# REGULARCAB’s 2004 regular cab Chevy 1500wt



## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Some people have budget builds. I’ve seen a super budget build here and there. My plan was to do a hyper budget build. I wanted to get out of this as cheaply as i could possibly talk myself into. I wanted sound again in my truck, but i wasn't going to Walmart, and i wanted the ability to upgrade later without much wasted money. I haven’t had a system in my truck for 2 or 3 years no sound nothing. At one point I had a center console amp rack painted body color with plexy custom homemade fiberglass box behind the passenger seat and a set of CDT CL comps running passive. This was all back in 2006. Life got in the way and I tore it all out.

This project will be fairly simple, my main goal was to do it right and see what I could get out of budget gear in a regular cab pickup. Its not a stealth install but I wanted it to look good.

The project had 2 iterations, at first i wanted to run my old CDT comps active(because i lost the crossovers) and add a second amp and subwoofer down the road. I quickly found out that without more processing the CDT comps just weren't going to do it for me. They also lacked midbass and I just plain needed a sub.

I have to say for the money I spent i am currently damn happy with my choices. I dont feel any of the equipment was a waste that i needed to upgrade immediately. First thing will be the Headunit. But it can wait. Here is what I ended up with.

PARTS LIST:

Head Unit: Pioneer DEH-X7500s off Sonic - $99
Amp: PPI BK800.4 off Amazon - $129
Components: JBL P660c off Amazon - $114
Sub: JBL GTO804 off Amazon - $69
Circuit Breaker: Xscorpion CB150A off Sonic - $16
Power Cable: KnuKonceptz Kolossus Flex Kable 4 Gauge OFC off Amazon - $1.55 x20 ft $31
Fuse Holder: KnuKonceptz Bassik 4 Gauge 2 Way Fuse Distribution Block off Amazon - $10
I was lucky enough to have almost all the materials i needed for the install.
That Is $468 I will call it a round $500 not bad if you ask me.

Unfortunately I was under the impression that I had many more pictures than I actually took. Ill have to remember that for next time. 
Just like most of us the first step was power and ground wires. Here is the Knu OFC up against some other 4 gauge that I cant even identify anymore. At first I thought wait did I buy the CCA? But nope I checked.








I terminated the ends with closed end copper lugs using a cut in half bolt and a Bessy clamp. A bench vise would have been easier and I didn’t take pics, cuz im retarded. I decided no soldering was needed, your mileage may vary. I ran the wire through a grommet I already had in the firewall, behind the drivers side kick panel, and down the very handy channel under the sill plates. Here is a pic of the passenger side under the sill plate, complete with all the cigarette butts that have wormed there way under there over the years. Disregard the speaker wire that was from my last install that had an amp rack in the center console. 








After the power wire was ran to the back wall. I located a good ground, shined that beast up to bare metal and attached the lug with a nice big stainless sheet metal screw. If I get the time down the road I would like to run a bolt through the sheet metal and attach another run of 4 gauge from that bolt on the other side directly to the frame. But this seems to work for now. I may consider it if I upgrade to a mono amp and some 2awg. 
Head unit got installed next with the 6 channel rca’s and a remote wire running down the passenger side to stay away from the power wire. No pics of all that stuff, as usual the only time I had was after the girls went to bed at 9pm in the rain with my truck sticking half out of the garage. I did get a pic of the dash pulled apart. Yup that’s an 8 gauge power wire you see. Ran from and fused at the battery its over kill but I will never have to replace it. I also refused to tap into the trucks wiring harness. The switched ignition lead runs from the head unit to a switch in my dash and back to the eight gauge with the +12 volt lead running straight from the headunit to the same power wire. There is a second switch right next to the other for a parking break bypass incase I ever get a double din dvd unit again. Not likely that I will need it in a REGULARCAB!








I started off with a simple HDPE rings to mount my old CDT mids, figured no one will see them ill just cut em with a jigsaw and call it good.








Well after the deciding that the CDT's werent going to work out. I also took a look at my door card and figured that grill, and the space between the speaker and said grill just didnt float my boat.








I decided to cut the molded in speaker grill out of the door card and make some decent baffles that stick out that hole. I of course forgot to take a picture of the finished rings or the cutout on the door card. It was pretty nice to work with the plastic door card. The outer edge of the grill rolled in nicely and my jigsaw followed the edge without much effort. Here is an in progress shot of the speaker rings. 3 rings of half inch ply coated per side with a ton of enamel paint then wrapped in PE cabinet carpet. Its amazing what you can do with a homemade jig and a Bosch palm router. I have a larger router but no plunge router… yet.








Next up was the amp rack. I wish I had covered it initially with the same black PE cabinet carpet. That however is going to have to wait. In hind sight I should have just cut it square and I should have ran it all the way across the back wall and attached the sub box to that or just built it as one piece. Live and learn.








Everything will be able to be run up the back to hide wires.








Securing the amplifier, crossovers and fused distro block.
















Working on the cover for the amp rack. I wanted the amplifier and the crossovers visible. I had the peg board on hand I figured it would be easy to carpet and I was correct. Just some 3/4x1.5 inch strips of plywood ripped tacked and glued together with corner blocks made the frame. A little measuring tinkering and measuring again and I got the cutouts perfect for the peg board face. 








I have to say I fricken love the PE cabinet carpet for its ease of use. It glues well with 3M super 77 spray glue and will stretch to fit anything. I have used it before. It wears fairly well but being a smoker you will quickly learn how much of your ashes don’t make it out the window and it can be a bear to vacume clean. I used it none the less and am pretty happy with it. Here she is with the carpet glued stretched and tacked down with a simple Bosch manual stapler. I had assumed that the original piece being covered in the light gray carpet would be hidden when in the truck. Well not completely. That will have to change.








While I had all my tools out and my spray glue was still shook up I figured I would cover the back of the trim piece that goes across the back wall of my truck with some of the same carpet. I had a really annoying rattle that I couldn’t get rid of. The carpet solved that nicely. Here it is before the carpet with the old raammat job I did about 8 years ago.








For giggles here is a pic behind the drivers side kick panel. That is thick peal and stick foam from parts express. You can also see pieces of it on my door panel above. It did a good job but it absorbs water like a sponge and the stuff in my door smelled really bad. I did this eight years ago and I pulled it all out with this current build. Buyer beware. The foam on the kick was dry however.








That’s all I have for tonight. I will post some of the final install pics once I take a few, especially my midbass baffles, talk about my sub enclosure, and my impressions of the system as a whole. I am still playing with tweeter locations. I will leave with one final pic of myself and my wonderful wife, who was kind enough to give me a few hours here and there while she watched our 3 month old daughter to work on something that she thought was completely silly and unneeded but knew it made me happy.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

You sir have the makings of a wonderful system. It was very kind of your wife to do what she could to help make this build possible. Just make sure that when it's done, you in turn do something wonderful for her.


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## nc0110 (Dec 23, 2011)

That amp rack is beautiful. I have the same truck and always wondered how to do an amp rack correctly. Makes me want to redo mine lol


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Thanks guys. I'm still tinkering with tweeter placement. Some kind of pod may be in my future. I did luck out in one respect, the image isn't pulled down by the midbass. 

Enjoying my music again!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Got another 45 minute session with my tweeters. I really just need to break down and get the iasca cd. Having no real reference, I sold my monitors to my brother, its hard to tell what is supposed to be where. I get decent cues but I just can't tell sometimes. It may be time for a decent test cd and some simple pods to get these things more on axis. Or maybe not simple. I've been driving my truck for 2 weeks with half a dash. Whats another month and a gallon of resin....

No more pics atm. It was raining.


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## pjc (May 3, 2009)

Love simple builds. And good wife. I also have a 3 month old so I know those few hours can be hard to come by.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright a small update with some really crappy pics.

Here is the passenger side midbass installed in the door. Now you can see what I was trying to describe. I simply cut the grill out and placed my carpet covered baffles in the hole. I’m really happy with the fitment. I have never been a huge fan of aftermarket grills that come with speakers but I will say the JBL grills are kinda neat looking and I needed something to finish it off. It also helped that the grills were the exact diameter of my baffles once carpeted. Happy surprises are a good thing. 










Ignore the dust on the door. I’m waiting to clean it all up.










Next up is the sub box. Just a simple rectangular box. I had a hard time picturing what it would look like in the truck. At some point I think I am going to build a box that follows the contours of the floor maybe throw in an angle or two. But I will say I think .35 cubic feet is perfect for the JBL GTO804. Ignore the uncarpeted end of the amp rack. The black cover hides that nicely and fits right up against the sub box. The best part is my passenger seat goas all the way back.










