2007 Honda Fit - Quite Fitting
by CAE, Nov 01, 2007
To power the system, six amplifiers were mounted on a custom rack in the rear of the car. Three Polk C400.4 multichannel amps power the front and rear component speakers, while a trio of C500.1 monoblocks handle the system bass. To smooth out the look, the MDF amprack was wrapped with black Tsunami suede and topped with a Honda "H" cut out of clear acrylic. Overall, the system produces more than 2,500 watts.
In addition to the in-dash monitor, a pair of 7-inch Directed HVM700 LCD monitors were mounted on the rear hatch and wired to turn on whenever the hatch is opened.
An Alpine PXA-H701 multichannel processor mounted under the amprack handles all of the audio adjustments including EQ, phase, time alignment and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound decoding. The unit also acts as an active crossover in partnership with the Polk component speakers.
Driver ProfileRyan Shutt, 29, is a paintless dent removal technician from Baltimore, MD. He has been modifying show cars for about six years and has appeared at import and specialty shows nationwide. This '07 Fit is his second project for Honda.
But the time limit wasn't the only challenge. Instead of relying on car-specific adapters and connectors, Shutt and company had to fabricate the majority of their installation accessories. After all, they were working on one of the only Fits in the country and aftermarket parts just weren't available. "Nobody had a body kit, nobody had anything. A lot of the stuff that we used is one-off."
Although Shutt handled most of the bodywork and system designs himself, Thom Voisinet and Josh Claar from Polk installed the Fit's audio system at the manufacturer's Baltimore headquarters. And here's how they did it.
To create the front soundstage, the team fabricated 31/44" MDF mounting rings and attached a set of Polk db5251 5.25" components to the Honda's pillars. Identical sets were installed in the front and rear doors and the factory grilles were painted to match the Fit's black and orange color scheme. A 5.25" Polk db521 coaxial mounted on the modified dash bezel handles the center channel.
Shutt wanted a do-it-all head unit that wouldn't dominate the Fit's interior space. The Alpine IVA-W200 DVD player fit the bill - offering DVD and CD playback, a 6.5-inch LCD monitor, satellite radio and an iPod connection. The unit was installed in the Fit's factory dash opening and was ISO-mounted with a custom-fabricated steel bracket.
The audio installation team gutted the car and lined every exposed surface with Dynamat Extreme sound dampening material. From there, Shutt took over and covered the dash, doors and trunk with Tsunami suede, complete with carbon-fiber door inserts and orange highlights.
Honda wanted the Fit to be an eye-catcher on the show circuit, so Shutt modified the body with a custom Tourren kit, side moldings, shaved mirrors and a two-tone black and orange paint job with white camo highlights. Enkei EVO-5 wheels and Dunlop tires round out the look.
Two pairs of Polk db651 6.5" coaxial speakers were installed in the hatch and set up to run as front speakers when the car is open at shows. Additional rear fill is provided by two pairs of Polk db401 4" fullrange drivers installed in the headliner behind the rear seat.
No less than four 12" Polk db124 subs - two in each fiberglass-covered MDF box on each side of the hatch area - handle the Fit's low end. Pieces of 3" PVC piping were used for the ports to save space and to allow them to be routed around the drivers. Up front, a 10" Polk db104 sub in the dash fills out the bass.
