Darren Kidd’s Holden HZ
The scene; one day in the middle of summer at an SPL competition. I was bumbling around in the boot of my vehicle. It looked the worse for wear after a last minute rush-install of my gear. With the aid of a few hours sleep the previous night, my system and I were almost ready for a virgin run.
While playing around on an SPL meter with some help from Erkel and Clarkie, I was booming away for a whole 2 seconds before smoking the only fuse I had on me. I decided to go inside and check out if Jackson & Wills sold fuses.
On my way through the show I couldn’t help but notice a wonderfully done Holden HZ. Why was it so wonderful you ask? First, I am a Holden fan. Second, it had a LOT of quality audio gear thrown at it. A beautiful combo if I do say so myself! Surely trying to hunt down a fuse at a competition would be an easy task. Oh no, Murphy’s Law stuck it to me right between the balls.
Talking to the first helpful salesman I could find (I quickly learned his name was Darren), I asked if I could buy any fuses. ‘Yep’ was his short reply. I asked how high they could go… and to my disappointment he informed me that 60 Amp was the largest they had. I handed him the smoke filled vial that was my 60 Amp fuse. After giving him a quick run down of my system he understood. That’s when we got to discussing the system in his car, which sounded quite impressive.
Mid-conversation, Darren said “Actually, its right out side, its that Holden”.
Darren got the Holden in a dire state. It had a hard life as a farmer’s car in original Holden baby blue. You wouldn’t think so to look at it now… Purchasing the HZ was simply a Holden fan’s dream. It’s a V8 of course just as Darren had always wanted.
With a clear idea of what he wanted to do with his new car, Darren decided to have the panel and paint done ASAP, so off it went to Glen Croker from Bridgeman St Panelbeaters. All the time him and his mates where bouncing ideas off each other for an awesome system. After what seemed like forever (nearly 2 years!), Darren was left wondering if the car would ever be back on the road. Throughout this dreary period, the thought of giving up crossed his mind more than once. After the car was back on the road, with the budget slowly starting to shrink, it was time to look at the audio side of this shiny new ride.
Since Darren is a car audio salesman by trade (a very successful one at that!), he decided it was time to ask a few favours of his friends and work-mates. He decided to have a chat with his old boss Russell Crammond (Car Stereo Company, Dunedin). Darren worked at the Car Stereo Company for a few years, so he knew the exceptional quality of Russell’s work. After asking for a favour (read: MANY favours), Russell got to work on the beast. After hunting around for a good deal, Lee James from Monaco came through by helping with the selection of the audio gear.
Darren ended up with mainly Rockford Fosgate equipment, along with a Pioneer DEX-P1 source unit and some Dyn-Audio speakers. The mix of quality in this gear is great, and Darren wouldn’t settle for anything less! After all, it is his baby.
The source unit is a top of the line Pioneer DEX-P1. This is a serious competition level unit and is packed full of features. In fact it’s so packed that it has to exclude an onboard amp, which would normally power speakers (you’ll need external amps with RCA inputs).
The front-stage consists of Dyn-Audio 360 components, and MW160MW’s are employed for rear-fill. Dyn-Audio 360 components consist of: two 8″ woofers, two 3″ midrange woofers and two tweeters. The midranges and tweeters are run off the front channels of a Rockford Fosgate RF600.4 amp. The remaining channels are used to power the rear Dyn-Audio 160MW co-axial speakers. Power for the two 8″ woofers comes from a Rockford Fosgate RF180.2. The woofers are mounted in the front doors to bring the bass up front, and present a 2 Ohm MONO load to the RF180.2.
Three (YES THREE!) 12″ Rockford Fosgate HE2 subwoofers are run off a Rockford Fosgate BD500.1 at an amazing 1.3 Ohm. Amazing, you ask? This load is enough to turn an average amp into a melted pool of alloy. The three woofers are housed in a 3 cubic foot enclosure (sealed). This amazing boot install is a sight to behold!
After letting Russell work his wonderful magic with a fully custom install, Darren was feeling quite satisfied. The photos show only a glimpse of the quality and professionalism that Russell can bring to a car stereo install.
Darren is extremely happy with the end result, and can’t imagine where any improvement can be made. When asked what he thought of the car, all he could say was “Yeah, I love it!”. He’s planning to tidy up the engine bay a wee bit next. Already lined up is another project; Darren is looking at restoring a nice 30’s or a 50’s Chevy in the near future!
Owner Details
Name: Darren Kidd
Age: 28
Car Details
Year: 1980
Model: Holden HZ Premier
Engine: 308 V8
Car Audio
Headunit: Pioneer DEX-P1
Amps: Rockford Fosgate BD500.1, 600.4 & 180.2
Speakers: Dyn-Audio 360 (3-Way Components) & 160MW (3-Way Coaxial)
Capacitor: Lightening Audio 1.5 Farad
Special Thanks
Russell Crammond from The Car Stereo Co Dunedin
Lee James from Monaco Corporation
Glen Croker from Bridgeman St Panelbeaters
