Fair warning...this thread isn't for the ultimate audiophiles looking for every last ounce of audio performance and sound stage quality. My goals were to make a marked improvement and stay around my $1000 budget. I accomplished both goals and couldn't be happier with the end result.

I knew going in I would have to get some great deals and even better advice from experienced forum members if I was going to reach my goals under budget. Posted in the audio forum and have to give big thanks to forum members Kale and Pentavolvo for their guidance on equipment purchases and setup. I didn't really start taking pictures until the end of assembly (and poor cell phone pics at that) as I got kind of wrapped up in the install and once in the zone forgot to stop and take some snapshots for posterity.

First up is the Alpine CDA-9851 head unit and custom filler plate I purchased from forum member Cheech Wizard for $100 shipped. Started off on the right foot with this project. The head unit came with the owner's manual, carrying case for the faceplate, remote control and was in perfect condition...oh, and did I mention $100 shipped!



Took Pentavolvo's advice and purchased Polk db series speakers to replace the factory BOSE units. Purchased a new set from Amazon for $170 shipped. Polk db6501 2-way components for the fronts and db521's (coaxial) for the rears. Decided to go with the Alpine KTP-445 "Power Pak" which is a small boxed unit roughly the size of half a carton of cigarettes. It puts out 45wx4 and plugs in directly to the Alpine harness. No fuss, no muss. The KTP-445 ran me $75 shipped...also from Amazon. Had Madvette Motorsports make a custom mdf board to mount the component system in the front doors.

Don't have any actual pictures but here are some stock photos to get an idea of what they look like...







I used Dynomat on the metal inner portion of both doors and along the outer skin. Ensolite foam also covered the inner portion and I cut a square of the material to lay directly behind the speaker plate as a "backsplash" or "baffle" for the reflected sound. On the rear speakers I used the actual 5.25" foam pre-shaped baffles that attach to the speakers as space was very limited back there.

For the rear subwoofer I again returned to the parts section and found a complete stealthbox with a 12" Pioneer TS-SW3001S4 ib-FLAT series speaker from forum member XtremeVette for $215 shipped. Took Pentavolvo's advice again and grabbed a Power Acoustik BAMF 800wx2 amplifier which provides 360wx1 @ 4ohms for the subwoofer. This was perfect as the max RMS rating for the speaker is 400w anyway, and I'm not a huge bass guy to begin with.

I lined the rear cargo compartment with more Ensolite foam sealed with foil tape and used the leftover Dynomat to cover any areas which had vibration potential or metal contact points.

In process pics....









I didn't want to muffle the subwoofer sound and wanted a little of a "custom" look to the install so I modified the stock rear compartment door to sit in the stock location and use the factory mounting points but allow the subwoofer and grill to peek thru. The BAMF amplifier was mounted to a piece of mdf which sandwiched the center trim piece directly above the subwoofer compartment.








After testing, I cleaned up the install a bit by laying down some more foil tape to seal all areas around the Ensolite foam, clean and vacuum the rear compartment, and adjust the speaker grill. Bolted everything back up and installed all trim panels and the final product passed inspection...





In the end I came in just over $1000 ($1127 or so to be exact) and got exactly the sound level and quality I wanted, some sound deadening, and a mild custom look to my application. It's not going to win any competitions and would probably sound better with higher-end components but it's such a substantial improvement over the stock BOSE system that I was grinning ear-to-ear after hearing it all tuned and dialed in afterwards. For all the materials and hardware it's a huge bargain and I'm happy to say targa-off cruising is now that much more enjoyable that I can appreciate my stereo. And of course so can the cars in the neighboring lanes if I so chose...

Thanks for looking guys!

 

DIY and the write up are great.

I had never hear of the Alpine KTP-445 "Power Pak

that working out well?

 

I didn't want to spend a lot more on a separate amplifier for the front as I was running up against the budget to begin with. I also didn't want to have to find another suitable mounting location, run more wires, by another wiring kit, etc.

The KTP-445 literally sits behind the factory stereo and plugs in between the harness coming from the head unit and the one from the vehicle. Plug-and-play installation and produces a solid 45wx4 RMS to all four speakers. I found this to be plenty for my application. If I were to upgrade the components to something with a higher power requirement then I'd consider the added expense/effort of an amplifier for just the cabin speakers but for now it's everything I wanted and I couldn't be more pleased...

 

With the Corvette logoed mounting plate does it matter whether the Corvette logo is on top of the HU or under it? Notice yours is under but their website shows on top.

Just wondered if it matters.

 

Call or email Mark and tell him specifically what you want and he can make it for you. If you want something exactly like mine just email him the picture and tell him to reproduce it. He can and will do anything...for a price.