Back in 1995, car audio newbie Larry Chijner walked into a stereo shop looking to simply replace the head unit in his 1993 Cadillac Eldorado. What he didn't realize was that he would wind up losing his car for six months. That's because his single upgrade turned into a complete transformation with the installation of a full-blown competition system instead (the first of many in the Eldorado). "I was intrigued by the whole concept and the purchase of a head unit just snowballed into something bigger, better, and more enjoyable," recalls Chijner.
Chijner has no regrets about his decision. The Eldorado is his getaway vehicle from the everyday hustle and bustle he experiences at the furniture shop where he is employed. The new system was really essential, considering Chijner's love of music. Growing up, he was involved with bands and handled the soundboard. He also played the guitar and piano, so he has a musician's ear for music. That explains why he does his own system tuning. When the install was finished, he attended his first sound-off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, "The Super Bowl of Sound." He took home top honors in his class. That was just the beginning for him and the Eldorado.
Controlling the system is made easy. The Pioneer ODR remote control sits in between the two front seats just in front of the center console glove box. An aluminum stand was made to raise the remote control. This made the sliding door on the remote functional when trying to access controls underneath the door. Liggett replaced the original steering wheel with one from a later model year Eldorado to utilize all the functions in the wheel. He multiplexed the horn wire by varying resistances into the steering wheel controls. This enabled Chijner to control all the functions of the audio system easily and safely. The new steering wheel is also labeled so there is no guesswork. As an added touch, passengers also have the ability of controlling the system using newly installed switches just above the window switch on the passenger side door to control either the volume or track. In the center console, a 1/8" aluminum plate allows Chijner to control operation to certain system components in the vehicle. The plate was painted black, and the red switches were labeled.
Speak Up!
Instead of a "traditional" horn install underneath the dash, Liggett and crew decided to install the Image Dynamics mini-horn with a TAD2001 driver parallel to the windshield in the dash, providing proper dispersion. The horns were carefully positioned into place and secured using radio brackets and 1" foam. A Pioneer TS-M7PRS driver was added as a center channel speaker. It is housed in an ABS sealed enclosure. Even with the added speakers, the dash retains the original airbag and vents. The top portion of the dash was modified (cut out) and shaped to accommodate the new horns, center channel speaker, and vents. Liggett wrapped the dash with vinyl and painted it taupe to match the rest of the interior. Pioneer prototype ribbon tweeters are in the A-Pillars and trimmed with Zebrano wood. The grills to the ribbon tweeters were painted to better integrate them into the Caddy. A Pioneer TS-M7PRS midbass is housed in each door in a Zebrano wood pod. The whole door acts as the enclosure for the midbass drivers. Liggett used modeling clay for additional damping in the doors.
There are three subwoofers in the system. The first one resides up front in the passenger side foot well. The enclosure sits below the vehicle and is made of steel. Liggett welded the enclosure together piece by piece underneath the vehicle. The finished sealed enclosure is painted red under the vehicle and has an internal volume of .75 cubic ft. Liggett made sure that the enclosure is flush underneath the vehicle so it would not detract from the aerodynamics of the vehicle (and be out of the way when the vehicle is in motion). He even went as far as wrapping the muffler and pipes next to the enclosure with heat resistant material to keep heat away from the enclosure. In the enclosure, mounted from inside the vehicle is a Pioneer TS-W1040C 10" subwoofer. It is surrounded by Zebrano wood and features a Cadillac logo on the grill.
Loaded Trunk
The last pair of subwoofers, Pioneer TS-W12PRSs, were installed behind the rear seats. Two separate Battic Birch sub enclosures with an internal volume of 1.2 cubic ft. were constructed to hold each woofer. "I prefer sealed enclosures. They have a warm sound to them if properly built," claims Chijner.
Aside from the subwoofers, the trunk compartment is where most of the components found their home. When all the panels were removed, the first procedure was to eliminate the hump in the spare tire well to create more room for the seven amplifiers in the system. The bottom of the well was completely cut out of the vehicle. The floor of the amp rack had steel feet added and holes cut to fit grommets made of steel as well. Once the shape was finished, it was wrapped in taupe vinyl. Four Pioneer ODR RS-A1 amplifiers reside here and power the horns, tweeters, mids, and front subwoofer. They are revealed when the linear activator under the vehicle kicks on. The remaining three amplifiers, Pioneer Premier PRS-X220s are perpendicular to the digital amplifiers across the back wall and passenger side of the trunk. To reduce the overall footprint, two PRS-X220s were installed into one large heatsink. These two feed power to the 12" subs while the third powers the center channel. To enhance the cosmetic characteristics of the trunk, all of the amplifiers were painted red to match the exterior color of the vehicle.
