# B_Rich's 2010 Silverado LTZ Ext Cab - Pioneer, Image Dynamics, Alpine, Sundown



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

After 8 years I decided to sell the S10 before she blew up on me, and upgraded to a 2010 Silverado LTZ. I've done everything you could do minus a blow through in the S10, so I'm excited to see what I can do with the Silverado. It does have Bose, but quite honestly, with some patience, things don't sound too bad (especially after I put my 80PRS in).

My plans for the build:

Pioneer DEH-80PRS
Image Dynamics CXS64 V.2
Alpine PDX 4.100
Dynamat Bulk Kit (for doors mainly)
Knukonceptz 1/0ga to 4ga distro block (gives me room to upgrade down the road)
(2) 10" Sundown SD-2's
SubThump downfiring box
1000w small footprint amp (most likely PDX, but maybe Sundown)

The DEH-80PRS and PDX amp I had in the S10, so those are going to be "recycled" into the new build. Everything else will be new, the components are on their way (getting new ones sent to me after I received a mid with hot glue on it....) and the sub stage won't be for another month or so most likely.

The crossovers on the ID components are extremely flexible, so I'll most likely play with those before I decide to go 2-way active, although I'll be wiring things up to go fully active just in case (it's all about experimenting, right?)

I've got a lot of parts showing up throughout the week (wire, fuse holders, distro block, etc) and plan to be a pic whore and document the entire install, as I don't see a whole lot of these NNBS Silverado's documented very well. So I apologize in advance for all the pictures I'll be posting 

Anyway, here is a picture of the truck, and I also got around to installing the headunit today to kick off the build. I used the PAC OS-4 wire harness along with the PAC SWI-RC module to keep the steering wheel controls. The chime is a little different (cheap sounding?) than the factory chime, but I can live with it.

Also, I'm always open to constructive criticism and any suggestions anyone has. This is by far my favorite audio forum and you guys have helped me out tremendously over the years :beerchug:












Trim panel off.











HVAC controls removed.











So. Many. Wires...











And all wrapped up.











Close up.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Excited to finally see parts coming in. 100' of 14ga pure copper speaker wire, 80A ANL fuses and Dynamat bulk kit showed up today. I'll mainly be using the Dynamat on the doors, but might find some other spots for it if I have any left over. Not exactly in the situation to start gutting my interior for an entire install (yet).

Should be piecing out more of the build throughout the week as parts show up.


----------



## BlueAc (May 19, 2007)

Nice looking truck


----------



## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^^. There's one out there with your name on it, just trade in your beater.


----------



## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

Have fun with the door speaker mounting. I've come to hate my chevy since I started upgrading the audio


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

BlueAc said:


> Nice looking truck


Thanks, I appreciate it!




vulgamore89 said:


> Have fun with the door speaker mounting. I've come to hate my chevy since I started upgrading the audio


I ordered replacement brackets so if all goes well my ID components should just line right up with the bracket. It is a plastic bracket, but I'm not in the position to make my own rings right now.


----------



## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

I got those plastic replacements from crutchfield the first time around. They just didn't do it for me. Flimsy and whatnot. On top of that the way GM made the opening and the lip for the opening it's just not very aftermarket friendly. It's possible. Just a pain


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

vulgamore89 said:


> I got those plastic replacements from crutchfield the first time around. They just didn't do it for me. Flimsy and whatnot. On top of that the way GM made the opening and the lip for the opening it's just not very aftermarket friendly. It's possible. Just a pain


I'll be finding out this weekend hopefully, thanks for the heads up.


----------



## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

O and be careful with the bolts that hold the door card to the door. Real easy to cross thread for some reason. 

Did you have to do anything special to fit the 80prs in the dash? My chevy is an 08 so it might be different. I'm thinking of getting the pioneer but I feel like it's going to be pretty tight back there


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Good to know. There is that black plastic panel that is attached to the opening all the way around the back bracket. I had to stuff the OS-4 and steering wheel control module behind that. Also, I used the Scoche mounting bracket, the Metra one kept the headunit too far back into the dash, and was hitting wires so it wouldn't sit flush. Ideally I'd have one without a pocket, and would just sit flush in the middle of the opening. It's a tight fit for sure, and things are going to get interesting when I start to fish 3 pairs of RCA's back there...


