Teenagers are known for being fickle creatures. At times, their emotions and minds seem to change with the wind. But when Eric Strickland began hanging around his friend's professional installation shop at age 16, the future NACA competitor began to develop a passion for cars and car audio that has yet to subside. Needless to say, by the time he built this 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX, he was no amateur.
The car was built as a demo vehicle for Crossfire Car Audio, Bravo View, and Hooker Audio, and the installation was a team effort that spanned cities and states. Strickland explains, "The audio part was installed by Boomers Audio in Tulsa, OK, the performance and suspension upgrades were done at Alamo Autosports in Arlington, TX and the graphics were done by Superior Sign Shop in Ada, OK."
While many modifications were done to the engine including the installation of a Extrude Honed intake manifold, port & polished heads with Ferrara valves, and an upgrade to the fuel system, a great deal of attention was paid to the car's audio setup as well. The three and a half month installation time proved to be worth it when the car appeared in over 50 shows in a four-year period, taking home numerous first place and Best of Show awards.
Speakers
For the front speakers Strickland opted for two Crossfire SQ6's installed in the front door panels. To fit the speakers, the panels were modified using MDF and fiberglass. Crossfire SQ6's were also installed in the back door panels, which had to be modified in the same way. Before anything was installed, the car was gutted, and Dynamat Extreme was applied.
Subwoofer
For the bottom end, two Crossfire BMF 12" subs were used with 3.2 cubic feet of enclosure per sub. The setup was designed to create a "smooth linear sub transition from lower mid-bass through 25 Hz." The results were just that.