500+bhp Mk3 Fiesta Project
Discussion
I've been giving the hifi system some more thought. I had laid two RCA leads from the head unit to the boot and from there I was going to use Y leads to split them between the four amps. The front channel would be split three ways to run the front Midbass, front tweeters, and rear fill. The rear channel would run the sub amp. I was going to use the Seas passive crossovers.
The problem with splitting RCA's is that the line voltage drops leading to potential reduction in signal quality. The passive crossovers - while very good in the Seas kit - don't allow much scope for customisation. In view of this I have decided to order an Audison Bit One digital processor http://www.audison.eu/index.php?page=product&i... It is a 32 bit DSP processor with 24 bit AD and DA converters.
It is a pretty cool piece of kit and provides various inputs and fully customisable output channels, including EQ, phase, and crossover. It connects to a laptop via USB for updates via the custom software.
Today I re-jigged the boot layout around a card template to plan a final position for the Bit One. I also connected the speaker wires.
The problem with splitting RCA's is that the line voltage drops leading to potential reduction in signal quality. The passive crossovers - while very good in the Seas kit - don't allow much scope for customisation. In view of this I have decided to order an Audison Bit One digital processor http://www.audison.eu/index.php?page=product&i... It is a 32 bit DSP processor with 24 bit AD and DA converters.
It is a pretty cool piece of kit and provides various inputs and fully customisable output channels, including EQ, phase, and crossover. It connects to a laptop via USB for updates via the custom software.
Today I re-jigged the boot layout around a card template to plan a final position for the Bit One. I also connected the speaker wires.
For some reason the driving lamps in my bumper did not sit flush with the frame. I took a new lamp set from my stock to compare, and realised that I had the driving and fog lights the wrong way around; the fogs should sit on the outside of the bumper, not inside like I had installed them. Oops.
Headlamp Washers
I was browsing the Ford parts catalogue looking for the part number for some mouldings, and saw that headlamp jets were available for the XR2i/RS1800. I mailed Tom at http://www.tompeters-fordparts.co.uk/ to see if he held an stock; he didn't, but he did send me links to a new old stock pair on eBay. Thanks Tom!
They are quite chunky things, so to make sure I was happy I set up a mock up on an old bumper. All bumpers have markings on their reverse for the jet mounting holes.
Looks OK. They suit the clunky styling overall.
I'm not going to paint then as the black complements the axillary light surrounds.
Rear Parking Sensors
I had a play around on an old bumper to determine the best approach for installing the rear sensors;. This was something I hadn't got around to before sending the car to paint so the method I selected ideally should not necessitate repainting of the rear bumper! My first attempt was using an Auger bit to match exactly the sensor diameter to see what the current style of sensor mounting would look like .i.e. no mounting bezel just the sensor itself poking through the bumper - like the majority of post -'06 cars.
I thought it looked cheap and quite flimsy so I enlarged the hole to 25mm and mocked up the Bosch sensor housing - like most first generation parking sensor system installations. It looks good! Incidentally I enlarged the original Auger hole with a Dremel and sanding drum which gave a much sharper edge than the Auger bit, and gives a perfectly acceptable result on a finished bumper.
RS Turbo Green Mouldings
This was quite disappointing. I'd spent a bit of time piecing together a couple of sets of new Ford Fiesta Turbo green mouldings, but a trail fit reveals the colour just doesn't look right against the Noveau Red paintwork. I am now looking at alternatives.
Roof Mouldings
These spring up on eBay and weren't something I'd seen before: they are roof mouldings with removal panels to facilitate easy removal of the Ford rood rack - ideal for me as the car will be going on a few decent long-distance trips. In the Ford parts system this part is marked as available only for the South-African market 'ZA', but from what I've seen a lot of the early '90's accessories were marked for this region only, so I take it as short hand for the accessories category (I can't imagine it was a large market in the early '90s)
Installed.
Headlamp Washers
I was browsing the Ford parts catalogue looking for the part number for some mouldings, and saw that headlamp jets were available for the XR2i/RS1800. I mailed Tom at http://www.tompeters-fordparts.co.uk/ to see if he held an stock; he didn't, but he did send me links to a new old stock pair on eBay. Thanks Tom!
They are quite chunky things, so to make sure I was happy I set up a mock up on an old bumper. All bumpers have markings on their reverse for the jet mounting holes.
Looks OK. They suit the clunky styling overall.
I'm not going to paint then as the black complements the axillary light surrounds.
Rear Parking Sensors
I had a play around on an old bumper to determine the best approach for installing the rear sensors;. This was something I hadn't got around to before sending the car to paint so the method I selected ideally should not necessitate repainting of the rear bumper! My first attempt was using an Auger bit to match exactly the sensor diameter to see what the current style of sensor mounting would look like .i.e. no mounting bezel just the sensor itself poking through the bumper - like the majority of post -'06 cars.
I thought it looked cheap and quite flimsy so I enlarged the hole to 25mm and mocked up the Bosch sensor housing - like most first generation parking sensor system installations. It looks good! Incidentally I enlarged the original Auger hole with a Dremel and sanding drum which gave a much sharper edge than the Auger bit, and gives a perfectly acceptable result on a finished bumper.
