Thanks for noticing! Most of my mods on that project aren't real obvious. The leather on the dash is a thicker better quality than stock. Also the brushed metal around the panel below the dash was machined just for that car too. Good eye man!
@@randormoreno4531 A few things were fabricated. some by me. Some by others. (see above). Otherwise, Amazon, Ebay, sometimes even local shops. If there's something I recommend I'll usually put links in the description.
Great post and I found a new beach because of it. I never liked these in white but yours has me rethinking that. Actually shopping for my first z3 this week. Trying to decide between the 3.0 and the M. Ive heard there really isn't that much more power to the M but I really like the styling elements. I'm confused by your car though. I thought you had the M because of the seats but looking at your car more closely I can see it's a standard z3. Are those the leather covers I've seen on the web? Thanks.
You're right. It's a 3.0i, not an M. There's only an 18 hp difference. So not that much. No seat covers. Those are the oregon leather sports seats. An option for that year. Good luck in finding a 3.0i or an M. For some reason, they've doubled and tripled in value recently. Depending on the mileage. I've seen them from 20 to 30k.
Yea, mine isn't cheap unfortunately but just 27,000 miles. Picking it up in Chicago next week. Its metallic silver with the 3.0 engine. Its in good shape but needs a stereo. I'm leaning towards a detachable face Kenwood with cd and Bluetooth. What do you have in yours.
@@gforcepdx I got the Kenwood kmm-bt head unit, Don't remember which Kenwood amp. Alpine tweeters in the foot well, and Alpine full range behind the seats.
How do you pull the stock plastic lid off the stock subwoofer box? I don't want to break mine. Does it have a hinge? Should it be pulled straight up, from the front, from the back? How much resistance should there be? Thanks.
It depends on the year, and the trim model. Mine is just held on by spring clips. It pulls straight up. Other years, it's not removable from the top. The front pulls off. Others are different. I always google the "parts fiche" for every vehicle I work on. Include the exact year, date, model, engine size, and you'll get a break down of how parts fit together.
@@tayler2396 that's strange. That's exactly how I find diagrams for every vehicle I own. Maybe type parts diagram, same thing. Example: "parts fiche 2000 honda valkyrie 1500 standard" When I google for any vehicle, I get hundreds of results. Good luck.
Very useful video, many thanks. Could you tell me how did you take off the central lead above the speaker please. Mine open from the front as a lead but not completely in order to remove the whole compartment, didn’t want to force it as I am not sure as to how it is holding on from the back. A response would be much appreciated.
@Ali Akkache, that top cover pulls straight up very easily. I was concerned too, but it pops off with just a little pull. If your Z3 doesn't have a removable cover on the top like in the video, then you must have a different model. I have the 2002 3.0i. If I recall, 96-99 models have a different subwoofer design. But I don't have any details on that. Good luck.
Just saw this today and went to try taking mine off. The front part snapped off pretty easily, the back I had to wiggle a bit before it came off. It did not break.
wonder if anyone ever thought about installing some good marine grade speakers instead of a sub. Was thinking about bypassing the amp and just run some good quality front kick panel speakers and rear speakers where the sub was directly off the deck. Doesn't take much to make this little ride rock ............ Any opinions?
Interesting idea. I put a marine stereo and speakers in my motorcycle. But don't see the point of installing in my Z3. In fact, my bike has the marine version of the same stereo that's in my car. The reason is that, I wouldn't want water pooling on the floor of the car; soaking the carpet and seats... or me. The bike is different, since I wear rain gear on a wet day, and a little rain doesn't hurt the bike. But even if you went that way, you wouldn't need to skip the sub-woofer. Just replace your rear speakers with marine versions and get the marine version of the subwoofer too.
Hey Taranveer, I actually mention that setup in this video at 0:42. Since the subwoofer is dual-voice, it has two pairs that could be used for right/left speakers if you want. I was just saying that I saw no need for marine/waterproof speakers since I keep the top up in the rain anyway. I tried it your way at first. I thought It sounded fine until I put the top down. All the bass got blown away with the wind. On my car, all 4 speakers have been replaced, and the factory amp is bypassed with a 400 watt Kenwood amp.