I am still waiting to give my impressions of everything until I get my tweeters handled. I fear that without t/a and the ability to attenuate just the drivers side tweeter I may be a little SOL. Imaging is suffering atm but I love the sound of these comps and subwoofer. There is much more life in this setup than I had with my CDT’s.


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

Suuuper clean build! Can you describ how you used the clamp and bolt to secure the lugs? I'm guessing the flat (cut) side of the bolt goes up toward the top clamp and the rounded part goes on the connector, right? That's pretty genius, and seems like a much better method than my current one, which is beating the living **** out of the connector with a hammer and various other objects, lol.


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## dareo (Dec 17, 2010)

Great job on the amp rack! JBL is the king of modest priced sound imo.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

SPLEclipse said:


> Suuuper clean build! Can you describ how you used the clamp and bolt to secure the lugs? I'm guessing the flat (cut) side of the bolt goes up toward the top clamp and the rounded part goes on the connector, right? That's pretty genius, and seems like a much better method than my current one, which is beating the living **** out of the connector with a hammer and various other objects, lol.


I wanna say it was minbari (dont quote me on that) that described the method in a super old post I looked up. I will try and look for it. It was a huge debate on soldering lugs or not.

The way i did it was rounded side goes to the lug, and just clamp it down. I had the nut on hand so i couldn't tell you what size i used. But the inside diameter of the bolt was probably 2/3 the diameter of the lug. So smaller than the lug. Im not sure if that was the proper way to do it but I would bet I could hang from the connection.

Like i said tho I used a Bessy clamp, a bench vise would be so much easier and give you more leverage. My hands were pretty pissed off after 4 lugs.

EDIT: lolz for a bad description....... The inside threaded part goes toward the lug. I figured thats the shape crimpers are that must be correct.


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## Datsubishi (Jan 9, 2012)

In leu of being able to attenuate strictly the driver side tweeter, just slide the balance a click or two to the right. That's what I do when driving alone. It's not ta, but our ears are more sensitive to amplitude at higher frequencies anyway.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Yeah that is what It has come down to, I just fade right a bit. I think I have made up my mind and am going to try the plumbing end and lamp rod trick and make some little pods, that with the swiveling tweeter mount should give me some good options. I had my cdt tweets on the door. But I never liked it and I'm trying to get my drivers side a little farther away from me. I'm trying to avoid making a permanent decision that I'm going to regret.


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## kkreit01 (Aug 27, 2009)

Very nice job.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

kkreit01 said:


> Very nice job.


Thanks! Its coming along. I may have to break down and actually go to Walmart after i get off work at Midnight tonight. They have lamp rod and plumbing caps. Wanna see what i can make up. I dont have a good picture in my head tho. I need some parts in my hands.

Lowes should be open 24 hours just for me.


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## Datsubishi (Jan 9, 2012)

REGULARCAB said:


> Yeah that is what It has come down to, I just fade right a bit. I think I have made up my mind and am going to try the plumbing end and lamp rod trick and make some little pods, that with the swiveling tweeter mount should give me some good options. I had my cdt tweets on the door. But I never liked it and I'm trying to get my drivers side a little farther away from me. I'm trying to avoid making a permanent decision that I'm going to regret.


What size speakers are you making pods for? You could use something like a street hockey ball or something else round and hollow and end up with spherical pods which are supposed to aid in making a speaker "disappear". It decreases refraction and some early reflections, if I understand correctly.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Datsubishi said:


> What size speakers are you making pods for? You could use something like a street hockey ball or something else round and hollow and end up with spherical pods which are supposed to aid in making a speaker "disappear". It decreases refraction and some early reflections, if I understand correctly.


Just the tweeters. And thats the plan, for now atleast. Ill have to measure when i get home and take a trip out to find something that works for me. Something like a tennis ball just seems too damn big for my tastes, i would want something as small as possible. Ill see what i can find and post up what i can do. I may have a few hours this weekend. We shall see. Thanks for the advise.


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## Datsubishi (Jan 9, 2012)

I found styrofoam spheres at my local dollar store that I cut into with a hole saw that friction fit my tweets great. I am thinking something like the orange hockey ball for my 2" full ranges. Not sure what kind of airspace they need though. Don't want to choke them.


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

The tweets are sealed-back and don't need any airspace per se. As for diffraction control, the larger the radius the better, although that's going to be obnoxious with something like tweeter pods. It'll depend on the polar pattern of the tweeter as well, as most aren't going to have much dispersion beyond 90 degrees at higher frequencies. Also, looking at pictures of the tweet there appears to be a significant lip between the edge of the dome and whatever the mounting surface would be, which will negate any kind of diffraction smoothing you try to do. However....pods should work very well for_ reflection_ control, which could be a huge benefit.

Thanks for the explanation of your crimping method! I'll have to give that a shot next time.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

SPLEclipse said:


> The tweets are sealed-back and don't need any airspace per se. As for diffraction control, the larger the radius the better, although that's going to be obnoxious with something like tweeter pods. It'll depend on the polar pattern of the tweeter as well, as most aren't going to have much dispersion beyond 90 degrees at higher frequencies. Also, looking at pictures of the tweet there appears to be a significant lip between the edge of the dome and whatever the mounting surface would be, which will negate any kind of diffraction smoothing you try to do. However....pods should work very well for_ reflection_ control, which could be a huge benefit.
> 
> Thanks for the explanation of your crimping method! I'll have to give that a shot next time.


No problem, just another bit of advice I got from you guys at DIYMA 

My main goal is to simply get the tweeters more on axis/avoid windshield reflections without having to glass my pillars, just not something i have time for atm, and i would like to stay away from adding yet another finish to my truck. I already have the grey and black plastic and now the black carpet. I would like to replace the vinyl floor with black carpet since im no longer working as a carpenter. I had thought the same thing about the lip, i see no real reason to get too caught up trying to make a big pod. I just need to get away from reflections from the windshield, they are eating my sound stage and making me want a ton of attenuation on both sides that should not be needed.

I did find out i may need to get a little bigger battery, or figure out something along those lines. I only have a 15 minute drive to work. Plus i listen to my truck on short smoke breaks. I almost left myself stuck at work last night with a dead battery. I get 12.5 sitting there when shes charged, but im not driving it enough to charge it.

Im thinking a little bigger battery and a trickle charger at night would fix that issue. Anyone have opinions on a good CHEAP deep cycle battery? Side posts would be nice but i can figure something out if i need.


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## Datsubishi (Jan 9, 2012)

I put my tweets in styro balls because they don't need any airspace being sealed back. Worked very well in testing. A 1.5" ball will control diffraction down to 3khz with only a .75" ball needed to control diffraction at 6khz so size is not really an issue until you're moving into the lower frequencies. A 4" sphere would be needed only if you were running down towards 1000hz. 
I was thinking a hockey ball may be too little airspace to house my open back, full range 2" speaker. Haven't really done the math yet.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Little update sort of.

I was absolutely blown away at the JBL GTO804 today. I have it running bridged off the BK800.4 that states a max of 400watts in a .35 cubic foot box. Funny i was playing some Macklemore, not my favorite but this little beast goes low and clean! Far more than i expected from an 8 inch and i cant seem to piss it off.... yet. Just what i was looking for.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

And datsubishi thanks for the info. I think i can pull off a 1.5" ball. Haven't had much time to do anything but hopefully this weekend. We will see.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright, after tons of playing around and even some time with some towels here is what i came up with. Im happy enough with it. I just didnt want to mess with pods yet. I figure if i want more it will have to be in the next build. Which hopefully will be a different truck, my wife almost has me talked into a crew cab ram.... almost, having to deal with car seats is killing me atm in a regular cab pickup with a manual transmission.










I will admit the tweeters are still a little bright on some recordings. But it was nothing that I couldn't eq out. I am still amazed and somewhat confused about the the fact that I still havent found a song where i can pinpoint my mids. The stage doesnt get pulled down. The stage is high and deep, I could handle a little more width but for stock hardware I cant complain. With zero processing and just a fade to the right things can get a little scrunched on the left side. But that is not something that I am too worried about at this point. I know where improvements can be made but its not in the cards atm.

