# 2016 Ram Laramie Crew Cab install



## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

I'm most of the way finished with this simple build of my Ram, but want to share some of the things I have done to help out the next guy on the hunt for what to do to their truck. I couldn't have figured this out without the help of the guys on this forum and their contributions. I'm primarily a home audio guy, I'm a DIYer, and love building speakers and even more, horn subs. I wanted to do most of the "building" of my install, but have my local audio shop integrate my amps to the oem head unit and high level outputs. I'm happy to pay to have this part done for me.

The goal of the project is to have excellent sound quality while still using the OEM Alpine 8" screen and uConnect system, while adding a 3-way set to the front. I also need dual 12" subs below rear seats while being able to use the fold-out shelf for my two German Shepherds to sit on. 

Gear!
- Audison ap 8.9 bit - to connect with the high level outputs from the Alpine HU. The 8.9 has a nice little easy to use dsp for 9 channels and 8 channels of power. 

- JL Audio 500/1 v1 - one for each sub. Way more power than I need, but I like headroom and cool amps.

- Stereo Integrity BM mkiv - one for each amp at 2r load. 

- Hybrid Audio Technologies Legatia L1 Pro Anniversary edition tweeters

- HAT Legatia L3 Pro done mids

- HAT Legatia L6 mid bass










I also put a 3" lift on the front and back, matched window tint to the fronts, and had a buddy switch out the muffler with a Magna Flow - sounds reeeeel nice, Clark


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Looking forward to seeing the audio photos of this build.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

Unhooked the center channel since the L6 in the doors will be bridged:



















I wanted the L3 mids to fit in the factory location hidden below the grill. Even after digging out as much plastic as I could, the dome is just too tall.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

I decided to mount the L3 to the grill until I can think of something different or better. The problem is that it stuck out like a sore thumb because of the copper discoloration from the sun changing the color of the anodized black.










I sprayed the trim ring with Rustoleum truck bed liner which matches the interior color fairly well.










I cut a hole in the grill with a jig saw, covered the back with Damplifier Pro, stuffed the space under with polyfill. It'll work for now.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

Sails


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

So I'm having a problem getting the vinyl to stick to the sails. It comes loose in the concave areas. At first I thought it was the Dap contact cement I was using, so I ripped it all off, removed the adhesive from the sails, and tried again with new vinyl using Dap HHR. It stuck well for about a week until a hot day, now the same thing. I used 3 coats with a brush on the super stretch vinyl and attached in about 15 minutes. Any ideas of what I'm doing wrong here?


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## What? (Jun 5, 2008)

Are you using the Landau Top cement?


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

What? said:


> Are you using the Landau Top cement?




Yes, but applied with a brush and pressure with a roller. I used a heat gun to help soften the material while using pressure to bond the materials.


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## metanium (Feb 2, 2007)

First, I love how the sail panels came out, great work. Second on the vinyl peeling, I've had success using some of the newer aerosol adhesives. The key for me has been spraying both surfaces, and allowing them to dry before pressing them together. I also apply some heat from a heat gun to the vinyl to soften and stretch is a little.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

metanium said:


> First, I love how the sail panels came out, great work. Second on the vinyl peeling, I've had success using some of the newer aerosol adhesives. The key for me has been spraying both surfaces, and allowing them to dry before pressing them together. I also apply some heat from a heat gun to the vinyl to soften and stretch is a little.




Thanks! I was just researching and found that I could heat the glue on both surfaces before contact, and that I probably let them dry too long. I wonder if there is too much stretch going over the concave areas. It still looks great, but the detail is lost in the area that is coming loose and the fact that it's not perfect bugs the hell out of me.


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

When it sticks it looks fantastic!!!


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## Onyx1136 (Mar 15, 2009)

Let the glue sit long enough that it's not tacky to the skin. It's solvent based adhesive, so it has to off-gas before it will adhere properly. Then hit it with heat from the heat gun, both on the vinyl and on the sail panel. 

If it's been pulling up in a particular spot, try wrapping that part of the piece first. Typically the concave parts are the ones that pull because the stretching of the vinyl is causing them to pull against the glue. If you start wrapping at that spot you can actually push the vinyl down into the concave shape before you pull it over the top. This causes less stretch in the vinyl and it no longer pulls against the glue. Sometimes covering the rest of the piece in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to keep the vinyl from accidentally contacting it and sticking helps. And finally, keep the vinyl warm with the heat gun as you wrap the piece.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

Great advice - thank you


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

Adding a sub in the newer Ram Crew Cab is a challenge because of the weird bowl thing under the rear seat they have incorporated to hold junk. I have seen where a guy cut them out, which is awesome, but I'm not doing all that. I have ordered plenty of resin and mat to build a low profile fiberglass box over the winter, but I ordered a cheap-o box online to get sound going now and also so I don't rush on the final box.










