This weeks Custom Built Subwoofer Boxes

We had a total of 5 custom subwoofer cabinets to build this week.
The big one is for 3 Kicker 15" L7's in a 15 cubic ft vented box.
Also a vented box for the new Cerwin Vega stroker 12's at 5 cubic feet.
We have been very surprised with the performance of the new thin mount Pioneers and another order for a thin box.
The box with four 12" is for a T-bird and 4 Kicker compVR's are going into that...and lastly a vented box for the Audiobahn AW1206T's.

Tech gadgets to keep car thieves at bay

Tech gadgets to keep car thieves at bay.
By Matt NaumanMercury News
Common sense, a bit of caution and gadgets from no-tech to high-tech can help keep your car from getting stolen.
This month, the California Highway Patrol reported that Santa Clara County's auto-theft rate rose 25 percent in 2006, the biggest increase of any major county in the state. Meanwhile, California's overall auto-theft rate fell 5.5 percent.
Experts suggest an array of theft-deterrent devices are the best way to protect a vehicle. These include everything from visible steering-wheel locks popularized by Winner International's The Club to hidden technologies such as alarms and engine-immobilizers that use computer chips to prevent thieves from easily starting a car and stealing it. Various services that track stolen vehicles, such as Lojack and OnStar, report good results in their ability to quickly locate stolen cars. And one automaker even has a key that it says can detect an assailant hidden inside your car.
It's a sad but true reality, said Tully Lehman with the Insurance Information Network of California: ``Don't let yourself become the target.'' Anything that makes your car harder to steal than the car parked beside it is a good thing, he said.
``We recommend layers of protection,'' said Ken Gammage with Directed Electronics. That Southern California company, based in Vista, sells alarms and vehicle tracking systems under the Clifford, Viper and Python brand names.
One of its newest products uses radio signals to connect a vehicle to its owner through a receiver on a key chain remote control. These 2-Way Responder products have a one-mile range. With them, a car owner can start the car remotely and arm its security system. Also, it acts as a pager, either vibrating or beeping, to alert an owner if his or her car alarm goes off.
These kinds of systems are priced from $559.
Gammage described it as ``an important technology jump,'' and said that two-way devices are becoming increasingly popular.
That's especially true as more people consider car alarms a nuisance rather than a sound signaling the commission of a crime.
At Sound Systems on Alum Rock Avenue in San Jose last week, Estella Yepez was getting a new car stereo installed in her Dodge Intrepid -- and an alarm to protect her investment.
``I can't risk it getting stolen,'' she said.
That's a typical comment, said shop manager Brian Nguyen, who said people who invest in audio equipment often add an alarm at the same time. His store sells Clifford car security systems that cost from $250 to $500. At Best Buy at McCarthy Ranch in Milpitas, four Viper systems ranging from $230 to $505 were available.
It should be noted that the CHP reported that 10,280 cars were stolen in Santa Clara County last year -- about 15 percent of the number stolen in Los Angeles County, and less than six other large California counties, including Alameda.
Still, auto theft remains a serious problem. The FBI says 1.2 million vehicles were stolen in 2005, about one car or truck every 25 seconds.
The National Crime Insurance Bureau said vehicle thefts resulted in $7.6 billion in losses in 2005. Nearly another $1 billion in personal belongings -- from iPods and laptops to gym bags and purses -- is taken from cars each year, according to FBI figures.
Earl Hyser, superintendent of State Farm's Vehicle Research Facility in Bloomington, Ill., works with automakers to design vehicles that are cheaper to repair, safer for occupants and harder to steal.