----------



## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

B_Rich said:


> Good to know. There is that black plastic panel that is attached to the opening all the way around the back bracket. I had to stuff the OS-4 and steering wheel control module behind that. Also, I used the Scoche mounting bracket, the Metra one kept the headunit too far back into the dash, and was hitting wires so it wouldn't sit flush. Ideally I'd have one without a pocket, and would just sit flush in the middle of the opening. It's a tight fit for sure, and things are going to get interesting when I start to fish 3 pairs of RCA's back there...


Yeah screw that bracket. So unnecessary IMHO. It doesn't really sure a purpose. There's plenty of bracket to hold everything securely without the back section. I stuffed my wheel control adapter and stuff behind that also. And it is super tight back there with RCA's poking out. I thought about trying to find some cables with 90 degree elbows to help out


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

vulgamore89 said:


> Yeah screw that bracket. So unnecessary IMHO. It doesn't really sure a purpose. There's plenty of bracket to hold everything securely without the back section. I stuffed my wheel control adapter and stuff behind that also. And it is super tight back there with RCA's poking out. I thought about trying to find some cables with 90 degree elbows to help out


I know right. I thought about cutting it out, but I wanted to attempt to make things work with it in place. This is such a new vehicle compared to my old '99 S10 where I would have done it in a heartbeat. I don't want to start hacking this one up (or at least avoid it as long as I can...)

90 degree elbows would be nice, I'll have to keep that in mind as I'm routing wires.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Remote wire and some mini ANL fuses came today for the distro block. Not sure it was worth a pic, just some 18ga black wire and fuses  hardly worth an update I'd say.

Although I did win a PDX 1.1000 on ebay last night which shipped out today, so that's news. I wasn't quite ready for my sub stage yet, but I found what I wanted and had to go for it. Funny how that works out...


----------



## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

Lookin' good so far.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Chaos said:


> Lookin' good so far.


Hey thanks.

I got a couple shipments today. The PDX 1.1000 came sooner than expected which is always good to see. It's got a couple more blemishes than I'd like, but it'll do. Also got my all of my Knukonceptz wiring in, complete with fuse holder and distribution block. I just can't get over at how good this wire looks, so you'll have to excuse my pic whoring. I got a pair of factory replacement speaker brackets from Scosche that I'll use. They're plastic, but maybe some dynamat on the edges of them will help keep them as solid as possible. They seem pretty ok for a drop in replacement, and I didn't want to cut out the factory Bose speaker out of the factory bracket.

I decided that I'm going to run my 1/0ga wire all the way to the back wall of the cab, and then split the wire up there. Maybe make a mounting board for the back wall behind the seats for everything to mount to and make the wiring look all nice and neat. Just getting ideas at this point. All I need for my system to be "complete" is the Sundown SD-2's and Subthump box. I told myself I'd wait a bit before I bought those, but who knows what will happen...

Enough blabbing, here are pics.


----------



## Icefsh (Jan 20, 2013)

Will follow your build! Have a '12 Silverado I am slowly working on. The only thing I Have done is install the head unit. I did cut out some of the back panel to fit the RCA's. Pain to get them up and over the heat ducts and to the back of head unit. With all the wiring including PAC unit, it is very cramped back there. Hope the RCA's stay plugged in until I have time to permanently run them to the back wall.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Icefsh said:


> Will follow your build! Have a '12 Silverado I am slowly working on. The only thing I Have done is install the head unit. I did cut out some of the back panel to fit the RCA's. Pain to get them up and over the heat ducts and to the back of head unit. With all the wiring including PAC unit, it is very cramped back there. Hope the RCA's stay plugged in until I have time to permanently run them to the back wall.


Thanks! It is very cramped back there. I have a feeling I'm gonna end up cutting that plastic bracket out for more room for the RCA's. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


----------



## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

B_Rich said:


> I ordered replacement brackets so if all goes well my ID components should just line right up with the bracket. It is a plastic bracket, but I'm not in the position to make my own rings right now.


