2000 Honda Civic Hatchback

How do you take a head-turning, ear-pleasing, show-winning world-class install and make it better? According to Chris Pate of College Station, TX, you rip it out and start over. This 10-year install veteran is no stranger to change-he has rebuilt many systems from his own and rival shops for a myriad of reasons such as aesthetics, ergonomics, SPL, changes in competition class and organization, sound quality (as is the case here) and even boredom. After the 2004 USACi finals, in which Pate's 2000 silver Civic took third in the pro SQ 601- 1200 watt class, the winds of change blew so hard that they scoured away the old install to make way for a new one.

The OldHis previous system consisted of an Alpine 2909 head unit, PXA-H700 digital processor, two JL Audio 250/1 and 300/4 amps, four Focal 13 WS 5 1/4" subs, a pair of Focal GW2 mids, two Focal Audiom TLR tweeters, two Focal 33 WS subs and Stinger Expert interconnects. It didn't sound good-it sounded great-but Pate felt that "the fit and finish was not perfect, and the layout was all over the place." He completely stripped everything from the Civic, including all the interior panels and the dash, with the goal to build a new system "that allowed you to listen to music without being distracted by an over-the-top install or the product placement in it while music was playing." With a bare canvas and a fresh palette of new offerings from sponsors, Pate set himself to the arduous yet satisfying task of building the greatest SQ car of his career to date.

The NewPate set his architecturally trained mind to building a solid and ergonomic amp rack and sub enclosure. One and half inch tube steel was welded into a frame and bolted into eight places in the rear hatch. With a firm base to work from, a sealed enclosure for a Focal Utopia 16" woofer was built from 3/4" MDF and mounted into the frame firing upward, approximately 3" below the rear hatch.

Next, tubs were fabricated from fiberglass and MDF to secure and showcase the bevy of Focal amplifiers in front of the enclosure. The tubs were lined with 1/8"clear acrylic, texture matched with the vehicle's interior and painted black in accordance with the subdued install ideology. Monster Cable ANL fuse holders, in two banks of four, both positive and negative, were molded next to the upper amp tubs on each side of the enclosure to both protect the amps and keep a symmetric flow to the install lines. In all, five tubs accent the rear hatch area surrounded by hand-laid, convex vinyl covered fiberglass side panels.

Embedded in the amp enclosure cover is the signal control center, a modified dbx 260 studio signal processor. The unit was altered for use in the 12-volt environment from its native 120-volt A/C by Doug Winker, longtime friend and mentor to Pate. Mounted in textured MDF and surrounded by black vinyl. The dbx 260 hides behind the repositioned seats, processing at near light speed. The envy of 12-volt processors, though bulky and cumbersome, the hidden and unobtrusive dbx 260 slips right into this install.

Kick Back And RelaxTo facilitate an optimal listening environment, the exhaust tunnel that runs through the center of the vehicle floor between the seats was cut out and a flat piece of 16-gauge steel sheet metal was welded in its place, thus flattening the floor so both seats could be moved in 5" and back 6" to widen the staging experience. Creating realistic staging is one of the most difficult parts of a sound-quality build. Just because all frequencies are represented doesn't mean you have a show-winning car.

Pate attacked this problem with a 1- 1/2ft3 sealed enclosure encased in the dash, which was prefabricated to make it both flat and symmetrical. The pair of 5" Focal woofers fire up at the windshield, which puts the bass in your face, so to speak. The dash was then covered in foam headliner material to dampen reflection from the dash-oriented speakers. The reformed A-pillar panels house a pair of Focal Be tweets, which were lined 90 degrees off axis from the listener. With tweets and bass in your face, the midrange section was the last to be addressed. The footrest area of the Honda was cut out to expose the unibody frame construction. After filling and fiberglassing all existing bolt holes and gaps, this allowed and extra 0.20ft3 of air space. With the extra room, the Focal Be mid was mounted very near the factory angle of the original kick panel.

What Lies UnderneathTo dampen resonation, close to 100 pounds of plastiscine clay was packed into the floorboard. Pate then laid foam pad over the entire floor area and finished the floor out with charcoal-colored non-backed Ozite carpeting for its high stretch and contouring ability. Monster Cable M-series cables, distribution blocks and fuse holders keep the system going, along with a pair of Optima Red Top batteries. With the exhaust line and muffler gone, two billet battery trays were bolted on a new mount in place of the old muffler. As a unique touch, an auxiliary solar panel from a deer feeder serves as the rear license plate. When the car is stowed away for long periods, this allows for trickle charging of the batteries.

In this transformation of the Civic, Pate created a "purpose-built install designed to highlight the re-creation of great musical performances." It certainly impressed us, but what about tough SQ judges? Pate brought out the Civic, now in the Expert Class, with five other SQ cars at the 2005 Unified World Finals. In the tougher class, the Civic still managed to pull a third place in the USACi rankings with another third place in Q Pro.