For new-car buyers, Hyser advocates buying a vehicle that comes with an engine immobilizer, one with a computer chip in its key.
For those who already own cars and want to add features that would make them harder to steal, many products can be found at auto supply and electronic stores, in catalogs and on the Web. One example is immobilizers, which utilize a second key that must be inserted before the vehicle's primary key will work.
This setup isn't always effective, Hyser said, because ``people get tired of the second key. We recover stolen cars with the key in the slot.''
Better, he said, are the so-called key chain immobilizers. Here, a sensor in a key chain is connected, wirelessly, to a car's fuel pump, starter, ignition or main computer.
``It's quite ingenious,'' Hyser said.
One version, Seco-Larm's Passive Proximity Immobilizer, sells for about $150.
Tracking systems, such as those sold by Lojack and the OnStar system found on vehicles sold by General Motors, have become popular tools in the battle against car thieves.
Lojack says it has installed 5.8 million units in 26 U.S. states and 28 countries. Recently, the company reported it had reached a milestone: 100,000 vehicles recovered in the United States.
Its $695 Stolen Vehicle Recovery System uses radio-frequency tracking to tell police where a stolen vehicle is located. Its $995 Early Warning Recovery System does the same, but also communicates with an owner via home phone, mobile phone, pager, e-mail or text message if a vehicle is moved without permission.
San Jose Chrysler-Jeep dealer Mark Normandin said his dealership is ``selling a ton of Lojack systems. That is very, very hot.''
OnStar, which allows car owners a range of services, from navigation and making restaurant reservations to notifying authorities if an air bag is deployed in an accident, also tracks stolen vehicles. In a typical month, the company locates 700 to 800 stolen vehicles, said Andrea Suurmeyer, its business performance leader for vehicle location assistance.
The system -- drivers push one of several buttons that are part of a car's rear-view mirror and talk via embedded microphone to an OnStar operator -- is available on more than 50 General Motors' 2007 models. The service has 4.7 million subscribers who pay $16.95 a month for a basic OnStar plan, and $34.95 for a premium plan.
Perhaps the most interesting of all theft-deterrent devices offered by car companies comes from Volvo, which is the first to offer a key that even detects the beating heart of a would-be thief or attacker.
Called the Personal Car Communication and available on the 2007 S80 sedan, this key fob allows an owner to tell whether a car is locked or unlocked, whether the alarm has been activated and whether someone is waiting in or near the car.
``The sensor is attached to the chassis of the car. It's so sensitive (that) if somebody is outside with their hand on the car, it picks up the vibration,'' said Anders Robertson, the S80 product manager for Volvo Cars of North America. That sensor and complex algorithms are used to calculate the likelihood of a person being inside the car or nearby, he said.
The PCC operates if the key fob is within 300 feet of the vehicle. A green light on the fob tells an owner the car is locked. A yellow light means the vehicle is unlocked. A red light indicates the alarm has gone off and a second red light indicates someone is waiting inside the car.
The device also provides the most up-to-date information. Robertson said that means an owner can park an S80 at an airport, fly to Hong Kong and check the fob's green light to make sure he or she locked the vehicle.
``With the relatively new technologies that security companies have added -- remote starts, two-way remotes, cameras and image-capturing with pictures sent to your remote, programmable remotes -- this category is likely to experience renewed interest among consumers,'' said Ben Oh, editor of Car Audio and Electronics magazine.

