AndyMac
Retired from service
After such success with my A3/S3 stealth subs I thought I'd give it a go in the Avant (that has now replaced the A3T).
Although the sound in the Avant is not has horrendously bad as the A3 standard "sound system", no doubt assisted by 6.5" speakers all round and this time they have actually bolted them to the doors rather than loosely screwing them to the hardboard door cards, it is still in need of a lot of attention.
After upgrading the HU to a DAB radio (Blaupunkt Woodstock) and rewiring the rears to the HU rather than through the feeble amp, I thought it was time to AndyMac the sub.
Knowing how long it took me to do the A3 I wasn't looking forward to it, however it turned out to be much easier. There's absolutely loads of room behind both the left & right boot trim, and no need for any fancy curves like the A3.
Also you don't have to remove half the interior to get the trim out.
After removing the feeble plastic sub and amp I decided to mount the amp on the right, and the sub in the unused space on the left. There is quite a bit more room on the left (no fuel tank) and just enough space on the right for a decent sized amp. Plus the wiring is there already as at this point I didn't want the hassle of running seperate RCA's.
Running power is relatively easy via the ECU down into the footwell and tucked under the door trim & into the boot.
The sub enclosure was really straightforward, just a 17" high, 7" deep 18mm MDF box with one side angled from 8" at the bottom to 12.5" at the top. Lined with speaker wadding and front loaded with the incredible 6.5" JL Audio sub.
The enclosure just drops straight in and there's even a spare bolt hole in exactly the right position to secure it in place.
One painful decision was to have to cut away the back of the cubbyhole, but I did it in such a way that it could be hotglued back on at resale time.
The transformation is extreme, probably better than the A3 version as the enclosure is a lot bigger. I was gonna try an 8" driver as there's plenty of space for it but I really think there's no need.
Anyway here's the all important pics:
I also discovered that the Avant has had a rear end prang at some point (wondered why the rear no. plate was from Listers bodyshop).
The enclosure shown is just the rough version to prove the concept, I'll get round to sanding and painting it at some point.
Although the sound in the Avant is not has horrendously bad as the A3 standard "sound system", no doubt assisted by 6.5" speakers all round and this time they have actually bolted them to the doors rather than loosely screwing them to the hardboard door cards, it is still in need of a lot of attention.
After upgrading the HU to a DAB radio (Blaupunkt Woodstock) and rewiring the rears to the HU rather than through the feeble amp, I thought it was time to AndyMac the sub.
Knowing how long it took me to do the A3 I wasn't looking forward to it, however it turned out to be much easier. There's absolutely loads of room behind both the left & right boot trim, and no need for any fancy curves like the A3.
Also you don't have to remove half the interior to get the trim out.
After removing the feeble plastic sub and amp I decided to mount the amp on the right, and the sub in the unused space on the left. There is quite a bit more room on the left (no fuel tank) and just enough space on the right for a decent sized amp. Plus the wiring is there already as at this point I didn't want the hassle of running seperate RCA's.
Running power is relatively easy via the ECU down into the footwell and tucked under the door trim & into the boot.
The sub enclosure was really straightforward, just a 17" high, 7" deep 18mm MDF box with one side angled from 8" at the bottom to 12.5" at the top. Lined with speaker wadding and front loaded with the incredible 6.5" JL Audio sub.
The enclosure just drops straight in and there's even a spare bolt hole in exactly the right position to secure it in place.
One painful decision was to have to cut away the back of the cubbyhole, but I did it in such a way that it could be hotglued back on at resale time.
The transformation is extreme, probably better than the A3 version as the enclosure is a lot bigger. I was gonna try an 8" driver as there's plenty of space for it but I really think there's no need.
Anyway here's the all important pics:
I also discovered that the Avant has had a rear end prang at some point (wondered why the rear no. plate was from Listers bodyshop).
The enclosure shown is just the rough version to prove the concept, I'll get round to sanding and painting it at some point.