I reason I thought about marine grade speakers in the center on top is because they are a little more durable in direct sunlight. I live in Charleston and our sun is pretty brutal. I already have a good Pioneer head unit so thought about installing whatever biggest size marine grade speakers I could fit in the top of the sub box like this video and good 5.25's in the kick panels, skip the amp and run directly off the pioneer deck. Seems pretty simple especially because all the wires run right thru the center console
Hey Tom Smith, If you go with that setup will you get back with us? Without a sub, listening to music with the top down was pretty bad for me with the top down . The road noise drowned out most of it. I'd like to hear your results either way.
Hi Leonardo. Very good Video. Thank you very much! But please can tell me where I can bought the wooden box? Or at least can you give me measurements of the wooden componentes? Thank you very much.
I have a 1997 Z3. I have been trying to figure out how to remove the top plastic cover to gain access to the sub woofer area. I have not seen any videos that address that. I am always concerned about breaking plastic when working on interior trim pieces. Anyone know of any videos that show that?
In this video I show how to address it in mine, but it's a 2002. Is yours a lot different? I think that first year James Bond version is considered to be even more desirable than the final year with the 3.0. Congrats!
when I installed mine, I had to take out the plastic cover for the sub and now there is a hole in the space between the sub housing and the next plastic portion of the car. are there any covers out there that help cover those spaces?
Leonard, i'm looking to do almost the identical thing in my z3. How did you hook up your new amp into the existing wiring for the sub? Does your z3 come with a stock amp? If so did you bypass it?
Hey Timothy. I took out the stock amp, bought some sheet metal and made brackets to fit the same posts in the right side wall of the trunk. The carpet there isn't completely flat because my Kenwood amp is bigger, but I'm OK with that. You can see that I used the stock wiring at the sub-woofer. I cut into the stock wire for that at the trunk wall, but if I decide to go back to stock, I'll just re-splice it there. No big deal.
@@tpsjra8791, yes. The entire sound system has been replaced. Head unit, speakers, amp. Even the stock wire antennae was replaced with the small rubber stump. But I keep the stock stuff in a box. I even repaired the blown out stock subwoofer cone. In case I sell it and they want the originals.
@@lyunardo sorry one more quick question. Did you upgrade your alternator? Ive had issues in the past with other vehicles I put systems in. Im a littler nervous with a nearly 20 year old car, over powering the alternator
@@tpsjra8791, in other cars I've had to do that too. I've even installed a 2nd battery for the amp before. But my Z3 has the 120amp valeo alternator. Almost twice what's needed for the stock car. I've had this setup for quite a few months now, and haven't had any power issues. Keep in mind, an amp pulls an average 10-15% of it's rating. So my 400w Kenwood probably pulls less than 50w, with a few spikes here and there. Your alternator rating should be labeled and easy to find. But I'd think you're good no matter what. I'd love to hear about your finished project when you're done!
Wrong, wrong, wrong. 1st of all, the replacement is too big for the volumetric are that you have to with: 2nd the OEM amp doesn't offer enough power to drive this driver: 3rd, you should power this driver with an after market amp that is better compatible at what ever impedance you choose, once you learn how to apply "Ohms Law" and how the difference between connecting in-series and parallel affects that value. Now, if you're happy with the way it sounds and you haven't blown anything up, MORE POWER TO YOU. Thanks for posting as I needed to see what's ahead of me on a customer's project.
It's obvious that you didn't watch most of the video, and that's fine. I sometimes scan through videos too. But when I do scan through, I usually don't make comments about how "wrong" things are. Because I assume there was info in the video that I missed, and wouldn't want to come across as pompous, AND misinformed at the same time. Having said that, thanks for watching. And good luck on that upcoming project.
Another thing, I'm not sure if you know this, but if you make a bunch of grammatical and spelling errors, you can go back and edit your comment to fix them. There's nothing worse than trying to "set someone straight", then realizing that you just typed gibberish instead of what you wanted to say. Embarrassing!
Hey Christian, they're the stock 17" wheels, and "bright hyper silver", aka "chrome" was an option for the 2000 - 2002 models. I believe the model is 59297
Hi! Great video but I’m wondering if you’ve had any problems with the sub being in an enclosure that might be too small for it? Does it sound okay or is that custom box big enough?