I am more than happy with the midbass performance of the P660c's. Im sure a lot has to do with the baffles and my doors being way overdeadened, and the speaker being forward of the door card. For my ears they also have just enough bass performance that if I had to run subless I wouldn't complain. At 100hz highpass I can listen at levels louder than comfortable before my amp or HU clip and before the midbass' show any signs of over excursion. Playing both music and sweeps the midbass and sub blend very nicely crossed at 100hz. I would also say that one does not overpower the other. Just what i was looking for. I thought i would love the screw on speaker wire connector, and i do, but i cant help thinking that there is a connection in my door that i can't seal up with heatshrink.

Running the JBL GTO804 for my sub seems to be a good fit overall. I was able to get it in a .35 cubic foot box and would do it again in a heartbeat. With a 4.25 inch mounting depth I am still able to get the seat all the way back. I think i said it before but this little guy plays low and clean. I cant seem to piss it off and there doesnt seem to be any large peaks. The only critique I would give it is there are a few songs where i wish there was a little more output. Mostly rap and hip hop. You can certainly hear and feel every note that is played and it does so cleanly, but you arent going to rattle your mirrors. However playing The Wall or Hell Freezes over there is just enough bass to have me wanting to tone it back a bit. And with all songs extended bass notes are clean and smooth and kicks give you a nice tap in the chest. I am sure that if someone was more of a basshead they would be more than happy with two of them in a pickup. For my taste one works out nicely. 

There isn’t much I can say about the PPI BK800.4 other than it seems to fit in with the rest of my equipment. Once again everything gets louder than is comfortable before I can hear any distortion or clipping. I will say that two channels bridged to the JBL GTO804 clips before the sub bottoms out but if I wanted a power house I would have gone with a monoblock and the combination is plenty loud for most music. If I had to nit pick I would like the connection for the power wire to be a bit larger, the knu 4awg OFC barely fit. I would have also liked the power/ground and the rca/crossover sides to be swapped, but that is a complaint specific to my install. It would have been nice to have the crossover and gain setting facing the drivers door without having lights and logos be upside down. Also one time unscrewing the end caps and I was worried I had stripped the screws. Luckily they tightened down fine and came off again. Some people worry about the Philips head power ground and speaker set screws. I have found them rather convenient.

I would say the weakest link for me is the Pioneer DEH-x7500s headunit. But that is one of those things where I knew what I was getting and I didn’t pay any extra for it. I have no complaints about the sound quality or the noise floor. I would say that for anyone running a good DSP this would be a perfectly decent source unit. It does just what I need it to do atm. The face doesn’t seem too cheap as some people have said about pioneer units. I will say that there needs to be a way to dim the lighting on this unit. Its really bright, and all over the net they list 230000 colors or something to that affect. I however cannot get it to match my gauges. Maybe its user error, but a nice RGB function would be nice.

If I had it to do over again I would have jumped on an 80prs from the start but that would have increased my budget a considerable amount. Left right eq would be fantastic and t/a would be nice if i could drop the passives. I had a HU with t/a when i had my cdt's running passive, the only thing i could do was destroy the soundstage.

Well there it is. My purely subjective review of my little budget system. For the money spent I am very happy with what I ended up with. With that said I am nowhere close to a point of diminishing returns. In my opinion if I had spent twice as much I very likely could have ended up with a system that I enjoyed much more. As it sits I would say I did a damn good job of building a system that does nothing poorly but also does nothing exceptionally well. For 500 dollars I have no complaints, I find myself looking for new music just to hear how it sounds and I look forward to getting into my truck again every day.

Im out, gotta go listen to some tunes


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

LOL nice pic, i gotta fix that trim panel and take a swiffer to my truck now that everything is installed.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

DEH-80prs incoming.... dont tell my wife. Tho I dont think she will complain with the wedding ring upgrade that is also incoming for christmas 

At least this way i will have a $100 HU to sell my truck with if that ever happens.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I have been playing around so much with the amp and crossovers i have yet to actually install the amp cover. I found a nice bolt that I think held the jack is in the way. Once I get a few hours and install my 80prs i will hack that bolt and post a few pics of the amp rack actually in the truck.

I really wanted to keep this truck to a budget but a nice cheap mono sub amp to go with the new HU sounds like a really good plan and would let me run active. Damn this hobby....

I could even just drop the passives and cut the hole in my amp rack for the new amp.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Got my dash "deadening" done. Meh, first did it thought it didn't help one bit. Drove it the next day thought wow that helped, drove it again nah there's no difference. My auditory memory must suck. I have no real conclusion unfortunately.

I did get my 80prs in the truck tonight. Just got back from a tuning session. Holy t/a and eq! Loving it so far. Making me think I really don't need any more equipment... We will see what I think once the excitement wears off.

Pics tomorrow.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Yup its layed out on my bed because after this pic i made love to it..









I will say, im the type of person that can get used to just about any user interface out there. The way they have the controls set up in some of the menus is really counter intuitive. But it sounds fricken amazing!

I could tell a huge difference before any t/a or eq going from the DEH-x7500s to this badboy. Wich was not something i had expected.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright, so merry christmas to me this month. I have a PPI P1000.1 coming to me. Guess i get to redo my amp rack after only a month. Oh well ill get to fix the things I didnt like. 

I am also considering consolidating the layout a bit and making room for a second sub box. And debating making the amp rack and sub boxes one piece. Tho at this point i need to research a way to isolate the boxes from the back wall of the truck. Despite the deadener i have on there it rattles at times.

Also want to order some ensolite or yoga mats to cover the rear pillar trims pieces.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Ordered some db-3 from Home Depot. .75lbs per square foot mlv. 1/3 the cost of most anywhere on the net and free shipping to boot. If i get 1/3 the performance ill be happy. I just have my back wall my b-pillars and a few select places in my dash I want to try out.

Also considering a different sub if im going to be redoing my amp rack and sub box anyway. The gto804 is nice but i know there are better.


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Looks good! Sounds like you will be getting a bigger sub or subs for a sub amp? and maybe so many EQ bands and DTA with the new HU will fix the stage or tweeter brightness. It is very hard to find a neutral setting cause not all recordings sound great.

I also got confused about power wire that looked silver and did not have the copper color also. It is copper nickel plated to keep it from getting corroded and changing color, just like a lot of speaker wire. :rockon:


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Oh yeah I knew about the wire being tinned. I was just confused as to why it was so large compared to the other. I do like the knukonceptz wire. I had to order another run of 4ga for my new amp, just going to make 2 runs, 2awg or larger won't fit under the door sills. I ordered royal exceline (spelling?) from cable yard. It was about the best price I could find. I'll post my impressions. I doubt it will be as flexible as the knu wire but I found flexibility wasn't really needed in my application.

I got my new mono amp from nismos14. Great seller btw. I have come to the conclusion that I like my bass more than I should really admit so I modeled it out and an id12 would do nicely behind the seat with the same clearence as my current box.

I also found some yoga mats at WalMart. They look like they will be perfect for ccf but the mlv I ordered is caught in "adverse weather conditions" with an unknown arrival date. Oh well it will give me time to plan out my box and amp rack.

I am also hoping that this next run through I will get 2 days in a row to work on it. Or at least a weekend where I dont need my truck. I want to pull the seats and all the panels and really.make sure I have mlv where I need it. Also want to order up a few more sheets of cld for the back wall. My truck is already pretty quiet, I imagine after all this it will be like a tomb.

Once I get all that in I can really get down and dirty with the tuning. Good things are coming!


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

I'm thinking about getting a bk800.4. Wouldn't happen to have any kind of comparison between that and the P900.4? Does it out out it's rated power you think?


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I have no experience with the 900.4 unfortunately. I will say that the bk powers my ~2ohm comps and the gto804 well enough to run me out of the truck before clipping. I would say the gto804 is the week link, I would gladly put its rated 400watts to a bigger sub if I didn't need the channels for active.

As far as if it does rated, I've never seen a bench test for it. In comparison to what I know about the 900.4, the bk is much larger, its class a/b so its less efficient and we have all heard damn good reviews about the 900.4. If I wasn't trying to be cheap at the time I would have gone for the 900.4 but I am certainly more than happy with the bk and it will be the amp I use until I run out of room for it.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Well this is a strange feeling. I have run into some cash. The last few days I have been contemplating some sweeping changes. Though about some horns, and debated moving to a 3-way and dsp.

Then i got in my truck to drive to work and thought, well damn this sounds pretty good. I would still love to do some pillar work, even if i dont do a three way, but if I am going to glass I would like to do it for some better tweeters. So i ordered some Vifa XT25SC90-04 1" Dual Ring Radiator Tweeter
. I am pretty happy with the JBL midbasses atm.