DO NOT USE REPLACEMENT BRACKETS. Cut out the stock speaker and mount to the stock speaker baffle. There are zero replacement brackets on the market that will be any better, trust me - I've tried them all. Plus routering out a MDF baffle is also difficult because of the odd shape of the hole and the lack of areas you can shove a screw in successfully. I REPEAT: USE STOCK SPEAKER BAFFLE. You won't need the stock speakers anymore and if you're nervous about it, send them to me and I'll do it. When you sell, just throw in some ****ty speakers.

Just saw the ones you have. Those are the worst. Not strong enough to prevent vibration - you will have zero midbass and your door will probably rattle. I decided to cut the stock speaker out and use the stock baffle with my first set of "just replace them" speakers which were cheap Clarions and the difference between that baffle you have and using the stock baffle was night and day. I had some bass (even without any Stinger Roadkill) and the vibrations were gone. Send those back.


----------



## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

B_Rich said:


> Thanks! It is very cramped back there. I have a feeling I'm gonna end up cutting that plastic bracket out for more room for the RCA's. Oh well, that's the way it goes.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


You don't need to cut anything. I didn't even with a 2-DIN. To make it easy, extend the wires (solder) and place the PAC monstrosity behind the glove box with some industrial velcro. Run the wires clean to behind the head unit, plug it all in. Stinger 4000 RCA's with their small heads will fit back there usually. RCAs with big plugs will be a challenge and you may need to cut if the Pioneer has the RCA ports not on a dongle. I like to avoid cutting the dash internals, personally.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

How is using the stock speaker bracket any different than these aftermarket ones? They look awfully similar. It's not like there's going to be any leaks between the bracket and the door panel or speaker. Worst comes to worst I'll cut the factory Bose speaker out and use it, but I'll have to take a look at it.

They were only $10 so it's not like I'm out much if I don't use them.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Got my power wire ran this afternoon. I had a pretty fun time getting it through the factory grommet on the drivers side. I would've liked to have routed it on the passengers side the whole way back (as that's what side the battery is on), but it was hard to say no to an existing grommet that I could use. I'm still waiting on some gold plated 1/0ga ring terminals, so I don't have the in line fuse installed yet (it's not even connected to the battery) I just wanted to do the hard part today so it's done. Once I get my 1/0ga ring terminals I'll end up throwing some wire loom on the power wire in the engine bay to give it some more protection and make it look almost factory.

Further down into the pictures I also stuck an NFC tag on my center console. All I have to do when I get in the truck is put my phone up to it and scan it and it automatically turns on bluetooth, connects to my headunit and opens Spotify. I never thought I'd actually use NFC in my S4, but after driving around a bit today, I think this will work out well.

And on to the pics.


----------



## audio+civic (Apr 16, 2009)

Love my PDX amps. Some people talk crap about them. I hope you enjoy them.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

audio+civic said:


> Love my PDX amps. Some people talk crap about them. I hope you enjoy them.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


Thanks. My 4.100 has been pretty good to me the past couple of years. I expect nothing less from the 1.1000 I just got.


----------



## naresh (Dec 8, 2013)

I made a rookie mistake. I purchased those same knukoncept ray's. Run my cables under the carpet put everything back, then once I connect everything 2 of the 4 channel rcas were bad. So I had to uninstall which was a pain. Knukoncept was very helpful in getting me another 4 channel rca tho.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

naresh said:


> I made a rookie mistake. I purchased those same knukoncept ray's. Run my cables under the carpet put everything back, then once I connect everything 2 of the 4 channel rcas were bad. So I had to uninstall which was a pain. Knukoncept was very helpful in getting me another 4 channel rca tho.


Hm, maybe I'll test them before I button everything up. Think a continuity test with a DMM would suffice? Just to ensure that the connection is there?