Michigan Upcoming Events

Before attending a listed event, please call the info numbers for updates, cancellations or possible errors in this schedule. List provided by CRUISIN-USA.COM

March 9-11, 2007- 55th Annual Murrays Discount Auto Stores Autorama presented by Meguiar's Location : Cobo Center Detroit Michigan 48226 586-771-7110 http://www.worldofhwheels.com/ patrico@autorama.com

APRIL 6-7-8 - SHRINNER'S INDOORCAR SHOW at Gibraltar Trade Center (Taylor) Phone 734-287-2000

May 19, 2007 -Fluid Systems Engineering in conjunction with it EARL'S PERFORMANCE products is hosting its 8th annual SPRING AUTO THING CAR SHOW-Saturday May 19, 2007 from 12:PM-5:PM located at 18855 E. 14 Mile Road in Clinton Twp. Michigan. No registration or fees. Featuring free dash plaques, can coozies, limited T-shirts, BBQ hot dogs, cruise music, and the HOOTER GIRLS again. For more info call 586.790.8880, web site http://www.fluidsystemseng.com/ ask for Frank or Kevin

May 19,2007 West Michigan Muscle Cars club 4TH Annual Muscle Car Spring Dust Off - Saturday- Location: Robert's Classic Cars 6809 West KL Avenue, Kalamazoo,MI 9:00AM to 2:00PM Open to all Classic Cars--Awards sponsored by Robert's Classic Cars & Schuhardt's Auto repair. Winning Cars Picked by Hospice of Kalamazoo ... Awards Ceremony @ 2:00PM Call 269-372-3205 for show info

May 28, 2007 Classic Legends, in Brighton/Hartland Michigan Memorial Day Car Show - for Make a Wish plus Hospice, Toys for Tots , Christmas Families...All makes and models are welcome to the Memorial Day car show, May 28, 2007 There are 26 categories for trophies. It is located at Brighton High School, in down town Brighton Michigan.car show starts at 8:00am and finishes up around 4:00pm

June 1 & 2, 2007 Krusin Klassics Fun Run 2007 Location : U.P. State Fairgrounds Escanaba Michigan 49829 906.786.3638 http://www.krusinklassics.net/ krusinklassics@yahoo.com Additional Info : Friday kicked off Fun Run 2006 with a giant parade of classic and muscle cars in downtown Escanaba. Line up is in Ludington park at 6:30pm. The parade starts at 7:30pm followed by a cruise along the bay, through Gladstone, then back to the UP State Fairgrounds for the Riverside Auto /Vollwerths participants night. Participant's night consists of food and fun for all, and music is provided by a DJ playing all of our favorite oldies and contemporary hits. Friday's participant's night is made possible by Vollwerths meats and the Riverside Auto Group. Fun Run 2007 car show kicks off Saturday June 2nd at 7:00am when the gates open at the UP State Fairgrounds. The day starts off with a Pancake Breakfast at 7:00 am served by the Ford River Lions Club. Participants from all over the Midwest and Canada attend the festivities and a great time is had by all. There is a swap meet and car corral, food vendors, parts vendors, t- shirts, displays, plus much more to see and do, including the Bay Bank children's pedal tractor pulling, the burnout contest, and the "guess how long it will run without oil" contest. And we are proud to announce that the exciting BURNOUT contest was back by popular demand. Cars and trucks lit them up for a chance to win the $500.00 first prize. The festivities will be topped off by a Saturday night dance. During this time the annual raffle will be held and, along with numerous other great prizes,a 1974 Dodge Dart Sport will be given away. Please visit us at http://www.krusinklassics.net/ for more info!!!

June 2, 2007- Ionia Classic Car & Truck Show, Main Street, Ionia Mi, 10:00am to 3:00pm -Contact: Terri 989-855-2248 or Scott 989-855-2108- downtown Ionia, Michigan Michigan autoexchange@charterinternet.com Jump on Route 66 and head to Downtown Ionia for a day of Music- Door Prizes - Food - and Fun for the whole family. Show times:10:00 to 3:00, Registration: 9:00 to 11:00, $10:00 per car. This is a judged show 1st and 2nd place trophies at aprox. 2:30. Goodie bags and Dash plaques to the first 100 registered.

June 9, 2007 8th Annual Festival of Corvettes Location : Al Serra Chevrolet Grand Blanc MI 48439 810-953-3366 teamcorvette.org prplvet@comcast.net Additional Info : Registration 10-12, trophies awarded at 3 pm. All proceeds to benefit charity. Music, raffles, silent auctions, food, 50/50.

June 9, 2007 - 4th Annual Central Lake Collector Car & Truck Show. Saturday, June 9, 2007. Location: Downtown Central Lake, MI. Registration 7:30-10:00 am. Awards at 3:30 pm. We are a professionally judged event. 65 classes, 214 trophies, dust free location. Some of our giveaways include 4 Sears Craftsman tool chests ($530 value each) 50 shop vacs, 10 Craftsman 19.2V drills, plus much more. Registration fees are $25 by June 1, 2007 or $30 day of show. Last year vehicle total was 320. We are expecting to be in the mid-400's for 2007. For additional information please go to http://www.joelshooks.com/, or call 231 675 0965