I am really going back and forth on the sub stage. I like the sound of the GTO804 i just would like a tad more output.

I figure for now I will get my sub amp in and give it all a good tune and move from there.


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

What about adding another GTO804?


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

chithead said:


> What about adding another GTO804?


I thought about it, a lot. But im feeling pretty sour grapes about the fact that I didn't buy a second when they where $43 lol. It is most likely what I am going to do. I like the sound and spending another 80 on a sub i know I like is better than 150 on a 12 that im just not sure about and having another one sitting on my shelf.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

aaaand... the xt25s are on back order. Oh well i already have a mountain of stuff to do i can wait.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright, so this is what I get for being bored at work. Some super dark crappy middle of the evening pics of what I have going on in my brain atm.



















I think the tweeter on the bottom will be a little less obnoxious. In a couple weeks I will be in the market for a dsp. The plan is to run a Vifa xt25 tweeter and a Fountek FR89EX 3" mid. I will keep the JBL midbass' in the door until I tune things out and decide if they are enough for me.

I have another BK800.4 shipped last night from Sonic. I really do love this amp. I needed two extra amp channels if I am going to run a 3-way. I wanted something matching (brand wise) and the asymmetry behind the seats is killing me. I figure i might as well do it right and have 2 big ol sexy class ab amps going across the back wall.

What i need to decide if I want to also install the pioneer gm-d9601 for sub duty. Or run the extra 2 channels Ill have bridged like i am running now. Either way i think I am going to do a console sub. Or something along the lines of UNBROKEN's Ram with a sub in the center... just a little more budget friendly than his 

I need to source some Vinyl.

Big changes are coming!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

6 months old and shes already judging me for having this hobby :laugh:


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

I actually just recently thought about a center console box for my 08 silverado. My idea was to take the console out and remove the top flip up part that has the cup holders. Build the sub box to fit 2 SD-2 8s up or down firing (not sure yet) and then attach the flip up part of the console to the sub box. Making it almost appear stock. Not sure of it'll work or not. Haven't really gotten to tearing apart the console yet. But I think it'd be pretty cool if it would in fact work


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Im not sure about the 08's. Is you console like this










If the that bottom pad comes off like mine, you just undo the four nuts under the console remove the whole thing and undo the cover for the pad and the pad just falls off. It would be pretty simply to just build a box under there. Tho I can tell you if you are down firing (wich i would recommend) there is only space for a single 8 or 10 with the braces under there.

Unfortunately my truck came with this










No good way to cover anything up.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Here is a link to a build that just makes a box the same size as the bottom pad and uses the existing cover.

handcraftedcaraudio.com/2003-chevrolet-silverado

But again that is a 99-06 model.


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

2008 chevy silverado center jump seat

Mines got the jump seat with the 3 cupholder. I could always build the box longer towards the front of the truck to fit 2 8's in it. And like I said not entirely sure I could bolt the top flip up part of the console to the box or not. Just thought it would be a cool idea to keep it relatively stock looking. Plus I don't really want a under the rear seat sub box like most people. This weekend I'm probably going to tear into the console to see what I could possibly do

Edit: it didn't use the google images link for some reason. Anyway if you google 08 jumper seat it's the one with the 3 culholders


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

07-12 Silverado center consoles : Parts/Accessories For Sale or Trade

Here we go. It's the very first console picture in this thread. The bottom cushion is actually real thin because it has a compartment under it


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I would be willing to bet money that the brackets for the flip up top and the bottom section are one peice of metal like mine. The whole thing bolts off. And you are left with a small frame that is bolted through the front seat bolts.

But im sure it will be easy to figure out what you can do once you tear into it.


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

Actually if the bracket is one piece maybe I could take the hole bottom section off and be left with the entire empty frame piece. Which could possibly make it easy to build a box and bolt it to the frame. Although if that's the case I might have to up fire to clear the frame. But it's all guessing until I get it apart and see what I've got to work with. Kinda exciting now haha


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

vulgamore89 said:


> Actually if the bracket is one piece maybe I could take the hole bottom section off and be left with the entire empty frame piece. Which could possibly make it easy to build a box and bolt it to the frame. Although if that's the case I might have to up fire to clear the frame. But it's all guessing until I get it apart and see what I've got to work with. Kinda exciting now haha


Thats what im left with is an empty frame piece. Dont you just want to get a flash light and some sockets and tear that ***** out right now


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

Haha hell yeah. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do for my subs for awhile now. Under the rear seats in the 08 NBS extended cabs suck something awful with all the weird angles and humps back there. Right now I just have a plain rectangle sealed box taking up my rear foot space (not like I ever have passengers) but still it's ugly looking. So hopefully this console thing will work out. Then maybe into bigger and better things


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## The Performer (Aug 12, 2012)

REGULARCAB said:


> Im not sure about the 08's. Is you console like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o469/The_Performer/2012-07-27_19-17-38_702.jpg

May not help, but also may spring inspiration... But here's a box I had to build in a few hours for an 07+ body style. A lot of the metal had to be removed if I'm not mistaken. 

Had a dynaudio 10" in it and sounded awesome in the upfront stage. 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

The Performer said:


> http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o469/The_Performer/2012-07-27_19-17-38_702.jpg
> 
> May not help, but also may spring inspiration... But here's a box I had to build in a few hours for an 07+ body style. A lot of the metal had to be removed if I'm not mistaken.
> 
> ...


That looks good!


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

The Performer said:


> http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o469/The_Performer/2012-07-27_19-17-38_702.jpg
> 
> May not help, but also may spring inspiration... But here's a box I had to build in a few hours for an 07+ body style. A lot of the metal had to be removed if I'm not mistaken.
> 
> ...


That's pretty cool looking. I'd be throwing some sundown SD2 8's in it so I don't need a whole lot of volume so hopefully there won't be a whole lot of metal cutting that'll need to be done


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Had a fairly successful weekend. I gutted my truck. Re ran all the speaker wires and installed some 6ch stinger 4000 rca's. Also ran another 4 gauge power wire in the second trough under the drivers door sill along with a second circuit breaker under the hood. 

I tackled a laundry list of rattles and little annoyances cut some mlv for the b-pillars and back wall and stuffed the b-pillars with insulation in typical "eh what the hell why not" fashion.

So I will be sporting around a truck with one seat no amps and a naked back wall for however long it takes to get free time again


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

Nice, sounds like you got a bit of work ahead of you, what else are you planning on adding? I unfortunately didn't get a chance to do anything with my console, just had way to much other stuff i had to get done this weekend. But, I've got myself a new amp coming so hopefully this weekend ill be running some new power wire and figuring out where to put a distribution block in the truck somewhere. Along with maybe getting to that console haha


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## The Performer (Aug 12, 2012)

What year is your truck? 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I wanted to completely redo the amp rack and move the sub to a console. I've been getting some good ideas in my head for that. I got my second 800.4 in the mail today. Sonic ships fricken fast!!

I have some changes I want to make. 
-speaker wires ran to barrier strips so I don't have to keep re running them with every amp rack.
-a little more bracing/amp rack attachment on the back wall and get my sub the hell away from that flimsy thing
-a second big ol sexy ppi bk800.4 so I can have a symmetrical amp rack so it looks good without being hidden by the jump seat.
-make space for a processer
-run my grounds straight to the frame
-build a-pillars for a mid and tweet.
-build a console

.... There is probably more that I'm trying to block from my mind as to not freak out


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Mine Is an 04


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

Sounds like a whole lot of work that needs to be done in the near future 

I need to make a build log one of these days...maybe when i get completely done....although i have no idea when that will ever be haha I didnt really want to put my amps on the back wall of mine, i wanted them somewhat visible, mainly to be better accessible. my 4 channel jbl MSA1004 is actually on the floor in front of my center console and my sub amp i have coming is going to go on the trans hump under the rear seats


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Oh did I add that I replaced the serpentine belt, clutch master cylinder, air filter, oil filter, oil, bought a new ac cluster cuz my knobs where broken, bought a dash mat didn't get it installed, bought battery tender to install under the hood.... Oh and pressure washed the engine compartment and managed to nit get anything important wet 

When u have 2 days when u don't have to watch your 6 month old u get **** done!!


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## BlkRamRt (Nov 27, 2013)

i want to see those a pillars get done...lol


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

BlkRamRt said:


> i want to see those a pillars get done...lol


Pillars are first on my list. I want to keep myself without amps so I'm forced to get it done. But as the life of a father goes my first chance to do anything for more than 20 minutes at a time will be two weekends from now. I have a lot of sucking up to do to have my wife let me do this again.