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

I've had some issues with my ID components the past couple of weeks (seller issues) but should have the pair to me this week. This Wisconsin winter seems to just be dragging on and on and I think we're all ready for it to be over 

Just made another purchase towards the build. Ordered 2 of these just now. 8" Alpine Type R's SWR-8D4. I'm currently not in the living situation to be building my own box, so I'm working with Sound Off Audio to try and modify one of their pre-built ported boxes to get the tuning I want for the Type R's. It'll be something like this, except with a tuning frequency of 40hz or so. It really is the best I can do with the limited airspace that I have. It won't dig as deep as my 10" IDMAX did, but I think I'll be happy with it. This image was taken from their website (not my picture).


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

I would edit my title, but it seems as though I can't.... it may or may not be obvious anymore that Sundown will no longer be part of my build, if anyone is pointing that kind of thing out


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

ID components and 8" Type R's came in today. Things have been pretty slow so far with the build, but I've finally got the last pieces (minus the box). I hope to start the install Sunday afternoon when I have time.

I do request the opinion from everyone on the glue around the phase plug on the CXS-64's. I mentioned that I had some problems with a seller on Amazon... I ended up getting 2 separate pairs of CXS-64's that both had damage on the cone from either the phase plug being disconnected during shipment (they twist out) and on another pair I had hot glue around the phase plug.

This pair seems to have the same white glue (almost a residue?) that the other 2 sets of components had, however it's not near as apparent as the others, and the cone is in perfect shape. Given this is the 3rd pair of components that I've had from the same amazon seller, I'm starting to wonder if this glue residue is normal. I'll even see it on Google images as well as Sonic Electronix's product page. It sure as hell sticks out in the middle there are residue. Maybe someone from Image Dynamics on the forum, or someone who has experience here can chime in. I'm very interested to see if this is just how they are, or if I got 3 pairs of woofers that were all bad? I'm going to be running these pairs regardless, I'd just like to know what the deal is here.

I'll probably run the components passive to start, as the crossovers that come with these have a huge amount of adjustment, however I'll be laying out wire to easily go active in the future, so I choose (more like "when" I choose). I also love how they have the same basket shape as an IDMAX, so they're almost like a mini IDMAX. I love it when car audio companies do stuff like this.

And the 8" Type R's are just gorgeous. Alpine really did a phenomenal job making these subs look great, I can't wait to get them installed and see how they compare to my old 10" Type R's.

Ok enough chatter, here are some (lots of) pics.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Been hung up the last couple days with trying to run the massive Knukonceptz RCA's. There is a bracket right behind the headunit that gets in the way of the top 2 RCA's that is impossible to work around. It's a large metal pipe that I assume goes from the left side of the cab to the right for structural support, so I decided not to cut into it 

Went ahead and made my own bracket for the headunit. Went to Lowe's and got a small sheet of 1/8" plexi and busted out the dremel to cut out the shape of the opening. I used Rustoleum Textured Plastic in black (of course) and it looks almost like ABS plastic itself. I have one "blemish" in the upper left hand corner but I'll probably just leave it.

The piece of plexi in there is just press fitted, which pushes down slightly on the headunit itself. This leaves one "issue" and that is that I can't open the faceplace all the way. I honestly can't remember the last time I listened to a CD (been USB and Spotify via bluetooth for a while now) so this isn't a huge issue for me. If I find that I need to change this, then I'll just trim it some more, raise it and glue it in place.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Also, I've decided to take a different route on the sub enclosure, hehe

Pizzazz anyone?


----------



## Icefsh (Jan 20, 2013)

Nice Rich. Can't wait to see what you come up with for sub enclosures! Was thinking of building my own boxes to custom fit under the rear seats but if yours comes out well I might give it a try. Got my dash kit from Crutchfield and the fit was perfect. Except for the 1" x 1 1/2" square I had to cut in the back ABS to fit the top 2 RCAs.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Icefsh said:


> Nice Rich. Can't wait to see what you come up with for sub enclosures! Was thinking of building my own boxes to custom fit under the rear seats but if yours comes out well I might give it a try. Got my dash kit from Crutchfield and the fit was perfect. Except for the 1" x 1 1/2" square I had to cut in the back ABS to fit the top 2 RCAs.


Thanks. Yeah all it needs to do is warm up a bit so I can start making a mold under my rear seats. If it's decent this week I'll start installing the components.