June 15-17, 2007 - Cadillac Moose Lodge 6th Annual Father's Day Car Show. 7461 E. 34 Road, Cadillac, Mi. 49601 ... 231-775-7629 Preregistration thru 6/16 $10.00, day of the Show $12.00, Grand Prize Raffle: 1966 Mustang. Tickets $5.00 each, limited to 3000 tickets. June 15: Fish Fry 6 to 7:30 pm. June 16: Cruise or Poker Run 4 to 6 pm, Dinner 6 to &;30 pm, 50's Dance 7:30 to 11:30pm. June 17: Registration 8am to 12 pm. Breakfast 8am to 11 am. Lunch 11am to ??. Car Judging starts at 1:30pm followed by trophy presentation. Car Raffle drawing at 3pm.Information about show by calling 231-77-7629 or e-mail lodge531@mooseunits.org., Registration forms and tickets available at the Lodge. Registration forms also available by e-mail in Adobe format at ltstewart.1@juno.com. Tickets available in the Downriver area ,call 734-379-1202 and leave name and number.

June 17, 2007 - WYANDOTTE BRAVES JR. BASEBALL ASSOCIATION PRESENTS -5th Annual “Fathers Day” Classic Car Show / the “BRUISE CRUISE”- FUND RAISER SUNDAY JUNE 17, 2007- IN DOWNTOWN WYANDOTTE, MI. - “SAME LOCATION AS LAST YEAR” PARKING LOT NEXT TO BISHOP PARK ALONG THE RIVER OFF OF OAK ST. & BIDDLE AVE. - 11 am – 4 pm registration begins AT 10 am$20 REGISTRATION FEE PER CAR(Tax Deductible) All proceeds to benefit Wyandotte’s youth Baseball/Softball ages 4-18, REGISTRATION INCLUDES 2 HOURS OF WRESTLING FEATURING: A 15 MAN “OVER THE TOP” BATTLE ROYAL -MAIN EVENT –“featuring” FORMER WWE SUPERSTAR BRUTUS “THE BARBER” BEEFCAKE AND 5 OTHER BIG MATCHES, FEATURING THE STARS OF METRO PRO WRESTLING (CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE) Dash Plaques given to first 150 entries, TROPHIES DOOR PRIZES, 50/50 RAFFLE, REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE, DJ ENTERTAINMENT, FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: JOHN OR SHIRLEY KUZDZAL 734 281-2696 e-mail kuzdzal@wyan.org

July 7, 2007 - Eighth Annual South Haven Festival of Cars show, 7/7/06 from 10 to 4:30, Event will be held at the Michigan Flywheelers Museum, an 80 acre complex 2 miles east of South Haven, Michigan. Registration from 8:00 to 10. Description of event is located at http://www.southhavenfestivalofcars.com/ $10 Registration, Primary contact Linda Edge, (269)637-4284 Secondary contact Amy Filbrant, (269) 637-2051, Email afilbrandt@yahoo.com
July 21, 2007 - Rock-N-Wheels Car, Truck & Bike Show @ Auburn Community Park, U.S. 10 & 9 Mile Road. Show date is July 21, 2007. "Top 60" plus 8 specials including "Best In Show Bike, Truck & Car. Pre-registration is $10.00 by July 19th, day of show registration is $12.00. Registration runs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m,. Awards @ 2:00 p.m.. 25 Miles Cruise follows show @ 3:00 p.m.. Further information http://www.rock-n-wheels.com/.

July 22, 2007 - 3rd Annual Michiana Cruisers Benefit Car Show - Held at McCoy Creek Park in Buchanan, MI. Hours are 9am - 3pm, Entry is $10. at the gate, Top 25 Trophies, Club Participation Trophy with $200. to go along with trophy, Best of Show trophy also. All proceeds go to the Berrien County Council For Children/Childrens Assessment Center, Our Website is: http://www.michianacruisers.com/ Contact information is: Gary Shindeldecker, email: gls@qtm.net, Call: Home (269) 429-6426, Cell (269) 470-6571

July 22, 2007 - Old Saginaw City--Old Town Motorfest - Event to be held on Hamilton St. in Old Town in conjunction with 150 year celebration of Old Saginaw City. Event to be held on July 22,2007 from 12 noon to 2pm for registration and 2pm until 8pm for car show. All cars, trucks, motorcycles, tuner cars are welcome. for more info: 1.info@dynamiccorvettes.com 2.1-800-752-3188 or 989-249-1100

August 18 - Saturday ----WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE

August 25, 2007 - Augusta Car Show - Saturday 1-5 p.m. rain or shine - 12 classes with 2 trophies per class. Classes include motorcycles, fire trucks, and the under 21 driver. With special parking for motorcycles and fire trucks. Fireman's pork BBQ Dinners on sale at noon. Sponsored by the Augusta/Ross Twp. Fire Dept. Proceeds to benefit children's activities and fir prevention.Augusta is located 1/2 way between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek on M-96 with a shaded park in the center of town. 269-731-5334.