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## BlkRamRt (Nov 27, 2013)

i now it sucks not being able to work on the rig but family comes first. good luck on the build. i know i am going to keep a look out on this one.


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## The Performer (Aug 12, 2012)

Keep your eyes peeled, I'm about to rebuild my 03's pillars for the 4th time. Unfortunately with this vehicle there isn't a lot of real estate up there so you've gotta be creative. 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

The Performer said:


> Keep your eyes peeled, I'm about to rebuild my 03's pillars for the 4th time. Unfortunately with this vehicle there isn't a lot of real estate up there so you've gotta be creative.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


I will. I see with these trucks pillars being so far inboard its either going to look obnoxious or be really off axis. I'll keep my eyes on ya.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

God willing, and by god I mean my wife, I will either start on the new amp rack or the pillars tomorrow night sometime. I picked up a fairly inexpensive plunge router that I cant wait to bust out!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

REGULARCAB said:


> God willing, and by god I mean my wife, I will either start on the new amp rack or the pillars tomorrow night sometime. I picked up a fairly inexpensive plunge router that I cant wait to bust out!


God was not willing :laugh: I want to wait on the mids and tweets to come in to start the pillars. I do have this weekend free, tho i fear that i traded whatever chance I had to get laid for the free time :blush:

I have a crap ton of gear coming, should be a good chance for a nice group shot.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Grrrrr parts express cancelled my order of the rs75's. I'll take that as a sign and go with a slightly larger mid.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

This is always a good sight. Nice clean sheet of mdf to work with.










So after much ass kissing, baby bottle cleaning, foot rubbing and clothes shopping I was able to get Sunday all to myself to work on the truck.

Oh how I wish my amp rack could have been this simple. I seriously debated going the easy route, it would have been workable but I would be left without a space for a processor. Here is what I COULD have done.










Here is what I ended up with, room for all three amps, a relay, a fan, barrier strips and fuse blocks. Oh and a processor of some sort...next month? I left channels under the braces so I could route wiring and such. There is a smoothed hole in the center bottom for speaker wire and a smoothed hole on the drivers side for my power wire.


































I always found that larger fans moving at lower speeds are quieter. I had this 120mm antec laying around with the speed switch. I will hook it up along with the remotes for the amps to a relay.










I still need to figure out what I am going to do with the face, im debating a frame stretched with some grill cloth, would be easy, allow air movement and probably be a little safer from prying eyes. You can see everything now that I have the center seat out. Though I may also go with something similar to the first rack I made and have the PPI’s showing through.

I made the amp rack square like the first one because it tucked nicely into the interior panels. This one is much deeper and setting it back there it may look a little funny just poking out. But I didn’t have any room for angles, I may have to do some thinking about a few beauty panels. But im at a loss to how I would secure them, press fit is not my cup of tea. I will make a few cardboard mock ups and see what you guys think.

I also got the back wall CCF’ed and MLV’ed. No pics but it was super simple. There is a carpet piece that drapes the back wall and has all the cutouts for the trim panels hardware. I just traced it cut it all and draped it on. OMG what a difference in sound.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Ooooooh epiphany!!! Trim out the bottom and sides so they fit snug with the floor and trim panels then add a little rail so the top is like a storage tray!!! Now im excited, why the F do I have to be at work.

Also getting some ideas for the center console. I want to step up my game a bit.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I should finally have my new 1/0 distrubution blocks and such delivered tomorrow. I will see what I can get done tomorrow night.

Been searching build logs and such looking for a good way to integrate that amp rack into the back wall. I have a few ideas and hopefully will be able to at least play around with some cardboard templates tomorrow.

If it tells you anything I havent even had a chance to install the empy amp rack to see what I would be working with.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Quick opinion on Vinyl colors. Here is my interior (i stole the pics from the net). I plan on completely covering the back wall amp rack and the pillars once they are done. I also plan on using some of the fabric from the center jump seats and stitching vinyl to the sides to cover my console. Do I go charcoal and hope it matches or just play it safe with black?



















The floor in my truck is black rubber btw.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Got some progress done last night after my wife got off work.

This wonderful pile of electrical christmas got delivered yesterday! I finally decided to go to 1/0 and be done with it. There was also my second gto804 in the box  Those firewall grommets are much larger than I pictured. I need to get a step bit.









I got the front baffle cut. I decided to do it like I had the old one, I liked the look. I made a small frame on the inside for it to sit on.









I also got everything in the rack wired up last night but the pic will have to wait, It was midnight and my phone was plugged in next to the crib. I still havent really decided how I want to cover it. Good ol black carpet is easy and I have a ton. But vinyl would be nice. There will be vinyl and a bit of the original fabric from the jump seat on the console, I may carry that idea through to the amp rack. Once I get the amp rack in I will start on the center console. I have an idea I want to draw up for that tonight if its not too busy here.


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## Robdoggz (Sep 16, 2007)

Nice setup I just ordered 2 gto804's for an upcoming install in my 01 regular cab Silverado. I will be following this I'll post pics of mine when done.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Robdoggz said:


> Nice setup I just ordered 2 gto804's for an upcoming install in my 01 regular cab Silverado. I will be following this I'll post pics of mine when done.


Thanks. The ppi bk800.4s dont get much love with all the nice class D amp going around but they are A/B powerhouses, just a little too big for most people. I could have easily gone with some smaller class D amps but I like the look of the surfboards. I'm going to weight this amp rack before installing it, I moved it to do some cleaning and omg, I think I'll have to get some help putting it in my truck.

The gto804's are a nice little sub. I was "happy" with one but... Well 2 of them have to be even better right?

EDIT: and who wouldn't want 9 channels and 2800watts of available power, with 1600watts of that being at 50-60% efficiency. My alternator is going to hate me.


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## bigguy (Apr 13, 2010)

I'm interested in bk800.4 to run my front stage, and a mono or 2ch for a sub.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

bigguy said:


> I'm interested in bk800.4 to run my front stage, and a mono or 2ch for a sub.


They have plenty of power and sound as clean as i could tell with the speakers im running. The only issue is they are big.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright wiring pics as promised. Its hard to get one single shot of this thing with a phone, its just too long. The PPI's will go in once the rack is in the truck, they cover up the bolts. Plus i need to cover this thing with something before I put anything else in.










2 barrier strips, tweet mid and midbass on each, sub on one and remote and 12+ for the relay on the other. You will notice I havent hooked up the relay yet. I really only need it for the fan and im worrying about the fan sharing a ground with the amps, ive had issues in the past.



















Lastly a pic of the grounds. I love this little guy, seems sturdy and a good star ground for any size wire. I will run the 1/0 from here through the floor pan straight to the frame using one of the firewall grommets.


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## bigguy (Apr 13, 2010)

REGULARCAB said:


> They have plenty of power and sound as clean as i could tell with the speakers im running. The only issue is they are big.


Thats good to know, I noticed them while looking at the Phantoms. Im stuck between trying something budget friendly, or going all out and and drooping big bucks on ether Audison or Mosconi.

Im really liking that amp rack, great work. What ground block is that?


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Its a stinger off of sonicelectronics. I liked the fact that it uses lugs, you can pretty much attach anything you want to it.

As far as deciding to go with some PPI's or Mosconi or Audison.... if you have the cash (or the OK from the wife) dont be stingy :laugh:


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## bigguy (Apr 13, 2010)

REGULARCAB said:


> Its a stinger off of sonicelectronics. I liked the fact that it uses lugs, you can pretty much attach anything you want to it.
> 
> As far as deciding to go with some PPI's or Mosconi or Audison.... if you have the cash (or the OK from the wife) dont be stingy :laugh:


Its all OT money, so the Wife has no say. Its just tough getting over being stingy. :laugh:


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I just lied out my ass... its an Xscorpion-GDBRP


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

bigguy said:


> Its all OT money, so the Wife has no say. Its just tough getting over being stingy. :laugh:


Yeah my wife is kinda funny. I can spend 200 dollars ten times, but the second I try to spend over 300 she freaks out.


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## JayinMI (Oct 18, 2008)

bigguy said:


> Its all OT money, *so the Wife has no say*. Its just tough getting over being stingy. :laugh:



I bet she'd disagree. lol

Jay


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

JayinMI said:


> I bet she'd disagree. lol
> 
> Jay


Lord knows mine would.