Hey Hunter, My short answer is: I think I have the best possible sound I can get in this car. It definitely sounds 50 times better than the stock sub, and sound system. My long answer is: Of course, a big speaker box would give you even more bass. The problem is the trunk is completely separated by a metal firewall, so any trunk mounted speakers would be muffled. Early on, I considered cutting into that, and turning the entire trunk into an enclosure. But after checking it out, I think tampering with the sheet metal between the trunk and the seats would mess with the stiffness of the car since it's already a convertible. Plus, I wouldn't want to lose what little trunk storage there is. If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear it man. Good luck!
Leonardo Harrell what I’m planning on doing is just putting a sub in the back and losing trunk space, I think what you’ve done is a great idea though! I wish it was easier to either make an enclosure myself or cheaper to buy one because it’s either this custom one for 190$ on Etsy or a 40$ one prebuilt one that fits in the trunk
Yes, exactly. The positives of both pair together, and the negatives together. Then I connected the two voice coils in series by putting the combined positive on the positive post on one coil and the neg on its post on the other coil. Final step was to link the coils together with a short wire to the remaining posts. I did it that way because I only have one subwoofer pair coming out of my 3rd party amp. I removed the Harmon Kardan stock amp, but saved it in case I want to return to stock. Hope that helps. Good luck!
Good vid. Liked and Subscribed. I ran into similar issues when designing and making my own system. I too went with a replacement box and subwoofer, except I make a fiberglass box, via cardboard template. It turned out... okay, I guess. I later pulled the interior and ran wires to the passenger floorboard, and put a shallow-mount 10", also in a custom box. I just wasn't happy with the system, and redid it top-to-bottom. Taller passengers won't appreciate the 4 or so inches of missing leg room- and most people wouldn't want something like this. I posted some of the build and other options I went through for the roadster. floor sub pics- instagram.com/p/BmWUMVOl5ZW/ video clip1- instagram.com/p/BuzDSBFn5rP/ video clip2- instagram.com/p/Bv9_zr-nBoW/ FYI, that back panel behind the subwoofer comes out with screws! You can unbolt it and pull it out to remove/install sub etc. without cutting. I also didn't know this and cut up that back section..
Yeah, I see what you did there. That is some serious bass you got there! As far as I can tell, what you did is the only real way to get it. But like you said, it's a big sacrifice to give up even an inch of space in these things. Nice job on both of your Z3s. Do you flip cars? I'll be keeping an eye out for your other projects.
@@lyunardo Oh the black one is my only Z. I have it and an E39 M5. The car for sale is my girlfriend's hatch. I do have some other cars I want to get, but it'll be a while. Anyway, I sometimes I think about pulling the sub out for something smaller. But man, is it effective.
It's a huge improvement in the sound, so it increases my enjoyment of my car. I like the way it looks too, as do thousands of other people it seems. The good news for you is that there are many thousands of Z3s out there without my personal mods. And if you buy one you can do whatever you choose with it. No need to worry about this one that belongs to someone else if you don't like what I did. Thanks for watching my channel!
Another thing you'll see if you watch my mod videos, any of my changes to this Z3 are non-destructive. Meaning they can be reversed, and converted back to stock if I decide.
I'm guessing that you meant to say that it's "too" ghetto? It does make the interior look a little more aggressive. I like it, but it's not for everyone. If you have other ideas, feel free to describe them, or give a link. I know other Z3 owners would appreciate it. Thanks for watching!
Man you got the nice extended leather interior, that is lovely!
Thanks for noticing! Most of my mods on that project aren't real obvious. The leather on the dash is a thicker better quality than stock. Also the brushed metal around the panel below the dash was machined just for that car too.
Good eye man!
Lyonardo subscribed! Also where you get your mods @ I just bought my z3 97 seats rails are shit
@@randormoreno4531 A few things were fabricated. some by me. Some by others. (see above).
Otherwise, Amazon, Ebay, sometimes even local shops.
If there's something I recommend I'll usually put links in the description.
Very helpful! Thank you Leonardo!
Really appreciate you posting this. Beautiful car and great work Leo!