Sept 9,2007 - West Michigan Muscle Cars club 13th Annual Muscle Cars "Plus"Car show (Sunday) .. Location: Gilmore Car Museum-Hickory Corners,MI.. Open to all classsic cars...Show Starts @ 9:00A.M (No admittance til 8:00AM)... Feature car class 1967-1969 GM "F" body (Camaro & Firebird)... Dash plaques to first 150 cars, Over 60 trophies, Awards ceremony @ 3:00PM, A portion of all proceeds go to charity, Entry: Show Cars $12.00 , Vendors $15.00, For more information call Gary @269-345-2202, Or e-mail Mike @ kazstu53@iserv.net

Next Weekends Show at Gibraltar Trade Center

Next Weekends show is the Computer Show. FEBRUARY 23-24-25 The Three day show feature a wide variety of computer hardware, software, computer memory, laptop computers, desktop computer, pc notebook computers; new and used, all available at prices 30% to 80% lower than commercial retail outlets.

Any Questions you can go to Gibraltar Trade Centers Website or call 734-287-2000

This weekends show at Gibraltar Trade Center

Gibraltar Trade Center's Michigan Sports Card Show is the largest in Michigan. Packed with sports cards, non-sports cards, autographed memorabilia, lithographs, action figures, racing collectibles, supplies and much, much more. In addition, sports celebrities appear at each show to sign autographs. Joe Namath, Mohammed Ali, Willie Mays, Jaromir Jagr, Pete Rose, Steve Yzerman, Al Kaline and Magic Johnson, among many others, have appeared at our past shows. These three day shows take place once a month in Taylor.

This weeks signers are:

FEBRUARY 17th
DALE HAWERCHUK
Saturday, February 17th Signing at TAYLOR 12:00 till 2:00
HOCKEY HALL OF FAMER $17.50 - ANY ITEM

FEBRUARY 17th
HARRY HOWELL
Saturday, February 17th Signing at TAYLOR 3:00 till 5:00
HOCKEY HALL OF FAMER $7.00 - ANY ITEM

FEBRUARY 18th
YVAN COURNOYER
Sunday, February 18th Signing at TAYLOR 1:00 till 3:00
HOCKEY HALL OF FAMER $12.00 - ANY ITEM

Any Questions you can go to Gibraltar Trade Centers Website or call 734-287-2000

Finished Subwoofer Boxes

Here is a couple of pics of the completed subwoofer cabinets.

The one on the left is for the 3 - 15" PBX 3xl
Top right is for 2 Pioneer TS-SW2541D 10" Shallow Mount Subwoofer.
Bottom middle is for 2 Audiobahn aw1206t
Bottom right is for 2 - 12" PBX 3xl

We are always telling our customers that the box is the most important part of there car audio systems. When you look at the pics you can see the 2 - 12 subwoofer enclosures on the bottom right are about the same size but the ports are different. The Audiobahn is a 4in x 12" long. The Power Bass is a 5" x 14 3/4" . This makes all the difference in the world between clean loud hard hitting deep bass, and bass that is muddy, takes a lot more power to drive and sounds real bad.

The moral of the story is, you pay good money on your system. Don't cut corners on your subwoofer box. A cheap pre fab subwoofer box for 2 - 12" that is stapled together, leaks and rattles might cost you around $60. A custom made subwoofer box that is made to the manufactures specifications of the subs, that is glued and screwed together only costs between $120 -$150. Its worth the extra $60 - $90.

Some examples of Custom Built Subwoofer Boxes we have built.

If you would like to see more go here