1997 BMW 525tds Touring Oldschool Install

[joerg]

Since my Vacation started i finished the plans and drawings for my new install.

The Car:
A fully technical overhauled 1997 BMW 525tds Touring


List of Contents to get installed:
Headunit: Denon DCT-R1
Volume Level Display: Denon DSV-1
RCA-Cables: Rockford Fosgate Riot blue/silver
Amplifier Sub: Phoenix Gold Nickel MS2250
Amplifier Mids: Phoenix Gold Nickel MS2250
Amplifier Tweets: Phoenix Gold Nickel MS2250
Crossover: Phoenix Gold AX406a
EQ: Phoenix Gold EQ230 Nickel Edition
Signal Processor: Phoenix Gold Basscube
Linedrivers: 3 Phoenix Gold PLD1
Subwoofer: 1 Focal KX46SPL
Mids: 4 Focal 6K3P
Tweets: 2 Focal TC90K
Batteries: 2 Powercell 4000
Speaker Cables: 4mm² Phoenix Gold Zero Point
Remote and Voltage Distribution: Phoenix Gold DD5
Power Distribution: 2 TBBKF12, 1 TBBKF34, 2 TBD34

Few pictures of the gear:

[joerg]

I started with the tweeter mounts on the A-pillars. First i hade some MDF-frames made up from my carpenter. I took the covers off the A-pillars and screwed th tweeter frames onto them. Then i modified the frames to fit the pillars so that the tweets are angled at 7 to 10 degrees facing inside the car. After that i used synthetic resin filling compound to fully implement the frames into the pillars. The last picture is how far i made it today. BTW: I hate sanding

[Stryker]

Gonna be a sweet setup, and purdy too

[stipud]

Nice seat covers

[Nils]

Looking forward to see this project Nice collection of components!!!!

[joerg]

Nice seat covers

Just to protect the seats from my work clothing while installing everything up front.

[stipud]

Nice seat covers

Just to protect the seats from my work clothing while installing everything up front.

Oh thank god

It seems to me that with the odd shape of your tweeter housings, that using fiberglass would have been much easier than just body filler.

[joerg]

It seems to me that with the odd shape of your tweeter housings, that using fiberglass would have been much easier than just body filler.

I hate working with fiberglass. The sticky shit all over and waiting forever for it to dry up when u mix it wrong. Can´t wait doing the sub enclosure in the drunk. There i´ll have to use fiberglass.

[ttocs]

I am not a fan of the tweeter pods. The just do not flow at all with anything in the car but the european tweeter pods have been going that rout for a while and I can respect that the form follows the function. I would have tried to cut a hole in the pillar and sink that into the pillar as fas as I could personally.

Glass is only messy your first 8-10 times. Once you get it under control and realized you need all the parts with in arms reach while mixing and that the prep is everything, its not that bad.

[joerg]

I am not a fan of the tweeter pods. The just do not flow at all with anything in the car but the european tweeter pods have been going that rout for a while and I can respect that the form follows the function. I would have tried to cut a hole in the pillar and sink that into the pillar as fas as I could personally.

Glass is only messy your first 8-10 times. Once you get it under control and realized you need all the parts with in arms reach while mixing and that the prep is everything, its not that bad.

I finished the A-pillars yesterday. And believe me the Tweeters are as far inside the pillars as possible. These are not 25mm round TI elite tweets. These are 90mm x 90mm and have a hight of 45mm. Plus the angle i needed to mount them at that´s the best i could do.

As for the glass thingy. I can´t wait for the trunk.

[joerg]

Like said above the last two days i finished quite a bit. The A-pillars are done the wires a pulled from the front to the trunk and the original radio is out of the car. I converted the whole thing to a dual DIN slot with the parts from a vendor in germany. Worked out very well. Now i´m waiting for the headunit to arrive from California.

[stipud]

I think it would look better in the top slot, because the gold CF matches the deck very nicely.

[joerg]

I think it would look better in the top slot, because the gold CF matches the deck very nicely.

That´s where i´ll place it as soon as the headunit is here!

[kg1961]

very very nice work! looks great

[stipud]

I think it would look better in the top slot, because the gold CF matches the deck very nicely.

That´s where i´ll place it as soon as the headunit is here!

Oh duhhh that's not even the HU! Cool!

[Damo95]

those square tweeters aren't the easiest speaker to install.. I had a pair of T121's (i think) quite a few years ago.. they aren't light either..

props to you for getting them up on the pillars, and nice work with the mdf mountings.
only thing i would have suggested to do, is to do a round over on the corners, so that they aren't so "sharp".
Otherwise, looks great!

[joerg]

those square tweeters aren't the easiest speaker to install.. I had a pair of T121's (i think) quite a few years ago.. they aren't light either..

props to you for getting them up on the pillars, and nice work with the mdf mountings.
only thing i would have suggested to do, is to do a round over on the corners, so that they aren't so "sharp".
Otherwise, looks great!

I had the 120ties in a former install of mine as well. But at that time they were mounted into the Dash.

The more i look at the picture of the finished A pillar i guess that just the angle the picture was taken at makes the pods look too big and sharp. I´ll take better pictures the next days.

[ttocs]

I am not a fan of the gold CF myself.

I too agree about rounding the corners off on the tweet. When I do glass I try to make it look as smooth as possible to make it look natural in the car.

[joerg]

Finished the Headunit today! Got it up´n runnin and got to say that i´m very happy with the looks of it.





After the headunit was done i started to modify the driverside door to have it ready for fiberglass work.






More to come tomorrow...

[kg1961]

very very nice joerg!!! as always

[joerg]

And on we go. Today i did the passanger door and started to apply the polyester resin. I can´t tell how much i hate that sh*t

[ttocs]

any reason you did that one so differently then the first? You left the stock speaker opening in the first one but not in the 2nd?

[joerg]

any reason you did that one so differently then the first? You left the stock speaker opening in the first one but not in the 2nd?

I´m doing the drivers door the same way. The picture was just a testfit to see that nothing keeps the door from closing all way.

[joerg]

Today i replaced the original Battery with a nice Powercell 4000. I so like BMW´s having the original Battery in the trunk and me not pulling a 50mmm² wire all the way to the back.

[brett.b10]

Superb joerg. Inspiration to do my doors !