Clean Style

Overcoming Space Limitations, This 350Z Pulls Off a Surround System with an Uncluttered Yet Striking Look

By Brook Howell

With its sleek, sinuous lines and slippery silver finish, the exterior of Teddy Ngo's Nissan 350Z immediately makes a slick impression. Creating an audio/video system complementary to the Z's styling could go in two directions. First, it could be stealthy, almost indistinguishable from the OEM system, or it could be flashy and over the top. As it turns out, this installation took a different route altogether, combining from-the-factory integration with beautiful fiberglass work and high-end speakers. The uncluttered interior results in sophistication with an edge--there's nothing boring about this smooth system.

Mental Gymnastics
To pull off such a clean install, the installers at Street Sound Plus expended most of the energy during the planning stage. The primary challenge was the small amount of space the 350Z offered. Everything had to fit without looking cluttered, and by everything we're talking about components, subs, monitors and more. For instance, figuring out where to put the three amplifiers created the first headache. Eventually it was decided to place the Zapco Reference 360 for the center channel and rear speakers and the Zapco Reference 1000 for the subs between the rear seats and the strut tower bar. A fiberglass amprack painted to match the Silverstone exterior holds the pair in place. Lastly, the Zapco Reference 350, which powers the front components, was hidden to prevent a crowded appearance. Installer Rommel Medina reveals that once the location of the amps was decided, "everything fell into place."

Setting the Tone
The Focal Utopia 165W3 components went up front, but in order to create a proper soundstage the exact locations had to be worked out. To achieve this, an installer sat down in the driver's seat and used a tone generator to test the uninstalled speakers in different locations. Once the imaging came together and the placement looked clean and uncluttered, the components were installed. First Dynamat went over the entire door for the installation of the 6 1/2" woofers. Second, the installers fabricated custom kick panels from MDF, fiberglass and carbon-fiber vinyl for the 4" midrange and the tweeters.

Fluid Center
Another well-thought-out aspect of the installation is the beautiful center console, the centerpiece of the A/V system. Resplendent in silver paint, the fiberglass console displays the 6 1/2" speaker for the center channel, a 7-inch screen and the Kenwood Excelon head unit. Ngo made the unconventional choice for the center channel because he wanted to power it with the amp of his choice and do a really custom installation. The placement grabs the eye, but the real effort in the console was molding in the Farenheit monitor. A whole lot of sanding filled the air with body filler dust and enabled the exquisite fit.

Fun Out Back
Backing up the larger monitor in the front, a pair of Savv 5.6" screens holds court in the rear hatch area. Used during shows, the monitors get their video from the Savv TV tuner that, with its two additional RCA inputs, can switch between TV and the Sony Playstation 2 installed behind the seat. Identical to the center channel, a pair of 6 1/2" Kenwoods provides rear sound for tailgating gamers rather than adding rear fill since the imaging up front already makes Ngo quite happy. But providing low frequencies all around, a JL Audio sub in a sealed MDF enclosure shares a fiberglass tub with the rear speakers. With a goal to establish the most accurately responding bass possible, the guys at Street Sound Plus built the approximately 1.3ft3 box to JL Audio specs.

Less visually appealing aspects of this stylish installation obviously include the less visual components. Dynamat Xtreme blankets the entire vehicle. Discreetly placed behind the driver's seat, the Alumapro 15-farad capacitor blends with the slippery silver paint. And completely tucked away in the factory location, an Odyssey PC925 battery stores needed power.

Owner Ngo explains, "I built this vehicle because I wanted to do one of the hottest cars in the market at the time." With the talents of Street Sound Plus, a month of work and $12,000 to $15,000 in materials and labor, he came away with not only one of the hottest cars, but also one of the sleekest and stylish 350Z installations around.

Driver Profile
A member of Team Autobots, Teddy Ngo regularly competes in the West Coast car show circuit and has already won first place at the last four shows he's attended. A perfect example of the ideal in customer/shop relations, Ngo first went to Street Sound Plus at age 18 to replace another shop's shoddy work bit by bit as money allowed. "I would have to say I got into car audio because I met really good people at that shop," he reveals. Not garage-bound by far, Ngo's Z gets some exercise not only on weekends and nights, but also on frequent road trips to the San Francisco Bay Area and Las Vegas. Stowing luggage for him and a lady friend can be a problem (much of it ends up on her lap or under her feet), but the drive's still fun with Ngo's current favorite, acid jazz, churning on the sat rad or a DVD playing on the monitor.

Tech

Body Mods: Veilside V1 lip, GReddy sideskirts, GReddy rear valence and Nismo wing