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## bigguy (Apr 13, 2010)

JayinMI said:


> I bet she'd disagree. lol
> 
> Jay


Im sure she would, if I told her what the plans were for the money. :laugh: SHe gets half the OT money as is, so she can deal with it.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

So i was planning, before I wired up the amp rack and before I saw the following pic, to get really ocd and flip the case lid on the right hand PPI so that I could flip the whole thing and have all the power wires running down the center.

Here are some guts pics of the PPI BK800.4. The smaller blue boards are the power, protect etc indicator lights. 




























I had assumes I would have to extend some wiring for some leds to flip the case lid. Nope, im not moving boards around, It would not be overly difficult but the two boards are different sizes and have different bolt patterns. Its not a huge deal. It all gets covered in the end.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Now that PPI is certainly a little more elegant on the inside than my Pioneer GM-D9601










But here again, it doesnt matter much when its all covered up. Tho those PPI's do look like a good candidate for a clear acrylic top, especially how i have them mounted.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Finally got a chance to stick the amp rack behind the seats last night to measure for my center console and took a crappy night time pic.










Im debating on trimming out the sides to fit against the b pillar trim and removing the trim piece above the rack and blending the whole thing up to the window. It would make for a ton more work but I think it will be worth it in the end. Plus It will give me a chance to work on my rusty fiberglass skills before I tackle the console and A-pillars. Or if I get the base in wood perhaps I could get away with some filler.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Lol wonder if there is .3cubic feet in that little cavity where those twinkies are. 2 more gto804's?


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Progress! 


Gotta love shopping for supplies.










So I started Saturday morning mocking up the sub/console to see how she would feel in the truck. I wanted the top piece to extend all the way to the back wall but also leave room for the amp rack.



















I had this wonderful plan to do a ported box for the 2 GTO804’s. But I just couldn’t get the box to fit, and never really liked the modeling I saw with a 40hz tune. So I kinda bitched out on the idea and went with a sealed box. The plan was to make the box fit the space, which would yield too much airspace, then make it up with a crap ton of bracing, .43 cubic feet of bracing to be exact. I decided on double walls as well as a few internal braces. After making the cardboard template I started by cutting one side. I have to say that sadly this was the first time I used a flush trim bit on anything other than a counter top. Oh flush trim bit where have you been my whole life! Two identical sides.










After getting the sides I boxed the rest in. Made a handy little circle jig for my new plunge router and routed out the holes. It worked perfectly well, but I think its time for a jasper jig just to make things easy. I also added some bracing to the bottom for sub clearance.














































Next up I worked on the top cover for the console. I learned a couple things here. First off, I really should have just used more wood and body filler. I made a frame and glassed the top, flipped it over and somewhat filled the voids with resin and chop. Let me say that it turned out to be a total pain in the ass to get it too come out right. After glassing, cutting, grinding and sanding I was able to get it nice and smooth with 2 coats of body filler. Oh my goodness the body filler was much much nicer too work with, if you get it at the correct time its very easy to sand. I got 2 pics of the bare frame and another pic just before the last layer of body filler. I was too pissed off and dirty to snap pics of the glass.




























Once that whole fiasco was taken care of I started to cover the top piece. First was a layer of black cloth to tidy up the bottom so it looks nice when its removed. That was followed by a layer of ccf for a little padding and then vinyl. That is where I learned the next little trick. I have worked with vinyl before but I never had to stretch it. My wifes hair dryer worked quite well for that.




























That’s as far as I got this weekend. I did carpet the amp rack, which left me 10inches short to carpet the sub box. That is when I made a horrible discovery that really pissed me off.










How in gods name am I going to adjust the gains on the amplifiers, especially the sub amp in that box? Even with the face removed, the sub amp is basically covered up and the gains for the other two amps are covered up by the console. How could I have let that slide?

All is not lost however, I have decided to redo the amp rack a little simpler, stack the two ppi’s on one side and have the Pioneer Mono and room for a processor on the other. With the cover for the console going all the way to the back wall everything is hidden with the seats back. So a simple flat amp rack with the wires running up behind the back will be the way to go. That will have to wait till the weekend after next. Ill have 2 days to work, and I should have the carpet I ordered. I ordered 4 yards by 80" of unbacked charcoal automotive carpet. I decided to add a layer on top of the existing black rubber "carpet" in the truck. This will work out nicely so I can have the carpet on the floor the console and the forthcoming amp rack match perfectly.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Looking at that pic of the sub box, I think a nice big roundover on the front edges is in order.


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

Great work man! Love the enclosure.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Thanks! I mocked up the ported box out of cardboard, I just couldnt do it, that shifting arm was impeded 

Im really happy with how the vinyl turned out. I was sweating bullets. I would have gone with some stitching but being the first time Ive stretched vinyl, I wasnt going to go through all that work then screw the pooch getting it on there.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Getting groceries this morning. Really wish I had the damn thing running so I had some tunes.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

I'm digging it!!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Thanks man. I was worried about it being boring and square but you actually see so damn little of it in the truck that it looks pretty good.

After I figure out the amp rack I want to work on the pillars a bit. My lazy ass may hold off on the 3 way front until I can get a processor. I may as well play around with the 80prs capabilities for a month or two. I want to get the vifa ring radiators mounted up there however. I enjoy them much more than the jbl p660c tweets.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

I'm going to have to show this to my wife to see if she will let me do this in my second row since I have captains back there. I buying an empty jl stealthbox for inside console but if I built this then I could keep my current amps. I really don't want to sell them


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

The box is actually much larger than it needs to be as well. I could have easily cut down the height by like 4 inches. For me its a perfect base to set my arm on for shifting.

Speaking of wives I have a quote from mine this morning "so i was looking at the pics on your sky drive. OMG i didn't realize you had that many electronics in your truck. I thought it was just an amplifier and some speakers. You know you're going to have to play me some Linkin Park when you finally get your toys hooked up"

I love that women.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Brian_smith06 said:


> I'm going to have to show this to my wife to see if she will let me do this in my second row since I have captains back there. I buying an empty jl stealthbox for inside console but if I built this then I could keep my current amps. I really don't want to sell them


Just dont do what I did with the top cover  Wood and body filler, no ****ing glass!

Btw the top is going to be held on by some grill guides.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Looking at my amp rack while on a smoke break. I actually can get to the gains with the sub box in and everything its just a bit of a pain, guess I'll have to set em right the first time and not constantly fiddle like I normally do. Thank god. I did not want to rebuild that whole thing again.

I'm really hoping I can get the power wire run this weekend, then make a little pod forbthe vifas. I have a step bit being shipped to me. I wasn't going to spend the 60 dollars to buy one locally when I'm only going to use it for 2 holes.


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## damonryoung (Mar 23, 2012)

REGULARCAB said:


> Looking at my amp rack while on a smoke break. I actually can get to the gains with the sub box in and everything its just a bit of a pain, guess I'll have to set em right the first time and not constantly fiddle like I normally do. Thank god. *I did not want to rebuild that whole thing again.*
> 
> I'm really hoping I can get the power wire run this weekend, then make a little pod forbthe vifas. I have a step bit being shipped to me. I wasn't going to spend the 60 dollars to buy one locally when I'm only going to use it for 2 holes.


That's good to hear! I'm digging that amp rack!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

DRTHJTA said:


> That's good to hear! I'm digging that amp rack!


Thanks! I was lurking your build thread yesterday and thought to myself. "hmmm i forgot how much I liked wagons" I probably would have gone that route then I got my first truck and cant live without one. Well my whole family cant live without me having one for them to borrow I mean...


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

My daughter says "SUBWOOFERS!!!"... not really tho, shes just cute and im missing her sitting here at work.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright, I gave it a few days and I cant stand the way the console looks in the truck... Too boxie too simple and I just plain dont want it so big (and it doesnt need to be) but the good news is I learned from it and I know where i want to go from here. I can do better.

Or maybe I can see the end of my build and I just cant imagine what Im going to do when I "finish"


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

After a nights sleep I figured out what to do. In think my main issue is the center console is a little too tall. My arm rests nicely on it while shifting but it just sticks up a little too far. That's an easy fix. I wasn't able to set the woofers in a way to clear the original seat bracket so I have the bracket plus sub clearance. I will pull out said bracket, set everything in and hope she still clears the amp rack in the back. I can get another 3/4 back there if I cut off the tongue and let just the cover hang over.

I get my step bit today so hopefully I can get some wire run as well. I have the day off but I'm watching the small one, who is teething btw. Who thought working every night till 12 and waking up at 6am was going to be a good idea long term? Oh well my wife gets off at 2:30 and the girls have some shopping to do. Then its on!! I should prolly nap instead....


