K-Town 370z install
 

I thought I would start a thread tracking my install, I am doing the system myself. I am going for most bang for the buck, doing the system in two stages first stage. Power infrastructure, amp rack, and sub upgrade to factory Bose system.

For me the most important thing straight away is get some more thump, so I am doing the sub upgrade first. Then I will collect everything to do the full system change out, the most expensive part also so that will wait for now.

I have taken some pics here to show the progress, the sub upgrade is very easily DIY with minimal tear down.

To start with here is the factory bose setup.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...y-location.jpg

Here is the amp rack making space for the new Alpine 1000watt mono amp.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...w-location.jpg

Here is the new 150amp stinger 4gauge amp wire kit.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...wer-system.jpg

This is where I pulled the power wire through the firewall, there was a grommet behind the battery.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...nd-battery.jpg

Routing the power wire, the door trim pulls up starting at the weather stip. Harder than I thought it would be.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...power-feed.jpg

Fishing for a power wire anyone? Got's to love the old fish tape, easily routed the 4gauge power wire with no problems.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...shing-away.jpg

No problem getting this wire through.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...ough-there.jpg

Finished product, need a little touch up paint on the bare patch.http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...ion-system.jpg

Question - does the Bose amp in the back only power the sub? Or all the speakers? I see that you removed it & replaced it with your 1000watt amp (cool). Will you need to retain the amp to power the door speakers?
Kevin


(edit) - looking more closely at your last pic - perhaps you just repositioned the Bose amp to the corner?

on my G's bose the rear amp powers all speakers.

Your looking at the Bose amp, I never removed just moved it from factory location so I could mount my new Hifonics Brutus amp.

The Bose amp powers every speaker in the car, I am adding the Re-Q taping off the factory speaker wires so I can run my new amp at the same time I run the factory bose for the stock speakers less the crap sub. I will run this setup while I compile all the parts necessary to remove the Bose completely from the car.

sounds good. looks like a fun project indeed. :p

@ Juleous

Thanks for the clarification - I am doing the same, except I'm not sure I'll remove the bose headunit or amp completely in the end. I've got to find a head unit that satisfies my need for a completely neutral look and incorporates the steering wheel's bluetooth controls.

Kevin

Every head unit can do all that the blue tooth and all but you can not use the bose blue tooth mic on any of the new head units you have to use the new one. You also just have to have a adapter to use the steering wheel controls.

I am curious how the sub upgrade is going to satisfy my need for more power. Maybe I will be satisfied enough not to bother upgrading the rest of the system, probably not though.

Ya once you start you will probably want to upgrade the rest.

http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...sting-spot.jpg

After ordering the Hifonics Brutus 1700 I had to make a little more room, the BRZ1200 would have fit but I couldn't resist for an extra $10 I got 400 more watts. Good deal me thinks.

http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...t-bose-amp.jpg

Hardly notice the amp even there, no problem getting the spare out.

http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...-installed.jpg

The addition of the new MTX Re-Q lot's of room now for Brutus!

http://www.the370z.com/members/juleo...ge-works-z.jpg

Testing the Re-Q everything working fine, no need for ACC turn on the Smart Engage works just fine in the Z

Those ugly holes drive me nuts in the pics, when I place the amp in there all the holes will be covered up. This amp rack will be replaced when I remove the bose crap for a fresh one.

I was thinking about cutting in some plexiglass windows into the Zenclosure so I can see the nice glowing Hifonics logo, it's a really nice blue LED color.

Anyone ever do any mods to Zenclosure? Plexi window?

How I wired in the MTX Re-Q: Being the Bose amp wiring harness travels right past the Re-Q location I simply tapped the speaker part of the wire harness going to the Bose amp. I used the Bose amp wire diagram on this forum, referenced the wire numbers to the appropriate pair of speaker wires(colors did not match exactly) cut the wires and tapped into those speaker leads that I needed. The appropriate pairs are twisted together. How I identified which wires were correct was looking at the Bose sub and the Amp plug I was able to identify which were the sub wires by color and then referenced the left and right rears from that. I tapped off the rear speakers as they are the only speakers receiving full range output from the Bose, I think the crossover for the fronts is in the amp.

Speaking with the tech's at MTX about the Re-Q they told me it was not necessary to dissconnect the speakers you are tapping, only recommended to remove the factory sub if your using an aftermarket setup like me. So the factory rears are still in play, the factory sub is gone in favor of the new dual 10" subs. The tech told me there would be no effect on the amp or the speakers and I can confirm that you do not need to dissconnect the speakers you are tapping off of to feed the signal to the Re-Q. The full range speaker taps are required so the Re-Q is capable of doing it's full restoration duties.

I also did not have to tap the ACC wire to the Bose amp as the Re-Q has smart engage where it turns on when it detects a speaker output from the Bose amp, this works exactly as stated in the Z. So the only wires I had to tap and cut were speaker wires which are very odvious as they are the only twisted pairs of wires in the harness, this install is an easy DIY

There is actually another tiny amp inside the sub box. Check my photos in this post...the amp is tiny.

http://www.the370z.com/audio-video/1...-question.html

Nice did not know that, that explains why the additional wires in the sub plug. Either case the two sub wires I tapped off were directly from the main amp goin to the bose sub, those two wires then are going over to the Re-Q to supply the base signal.

Thanks for the additional info.