Biscuit 2.0

I worked in an Automotive Paint supply shop, that had one of these with a Vinyl Wrap of the store logo on the side.  It was also a 5 speed, and if I remember right, lowered on Tein springs and some sort of aftermarket wheels.

It was an absolute hoot to drive in rural twisty areas.  Extremely buzzy on the highway, but some of the most fun I've had in a car at legal speeds.  Quite literally like a go kart with actual cargo capacity.

In reply to HotNotch :

Buzzy is the word. Actually "busy" might be better. Up to 5th gear by 40mph, just constant movement. It's oddly engaging. A little square giggle factory. 

These cars are really really underrated.  My pal has one he bought for dirt cheap, threw the cheapest coilovers on the market on it, and uses it as backup track rat duty when his MkII Golf is down for maintenance or whatever.  I've never seen so many old-timer Porsche drivers wander over between track sessions because they had to "go see what was up with the lunchbox..."

Did a couple things. 
 

Dug out an amp install kit I've had for years, and dug out the stereo I was intending for the truck. Turns out it's a pioneer and I thought I had a JVC. I'm still torn on what to use. I'm looking at $36 for brackets for the factory unit, which has voice calling, BT, and CD. Or I can get a Toyota-pioneer harness and use this other head. It doesn't have CD, but it does have USB which should let me charge things. And I'll likely run the wiring for a sub under the passenger seat. Gonna build another little voxel unit. I don't want to shake the thing apart, just add some bottom.  
 

Started cleaning out the xB. I washed the outside the other day, and didn't do a very thorough job. Anyway. Got the rear seat covers removed and mostly cleaned out the dog fur. Then I started vacuuming. Then the vacuum died. So I'll need a new one. So I decided to keep cleaning because the car is beyond filthy. Worst I've ever had by far. I got the hatch area mostly vacuumed before the thing died. Discovered the spare has no air. Gonna see if I can fit a full size in there since I still have the steels. 
 

At least I got her 5 cleaned before the vacuum died. So that's good. And the windows. 

So, i need more information on the voxel sub. I hadn't heard of this before, and i want to learn. Quick Google shows home audio only stuff, but i didn't waste a ton of time poking through long threads to see if there was buried information. 

I need low end in my subaru with no room to do it ... 

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

It's a small sub that doesn't require huge power. 12"x9"x6". 100w is plenty. It isn't going to shake the neighborhood. It also isn't going to cost much, and can be built in an evening. Like, $150 including amp. 
Linky

it isn't a high power 10" and isn't going to perform that hard, but it is plenty to balance out a vehicle  

Just strap the amp to it and latch it down under a dash or seat or anywhere. Instructions say to glue the ports but tape works just as well and is easier. I've build four and they just work. And you get to watch folks react when they find out all That bass is coming from a 5.25" driver. I first used one behind the bench in my old s10. With the bench all the way back, single cab. 

Replaced a leaky valve stem. Now it should hold air, which means it should stop pulling left, which means I actually fixed the alignment. 
 

Then, because it was in the air, I removed the tape holding the lower bumper on so it could be fixed properly:

And I'm trying to crowd-fund an eBay wing. Folks at work say I should get one because cheap and ridiculous, so I said if I can get one free-to-me I'd attach it to the car. We'll see. 
 

It's burned a quart of oil in 2000 miles, so that's my baseline. And a little time has started to develop a list of fix priorities. 
 

1- driver window motor. It goes down very reliably. Up, not so much. 
2- sub. The stock speakers are actually pretty decent, they just need supplemented. 
3- lower. Because duh. 
5- cosmetic issues. Bumper retainers, fog light blanks, etc...

My wife has had an xB from new in 2006. It's an automatic, but that aside it's been a great car. Without a doubt the best car we've ever owned in terms of reliability and maintenance costs. 31 mpg since the day we bought it. We've even taken it on long trips to North Carolina and Montreal. A perfect car for running around town, doing errands, or hauling large stuff. Have fun with yours.

barefootcyborg5000 said:

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

It's a small sub that doesn't require huge power. 12"x9"x6". 100w is plenty. It isn't going to shake the neighborhood. It also isn't going to cost much, and can be built in an evening. Like, $150 including amp. 
Linky

it isn't a high power 10" and isn't going to perform that hard, but it is plenty to balance out a vehicle  

Just strap the amp to it and latch it down under a dash or seat or anywhere. Instructions say to glue the ports but tape works just as well and is easier. I've build four and they just work. And you get to watch folks react when they find out all That bass is coming from a 5.25" driver. I first used one behind the bench in my old s10. With the bench all the way back, single cab. 

