Christ what a day...

As you may of seen, i bought some pimpmeister audio gear.

First of all, I bought a USB Kenwood headunit. USB because i'm getting bored with "only" 700 MB of music on an MP3 CD, and Kenwood so it works straight away with my steering wheel controls. Ended up getting a Kenwood KDC-W7534U second hand.

Secondly, I retro-fitted the Harmon Kardon audio system in June... well in that time i've had two of the (£40 each) HK amps break, and suspect my Bluetooth kit is at fault (both end up with a dodgy F/L channel which is the speaker my Bluetooth kit outputs two). As I needed a new amp anyway, I had a look on eBay to see what I could get for ~£40, and ended up with a shiny JBL GTO4000 600w 4-channel amp for the princely sum of £43.

I then had to wire all this up - my existing amp was wired up using 10AWG cable, which frankly was not going to be enough for the current draw of 2 amps. I bought a 4AWG wiring kit, and then a fused distribution block, and a small run of 8AWG cable. The idea was to run the 4AWG cable to the distribution block, power the JBL with the 8AWG and then run the SPLX amp off the old 10AWG that was running down the car.

I also decided that I would wire the HK amp to the SPLX amp, leaving the JBL just for the speakers and tweeters.

I originally planned on putting the amp's under the seats, but unfortunately the JBL is just far too big for that, so instead I mounted the JBL to the back of the rear seat and then the SPLX amp under the drivers seat.

Another little project was clearing the boot - my boot has a false floor, and with the wiring going to the amp, which was screwed to the sub, meant I couldn't actually move it to get the spare wheel out. The amp has moved, and i've put in a speakon connector to the sub so that to unplug it, remove it and get to the spare wheel takes ~30 seconds. Also means I can make my boot larger for big hauls without the worry of shorting cables etc...

Another advantage of the new headunit was that of connectivity - I chose it so that all of the inputs were at the back. This means that no longer must cables run though my interior - now I have a USB and 3.5mm input in my glovebox stealthed away, and the CD Changer now also works again. What I didn't realise, however, was that it's a lot more hi-end than I thought... for a start it's got a motorised face. This was great for 5 minutes of button pushing, however it sticks out a bit further which means I have to leave it angled so that the steering controls work (they are IR based).

Weirdly, it also worked first time when I put it together (or at least, it did once I plugged the rear lights ground back in and made sure the remote was plugged into the headunit...)

Unfortunately in the process of putting the seat back in the height adjuster broke... which gives me a pretty much undrivably-high position. "Luckily" I have the seats the car already came with, but changing them is a job I don't enjoy, and I only bought the seats in June...

Still need to sort out a poor ground, though.

In short, i've spent the last 2 days dicking around with wires and bolts and it's not even bloody finished yet.

Quote from Jakg :

Christ what a day...

As you may of seen, i bought some pimpmeister audio gear.

First of all, I bought a USB Kenwood headunit. USB because i'm getting bored with "only" 700 MB of music on an MP3 CD, and Kenwood so it works straight away with my steering wheel controls. Ended up getting a Kenwood KDC-W7534U second hand.

Secondly, I retro-fitted the Harmon Kardon audio system in June... well in that time i've had two of the (£40 each) HK amps break, and suspect my Bluetooth kit is at fault (both end up with a dodgy F/L channel which is the speaker my Bluetooth kit outputs two). As I needed a new amp anyway, I had a look on eBay to see what I could get for ~£40, and ended up with a shiny JBL GTO4000 600w 4-channel amp for the princely sum of £43.

I then had to wire all this up - my existing amp was wired up using 10AWG cable, which frankly was not going to be enough for the current draw of 2 amps. I bought a 4AWG wiring kit, and then a fused distribution block, and a small run of 8AWG cable. The idea was to run the 4AWG cable to the distribution block, power the JBL with the 8AWG and then run the SPLX amp off the old 10AWG that was running down the car.

I also decided that I would wire the HK amp to the SPLX amp, leaving the JBL just for the speakers and tweeters.

I originally planned on putting the amp's under the seats, but unfortunately the JBL is just far too big for that, so instead I mounted the JBL to the back of the rear seat and then the SPLX amp under the drivers seat.