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I got the power wire ran, new fuse block under the hood, new battery posts installed. I didnt quite have the energy to upgrade the 4awg frame to battery ground with 0 or run the amp rack ground to the frame yet.

I am pretty lucky, another mm and that Knu 0 gauge would not have fit under the door sill in my truck.

Still being totally bipolar on the sub console, just not sure yet, so i napped instead of working on it...


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I hate having computers in cars! I left my battery unhooked over night, actually by accident, I had to hook up my negative while I was late for work. But the best part is, the damn thing forgot how to idle.... no dumbass computer 250rpm isnt going to cut it!

Luckily I think the problem solved itself on my drive to work.


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## jpf150 (May 22, 2013)

Sub'd. I'll be watching what you do with the console especially. It's been a passing thought building one for myself. Looks good so far, good luck!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I was just going to lower it a bit. Then I noticed that one of the inside curves of the vinyl has pulled back. Most likely my fault for trying to spray adhesive to ccf. I have a new picture in my head of how I want to rebuild build it. And I have some Kydex plastic on the way so I dont have to f with fiberglassing a curved top. I just have to make sure not to use it for anything structural.

EDIT: atm Im really fighting the urge to just throw everything in there and get to some tuning, but I want no excuse not to do my best effort.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Dont buy a five channel, dont buy a five channel, you NEED 8 channels of class A/B from more amps than you can really fit, dont buy a five channel.

Sorry giving myself motivation to stuff all these amps in there and not ***** out.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^. Our support group starts at nine, it's your turn to bring the doughnuts lol. I feel this exact same way when I know two amps are enough, yet I envision already where to place my third one. Stay strong and fight the urge. It's too late for me, save yourself.....


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I guess I do already have the amp rack made for the three amps, I just have to get it in there.

Thanks for the support... and doughnuts sound amazing with this 2 gallon cup of coffee i have sitting next to me.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

By a pair of 5 channels  and maybe a mono as well.  do it do it do it. Pokes stick. 


I have decided I will be using 3 amps so 5 channels total however will be running passive :/ I will however have 650 watts per side  and 1200 watts on tap for my sub mounted in console. Oddly all somewhat wife approved


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

^^^. May I borrow your wife to use to convince my wife?


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

She just laughed. She also said the only reason she is letting me is because I'm selling off my old audio that I had before we met. Otherwise I would be sol. She did however allow me to get a new double din though but only because she wanted a reverse cam and its what she wanted


She did help me work on the new one last night though. We installed some thermal block underneath. She actually got her hands dirty. I took a picture for proof. Will post in my build later


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Yeah my wife was shocked when she finally saw it all together, and also saw the pics i took of all the supplies and such. Her comment was "well im glad it makes you happy". 2 4 channels and a mono should be enough right? I was thinking of just moving to a single five channel but where is the fun in that.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Im always rather shocked at how little my wife cares about my spending. As long as the kids have food and clothes and the bills are paid she just doesnt worry about it.

Of course her thing is she will buy 600 dollars worth of baby clothes without asking me about it so.......


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

Currently my wife is justified in being concerned. I have been unemployed for a month :/ actually what brought on my sudden need to build a nice setup. Just for something to do.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Brian_smith06 said:


> Currently my wife is justified in being concerned. I have been unemployed for a month :/ actually what brought on my sudden need to build a nice setup. Just for something to do.


My wife calls it my mid life crisis. Hell I would kill for a month off, paid or not.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Well I've been retired for the last two and a half years and am starting to pull my hair out lol.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I have always thought If I retired with money I could spend the rest of my life in the shop. Maybe I would lose my mind but i would at least be a happy crazzy old ****er.


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

It was fun the first year, but all I did then was spend money on things I didn't need. Hey wait a minute, I'm still doing that.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Coppertone said:


> It was fun the first year, but all I did then was spend money on things I didn't need. Hey wait a minute, I'm still doing that.


Sounds perfect to me! :laugh:


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## YukonXL (Mar 7, 2014)

Subscribed! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this build. I will be building a console soon as well. Mine is an automatic so it will be full length with 1.25 cu.ft. ported. Hoping to get some ideas off of you lol.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

WHAT WHAT!!!! I have sound again! Figured I would hook it all up while I think about redoing the console.... But I do really like it lowered. Pics and more tomorrow. Its what 11:30? And I'm just getting back inside.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Alright so after a day of playin with my youngest daughter my wife and I set out on our first outing alone since my daughter was born. We went grocery shopping  I didnt realize how long it had been. It was like a date, I should have bought her flowers or something 

So after all that the sun was still shining so I got to work on the truck. First order of business was to take out the front seats, for the millionth time. I have gotten to the point that I just have a baggie of certain sockets and screwdrivers etc in my glove box that I bought just to take this thing apart.

Here is the amp rack just before securing it to the back wall. It looks so nice and open with the seats out. I really want to replace the floor with some carpet soon.










After getting that secured I ran the ground wire. Here is the factory body to ground on the truck, from the looks of it I would be lucky if its 4 awg but damn look at those connection. Now they tell you not to go for a seat bolt when grounding, wich is retarted as It would seem that the ground is purposely connected to the passenger seat bolt threads. Or maybe I am retarded and remember the advice wrong.










I looked around inside and under the truck for a good place to run the ground through, and after running the step bit through rubber flooring, mlv, a thick layer of jute and 3 layers of CLD i finally got the hole. But damn that was annoying. I will say however for a $16 step bit, once i got down to just dealing with metal it went through it like butter. I found a place that already had a hole drilled in the frame, I shined both sides down to bare metal and just so happened to have the perfect sized bolt.










After securing everything I hit the spot with some liquid electrical tape, im not entirely sure how it will hold up but we shall see. Im also looking for any input on how to better secure or protect that ground, its out of the way but who knows.

Finally got all that done and the sun started going down so unfortunately that is the last pic I got. I did carpet the console and set it in the truck without the lower frame. It looks much better now and I can hold off working on another console until I get some kind of inspiration.

All of the speaker wires where connected to the barrier strips and I got the two PPI BK800.4's installed. At the moment I am just using one of the four channels and the Pioneer GM-D9601 mono to run the JBL P660c's and the pair of JBL GTO804's. I will bridge the other four channel to some midbass's when the time comes for a three way.

I have to say finally running the comps active made a world of difference even with the 15 minute tune I gave things. Also the subs sound far better than I expected. I merely assumed that I would get the exact same sound that I had with one sub, just louder. Im not sure if its the added cone area, the way overkill amp or the fact that I am now down firing them, but they seem far more articulate and certainly louder, truck shaking loud.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

So who want's to watch my 7month old tommorow so I can throw some REW time at this truck. :laugh:


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

I'd watch if I were closer. Kids are the bombdiggity as long as they are not mine. My niece and nephew are the best!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Brian_smith06 said:


> I'd watch if I were closer. Kids are the bombdiggity as long as they are not mine. My niece and nephew are the best!


Hah, see im the opposite. I could play with my daughter for days on end, but I cant stand other peoples kids. Maybe if my dumb ass brother would settle down or If my sister and her kids lived in the state I would feel different about their kids.

Unless of course we are talking about 5 years and younger, then they are all pretty cool. Just watching those minds on overdrive is fun.


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## YukonXL (Mar 7, 2014)

I have a 2 year old boy and another boy due in June. I love my kids as well but usually can't stand others kids lol.


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

REGULARCAB said:


> Hah, see im the opposite. I could play with my daughter for days on end, but I cant stand other peoples kids. Maybe if my dumb ass brother would settle down or If my sister and her kids lived in the state I would feel different about their kids.
> 
> Unless of course we are talking about 5 years and younger, then they are all pretty cool. Just watching those minds on overdrive is fun.


My niece and nephew are 4 and 2. Probably why I love them so much. That and I live 3.5 hours from them. I'm terrified of having my own. My gameplan is to wait until I'm 30 (26 now) but understand it'll happen when it happens. 




Also congrats to yukonxl!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

YukonXL said:


> I have a 2 year old boy and another boy due in June. I love my kids as well but usually can't stand others kids lol.


3 months bro! Id give ya some advice but having a 2 year old im sure its all still fresh for ya.


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## YukonXL (Mar 7, 2014)

Haha thanks man. I can say im not as nervous as I was with my first son haha. Gonna be 25 with 2 boys lol. So I know all about the not having time to work on the truck!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Brian_smith06 said:


> I'm terrified of having my own. My gameplan is to wait until I'm 30 (26 now) but understand it'll happen when it happens.