RS Turbo Green Mouldings
This was quite disappointing. I'd spent a bit of time piecing together a couple of sets of new Ford Fiesta Turbo green mouldings, but a trail fit reveals the colour just doesn't look right against the Noveau Red paintwork. I am now looking at alternatives.
Roof Mouldings
These spring up on eBay and weren't something I'd seen before: they are roof mouldings with removal panels to facilitate easy removal of the Ford rood rack - ideal for me as the car will be going on a few decent long-distance trips. In the Ford parts system this part is marked as available only for the South-African market 'ZA', but from what I've seen a lot of the early '90's accessories were marked for this region only, so I take it as short hand for the accessories category (I can't imagine it was a large market in the early '90s)
Installed.
mwstewart said:
RS Turbo Green Mouldings
This was quite disappointing. I'd spent a bit of time piecing together a couple of sets of new Ford Fiesta Turbo green mouldings, but a trail fit reveals the colour just doesn't look right against the Noveau Red paintwork. I am now looking at alternatives.
]
The colour answer is staring at you, front wheel area perhaps?This was quite disappointing. I'd spent a bit of time piecing together a couple of sets of new Ford Fiesta Turbo green mouldings, but a trail fit reveals the colour just doesn't look right against the Noveau Red paintwork. I am now looking at alternatives.
]
K
warmfuzzies said:
mwstewart said:
RS Turbo Green Mouldings
This was quite disappointing. I'd spent a bit of time piecing together a couple of sets of new Ford Fiesta Turbo green mouldings, but a trail fit reveals the colour just doesn't look right against the Noveau Red paintwork. I am now looking at alternatives.
]
The colour answer is staring at you, front wheel area perhaps?This was quite disappointing. I'd spent a bit of time piecing together a couple of sets of new Ford Fiesta Turbo green mouldings, but a trail fit reveals the colour just doesn't look right against the Noveau Red paintwork. I am now looking at alternatives.
]
K
For the headlamp washers, those chunky things don't look good, sorry! You've used different Ford parts for other parts of the car, how about the same again here? More modern Fords will have the pop out jets, but bigger Fords from the late 90s have the fixed jets. Here's a Scorpio, the jets look a lot more subtle here.
Apologies to everybody for posting a photo of a Ford Scorpio, but I had to search google images to find a pic with washer jets!
Apologies to everybody for posting a photo of a Ford Scorpio, but I had to search google images to find a pic with washer jets!
Edited by ajprice on Sunday 16th February 08:39
ajprice said:
For the headlamp washers, those chunky things don't look good, sorry! You've used different Ford parts for other parts of the car, how about the same again here? More modern Fords will have the pop out jets, but bigger Fords from the late 90s have the fixed jets. Here's a Scorpio, the jets look a lot more subtle here.
Apologies to everybody for posting a photo of a Ford Scorpio, but I had to search google images to find a pic with washer jets!
So subtle they aren't actually there. Apologies to everybody for posting a photo of a Ford Scorpio, but I had to search google images to find a pic with washer jets!
Edited by ajprice on Sunday 16th February 08:39
Do you really need headlamp washers?
I know it's easy to sit in an arm chair and pass comment, but. I have no issue with the washers and the rest of the car is fantastic, love the colour, the interior all the mods, suspension etcetera etc but those wheels IMHO let it all down.
Not sure exactly what would be better but perhaps compomotive TH mono's, polished outers and anthracite inner webs.
Not sure exactly what would be better but perhaps compomotive TH mono's, polished outers and anthracite inner webs.
I know it's easy to sit in an arm chair and pass comment, but. I have no issue with the washers and the rest of the car is fantastic, love the colour, the interior all the mods, suspension etcetera etc but those wheels IMHO let it all down.
Not sure exactly what would be better but perhaps compomotive TH mono's, polished outers and anthracite inner webs.
A bit like this
And
http://www.rimstyle.com/alloywheels/wheel/?wheel=c...
Not sure exactly what would be better but perhaps compomotive TH mono's, polished outers and anthracite inner webs.
A bit like this
And
http://www.rimstyle.com/alloywheels/wheel/?wheel=c...
Edited by Mavic82 on Sunday 16th February 15:55
Edited by Mavic82 on Sunday 16th February 15:56
Well, the washers are certainly controversial I do understand why many of you hate them, but I just think they suit the rest of the car.
I love those wheels above and may well change eventually.
Today was some of the best weather for quite some time and spent most of it out in the M3, hence I I didn't make a great deal of progress on the Fiesta. I had previously ordered the remainder of the cable needed to finish the HiFi installation: a USB cable for the Bit One, and some Van Damme Pro Grade Classic XKE instrument cable so I could make up custom interconnects/RCA leads.
It's quite a fiddle cutting and soldering the leads but was actually quite therapeutic
I got as far as mocking up the cable runs.
I do understand why many of you hate them, but I just think they suit the rest of the car. I love those wheels above and may well change eventually.
Today was some of the best weather for quite some time and spent most of it out in the M3, hence I I didn't make a great deal of progress on the Fiesta. I had previously ordered the remainder of the cable needed to finish the HiFi installation: a USB cable for the Bit One, and some Van Damme Pro Grade Classic XKE instrument cable so I could make up custom interconnects/RCA leads.
It's quite a fiddle cutting and soldering the leads but was actually quite therapeutic
I got as far as mocking up the cable runs.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff