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alright...i've been extremely bored lately, so i've been sitting in front of this computer monitor killing brain cells for a few hours a day...a few days ago, i was on Mobile Entertainment Magazine's web site, and i saw the Fishman/Metra/Tsunami Beetle, and a few other highly customized vehicles, and i decided to see how quickly i could blow my hard-earned money...here's the story...

i saw the Mazda RX-8 prototype at Laguna Seca when i lived in Monterey, CA, and i thought the rear bucket seats were awesome...here's a pic of the current RX-8's seating setup:


well, thanks to a $7k bonus from Uncle Sam, i have (2) S15L7s, (2) KX1200.1s, 12 KX60s (yep, that's 6 pairs...eBay rules...), (2) KX350.4s, (2) 5.6" LCD monitors, and a pair of Yellow Tops that all have to get stuffed somewhere in my little 'Vic sedan...so i thought it would be pretty tight to replace my rear 60/40 split fold with a pair of bucket seats, and 'glass a "console" from the head unit/AC/etc. area to the rear deck, and stick some of the aforementioned monitors, coaxials, etc in/on it...

i was BS'ing with a girl from Waelder, TX (pronounced "welder"), who is coincidentally a welder, and she's going to install the brackets, etc. for the rear seats...i was going to do it, but i would most likely burn a hole into something rather important (such as the gas tank...), so i'm going to leave that to her...

i hoped to have my current 'glass project done by 6Feb for the Import Face-Off in San Antonio, but i scrapped it for this project...and this is probably going to take about 6-8 weeks b/c of my work schedule...

here's the only pic i have at the moment...it's the first step: removing everything removable!...my interior is going to be completely black when i get finished, and all the *****, etc. will be back-lit with blue LEDs to match the stock dash...


anyway, i just wanted to stick this up here since i've actually decided to go ahead and go for it...feel free to comment, any suggestions or criticism is appreciated...thanks!

 
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Those seats look so sick. You certainly did use all your 7k though huh?

 
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haha...i've been accumulating some of that stuff (K60s, monitors) over the past 14 months or so, and i've gotten some great deals through some friends back home in FL, so i've actually still got a pretty decent amount left, but i still have a ton of materials to buy...i'm using either one of House of Kolor's or DuPont's Hot Hues shades of black for the 'glass work, and for the primers, paints, activators, reducers, etc. alone is a few hundred dollars...i also need to figure out which seats i want to use...i've found a few models that look good and fit well, but i want them to fit along with the design of the inside as well, so......i have a feeling that the number of digits on my bank statements will be significantly shorter by the time i get done...

 
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wow thats gunna look sooo sick.. good luck..

 
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fuking awesome plans bro. cant wait 2 see how it turns out. keep us posted

 
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if i got 7k most of it would go to my girlfriend lol

 
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wow, thats some crazy idea. plz keep us updated with lots of pix!

 
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haha...i actually got $9500, but a little over $2k went to my ex (we traded in her truck for my 'Vic!)...so i know the feeling!

 
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I've had the same exact idea for my ride (bucket seats, and a counsel that went from front to rear) but I've been to lazy and now have a better car to drop my money in (C230 Benz).

 
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Not to be a **** or anything, but you do know Kicker doesn't make the greatest stuff out there. Not saying that they're stuff sucks, it's pretty good, but for $7k, you could have done a set of high end 3-way components, a pair of nice 12" subs, and some very nice amps, and maybe something like the Audiocontrol EQS to help tune everything.

 
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woah! thats gunna look sick as fvck!!!

umm.. if you nolonger have a use for yer drivers side stock seatcover.. ill take it off yer hands...

 
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agreed...the $7k is the budget for the whole product, not just the audio/video gear...i'm not going to use all the KX60s because i'm sure that would completely destroy the sound staging...but i get great deals on Kicker products through a friend back home, so i'm most likely going to stick with 'em...i'll probably sell off a couple pairs to get some component sets...and as for the S15L7s...i had 4 in my truck in a 33 cubic foot ported box, and it was ridiculous, so i'm sure a pair in my little car will be sufficiently loud...

and i still need to get a decent EQ, etc...thanks for the Audiocontrol recommendation, i'll definitely look into it...

haha...tell ya what: when i get done with my Civic, i'll trade you for that Benz ...

i'll keep you posted...i'm probably going to go with 4 of the seats in the pic below, so i'll hit you up as soon as the stock seats are out...i think these'll look pretty good, and they're 33 inches tall from bracket to headrest, so they'll fit fine in the rear...

 
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nice.. i wish uncle sam would do something other than take my money at the end of each year...

 
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ummm , money = please shop here www.truehonda.com . We have nice screens and DVD players for ya bud

 
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love your site...thanks for the link...i figure by the time the current funds run out, i'll getting back a big a$$ tax return, and i'm always looking for new stuff to blow $ on, so you'll probably be hearing from me soon...

 
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You probably won't need reclining seats in the back, might save you a few bucks

 
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true...the seats pictured are from Arizen (their ad banner is almost always at the top of this page), and they are sold in pairs...and to the best of my knowledge, they are all reclinable...

Arizen's prices are awesome, and even a pair of their reclinable heated deluxe leather seats are cheaper than most Sparco, Bride, Recaro, Corbeau, etc. seats are individually...

thanks for looking out for me, though...i'm sure this is going to be one of those instances where a project is going to cost more than anticipated, so i definitely appreciate the advice...

 
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ALso, check out our LCD screens

 
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i'm more interested in a CF hood and some coilovers, and your prices are pretty good...you'll be hearing from me in about a week!...

 
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I have a question how do you install buckets seats in the rear ?? I am going to be picking up my Tenzo r seats next friday.

 
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i'm just removing the rear 60/40 split fold back bench seat and having a friend weld brackets similar to the ones used in the front down to mount the buckets...the brackets have to be modified, however, because in the front they are made to give you some space under the seat, but in the back i need them to sit as low as possible...

 
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***UPDATE*** 18Jan05
i decided that this project would be cooler if it looked like it came from the factory with buckets in the back, so i have ordered a pair of stock seats exactly like the ones in the front instead of the Arizens that i was going to get...plus, i only paid a little over $170 for BOTH of them shipped, so now my fiberglass and ICE budget just went up ...

 
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lucky passengers to have nice seats like that in the back

 
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car gets home from the shop tomorrow, and the seats should be here within the next 3 days or so...so i'll have the first round of pics up in a week or so...thanks for checking my thread out, by the way...

 
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sounds tight keep us posted. And yes those pasengers will be riding in style.
me on the other hand, im just taking out the bench period lol.
reduce weight!!!
jk. more room for audio

 
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i ended up buying some stock seats from Cipher...unfortunately, they're from a 6th gen Civic and i've only received one so far...so this project is temporarily on hold

 
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damn, ill have to ride down and see this thing once it's done...

 
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still only one damn seat ...so i'm still riding around with a 100% stripped out car...the road noise is fvckin ridiculous, but the weight loss is definitely bada$$...i beat my roommate's 4.3 V6 S-10 from a stop this morning (i used to get owned every time we lined up)...we were at a red light and launched on green, and his front bumper was at my rear through 1st, and i managed to pull another car length before we shut down at 60...nothing special, just one of my few and far-between victories ...

 
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ha ha... nice. We need to have another (and actually good this time...) Austin or SA meet soon

 
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yeah...like 40 people say they're going to show up, and then about 5 of them do...and it's always the people that hang out together anyway, so it's just like any other day...we need to have incentive for people to come, like a big-a$$ party up at Canyon Lake or something...as the weather gets better, we'll definitely have to try to get something together...