I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.....

Any idea what amp he's driving it with?  That link is dead...

In reply to WonkoTheSane :

OP used some flavor of offshore plate amp, but it was intended for home audio originally. I've always used 100w marine amps to great effect. The link should be good, but trying to get to the site via Google leads me to believe they're having internal issues. Idk. It's a subforum for parts-express. 

Voxel site is responsive again. But here's the cover shot, just in case:

Speaking of which, small Christmas bonus means order is being placed presently. 

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

Right, sorry, I wasn't specific enough... In the forum post, it says it was designed around "this amp," but the link for "this amp" is dead.  I'll try to look through that site to find a plate amp..

It's probably some Dayton plate amp seeing as it was posted to the Parts-Express user's forum.

Paul Carmody created some great speaker designs.  I think he quit doing that work a while ago now.  I built one of his earlier bookshelf speakers which he later said he surpased in design quality as his skills improve.  I quite like them; I would trust his design work, especially with a sub.

Sub is finished. 
 

Turns out I still have some tolex from my amp building/customizing days. 1985 is calling

it fits under the passenger seat longitudinal style, and still allows the foot vent room to do its thing. Hopefully I can get the wiring run this weekend and hear it rip. 

barefootcyborg5000 said:

Sport toaster.

Perfect.

Methinks Pyle doesn't know their right hand from the left

Firstly, the R and L should be the other way. And secondly, this is a marine unit, so shouldn't it be labeled "P" and "S"???

And also a coworker added his artistic touch

The head unit is a pioneer 1-din media player. It works well and has all the standard toys and capabilities. 32 band EQ!

Had to go into the advanced settings and fiddle around a bit to turn the subwoofer on. Sounds nice enough for the time/money invested. Pictures of the final setup when it's light out. 
 

Road trip tomorrow in the xB. Maybe not the best car for a winter road trip up through 6000', but I'm sure we'll do just fine. Eager to see what the highway MPGs look like. 

Man, I remember sitting in one of these before they hit dealerships. It was at the Toyota booth at, ready for this? .............NOPI Nationals in Atlanta, GA (lol). 2002, I think.

It was the first time boi racers (me) from the The Fast & The Furious (1) era were introduced to factory options, apparently. People were stoked about buying performance parts from Toyota and not APC (lol again). The factory options were all listed in this big, glossy-page book they handed out. What I wouldn't do for one of those in my scrapbook.

We should've all been rioting (it was Atlanta, after all) that this is what Toyota replaced their sports car development with, but all we could see was short-ram CAIs from AEM and shiny after-cat exhausts. Memories. 

Love the sub box. The Tang Band 5.25 brings back some memories. Built some small enclosures for my doors of a 90' Jetta back in 2006 or so to run them for some extra kick 

In reply to TheWraith :

Tang-Band is rad. I'm thinking about putting in a second one under the driver seat since all the hard part is done already. Just for a little more.

pardon the dirt. I still haven't bought a new vacuum and none of the car washes here have free options. Anyway, it's there and should be mostly free from kid feet and the vent is pointing forwards so hopefully it doesn't get filled with cheerios and fries. Time will tell. 
 

Still haven't fixed the window. 

Filler update. 
 

This little car is so good. Averaging 32mpg, really enjoying the stereo, and it just begs to be chucked around. Swallows kids, appliances, bicycles, and everything else I've thrown at it. Easily in my top 5 cars I've owned. 
 

I still think 2" drop and white underlighting would be rad. 

Found a solution for the missing lower grill today on Craigslist. 
 

It won't be plumbed, but the kids on the street don't need to know that. The plan is to stuff it in with as many zip ties as I deem necessary, and continue to party. 

A minor confession in the finest GRM tradition: I have always been kind of indifferent toward the xB. But this is kind of making me want an xA.

A minor tangential rant in no particular tradition whatsoever: the mandatory Scion dealer parts training was a genuinely insufferable, lifestyle-y nuisance.

Do carry on.

sorry I missed this before.  Dennis Palatov had a pretty good time beating up on stuff up at Portland International Raceway back in '05 with an XB on TRD springs and 17's?  It'd probably be even better now, with tire advancement.  (I'm a little loose on the details, now 20 years on )

you can read about it here (read from 1 to *, in ascending order... top-to-bottom):
https://dpcars.net/scion/index.htm

Actual race stuff would be a hoot, but probably out of the question for the rest of the life of this car. I AM on 17s, and would love TRD bars and springs, but any go-fast budget for the foreseeable is likely going towards the s10. 
 

I did talk with a couple guys today about the feasibility of a 2ZZGE swap. But it was mostly academic.