2004 Mazda 3

Most car owners have a singular goal in mind when building up their rides. It might be to win awards. Or to sound bitchin'. Or to stand out from the crowd. Whatever it is, it's usually a pretty selfish and gratifying labor of love. They do it for themselves, and there's not a damn thing wrong with that. When Bill Montgomery started the transformation of this 2004 Mazda3, however, he didn't do it for his own kicks; he's a marketing director for International Allstars and wanted to take it to car shows and high school expos (such as the Prime Motivation program on the west coast), so that it would serve as a good example for the up-and-coming generation of car audio fans.

City BornMontgomery's passion for in-car entertainment started when he worked as an installer for Circuit City many years ago. He had an idea of what he wanted, but it wasn't until he spoke with Eric Holdaway at SpeakerWorks that the design was fleshed out with the extent of fabrication and placement of products determined.

A Total Eclipse Of A CarThe heart of the Mazda3's system is Eclipse's sophisticated single-DIN CD8455 source unit with area shot mapping. It's mounted in the factory location in the custom dash made of fiberglass and painted. The head unit looks like a natural extension of the car, with the black and red colors of the overall dash matching the rest of the vehicle's hot color scheme. An Eclipse DV3101 DVD player lies snugly just underneath it. Additional processing wasn't necessary, as the crossovers in the CD8455 provide ample adjustment.

Speak UpBringing the front stage sound to life are Eclipse's SC8254 5 1/4" component speakers. The Speaker Work's crew cut out some metal from the doors for a custom fit and placed damping material behind each speaker to reduce any resonance. The crossovers for the components reside in the doors.

Everyone involved agreed on keeping both front and rear speakers behind the factory grilles. The grilles were highlighted with red trim rings and the door panels were covered in ultra-cool, ultra-velvety suede, with the Eclipse logo proudly showing itself off.

The sail panels in the doors were not completely re-done. Speaker Works simply modified the panel for the Eclipse tweets and then painted it for a smooth finish.

Handling bass duty for the Mazda3's new audio system are Eclipse 12" subs that handle the wide variety of music that Montgomery plays at shows brilliantly. Whether the doors are closed for listening while driving or with them open, the system offers plenty of boom for any audience. Two separate enclosures beautifully finished with matching paint were built for each sub. "Using the recommended air space, I would say we reached our goal of loud, tight bass," comments Montgomery.

When it came time to put the amps in, Montgomery again decided he wanted a very simple and clean mounting location in the rear. Easy access was the key phrase-he wanted all the components to be within easy reach and in plain view. So the Speaker Works team designed a symmetrical configuration for the Eclipse products in the trunk area, with the Eclipse EA2000 and EA4000 amps for the flanking subs just underneath the two PA4212's that power the speakers for "a nice, clean look," Montgomery says, reiterating the fact that the goal was to attract the high-end high school kids interested in car audio systems. Total system wattage? A more than respectable 1,500.

AccoutrementsOf course you can't have a vehicle for display purposes without having some displays. Rounding out the accoutrements in the rear hatch is a Vivo Electronics MVH-650W mounted behind the Mazda3's brake light, with a Vivo Electronics switching unit installed under the seat. What better place to watch DVDs while you're tailgating or hanging out with your buddies? Another Vivo monitor, ceiling-mounted, provides passengers on the way to events with some rear seat entertainment.

Tying it all together is Scosche everything-speaker cables, gauges, interconnects, fuse holders, fuse valves, etc., used throughout the vehicle. And keeping the smoking new system running is an Odyssey PC 1200 battery under the hood and an Odyssey PC 925 in the rear hatch, under the amps.

See the LightLastly, because some finishing touches were added to class up the Mazda a bit further, the Speaker Works guys added StreetGlow red neon to highlight the amps and speakers throughout the car. The toggle switches for the lights were discreetly installed in the glove box. To complement and add to the 3's street flair Montgomery furbished the car 18" Koyoa wheels wrapped in Cooper rubber, sized 225/40-18.

Lead by ExampleAll in all, it took less than 30 days and about 10 grand (including installation) from start to completion of Project Mazda3. It's in perfect condition to make the rounds at car shows and events across the country, and hopefully-by its clean yet sophisticated design-it will inspire and influence the younger generation of car audiophiles to create similar projects.

Special ThanksMontgomery would like to thank Jim Jordan of Mazda USA; Mike West of Eclipse; Eric, Pat and Paul of Speaker Works; Carlos of House of Finishes; and the Team International Allstars for all their help and support.

Shop:Speaker Works Car AudioOrange, CA714.997.9880

Tech:Suspension: Vogtland springsWheels: Koyoa 18"Tires: Cooper 225/40-18