Do you have an LT dash or am LTZ dash? I'm wondering if the LT dashes have a different mounting depth behind them. I think they would.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Got the headunit installed with the new bracket this afternoon.


----------



## Icefsh (Jan 20, 2013)

I have an LT. The head unit I have is a Pioneer avh5500bhs. I do like it. Won't really know the quality until I put in my speakers. subs and amps. Running with the stock non Bose speakers now. Will take a picture this weekend and PM it to you. Don't want to highjack your thread. I have heard that it is hard to run new speaker wire to the doors. I guess you have to drill a hole in the molex or attach to existing wires.Running door speaker wires from amp : Mobile Electronics . Just hope I can drill without destroying anything.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Icefsh said:


> I have an LT. The head unit I have is a Pioneer avh5500bhs. I do like it. Won't really know the quality until I put in my speakers. subs and amps. Running with the stock non Bose speakers now. Will take a picture this weekend and PM it to you. Don't want to highjack your thread. I have heard that it is hard to run new speaker wire to the doors. I guess you have to drill a hole in the molex or attach to existing wires.Running door speaker wires from amp : Mobile Electronics . Just hope I can drill without destroying anything.


Really? I don't intend on using the factory molex plug though, I'll be running my own 14ga wire through the door grommet for the speaker amp.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


----------



## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

i had glue in the same place on my ID comps years ago...it takes away from the pristine appearance of them, but its fine.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

miniSQ said:


> i had glue in the same place on my ID comps years ago...it takes away from the pristine appearance of them, but its fine.


I appreciate you letting me know about the glue. I've been fighting this issue and it kind of bothers me they can't use a clear glue or a black glue coming from such a reputable company. I I'll be running them regardless, thanks for the feedback.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Made some great progress this weekend. Got my mold of the floor made and a good start on the amp rack. Just as a disclaimer, this is the first time I've ever made a mold of a floor with fiberglass. Done 3 sets of kick panels in my S10 but never something this large.

I ended up laying down 2 layers of mat to make the mold and will probably add 2 more layers to that for strength. I still have yet to trim it up and clean off the aluminum foil and tape, but the hard part is done. Here are some pics.



All cleaned up for tape.






























First layer of tape put down.





















Second layer ran the opposite way for a "cross hatch".




















Starting to put aluminum foil down. I used 3M spray adhesive to put the aluminum foil down. Worked very well.




















First layer of glass.




















Second layer of glass.




















Not a drop on the carpet!




















The mold itself. I'm very happy with how it turned out for it being my first ever mold.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

While the fiberglass was curing I decided to start on the amp rack for the back wall. Not sure how fancy I'll get with the wiring, as no one will be seeing this, but who knows. It will be mostly function over form with this part.




















Mocked up on the back wall. I used the 3 bolts that hold these "loops" behind the back seat to make a bracket for the 1/2" MDF. I have no idea why these loops are even here, but it made for a nice mounting point for the amp rack. As far as I can tell they serve no purpose in the interior. Feel free to shed some light on these if you know what they are for.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

What's beautiful about this hobby is that things can change in an instant. One moment you think you know where you're going, and the next, things change and you have a completely different mindset towards the build. Today was one of those days.

I got the tweeters mounted just below the A-pillars in the small door panel piece. This is almost begging for a tweeter to be mounted here. I didn't like the stock location, as it was firing into the windshield, and I didn't want to make pods (yet). A simple hole saw and a snap ring into this small triangle piece and I'm in business. I couldn't use the mounting hardware that came with the components, as it was too big to clear the sheet metal behind the panel. As you can see from the pictures, the tweeter does angle down slightly, but if I don't like the sound then I can always fix that with a tapered PVC sleeve behind the tweeter to angle it up some more.

I also mocked up my rear seat and there was no way the seats were going to fit with the amps up against the back wall. I struggled to get one seat on the posts and ended up putting a good nick in the 1.1000  decided to call it quits and figure something else out.

It occurred to me that I'd be taking the Bose subwoofer out, which left me with ample room under the console for the PDX amps. This is probably the main reason why I love these amps: the small footprint. I didn't know how the console came out, but decided to give it a whirl and after some slight tugging to figure out which of the 47 wires I forgot to unhook, I got it out. Underneath it all I discovered the factory Bose sub, what looks like a 5 1/4" (it'd be a stretch to call it a 6" driver).