I should have taken a second look at this video I opted for the easy way out and got the Etsy drop in the cage with a 6.75 sub. Good Video Bro
Great post and I found a new beach because of it. I never liked these in white but yours has me rethinking that. Actually shopping for my first z3 this week. Trying to decide between the 3.0 and the M. Ive heard there really isn't that much more power to the M but I really like the styling elements. I'm confused by your car though. I thought you had the M because of the seats but looking at your car more closely I can see it's a standard z3. Are those the leather covers I've seen on the web? Thanks.
You're right. It's a 3.0i, not an M. There's only an 18 hp difference. So not that much.
No seat covers. Those are the oregon leather sports seats. An option for that year. Good luck in finding a 3.0i or an M. For some reason, they've doubled and tripled in value recently. Depending on the mileage. I've seen them from 20 to 30k.
Yea, mine isn't cheap unfortunately but just 27,000 miles. Picking it up in Chicago next week. Its metallic silver with the 3.0 engine. Its in good shape but needs a stereo. I'm leaning towards a detachable face Kenwood with cd and Bluetooth. What do you have in yours.
@@gforcepdx I got the Kenwood kmm-bt head unit, Don't remember which Kenwood amp. Alpine tweeters in the foot well, and Alpine full range behind the seats.
awesome work man!
How do you pull the stock plastic lid off the stock subwoofer box? I don't want to break mine. Does it have a hinge? Should it be pulled straight up, from the front, from the back? How much resistance should there be? Thanks.
It depends on the year, and the trim model. Mine is just held on by spring clips. It pulls straight up.
Other years, it's not removable from the top. The front pulls off. Others are different.
I always google the "parts fiche" for every vehicle I work on. Include the exact year, date, model, engine size, and you'll get a break down of how parts fit together.
@@lyunardo Parts fiche? What is that? I don't find any hits on Google.
@@tayler2396 that's strange. That's exactly how I find diagrams for every vehicle I own.
Maybe type parts diagram, same thing.
Example:
"parts fiche 2000 honda valkyrie 1500 standard"
When I google for any vehicle, I get hundreds of results. Good luck.
Very useful video, many thanks.
Could you tell me how did you take off the central lead above the speaker please.
Mine open from the front as a lead but not completely in order to remove the whole compartment, didn’t want to force it as I am not sure as to how it is holding on from the back.
A response would be much appreciated.
@Ali Akkache, that top cover pulls straight up very easily. I was concerned too, but it pops off with just a little pull. If your Z3 doesn't have a removable cover on the top like in the video, then you must have a different model. I have the 2002 3.0i.
If I recall, 96-99 models have a different subwoofer design. But I don't have any details on that. Good luck.
Just saw this today and went to try taking mine off. The front part snapped off pretty easily, the back I had to wiggle a bit before it came off. It did not break.
wonder if anyone ever thought about installing some good marine grade speakers instead of a sub. Was thinking about bypassing the amp and just run some good quality front kick panel speakers and rear speakers where the sub was directly off the deck. Doesn't take much to make this little ride rock ............ Any opinions?
Interesting idea. I put a marine stereo and speakers in my motorcycle. But don't see the point of installing in my Z3. In fact, my bike has the marine version of the same stereo that's in my car.
The reason is that, I wouldn't want water pooling on the floor of the car; soaking the carpet and seats... or me.
The bike is different, since I wear rain gear on a wet day, and a little rain doesn't hurt the bike.
But even if you went that way, you wouldn't need to skip the sub-woofer. Just replace your rear speakers with marine versions and get the marine version of the subwoofer too.
Hey Taranveer,
I actually mention that setup in this video at 0:42. Since the subwoofer is dual-voice, it has two pairs that could be used for right/left speakers if you want.
I was just saying that I saw no need for marine/waterproof speakers since I keep the top up in the rain anyway.
I tried it your way at first. I thought It sounded fine until I put the top down. All the bass got blown away with the wind.
On my car, all 4 speakers have been replaced, and the factory amp is bypassed with a 400 watt Kenwood amp.
I reason I thought about marine grade speakers in the center on top is because they are a little more durable in direct sunlight. I live in Charleston and our sun is pretty brutal. I already have a good Pioneer head unit so thought about installing whatever biggest size marine grade speakers I could fit in the top of the sub box like this video and good 5.25's in the kick panels, skip the amp and run directly off the pioneer deck. Seems pretty simple especially because all the wires run right thru the center console
Hey Tom Smith, If you go with that setup will you get back with us?
