Yesterday I took some time to finally change the headlight switch. I removed the four screws holding the interior panel so I could get to the switch. You need a really wide screwdriver to open the screw that holds the switch in place. I didn't have one so I cut a small piece from sheet metal that I could use. Then I just moved the wiring and vacuum hoses to the new switch, started the car and tested the connections. And it worked! The headlamps opened up almost immediately!
Screwing everything back together took a few minutes and then it was time for a test drive. I drove around the block playing with the light and they responded after only a few seconds of hesitation after putting the lights on or off. And even the knob now stayed in the switch without coming off every time you turned the light on. One thing less to worry about again.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Driving Season Is Here
After getting the subwoofer ready, it was time to test the Corvette. I reported it back to traffic so it could be legally driven again. After printing the papers, I jumped behind the wheel and went for a test drive with my wife. We drove about 50 km and the car seemed to work really well. Only problem was the radio. While driving, the USB-reader didn't work that well. It seemed to lose power every few minutes and stop playing. I'll have to check the wiring if it's loose.
I finally also received the headlight switch but still no window motor. Oh well, getting the lights to work is more important anyway so that'll be my next job after enjoying the car for a while...
I finally also received the headlight switch but still no window motor. Oh well, getting the lights to work is more important anyway so that'll be my next job after enjoying the car for a while...
Friday, May 11, 2012
Subwoofer Ready
I finally got the subwoofer done for my Corvette. It took much longer than I thought because I had some other things to do for a while but at least it is ready now.
I started the build by removing the rear compartment doors and measuring the hole. I used the door assembly to draw the correct shape to a piece of MDF and cut it out. Then it was time to design the subwoofer box itself. The compartment shape was quite problematic as the walls were angled. I wanted to use straight edges as much as possible to make the build easier so finally this became the plan:
The box is about as large as possible with using mostly 90 degree angles. Without the one cut in the front right corner the box would have been too small for just about any element. I also realized that the 10" SPL Dynamics woofer was too large without cutting the car. I didn't want to do that so I had to buy an 8" one. As the main speakers were Kickers, I got a Kicker Solo Baric S8C. It was meant for small, about 9,5 liter boxes so it was perfect. Mine measured about 8,5 liters but I just had to live with it.
After getting all the measurements, building the box was rather simple. I cut all the pieces with a jigsaw and just glued and screwed them together. I used a lot of glue on all the edges too so I could be sure that the box would be airtight. A piece of 3 mm hardwood was also attached to the top. It was a few centimeters larger than the MDF so it would cover the carpet edges in the car.
After completing the box, I had to test all the components. I wired the amplifier and subwoofer and put all the pieces in the car.
Then the moment of truth. Carefully I attached the negative cable to the battery and checked that no fuses burned and that all seemed OK. As things seemed to be as they should, I turned on the ignition and the radio. And voilá, I had a working subwoofer in my car! I tested a few songs from my old rock collection and actually had some bass in them now!
As a happy camper I went on to finalize my installation. But first I had to decide how to install the amplifier. With the box in place, I saw that it would not fit straight away over the driveshaft tunnel. After some thinking, I decided to put it over the tunnel angled. I would just use three pieces of MDF: one as a platform and two under it to hold it in place over the tunnel. I cut the pieces and filed them a bit so they sat nice and tight. This is what it looked like after screwing them together:
Now all the pieces were ready and it was time to cover the ugly MDF. Finding some red felt took a few Google searches but AutoStudio had some. It was a bit lighter red the the rest of the interior but would have to do. One roll would have been enough but I cut the largest piece wrong and had to do it again. And for that I had to buy a second roll. Luckily it wasn't that expensive.
For attaching the felt, I got some spray glue. The instructions said that I should spray it on both surfaces, let it dry for 15 to 20 minutes and then put them together. I did just that and here are the results:
Pretty nice. Final piece was the door to cover the battery and the amp. It was made from the same 3 mm hardwood that was glued over the MDF and then covered with felt. I attached a hinge to it with some rivets and screwed the other side of the hinge to the box. And with that the box was done!