It honestly didn't look too bad. I was expecting much worse. For anyone interested, it is in a ported enclosure, however made entirely of plastic. I have a feeling the engineers designed this woofer to fit in this exact enclosure, and then used the resonant frequency of the enclosure to its advantage even further.

Anyway, I wanted to stack the PDX amps, however I wasn't about to spend $40 or whatever it was for the mounting kits that I found online, and then wait a week for it to get here. Instead I went to Menards and bought some aluminum tube, a pipe cutter, threaded rod and some hardware and spent $17 ($16 and some change). I will also arguably have a better mount than the 4 plastic disks that come with the amps when it's all done.

Enough chatter....









































































































































































































Another great thing about having the amps under the console, is that I can easily tune (almost while sitting in my drivers seat) by partially pulling off the side panel to get to the amps.


----------



## Icefsh (Jan 20, 2013)

Looks like you've been busy! Kind of jealous. Don't have the time to work on my truck. I hope the crew cab has more room behind the seats. That was my plan for an amp rack. Even if I have to cut out some insulation on the back wall and deaden it. Like how you used the sail panels for the tweets. Was thinking they would be more on axis there. The stock location does fire across the windshield and don't know how to get a 16 ga. wire to the pillar. Tried fishing a hanger down with no luck. 

Still really interested in how your sub enclosure is going to turn out. Keep up the good work and thanks for all the pictures. Really helps me visualize everything.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Icefsh said:


> Looks like you've been busy! Kind of jealous. Don't have the time to work on my truck. I hope the crew cab has more room behind the seats. That was my plan for an amp rack. Even if I have to cut out some insulation on the back wall and deaden it. Like how you used the sail panels for the tweets. Was thinking they would be more on axis there. The stock location does fire across the windshield and don't know how to get a 16 ga. wire to the pillar. Tried fishing a hanger down with no luck.
> 
> Still really interested in how your sub enclosure is going to turn out. Keep up the good work and thanks for all the pictures. Really helps me visualize everything.


Thanks. Luckily I work early 1st shift so I get most of the evening to work on the truck. I couldn't tell you about the crew cab, but I will say, you'll want to put the factory insulation back in. Normally I don't worry about this kind of thing, but without that insulation in there it's horrendously loud in the cab when driving. The 2 cab vents are in each of the rear corners of the cab (I assume quad cabs are similar) and they let in a lot of noise. I'm debating putting some deadener on there while things are apart, but I want to make sure I have enough to do the doors, too. Decisions...

I should start on the structure of the sub box next week. I'll probably do one more layer of fiberglass and then start building the MDF "frame" around it. I'm very optimistic about the build and feel like making a fiberglass mold was the way to go. I'm not sure how much room I'll have for the port(s) so I might not get the tuning I want, but I'll do what I can with what I got.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Well snow, rain and cold hit the midwest this past weekend and it's been crappy since, so progress is slow. Got some wiring done under the center console today. All that's left for the wiring is to install the ID woofers in the doors and wire them up and I'll be in business.

The wiring could not fit better under the center console. It's almost like it was made to be under there things fit so well. Another great thing is that I can remove my tray in the center console to access the distribution block and crossovers for easy adjustments. I'll most likely tidy up the crossovers so they aren't rattling around in there. The front 2 panels on each side of the console also come off for easy access of settings on the amps themselves. Only thing I can't do easily here is adjust the power, remote and ground wires, but let's hope I never have to fiddle with those  Oh, and this is the only time I regret buying 20' RCA cables  the original plan was to have the amps on the back wall of the truck, but plans change. Oh well.

Anyway, the pics explain themselves pretty much.


----------



## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

Holy long cables batman!! Looks awesome under the console. Seems to be the location du jour for these trucks


Sent from under your mom's bed


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Once you get all of the Bose stuff out from under the console, there's quite a bit of room. Almost enough room for an entirely new sub box.