Without a sub, listening to music with the top down was pretty bad for me with the top down . The road noise drowned out most of it.
I'd like to hear your results either way.
Hi Leonardo. Very good Video. Thank you very much! But please can tell me where I can bought the wooden box? Or at least can you give me measurements of the wooden componentes? Thank you very much.
I got my on eBay for about $250.
I have a 1997 Z3. I have been trying to figure out how to remove the top plastic cover to gain access to the sub woofer area. I have not seen any videos that address that. I am always concerned about breaking plastic when working on interior trim pieces. Anyone know of any videos that show that?
In this video I show how to address it in mine, but it's a 2002. Is yours a lot different?
I think that first year James Bond version is considered to be even more desirable than the final year with the 3.0. Congrats!
when I installed mine, I had to take out the plastic cover for the sub and now there is a hole in the space between the sub housing and the next plastic portion of the car. are there any covers out there that help cover those spaces?
I can't picture what you might be missing. I have a 2002. Is yours the same year? Some earlier years had a different design
Leonard, i'm looking to do almost the identical thing in my z3. How did you hook up your new amp into the existing wiring for the sub? Does your z3 come with a stock amp? If so did you bypass it?
Hey Timothy.
I took out the stock amp, bought some sheet metal and made brackets to fit the same posts in the right side wall of the trunk. The carpet there isn't completely flat because my Kenwood amp is bigger, but I'm OK with that.
You can see that I used the stock wiring at the sub-woofer.
I cut into the stock wire for that at the trunk wall, but if I decide to go back to stock, I'll just re-splice it there. No big deal.
@@lyunardo perfect I think that's exactly what I'll do. You used a 400 watt amp? Did you change any other speakers?
@@tpsjra8791, yes. The entire sound system has been replaced. Head unit, speakers, amp. Even the stock wire antennae was replaced with the small rubber stump.
But I keep the stock stuff in a box. I even repaired the blown out stock subwoofer cone. In case I sell it and they want the originals.
@@lyunardo sorry one more quick question. Did you upgrade your alternator? Ive had issues in the past with other vehicles I put systems in. Im a littler nervous with a nearly 20 year old car, over powering the alternator
@@tpsjra8791, in other cars I've had to do that too. I've even installed a 2nd battery for the amp before.
But my Z3 has the 120amp valeo alternator.
Almost twice what's needed for the stock car. I've had this setup for quite a few months now, and haven't had any power issues.
Keep in mind, an amp pulls an average 10-15% of it's rating. So my 400w Kenwood probably pulls less than 50w, with a few spikes here and there.
Your alternator rating should be labeled and easy to find. But I'd think you're good no matter what.
I'd love to hear about your finished project when you're done!
Wrong, wrong, wrong. 1st of all, the replacement is too big for the volumetric are that you have to with: 2nd the OEM amp doesn't offer enough power to drive this driver: 3rd, you should power this driver with an after market amp that is better compatible at what ever impedance you choose, once you learn how to apply "Ohms Law" and how the difference between connecting in-series and parallel affects that value. Now, if you're happy with the way it sounds and you haven't blown anything up, MORE POWER TO YOU. Thanks for posting as I needed to see what's ahead of me on a customer's project.
It's obvious that you didn't watch most of the video, and that's fine. I sometimes scan through videos too. But when I do scan through, I usually don't make comments about how "wrong" things are. Because I assume there was info in the video that I missed, and wouldn't want to come across as pompous, AND misinformed at the same time.
Having said that, thanks for watching.
And good luck on that upcoming project.
Another thing, I'm not sure if you know this, but if you make a bunch of grammatical and spelling errors, you can go back and edit your comment to fix them.
There's nothing worse than trying to "set someone straight", then realizing that you just typed gibberish instead of what you wanted to say. Embarrassing!
Where can I get those wheels !? 😍
Hey Christian, they're the stock 17" wheels, and "bright hyper silver", aka "chrome" was an option for the 2000 - 2002 models.
I believe the model is 59297
Hi! Great video but I’m wondering if you’ve had any problems with the sub being in an enclosure that might be too small for it? Does it sound okay or is that custom box big enough?
Hey Hunter,
My short answer is:
I think I have the best possible sound I can get in this car.