It's really not bad for $93 shipped. .6 cubes per sub.


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

Just a thought since you seem to be good with fabrication: 

Why not re-finish the cover for the factory tweeters? Do it in a smooth finish (getting rid of the vertical lines) it would make the L3 look much more factory IMO.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

the727kid said:


> Just a thought since you seem to be good with fabrication:
> 
> Why not re-finish the cover for the factory tweeters? Do it in a smooth finish (getting rid of the vertical lines) it would make the L3 look much more factory IMO.




That's a good idea. I thought about wrapping those in vinyl too, but I think that filling them in and painting would be easier and look better


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

I lifted the rear seat 3" using iron pipe I had cut down at Lowes. $.25 per cut - totally worth it. I cleaned the coating from the pipe using parts cleaner, then spayed them with truck bed liner. I used these as spacers with washers at each end, and 5" bolts. The seatbets are still bolted at floor level, the fold down cargo shelf is still functional, and the seat backs can fold down. I don't like using mdf anywhere in a vehicle, especially under the rear seat, so these make me happy and look nice. 



















The left side is stock height before my spacer.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

The Stereo Integrity Bm mkiv. I added some rubber bumpers to keep the subs from hitting the shelf. They don't touch when pushed to xmech 




















Fold down shelf still functional on both sides. You can see the pair of 500/1 amps for the subs peeking out there.


















The back seat now folds down which I couldn't do before lifting the seats. I'm going to build a little shelf over the amps for my breaker bar and bottle jack.


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## carlr (Feb 27, 2011)

I really like the idea of the cut pipes to raise the seats! I didn't have to raise the seats more than maybe .5 inches in the bimmer, so only used square washers for that. Looks great.


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

Love it!

How does the floor fold at the front end? I would imagine it would slope downward, any pictures?


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

I have a block I put under it now if I need it. I don't keep it in the truck though. If I need to put anything on it now other than the dogs, I just flip the seat up and use half the shelf. I'm holding off on doing anything nice for that until I get the fiberglass box done.


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

Hmmm..... gives me some thought. I have a 13TW5 I am going to try to build an enclosure for behind the rear seats. I have measured it and it *should* work.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

the727kid said:


> Hmmm..... gives me some thought. I have a 13TW5 I am going to try to build an enclosure for behind the rear seats. I have measured it and it *should* work.




There is a lot of stuff back there though: window motor, vents, wires, ect. Did you pull the back panel off yet?


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

Yeah I have it measured out just need to find the time to build it. It will be a funky box for sure. 


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## draft6969 (Aug 4, 2009)

Great work! you are doing the exact setup im about to change to. I just purchased the 3" dome mid and wanted to put in in the flat area on the door above the grill but that area is a bit to small so in the factory dash area it goes. ill be waiting to here how you like it.


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## ndm (Jul 5, 2007)

dougc said:


> The Stereo Integrity Bm mkiv. I added some rubber bumpers to keep the subs from hitting the shelf. They don't touch when pushed to xmech


I am going to raise my seat in my Company work truck so I can fold down the seat to store tools back there. What size bolts are these that you used?


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

draft6969 said:


> Great work! you are doing the exact setup im about to change to. I just purchased the 3" dome mid and wanted to put in in the flat area on the door above the grill but that area is a bit to small so in the factory dash area it goes. ill be waiting to here how you like it.




I really like it there, but only have the crappy little speaker that was there before to compare it to. The L3 is doing most of the work of the 3-way set, and it's great at it.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

I am REALLY wanting to cross the L6 in the doors at 70hz. I used Damplifier Pro on the door panel, the middle piece in the first photo, and the inside of the door card. First try - major buzzes down by the driver, around the handle and electronics panel, and around the lock pin at the top. Took it apart and added more MLV to these areas and still have buzzing by the driver. Took it apart again and moved the driver over 1/4" - still a slight buzzing during punchy bass at around 70hz. It doesn't happen when I raise the xo to 80. I wonder if the driver is actually hitting the plastic grill? 



















1/2" Baltic birch plate covered in Duratex, 1/2" gasket tape between the plate and door, between plate and driver. It's ugly, but solid. 









Used 12g Romex to pull wire through the molex. This was so much easier than I thought. I was quite intimidated by the thought of doing this. Piece of cake.


