There sold individually,

The sellers don't ship directly to Ireland;

so i had to get them in via ParcelMotel,

ParcelMotel minimum charge is 4.50euro per item,

So with all that said i was purchasing bolts on eBay using my phone,

i had all the quantity's set but unknowingly at the time the page refreshed setting all quantity's back to 1

I realised this two days after purchase.

I received one of each bolt which parcel motel then charged me 4.50 for each package,

I then had to go on again to purchase the remaining 3 and pay parcel motel AGAIN Aghhhh!!!

Pure school boy error on my behalf resulting in damn expensive bolts.

This has led to me taking some time out from the build because that incident was a complete waste of money,

I've managed to save a lot on the budget by shopping around but i hate to see wastage like that.

I'm delighted to inform that my back hasn't been that bad since December,

The condition is improving through physiotherapy and lots of walking its built up the muscle around it to help relieve it,

The pain still comes back if I'm doing certain jobs in work but I'm capable of doing a lot more than i was before.

I'm off medication since November because they changed it from pain killers to a psychotic drug called Neuronten these tablets are designed for people with high level epilepsy,

They work by slowing down the brains electronic pulses between cells,

Now I've never had epilepsy and don't want it, they prescribed these to slow down my nerve pain,

But if i was to suddenly stop taking them;

This would cause a surge of pulse in the brain which would trigger epilepsy,

So i haven't touched them at all as result I've had to learn how to cope with the condition performing the exercises that give relief and walking 15 miles per week.

I have to see pain physician again in May to discuss but it really makes every day amazing when you wake up pain free mate,

I was in pain everyday like a toothache in my lumber spine from 1st May 14 to 29th December 15

[VickiW]

You physic as well as physco ??? It's only feb 15!!!

[Hassen]

Great to hear about the back Lenny. Maybe consider swimming as well as that would help.

On holidays here in Wales and had to check on your progress. FYI, the roads around Snowdonia in Wales are really fun to drive. Definitely recommended :)

[alexh89]

Hi Lenny. Where did you get your illuminated ignition ring from? I quite fancy one in blue

[Lenny]

You physic as well as physco ??? It's only feb 15!!!

ow miss perfect,

Be perfect and get your Mother out of my House!! Been here since wednesday.

Great to hear about the back Lenny. Maybe consider swimming as well as that would help.

On holidays here in Wales and had to check on your progress. FYI, the roads around Snowdonia in Wales are really fun to drive. Definitely recommended :)

Sounds good,

Nice of you to think of me while on holiday, I'm sure you will get some nice scenic pictures of the car there too,

Kerry has some great roads and hair pin turns over in the west of Ireland but Vicki doesn't like lateral G very much

i personally think its better than S3X because she screams my name more times when going in to a hair pin turn at 70kmh than she doen when i throw it up her Ar5e

Going to video Kerry Ring on dash cam then purchase a 3D headset for vicki displaying the fast hair pin turns,

Be sorted then :) ......

Hi Lenny. Where did you get your illuminated ignition ring from? I quite fancy one in blue

Thanks mate,

I used to buy them from Taobao in china for 2 pounds and sell em on eBay under the name FastFocusCustomParts but Taobao dealer done a runner with my last consignment totaling 90 euro there two years ago or perhaps wiped out in the tsunami ill never know.

There now available from eBay see link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIT-FOR-FORD-FOCUS-ILLUMINATING-MOD-LED-IGNITION-BARREL-RING-ILLUMINATED-LIGHT-1-/310832060495?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item485f08d84f

You take risk of losing money when dealing directly with China, takes up to 30 days to arrive but the cost is lower than eBay, choice is yours

I don't have the business anymore,

I used to do it for extra cash when i was unemployed.

[VickiW]

1. it's my gaff too

2. Uve never & never will put anything up my !Removed!

3. I didn't know ye lost €90 on last lot from taboo ye fool

[Lenny]

Sony PlayStation in the car debate,

Id appreciate vote here guys:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/67519-playstation-2-in-the-car-should-i-fit/

[alexh89]

ow miss perfect,

Be perfect and get your Mother out of my House!! Been here since wednesday.

Sounds good,

Nice of you to think of me while on holiday, I'm sure you will get some nice scenic pictures of the car there too,

Kerry has some great roads and hair pin turns over in the west of Ireland but Vicki doesn't like lateral G very much

i personally think its better than S3X because she screams my name more times when going in to a hair pin turn at 70kmh than she doen when i throw it up her Ar5e

Going to video Kerry Ring on dash cam then purchase a 3D headset for vicki displaying the fast hair pin turns,

Be sorted then :) ......

Thanks mate,

I used to buy them from Taobao in china for 2 pounds and sell em on eBay under the name FastFocusCustomParts but Taobao dealer done a runner with my last consignment totaling 90 euro there two years ago or perhaps wiped out in the tsunami ill never know.

There now available from ebay see link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIT-FOR-FORD-FOCUS-ILLUMINATING-MOD-LED-IGNITION-BARREL-RING-ILLUMINATED-LIGHT-1-/310832060495?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item485f08d84f

You take risk of losing money when dealing directly with China, takes up to 30 days to arrive but the cost is lower than eBay, choice is yours

I don't have the business anymore,

I used to do it for extra cash when i was unemployed.

Cheers mate, I'll have a look into it. Sorry to hear your business went under that sucks. I should've asked, will it fit a fiesta as well? Many thanks.

[Lenny]

Cheers mate, I'll have a look into it. Sorry to hear your business went under that sucks. I should've asked, will it fit a fiesta as well? Many thanks.

it sure will mate universal fitment,

The business was only a small thing to make a few extra quid i dont have time these days to operate it anyway.

[alexh89]

it sure will mate universal fitment,

The business was only a small thing to make a few extra quid i dont have time these days to operate it anyway.

Cool, cheers fella :-) ah fair enough, always handy to have some extra pocket money.

[Lenny]

Short Progress Update:

The M5 x 40 black Allen Head bolts Have arrived today from Demon Motorsport on eBay

Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151211574998

as i mentioned in a previous post;

I initially purchased the wrong length of these and as result I was unable to complete the mounting of the 4 Channel Amplifier to the Carpeted MDF Panel,

Thankfully the 4 Channel Amp and panel is now complete thanks to their arrival.

Aluminium 8mm Bushes fitted like washers to bolts between amplifier and carpet allowing for maximum air flow,

The cavity panel is now fully complete.

Fitted M5 Stainless Nylon Insert lock nuts followed by plastic M5 Dome head cap to head of bolt which prevents risk of cutting in to cables

Quick trial fit in the car :)

Ill fit the brushed aluminium panel to the amp at a later date when its been permanently fitted.

Fantastic Start to the week :)

[Hassen]

This looks so neat. Can't wait to see the rest of the setup :)