I know, the RCA's are long, but I spent $50 for both cables and I'm not about to buy 2 more 13' long cables that I will also have to scrunch under the center console for roughly the same price as these 20' long ones.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Finally got the front stage installed. After getting the door panels off, I found a layer of foam from the factory that actually covered up the large hole in the door panel (it "sunk in" the hole about 2 inches or so) so kudos to GM for isolating the rear wave from the front wave right from the factory. I peeled off this foam lining and installed one layer of Dynamat on the inner door skin. I thought about doing the outer door skin as well, but I think lazyness (eagerness?) got the best of me on this one. I honestly don't think I'll be out too much by skipping this step. Another thing that I considered was covering up the giant hole in the middle of the door, even though the foam insulation covers this up as well. I decided not to mess with the factory foam, and let that do the job of sealing up that hole. In the end, I didn't even use one sheet of Dynamat per door, so I have a lot left over that I might use later down the road. I'm also going to consider other types of sound deadening for the doors in the future.

I also ended up using the factory Bose mount for my ID components. The Scosche brackets that I bought were so flimsy and cheap compared to the factory mount, so I had to do some surgery on the Bose midbass and "extract" the woofer from the mount. It felt so wrong destroying a perfectly good speaker, even if it was Bose, but someone had to volunteer as tribute for a better cause.

I got all of the wiring ran to the center console and everything hooked up. After testing out the left side only, and hearing mostly tweeter, I decided right then and there that I was going to ditch the passive crossovers and go active. I thought I'd give the passives a chance, but I like having my control over everything. On that note, once everything was installed, I tried the Auto EQ feature on my DEH-80PRS and while things sounded better than I expected, I didn't like how things sounded. It cut my midbass by 13db on the crossover and had a couple other settings out of whack that, while sounded ok, I didn't necessarily agree with. This may be a placebo thing or what not, but I decided to turn Auto EQ off.

On to the components themselves. I've only got an hour or so of tuning in, and I'm starting to see that these will be very easy to dial in for the sound I want. The midbass is far more than I would ever hope for compared to my S10, and I still have more tuning to go. The tweeters are also very mellow and sweet, without being harsh, which is what I want. I can't stand harsh tweeters, they almost always have to be a silk dome for me.

Another thing that I'm a little concerned about is how warm the amps get under the center console. I wanted to have the 1.1000 stacked on TOP of the 4.100 (which is how they are now) because I would think the 1.1000 would get hotter than the 4.100. With an hour or two of tuning, the 4.100 on bottom got pretty warm, and even made the 1.1000 on top warm to the touch, even though it's not powering anything. It'll be even hotter when I get the subs installed. It's something I'll have to keep an eye on.

I've got the 3rd and final layer of fiberglass curing overnight now and will start trimming and fitting the mold tomorrow under the rear seats.

Ok enough blabbering, here are install pics.


Door panel off.











Factory Bose woofer.











There is about 5" total of mounting depth from the inner door skin to the outer door skin. The window doesn't get in the way, depending on the magnet diameter of the woofer. This really makes me want to try some monster midbass down the road (Exodus Anarachy anyone?)











Going under the knife.











Outer lip trimmed down.











Test fit with foam gasket.











Dynamat and midbass installed.











Close up.











Everything back together. Not pictured is the factory foam insulation going back on.











Passenger side Dynamat.











Factory foam insulation going back on.











All back together.


----------



## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Wow that foam insulation is pretty sweet. Great install on the mids there. Cut a little metal and you can get 8s in there. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

teldzc1 said:


> Wow that foam insulation is pretty sweet. Great install on the mids there. Cut a little metal and you can get 8s in there.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk


Hey thanks. Yeah I've seen a guy do 8's before, but I think I'm gonna rock these ID's for a while. Well, we all know how that goes, right? :laugh:


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Made some more progress on the sub box. Got the MDF part all made and have the speaker holes cut out (no pics of the speaker holes... use your imagination  ). I'm probably going to end up going sealed with the Type R's and if I'm not happy with them, then I'll figure a port out. I'm moving in 2 weeks so I need the truck driveable and I think I'll be happy with the sealed box. I hope to bond the fiberglass mold and MDF tomorrow, weather permitting.