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## draft6969 (Aug 4, 2009)

Somethings not right. I didn't use any deadening at all on mine and it's absolutely quiet. I used a 1/4" plexiglass adapter. So maybe that 1/2 thick is too much?
Here's mine

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...ery/248425-2015-ram-1500-ecodiesel-build.html


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

Well, that's some BS! It was a finger-slicing good time getting all of the mlv down inside the door. You missed out. That's great you don't have to deal with it.

Using thinner adapter plate material would be the next thing to try. I have some 1/4" ply that I can use to see if it's a fix. I am concerned with it being too thin to be rigid enough


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## draft6969 (Aug 4, 2009)

It was very rigid with the 1/4" just sucks to have to try to fix rattles after its all buttoned up. Hope the thiner material works for you. I saw a guy on here somewhere that used a cheep plastic cutting board for his adapters. I think that's a great idea. Much easier than using plexiglass. If it makes you feel better, I get to rip mine apart to add the 3" dome in the dash now. Lol


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Nice truck and nice build! I raised my rear seats 1 inch and forward 3 inches with 1 inch square steel tubing.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

So, any updates to how you feel the system is working for you ?


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## MoparMike (Feb 14, 2012)

Nice build so far and I really like the idea of using the pipe for the seat lift. Box looks great and its neat that you were able to retain the folding cargo shelf. Any issues with rattling there?


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

MoparMike said:


> Nice build so far and I really like the idea of using the pipe for the seat lift. Box looks great and its neat that you were able to retain the folding cargo shelf. Any issues with rattling there?



There were some rattles from the button that snaps the cargo shelf down, but removed that and there are no rattles back there. I still have a rattle on the front left door mid that I can get rid of by increasing the xo to 80hz. I would like to get that back down to 70hz in the doors to bring more punch up front since I can localize it from the back over 60-70.



Coppertone said:


> So, any updates to how you feel the system is working for you ?



Other than what I mentioned above, I'm very happy. The sound is very laid back and natural, and never tiring to the ears. I'm kind of a basshead, so sometimes I wish that I had subs with more impact in regard to spl, which could be had for much less than the mkiv. I rarely listen loud enough that it would make sense though. My preference is not a flat response, but a shelf of +10db from 80hz down. The two mkiv do this with about 3x headroom left over for when I want extra punch with some metal or older poorly mastered rock or something that was mixed with zero bass.


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## loner5777j (May 25, 2012)

You raised your back seat 3"? Does it still catch on the seatback hook? In other words, the seat is held to the back wall by 2 hooks on each side. I raised mine also but only 1/2 inch I would like more room but figured the seat would flip down at every stop sign

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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

dougc said:


> I'm kind of a basshead, so sometimes I wish that I had subs with more impact in regard to spl


Don't be scurrd to admit it! We all are or wouldn't be on this site!


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

loner5777j said:


> You raised your back seat 3"? Does it still catch on the seatback hook? In other words, the seat is held to the back wall by 2 hooks on each side. I raised mine also but only 1/2 inch I would like more room but figured the seat would flip down at every stop sign
> 
> Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk




It does not hook on the back, but has never flipped down. The downside is that if you have people sitting in the back seat that are over 5'10" tall, the back of their head touches the angled part of the ceiling above the window. Tall people that have sat in the back haven't mentioned it either out of being polite or that they didn't notice. My daughter loves the height because she can see over the front seats and out of the front window better. Usually I'm just hauling kids around, so it doesn't make a difference.


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## dougc (Oct 24, 2009)

BP1Fanatic said:


> Don't be scurrd to admit it! We all are or wouldn't be on this site!




I ain't askeered! I built a few tapped horns this summer... 










4 go in my dedicated theater along with two nearfield Stereo Integrity hs24. Each of the th has a 21" b&c 21sw152.

My media room has a dual opposed SI hs24 and two th loaded with a 18" TC Sounds Lms Ultra 5400 - the horns are in the attic firing down through the ceiling. It sounds real nice.


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## SHAGGS (Apr 24, 2011)

SWEET JEBUS!


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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

Tru basshead!


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## loner5777j (May 25, 2012)

dougc said:


> It does not hook on the back, but has never flipped down. The downside is that if you have people sitting in the back seat that are over 5'10" tall, the back of their head touches the angled part of the ceiling above the window. Tall people that have sat in the back haven't mentioned it either out of being polite or that they didn't notice. My daughter loves the height because she can see over the front seats and out of the front window better. Usually I'm just hauling kids around, so it doesn't make a difference.


That's awesome. I think I'm going to give it a shot. Only people who ride in the back of my truck are nieces and nephews anyway. They all have no hope for height, none of their parents are over 5'8"

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## BP1Fanatic (Jan 10, 2010)

My wife is 5'5" & I'm 5'9". Our soon to be 23 year old son is 6'3"!


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