2013 Whiteout, aka 'Cocaine'
 

This will be a slow process, as I am still up in the air on whether I am going to keep the car and buy something suited for hunting/kid hauling, or trade it in and get a four door truck. This was an impulse buy, but the car is really fun to drive and keeps a smile on my face. I am leaning more towards keeping it.

Bear in mind that as of now, this upgrade process will be as inexpensive as possible.

I bought the car May 31, 2013. I drove from North Carolina to New Hampshire and back over July 4th, driving each way nonstop, except for my stop at Geno's in Philadelphia for a cheese steak. I was not impressed by the cheese steak. The car did surprisingly well and was remarkably comfortable for the drive. For reference, I am 5'9, 200 lbs, with a stocky build (My shoulders do not fit in between the side bolsters in the seat). I am also conservative. I dont like loud fart cannons, stanced cars with extreme camber, stretched tires, etc. I don't hate on people that do it, I just don't like it.

Car specs:
Whiteout
Manual Transmission
Floor Mats
Trunk Liner
Window Tint NC Legal (Southeast Toyota Dealer add on)
LED DRL (Southeast Toyota dealer add on)
No other options and the car is bone stock as of 10/27/2013.

I work every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, so I have plenty of time during the week to do projects.

10/28/2012
I will be tackling sub and amp install this week. I have a Punch amp and a JL 8" sub in a prebuilt box that is sitting in my garage. I will be keeping the stock HU, since I actually don't have any problems with it. As of right now, my grand total for the first upgrade is the $20 for the amp install kit from Wally World.

My wish list as of this posting:
CAI
Tsudo Exhaust
XXR 535 in 17x8.25 (Will be painted Whiteout to match the car)
Meaty tires
Lowering springs (Just enough drop to get rid of the gap)
Regear the rear end (haven't really researched this, but want to be quicker on takeoff)

I will post pics of each process as I do it, both for my benefit, and to show you, the proud viewers, the way I did it, and maybe share something new along the way.

Starting pics before upgrades begin:
Attachment 55534

Attachment 55535

Attachment 55536

I took my whiteout FR-S hunting ..... once ..... I suggest you get another vehicle for that ..... :D

[ame]http://youtu.be/3p69_FQxJfw[/ame]

humfrz

Lol, hunting with a sports car that cant go off road at all.

No one said I was going hunting with the car, silly. I use a bow and a rifle for that. I have a place to hunt behind my parents house, but my nephews have cut me out of the mix a little, since they have no priorities and can go into the woods when they want. I have kids, so there in lies my responsibility. however, I would like to see a deer in the trunk or slung across the hood of an FRS. :confused0068: That would be hilarious.

I took mine through some gravel and had fun, I also navigated to a camping site but the tight suspension, low clearance, skinny tires, do not an off road vehicle make. Then there is the problem as to where you would fit a dead animal slash the mess it would make.

My opinion (that's what forums are all about right, sharing opinions) buy a $2k or less truck from Craigslist and use it for hunting trips exclusively.

That's the route I'm leaning towards at the moment. I had a '98 Jeep Cherokee, among many other Jeeps, and it is the most practical to have for kid hauling. I can also cut the hatch and the back two windows out and make a mini truck bed. Voila! Lol The hatch has been cut on those countless times and can be reattached just behind the rear doors. They are on CL for next to nothing.


Sent from a galaxy far, far away.

I started with this:
Attachment 55674

The amp and sub installation is pretty straight forward. I looked around to see how other people ran their wires. I ended up going for the straightest line possible. I fed the amp power line through the grommet near the center of the firewall.
Attachment 55673
Attachment 55675

I continued running the amp power line down the passenger side of the center console. I hooked the RCA's in the factory HU and ran them down the driver's side of the center console. I didn't get pics of this part since it is self explanatory.

I tapped into the dark green wire that runs to the factory amp for my signal wire. The arrow shows where I attached the amp ground wire to the chassis.
Attachment 55676

Here is my finished product:
Attachment 55677
Attachment 55678

nice work on the install, I have been installing car audio for 3 years and I think you did a pretty good job.

Thank you. I can do a straightforward installation, as should most people, even though I am electrically challenged. If I have to fabricate anything, forget it.


Sent from a galaxy far, far away.

I forgot to mention that my sub is 10", not 8". I had to measure it. Someone's been lying to me. (I suppose adding 2" is better than having to subtract it😜). Bonus!


Sent from a galaxy far, far away.

You have no idea how badly I want to put a good sound system in my BRZ, I already put dampening in all the doors, floor, trunk, ect. I just keep telling myself to pay it off before I drop $2k on speakers/amp/wires/sub/ect.

Looking at your installation, the sub doesn't take up /as much/ room as I thought however I know it needs clearance in front of it so you won't really be using that side much.

At this point I'd go with a custom sub box that fits in between the wheel and the rear of the car in the trunk, did you look at those boxes? Why didnt you go with one?

2013 Whiteout, aka 'Cocaine'
 

I used what I had available. (Remember, this is starting out as an inexpensive build, and I've had this set up for twelve years.) If this sub goes, I'm definitely buying another JL. This one has been in numerous cars and is still ticking. Not to mention the back side of the box matches the seat angle perfectly. I believe I bought the enclosure and sub for less than $200 12 years ago too.

I have Velcro on the bottom of the box and amp to keep it from sliding around in the trunk. It's working great so far.


Sent from a galaxy far, far away.

2013 Whiteout, aka 'Cocaine'
 

It looks like I will be keeping the FRS. I am a Jeep guy at heart, so this will be taking funds from the FRS for a while. It needs a lot of work, especially since the PO hacked up the wiring harnesses. Yes, it's plural. I need to get the lights working constantly so I can DD it. 1990 Jeep Comanche 4x2 with a 2.5L and 5 speed tranny, and only 120XXX miles. $800.00 too. It runs and drives like it should.


Attachment 56553


Sent from a galaxy far, far away.

I know this has been beat to death, but I cant wrap my head around the whole backspacing thing. I want my rims to be even with the fenders, and maybe poke out a little bit. I am not a fan of stretching tires and extreme camber, so I need someone to explain what I need to attain my desired appearance. I am looking at 18x8.5 rims with 30mm of backspacing. What are my options to achieve this?


****EDIT***

I got my head wrapped around it now. LOL