The processor rack, located under the rear deck, holds a Pioneer ODR RS-P1 processor and RS-P50 equalizer. The equalizer gives Chijner total control providing 31-bands of independent equalization for the right and left channels. Both units are surrounded by beige vinyl. The front of the rack is accented by Zebrano wood and a Cadillac logo. Access is granted to these two components using a worm actuator. The actuator features an electronic safety in case of some mishap.
The entire rear portion of the trunk, along with the trunk lid is bathed in taupe vinyl. On the trunk lid is the second Pioneer monitor. Achieving the final fit and finish was made possible by using materials such as body filler and fiberglass. The finished trunk is elegant-looking and fits the theme of General Motors' most prestigious line. Highlighting the installation in the trunk are high-powered halogen bulbs.
More Gadgets
An expert series Q-PC computer system (yes, another one) was also added to the vehicle. This computer has the ability to show a slide presentation of the installation through the two Pioneer monitors. But it is not limited to just that. You also have DVD, navigation, MP3, Internet capabilities, and the ability to send e-mail. Ok, so how do you operate everything? The system comes equipped with a compact wireless keyboard with mouse functions.
Special care was also taken into consideration under the hood. Another 1/8" aluminum plate was fabricated to hold the fuses and battery isolator under the hood. The Streetwires isolator was painted red and, to go a step further, Plexiglas covers were machined for all the isolator terminals. As an added touch, both sides of the isolator feature Cadillac emblems. Down to the smallest of details, the fuse in front of the isolator (and within 18 inches of the battery) has labeled shrink-wrap letting you know where the wire on either side is headed. Ingenious! Another addition under the hood was a Streetwires battery, replacing the factory counterpart. Close by is an auxiliary charger plug to keep Chijner within a wall outlet away of keeping his vehicle powered.
To keep the car protected, Future Sounds opted to use a Code Alarm 7600 microprocessor-based security system. Everything else is computerized, why not the alarm, too? The security system gives the Chijner the ability to talk to his vehicle and for the vehicle to talk back to him. For safety of a different kind, a fire extinguisher and a fix-a-flat can were added underneath both front seats.
You Have Seven Minutes
Seven minutes is the amount of time each competitor has to present his or her vehicle to the judges. It's in the judging lanes where one of the most intriguing aspects of this car shines. During the presentation the Intel 8031 plays a major role, basically automating everything. The presentation is an actual recording of Chijner that he made at a local recording studio. All the panels open up at specified times, thus directing the judges through the installation of the car. Having a pre-done presentation has its advantages. The most important thing is that you don't forget to point anything out. When the judges sit in the vehicle and listen to the audio quality, most of them do not want to get out. Chijner is proud of the fact that he does all of the tuning on his vehicle. Having a great ear, he has been recognized at numerous nationwide events for having the best sounding vehicle.
Next Stop: Charlotte
Chijner may feel lucky to have a competition vehicle of this caliber, but really luck doesn't have much to do with it. All the hard work is paying off. Now that it has he does not want to forget those who have contributed their skills and labor or gave him great moral support over the years. He would like to express his gratitude to his wife Marianne and the rest of his family for their patience and understanding. Chijner also wants to thank the following people for help with the Eldorado: Eric, Del, and Matt at Image Dynamics; Jason Plank at Mitek/Streetwires; Kevin Mutters at Dynamat; Bill Bibb at Veritas, Brian Smith at Autosound 2000; Ted Cardenas, Keith Burnett and Jaed Arzadon at Pioneer (general thanks to the company for creating Team Pioneer); Keith Lehman and Brian Sherman at MB Quart; Manville Smith at JL Audio; Ron Buffington for his technical support, and finally Mark Liggett and Jack Klages for an outstanding installation.
Now that you have the details it's easy to see why Chijner is a competitor people love to hate. When he rolls up to a show, others cringe. He isn't a terrible guy; he's just one of the few truly outstanding competitors out there. And his car is so good! For now, some minor upgrades to the fit and finish are planned as well as a new Pioneer head unit and processor. There's not much else left to upgrade and it looks like Chijner will have a good shot at walking up to the stage in Charlotte. The outcome--well, we'll just have to wait and see. You be the judge!