It definitely sounds 50 times better than the stock sub, and sound system.
My long answer is:
Of course, a big speaker box would give you even more bass.
The problem is the trunk is completely separated by a metal firewall, so any trunk mounted speakers would be muffled.
Early on, I considered cutting into that, and turning the entire trunk into an enclosure.
But after checking it out, I think tampering with the sheet metal between the trunk and the seats would mess with the stiffness of the car since it's already a convertible.
Plus, I wouldn't want to lose what little trunk storage there is.
If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear it man.
Good luck!
Leonardo Harrell what I’m planning on doing is just putting a sub in the back and losing trunk space, I think what you’ve done is a great idea though! I wish it was easier to either make an enclosure myself or cheaper to buy one because it’s either this custom one for 190$ on Etsy or a 40$ one prebuilt one that fits in the trunk
@@huntermartin1038
Hmm, I think the sound will be buried in your trunk. But for $40, it might be worth it to experiment. Let me know how it goes.
Leonardo Harrell yeah we’ll see! I can always return it or just upgrade the box because that’s the only thing I’ll need
Question. Did you connect 2 separate channels to make one speaker wire?
Yes, exactly. The positives of both pair together, and the negatives together.
Then I connected the two voice coils in series by putting the combined positive on the positive post on one coil and the neg on its post on the other coil. Final step was to link the coils together with a short wire to the remaining posts.
I did it that way because I only have one subwoofer pair coming out of my 3rd party amp. I removed the Harmon Kardan stock amp, but saved it in case I want to return to stock.
Hope that helps.
Good luck!
Lyonardo I’m confused 🤷♂️
Good vid. Liked and Subscribed.
I ran into similar issues when designing and making my own system. I too went with a replacement box and subwoofer, except I make a fiberglass box, via cardboard template. It turned out... okay, I guess. I later pulled the interior and ran wires to the passenger floorboard, and put a shallow-mount 10", also in a custom box. I just wasn't happy with the system, and redid it top-to-bottom. Taller passengers won't appreciate the 4 or so inches of missing leg room- and most people wouldn't want something like this. I posted some of the build and other options I went through for the roadster.
floor sub pics- instagram.com/p/BmWUMVOl5ZW/
video clip1- instagram.com/p/BuzDSBFn5rP/
video clip2- instagram.com/p/Bv9_zr-nBoW/
FYI, that back panel behind the subwoofer comes out with screws! You can unbolt it and pull it out to remove/install sub etc. without cutting. I also didn't know this and cut up that back section..
Yeah, I see what you did there.
That is some serious bass you got there!
As far as I can tell, what you did is the only real way to get it. But like you said, it's a big sacrifice to give up even an inch of space in these things.
Nice job on both of your Z3s.
Do you flip cars?
I'll be keeping an eye out for your other projects.
@@lyunardo Oh the black one is my only Z. I have it and an E39 M5. The car for sale is my girlfriend's hatch. I do have some other cars I want to get, but it'll be a while. Anyway, I sometimes I think about pulling the sub out for something smaller. But man, is it effective.
Nice job and a proper bass sound as a result! What was the 10" shallow-mount sub that you installed?
@@Fudders Rockford Fosgate P3S. Love it.
@@944obscene Thanks 👍
Horrible what you have done with originality of this nice car. This can be done in a different way.
It's a huge improvement in the sound, so it increases my enjoyment of my car. I like the way it looks too, as do thousands of other people it seems.
The good news for you is that there are many thousands of Z3s out there without my personal mods. And if you buy one you can do whatever you choose with it. No need to worry about this one that belongs to someone else if you don't like what I did.
Thanks for watching my channel!
Another thing you'll see if you watch my mod videos, any of my changes to this Z3 are non-destructive. Meaning they can be reversed, and converted back to stock if I decide.
Shut the hell up. It’s his car and it looks sweet.
Just to ghetto
I'm guessing that you meant to say that it's "too" ghetto? It does make the interior look a little more aggressive. I like it, but it's not for everyone.
If you have other ideas, feel free to describe them, or give a link. I know other Z3 owners would appreciate it. Thanks for watching!
I have the M series.. no
Damian DeLapp 1.9 or M series, the factory sound is still shit.
@@damiandelapp5490 nice clown shoe