Another little project was clearing the boot - my boot has a false floor, and with the wiring going to the amp, which was screwed to the sub, meant I couldn't actually move it to get the spare wheel out. The amp has moved, and i've put in a speakon connector to the sub so that to unplug it, remove it and get to the spare wheel takes ~30 seconds. Also means I can make my boot larger for big hauls without the worry of shorting cables etc...

Another advantage of the new headunit was that of connectivity - I chose it so that all of the inputs were at the back. This means that no longer must cables run though my interior - now I have a USB and 3.5mm input in my glovebox stealthed away, and the CD Changer now also works again. What I didn't realise, however, was that it's a lot more hi-end than I thought... for a start it's got a motorised face. This was great for 5 minutes of button pushing, however it sticks out a bit further which means I have to leave it angled so that the steering controls work (they are IR based).

Weirdly, it also worked first time when I put it together (or at least, it did once I plugged the rear lights ground back in and made sure the remote was plugged into the headunit...)

Unfortunately in the process of putting the seat back in the height adjuster broke... which gives me a pretty much undrivably-high position. "Luckily" I have the seats the car already came with, but changing them is a job I don't enjoy, and I only bought the seats in June...

Still need to sort out a poor ground, though.

In short, i've spent the last 2 days dicking around with wires and bolts and it's not even bloody finished yet.

my dads resporting a 1967 cortina....


20 years and counting.

Ok...my ride is something of beauty...its a bike :P a raleigh enigma 10 speed on 24" rims

and for all of you from CLC...its a polo 1.4 supercharged 4WD with lorry rear diff :lol:

90' BMW E34 TDS. 141hp, 250nm. Stood under a tree on a farm for 6 years. Got new tyres and 2 hours of wash yesterday. There's some chassis job left though, interior, seats and carpets are surprisingly clear, you wouldn't say it's 20 years old. 155k in the clock, need a new computer to get the engine work.
Soon to be checked if the suspension, brakes, etc are working well. Luckily we have some spare parts on the yard, including a complete engine too.

So.. this is my project car, finally I have something to work on and kill some time with Some pics I made after I took it to our yard. The paintjob is much more good looking now.

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

90' BMW E34 TDS. 141hp, 250nm. Stood under a tree on a farm for 6 years. Got new tyres and 2 hours of wash yesterday. There's some chassis job left though, interior, seats and carpets are surprisingly clear, you wouldn't say it's 20 years old. 155k in the clock, need a new computer to get the engine work.
Soon to be checked if the suspension, brakes, etc are working well. Luckily we have some spare parts on the jard, including a complete engine too.

So.. this is my project car, finally I have something to work on and kill some time with Some pics I made after I took it to our jard. The paintjob is much more good looking now.

Looking forward to hear more!

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

90' BMW E34 TDS. 141hp, 250nm. Stood under a tree on a farm for 6 years. Got new tyres and 2 hours of wash yesterday. There's some chassis job left though, interior, seats and carpets are surprisingly clear, you wouldn't say it's 20 years old. 155k in the clock, need a new computer to get the engine work.
Soon to be checked if the suspension, brakes, etc are working well. Luckily we have some spare parts on the yard, including a complete engine too.

So.. this is my project car, finally I have something to work on and kill some time with Some pics I made after I took it to our yard. The paintjob is much more good looking now.

did the tree fall on it or what?

No idea what happened to the front, it's owner died and his wife had no idea about it. (and no, the prev. owner did not die in the car, just before some clever dudes ask)

m5 ös moci bele,lebaszni földre,18 as kerekek rá,mehet is rabócsi ringre

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

90' BMW E34 TDS.

Nice, a BMW! But.. these old bmw diesel engines are money eaters. Be ready to change turbine, nozzles, engine head, etc etc if previous owner hadn't done proper rebuild. Good luck!

Finally a new car Already bought new mirrors and front grill, should be coming soon.

Quote from Tomson(FIN) :

Still need to think what else im going to do about it..

You need to lower it ASAP. IMO it looks unbeliavably shite so high up.

cant wait my clutch to go so i can upgrade to next level !Stage 2 lightweight flywheel with m5 clutch kit 8.5 lbs vs 25 stock

Quote from DevilDare :

You need to lower it ASAP. IMO it looks unbeliavably shite so high up.

No way! im not going to ruin my chassis. And this is finland after all, snow you know?