Putting the box in the car went smoothly. I started by screwing the amplifier to its base and placed it over the driveshaft tunnel. Then I needed to cut some of the wires to correct length and attach them to the amp. The box was just dropped over everything and finally the subwoofer screwed in. After attaching the ground cable to the battery again, everything was ready!
A friend of mine that sells car audio equipment also happened to visit right after I got the subwoofer working and tuned the radio and the amp for me. It sounded pretty sweet! The 8" sub seemed enough for the really small space inside the Corvette.
My friend said that the Clatronic AR 817 radio that I had, had a pretty strange frequency response curve. The higher frequences were much weaker that the lower end. Well, what can you expect from such a cheap head unit. I'll have to test a better one when possible.
I might also paint the aluminium rivets from the lid so they won't be so visible. Oh, and I also need a cover for the subwoofer so stuff won't get on it and break it.
I started the build by removing the rear compartment doors and measuring the hole. I used the door assembly to draw the correct shape to a piece of MDF and cut it out. Then it was time to design the subwoofer box itself. The compartment shape was quite problematic as the walls were angled. I wanted to use straight edges as much as possible to make the build easier so finally this became the plan:
The box is about as large as possible with using mostly 90 degree angles. Without the one cut in the front right corner the box would have been too small for just about any element. I also realized that the 10" SPL Dynamics woofer was too large without cutting the car. I didn't want to do that so I had to buy an 8" one. As the main speakers were Kickers, I got a Kicker Solo Baric S8C. It was meant for small, about 9,5 liter boxes so it was perfect. Mine measured about 8,5 liters but I just had to live with it.
After getting all the measurements, building the box was rather simple. I cut all the pieces with a jigsaw and just glued and screwed them together. I used a lot of glue on all the edges too so I could be sure that the box would be airtight. A piece of 3 mm hardwood was also attached to the top. It was a few centimeters larger than the MDF so it would cover the carpet edges in the car.
After completing the box, I had to test all the components. I wired the amplifier and subwoofer and put all the pieces in the car.
Then the moment of truth. Carefully I attached the negative cable to the battery and checked that no fuses burned and that all seemed OK. As things seemed to be as they should, I turned on the ignition and the radio. And voilá, I had a working subwoofer in my car! I tested a few songs from my old rock collection and actually had some bass in them now!
As a happy camper I went on to finalize my installation. But first I had to decide how to install the amplifier. With the box in place, I saw that it would not fit straight away over the driveshaft tunnel. After some thinking, I decided to put it over the tunnel angled. I would just use three pieces of MDF: one as a platform and two under it to hold it in place over the tunnel. I cut the pieces and filed them a bit so they sat nice and tight. This is what it looked like after screwing them together:
Now all the pieces were ready and it was time to cover the ugly MDF. Finding some red felt took a few Google searches but AutoStudio had some. It was a bit lighter red the the rest of the interior but would have to do. One roll would have been enough but I cut the largest piece wrong and had to do it again. And for that I had to buy a second roll. Luckily it wasn't that expensive.
For attaching the felt, I got some spray glue. The instructions said that I should spray it on both surfaces, let it dry for 15 to 20 minutes and then put them together. I did just that and here are the results:
Pretty nice. Final piece was the door to cover the battery and the amp. It was made from the same 3 mm hardwood that was glued over the MDF and then covered with felt. I attached a hinge to it with some rivets and screwed the other side of the hinge to the box. And with that the box was done!
Putting the box in the car went smoothly. I started by screwing the amplifier to its base and placed it over the driveshaft tunnel. Then I needed to cut some of the wires to correct length and attach them to the amp. The box was just dropped over everything and finally the subwoofer screwed in. After attaching the ground cable to the battery again, everything was ready!
A friend of mine that sells car audio equipment also happened to visit right after I got the subwoofer working and tuned the radio and the amp for me. It sounded pretty sweet! The 8" sub seemed enough for the really small space inside the Corvette.
My friend said that the Clatronic AR 817 radio that I had, had a pretty strange frequency response curve. The higher frequences were much weaker that the lower end. Well, what can you expect from such a cheap head unit. I'll have to test a better one when possible.
I might also paint the aluminium rivets from the lid so they won't be so visible. Oh, and I also need a cover for the subwoofer so stuff won't get on it and break it.
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