It certainly changes things when you have your own. Just keep in mind as you get older you get more tired :laugh:


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

Lord I'm like an old man as it is. I actually have to have monthly testosterone shots from the Dr. When I started my levels were 303 which is super low especially for somebody my age. And after4 months of taking them it dropped another 100 :/ this def makes me super tired all the time and my wife and I are both concerned having kids could be a bit sketch. But anywho back to your build


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Brian_smith06 said:


> Lord I'm like an old man as it is. I actually have to have monthly testosterone shots from the Dr. When I started my levels were 303 which is super low especially for somebody my age. And after4 months of taking them it dropped another 100 :/ this def makes me super tired all the time and my wife and I are both concerned having kids could be a bit sketch. But anywho back to your build


Oh dude, I had always been a fairly laid back guy and really enjoyed my sleep. Now I work until 12am then get 4 hours of sleep before my daughter wakes up and then whatever I can get when she graces me with her own naps. I absolutely love spending the day with my daughter every day, and would never want some daycare to raise my children. But its certainly not for the faint of heart. It would have been much easier 5-10 years ago.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Just to get things back in the car audio realm  Its a ****ty pick, but it looks much better that couple inches lower than I had it. I still want to do something a little fancier but its working for now.

EDIT: the vinyl is a far better match than the picture shows


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## Brian_smith06 (Jan 31, 2008)

Looking good. I still want to do that in my second row. Since I'm set on enclosures makes me wonder if wife would allow for amps.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

If i had it to do over again (and i most likely will) I would make the it skinnier so I could makes sides that I could vinyl then attach. Something along these lines. http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/build-logs-project-install-gallery/159125-audio-x-inc-project-black-build-7.html


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

You know what I find strange yet rather awesome, I have yet to turn the gains up AT ALL since turning them all the way down before install. And right about 42 on the 80prs is where things get what I consider damn loud while driving. Headroom much?

I also want to mention a couple things I noticed and appreciated about the 80prs in network mode. I was worried about the tweeter crossover before I had a chance to set everything up, the default highpass is 8k hertz, well done Pioneer that's a good thing. I also love that the auto tune that I did right before hitting the sack the night I got everything installed only every cut frequencies and bands, it never boosted anything. That's another good design that I liked.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to play with REW and my imm6 sometime to see what is really going on. But Erins gtg mix sounds AMAZING atm.


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## YukonXL (Mar 7, 2014)

Awesome, Looks like you are making some progress. When I do my console I will need all the width I can get, So I am going to make the box portion separate from the upper storage sections so I can wrap the lower in carpet and the upper in vinyl. Just a thought for you.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Luckily width for me is a non issue, with 2 8's and only needing .6 cubes the whole thing can be quite a bit smaller than I have it. I also like how audioxincsq made the two sides then cut a horizontal line, routered the pieces and put vinyl on the top piece and carpet on the bottom.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Also storage would be cool bit not a huge concern for me. And I already had my damn coffee mug make a buzzing sound in the cupholder. So I'm more worried about vibrations than storage in my ride at least. Of course I have a short commute, and maybe go shopping in it every once in a while, and I'm always alone while driving it. So my concerns I'm sure are a little different than most.


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## YukonXL (Mar 7, 2014)

Oh see mine is the family commute vehicle as well as road trips lol. I am going to mold my factory jump seat console to the top of my box, and flow it into the dash using the 03+ full console cup holders and front storage cubby holes. I'm hoping it won't look out of place and appear mostly factory. I had to draw it up on google sketch up to visualize it a bit more lol. 

Your build is looking good though man. I bet it sounds great as well


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## fniess3 (Aug 19, 2013)

REGULARCAB said:


> After securing everything I hit the spot with some liquid electrical tape, im not entirely sure how it will hold up but we shall see. I*m also looking for any input on how to better secure or protect that ground*, its out of the way but who knows.


These boots are great! 

CE Auto Electric Supply - Eyelets / Lugs

Its probably not necessary but add some tech flex and some more shrinkwrap and you should be good to go. I always like to go overboard.


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## fniess3 (Aug 19, 2013)

BTW, this is a great build log. Not just to see what you installed, but the fact that it started as a super ultra budget build, and has changed (price increase) several times. 

Also, you do good work, and I know thats especially hard when you have young kids. My boy is almost 2 and we have a 3 month old girl. I have stayed at home since my boy was born, and you defiantly learn how to get some work done in your spare time. Also learn how to get stuff done with them around, like childproofing the garage so he can play and help daddy while his sister naps. Granted there is only so much you can do (due to loud noises, fumes, etc) but any little bit helps. Having a great wife is key too, because sometimes you just gotta pound out some work, and having a kid strapped to you and the other wanting to play in the drivers seat doesnt always work. 

Wait till your little one knows where certain tools are in your tool chest. Its a proud day.

Keep up with the good work!!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Oooh I like those boots, I will have to see about doing that, and some techflex is a good idea. 

Thank you for the props. My wife has certainly been a huge help in the matter. I cant wait to have my daughter in the shop with me. I can still remember when I was ten my father bought a 12 foot wooden boat and had me replace the whole rotted transom so we could go out fishing in it the next summer. Those are some of the best memories I have and I certainly hope to pass that on to my children. Unfortunately my 7 month old isnt very handy with a jigsaw yet.


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## bigguy (Apr 13, 2010)

REGULARCAB said:


> Unfortunately my 7 month old isnt very handy with a jigsaw yet.


He is clearly not trying hard enough then.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

I have to say, after having my brain entirely wrapped up in this truck since last October, its kinda nice having something I can sit back and listen too. I still need to do a tune. But I think a router table is in my future before the console rebuild. I have a big ol fixed base router that I dont use now that I have my palm router and plunge router.

Ill post some of my tuning results once I get them. I like how she sounds Im interested to see how the graphs look. Im pretty sure there is a harsh peak somewhere below 100hz (that I didnt have before). But I will leave the guessing out and see how it all measures, and ask for some advice im sure.


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## vulgamore89 (Oct 27, 2013)

It's looking awesome man. Bet it sounds great too. Hopefully here in a couple weeks or so I'll be finally starting my build log on my chevy


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Completely unrelated to car audio

UGHHhhh!! This has been the longest weekend of my life so far. I work at the Hospital in Arlington Washington where the mud slide happened. I got called in about 1pm Saturday to man the front desk. Lets just say the job is pretty easy until something like this happens. It really makes you realize that I am the first person that deals with EVERYTHING that comes into this little hospital. 

The hospital and the community were fantastic yesterday. We had almost every nurse and employee show up just to ask if they could help. We actually had trucks full of food and water loaded up from donations people where dropping by BEFORE the Redcross even showed up. The outpouring of help was just amazing to see.

I have to say the hardest part of the night was being the switchboard operator for the hospital. Taking all those calls from family members looking for their missing loved ones, and having no information for them. I believe out of the 30 or so missing people we only got 5 of them. I would have happily been filled to the brim with patients had they been able to find them.

Well its back to the phones for me. I hear they found 7 more people!!


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

So far the day looks to be a little less heartbreaking.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

So I totally got pinched at work for surfing the web. They did a "random" audit and found that I have the highest internet usage of any employee. Most notably 218mb over 7 days on DIYMOBILEAUDIO.com. While im rather honored to have the distinction, I will say that 218mb of data over a 7 day period does not sound like a whole lot.

Either way, you will be seeing a little less of me from here on out, but I will still be around.


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## hurrication (Dec 19, 2011)




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## YukonXL (Mar 7, 2014)

Haha that's great. Any build progress?


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

YukonXL said:


> Haha that's great. Any build progress?


No unfortunately I haven't done much lately. With the Oso landslide and me being part of the "first family" at the hospital here I have been really busy taking calls and donations and the expected volunteering. Unfortunately the work on the ground that I would rather be doing isn't an option now that FEMA is here and the national guard has taken over. On top of working full time and watching the kiddo. 

I do promise to post up a before and after rta curve once I start really tuning. I would like to tune for a bit then think about the front stage upgrade next.


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## REGULARCAB (Sep 26, 2013)

Well, the chev has been sold and I bought myself a 2013 Kia rio5. Love the little car, I needed four doors unfortunately since my wife has to go to the office instead of working from home.

Now I wish I opted for class d four channels instead of the surfboards. I'll do my usual overkill on research then start in on a build for the little guy. I would say I want something simple but we all know how that goes.


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