Quote from DevilDare :

You need to lower it ASAP. IMO it looks unbeliavably shite so high up.

Yeah, bye bye drive ability after that.. /facepalm

i dont know why every1 is like if u put other suspension bye bye drivability. the best thing i done to the car is throw bilstein pss9's and slam it. million times better than stock susp.

ofc wont work in snow,but im just saying in general.

He can not help he is from England.

Quote from e2mustang :

i dont know why every1 is like if u put other suspension bye bye drivability. the best thing i done to the car is throw bilstein pss9's and slam it. million times better than stock susp.

Because the manufacter knows best how to set up a car.
(Well, that seems to be according to every one else here...)

What most people don't take into account is the fact that from factory its always set up for comfort(With the obvious exceptions for cars that were made for weekend track work)

Compromise. better handling will always result in a bumpy ride, higher road noise and vibration, and the occasional tramline on bad roads.

Quote from G!NhO :

He can not help he is from England.

Not originally

So he is an immigrant?

Quote from Klutch :

Because the manufacter knows best how to set up a car.
(Well, that seems to be according to every one else here...)

What most people don't take into account is the fact that from factory its always set up for comfort(With the obvious exceptions for cars that were made for weekend track work)

Compromise. better handling will always result in a bumpy ride, higher road noise and vibration, and the occasional tramline on bad roads.

You said it well

Quote from Klutch :

Because the manufacter knows best how to set up a car.
(Well, that seems to be according to every one else here...)

What most people don't take into account is the fact that from factory its always set up for comfort(With the obvious exceptions for cars that were made for weekend track work)

Compromise. better handling will always result in a bumpy ride, higher road noise and vibration, and the occasional tramline on bad roads.

yes factory suspension is set up for comfort. i have no road noise at all,no vibration what so ever. of course its is bumpy,my settings is : the car dont move at all,for example when u push down on a car it will bounce up and down. well try to push mine down,and it wont move at all
car is 2 inches from ground,and i never had a problem with it. have to drive very carefully tho,which i dont mind,helps keep the car in good shape

Quote from G!NhO :

So he is an immigrant?

Not sure

Quote from e2mustang :

i have no road noise at all,no vibration what so ever.

wasnt specificily speaking just about Springs/shocks, more the handling modifcations over all

Poly bushes will give more road noise and vibration but a better feel and more response,
low offset wheels will give tramlining on bad roads but increases track and better turn-in

etc etc, could go on forever


i think if alot of people drove a stock car and then went onto a car of the same type thats has been set up well, they'd take back everything they ever said haha

Quote from e2mustang :

the car dont move at all,for example when u push down on a car it will bounce up and down. well try to push mine down,and it wont move at all

Sometimes this isn't such a good thing. On bumpier roads due to the stiff suspension the wheels wont keep in contact on the ground so much, which can cause unpredictability.

Quote from e2mustang :

car is 2 inches from ground,and i never had a problem with it.

A lower centre of gravity and lower roll centre are always good things, but going too low can effect handling negatively.

Quote from Klutch :

wasnt specificily speaking just about Springs/shocks, more the handling modifcations over all

Poly bushes will give more road noise and vibration but a better feel and more response,
low offset wheels will give tramlining on bad roads but increases track and better turn-in

etc etc, could go on forever


i think if alot of people drove a stock car and then went onto a car of the same type thats has been set up well, they'd take back everything they ever said haha


Sometimes this isn't such a good thing. On bumpier roads due to the stiff suspension the wheels wont keep in contact on the ground so much, which can cause unpredictability.


A lower centre of gravity and lower roll centre are always good things, but going too low can effect handling negatively.

yeah poly bushings.. i dont have those,its a pain in the ass job tho press those in,i worked with some,but man.. just wont go in, even with special lube. mostly did the on e46 m3. btw mine isnt like a scale model car that wheels stay in place with chassis lol it has some movement. so its not like go in a bump and i go flying,that would be dangerous for sure. i also have x-braces under car,strut braces front and back, sway bars all around. it just friggin lovely,can take turns almost endless speed

im sure tho its different on every car,but bmw has a 50-50 weight balance,so it works very well.

(dont we love the low g point? :P )

Quote from Tomson(FIN) :

front grill

Now, lemme guess, brandless?

I wouldn't care about people bitching about the ride height. Comfort is a nice feat to have on road cars.