Another thing I did was I sealed the door panels up and got rid of that factory foam. I put a layer of Dynamat on the outer door skin, and I sealed up the large hole in the middle of the door with 1/8" plexi, and Dynamatted over it. The door has a very nice "thud" to it when you knock on it. This made a big difference in the midbass, however it still wasn't where it needed to be. I then added the (pretty  ) foam rings around the midbass to line the sound up so it comes right out of the door panel and wow did that work out well. The sound seems to get lost in these huge doors, and even behind the door panel, so directing it straight out of the door panel speaker grill really made a huge difference. I'm happy (for now) to say the least.

On to pictures.

Used some 1/8" wire to get a decent contour of the transmission hump.











Cardboard cut out.











Good fit so far.











Not perfect, but it'll work.











Didn't snap too many other pics, as I was busy building the damn thing.











The box will sit flush with the seat (instead of sticking out 3/4" like it does now) when it's all said and done.











Dynamatted doors with the hole plugged up.




















Added foam rings around midbass.


----------



## mSaLL150 (Aug 14, 2008)

Looking good! Where did you get the foam around the mids like that and what kind?


----------



## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

So far so good super clean work

I've been all over this build since we're on the same track. I think you just sold me the id components. I just need to get out and work on my own truck. 


Sent from under your mom's bed


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

mSaLL150 said:


> Looking good! Where did you get the foam around the mids like that and what kind?


Thanks! It's just 2" x 2" foam that you use to seal your air conditioner door :laugh: I got it at Menards. I cut it in half to make roughly a 1" x 2" piece of foam, but I couldn't find 1" x 2" locally so I just went with this. I know it's not pretty, but it gets the job done.



mrmill said:


> So far so good super clean work
> 
> I've been all over this build since we're on the same track. I think you just sold me the id components. I just need to get out and work on my own truck.
> 
> ...


Hmm, I don't remember selling any components


----------



## Icefsh (Jan 20, 2013)

Nice work. Was wondering how you were going to close up that giant hole in the doors. Might be using some of your ideas myself. Again, thanks for all the pictures


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Icefsh said:


> Nice work. Was wondering how you were going to close up that giant hole in the doors. Might be using some of your ideas myself. Again, thanks for all the pictures


Thanks. No problem at all, glad someone out there is listening :laugh:

To give a short update, I got the subs in and they sound pretty good. I was getting some nasty resonances from the fiberglass, so I used my remaining Dynamat on the fiberglass portion of the box to deaden it some more, hope it helps. I've also got the box out of the truck now and I've got it half wrapped in vinyl. I'm hoping it matches the factory leather as best as it can. This is my first time using vinyl to wrap something, so it's been a learning process. So far so good though, I should have pics up tomorrow.


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

I see you lurkin, sirb00m.... see how I took your advice on deadening the **** out of the door panel, sealing up that big hole, and using the foam around the midbass? All of these things are necessary when using your own aftermarket components in these trucks, no doubt.


----------



## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

...and using the stock speaker baffle. My little padewan... so cute.

Now finish this build so I don't keep wishing for my truck back!!!!


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

sirbOOm said:


> ...and using the stock speaker baffle. My little padewan... so cute.
> 
> Now finish this build so I don't keep wishing for my truck back!!!!


Hope to have the box wrapped in vinyl tonight and then I'll call 'er done.... for now. It's never actually done, is it?


----------



## B_Rich (Mar 29, 2009)

Finally got the box finished tonight. Again, this is my first time using vinyl to wrap anything, so it was definitely a learning experience. And for that reason, none of you will be seeing my seams on the top of the box :laugh: the drivers side one is ok, but the passengers side one isn't so great. Other than that I'm very happy with how it came out. Didn't take many pics along the way as I just wanted it done. Anyway, I'll let the pics speak for themselves.


----------



## Wavelength (Apr 9, 2014)

Nice clean build. I recently got going on my own Silverado. Isn't the lack of depth behind the rear seats disappointing?

Thought I would note--in case it's been nagging at you for the last two months--that the loops you removed from behind the seats are for car-seat securing.


----------

