# My Colorado



## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Disclaimer: I am in the very beginning stages of this build and it will likely take me a month, or so to get everything done and posted here.

This is my first attempt at most of the stuff you'll see here (read rookie). I've installed many head units, amp and subs... but have never made any significant modifications, built an enclosure or installed any sound deadener.

Most of what you'll see here are my first attempts, inspired by you guys... so take it easy on me, please.

Step 1 - A-pillars...

I started with everything laid out in front of me in the dining room floor...










Worried that I might place the tweeters off-center, I made a simple cardboard template to ensure that I didn't mess it up...




























Cut hole with hole saw(crossed fingers)...










Laid PVC couplers in to see how it would look...










After taking them back out to the truck and aiming, I epoxied them in place with epoxy putty...










I then built up the surrounding areas with more epoxy-putty. You'll see that things are starting to take shape...



















This is where I ran out of time, for now. Tonight I sand, apply more epoxy-putty and sand some more. 

Tomorrow I will make an attempt to wrap these suckers in grill cloth. Believe it or not, this is the part I am most concerened about. If anyone has any pointers, or advice, I am all ears.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Ok, I've made a little progress.

At this point, I'm figuring they're sanded good enough to cover...



















Wrapped in cloth...










Complete...










I'm pretty happy with how they turned out for my first time. Quite proud, actually.

This week I'll begin construction of the sub enclosure. I can't wait.


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## ZoNtO (Sep 20, 2005)

Well my friend, I must say that for your first real modification you did an awesome job! I've never done that stuff either, but you did a way better job than I would even know how to do!


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## 96dak (Jan 28, 2008)

looks great, espesially for your first time. only thing i would have done different is wrapped them in a different material like suede. great job


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

> Well my friend, I must say that for your first real modification you did an awesome job! I've never done that stuff either, but you did a way better job than I would even know how to do!


Thanks. You'd be surprised what you're capable of if you give it a serious shot. I never dreamed I'd attempt anything like this, prior to joining this site.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

OK. I've done a little more. I'm still a long ways away, but making progress...

First of all. I wasn't completely happy with the a-pillars. I thought they were a little obtrusive, so I re-did them...










Gathered lumber for the enclosure and amprack. I decided to just do a simple sealed enclosure to "get the ball rolling". Once I've got sound I'm going to recontruct the enclosure and amprack, at a later date. So I guess you could say this is going to be temporary... but in car audio what isn't?










Here's the amprack, shy of carpet..










Ripped doorskin off passenger door...










Knocked out some baffles for the mids. I hope I'm going to be able to make these suckers fit. I'm having to use 2 half inch spacers to clear the window in the down position...










Deadenend the outer skin...










Started the outer skin...










Mounted the first baffle...










Box, shy of t-nuts and carpet...










And tore the back plastic out for good measure...










Time is short and this is as far as I've made it. I hope to make some more progress next week.


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## deadbeat son (Feb 24, 2008)

Looking good man! What kind of mid basses are you going with? Also, is that a regular cab or extended cab?

-JP


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

I'll be using the ID OEM mids that heassdawg is selling here. 

It's a reg. cab, so space is really tight. I really wanted to run a low tuned ported enclosure, but am having a heck of a time finding the real estate to fit a ported enclosure and the amp/amps.

In the interest of getting this project going, I decided to just run a simple sealed sub with the amp next to it, for now. I'll be running an IDQ10V3.


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## deadbeat son (Feb 24, 2008)

I read your signature right after I posted that and noticed the mids. 

I'm a little confused by the amp rack design. Are you mounting the amp ON the box as opposed to flush mounting it in it?

-JP


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Yeah, the amprack (if you can even call it that) is going to ba attached to the side of the sub enclosure. The amp will just mount to the outside of it and all of the wiring is going to tuck behind it.

The sub eclosure and amprack are both 24" wide by 13 1/2" tall. The amprack is about 3" shallower than the sub enclosure. It's not fancy, by any means, but should look ok until I can come up with something better.


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## Nology (Apr 14, 2008)

Nice work! I need to get the balls to start cutting my cars apart.


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## deadbeat son (Feb 24, 2008)

BEAVER said:


> Yeah, the amprack (if you can even call it that) is going to ba attached to the side of the sub enclosure. The amp will just mount to the outside of it and all of the wiring is going to tuck behind it.
> 
> The sub eclosure and amprack are both 24" wide by 13 1/2" tall. The amprack is about 3" shallower than the sub enclosure. It's not fancy, by any means, but should look ok until I can come up with something better.


That makes sense. I guess you could always trim out the amp rack as well, and it would probably match the depth of the enclosure. Anyway, good work and good luck!

-JP


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Thanks for the encouragement. This may turn into a long thread. I'm afraid work and family obligations are making this quite a slow process. I would have started long ago, but the weather is just starting to cooperate in my neck of the woods.


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## tommyd (Nov 7, 2007)

Looking good. I think you might have just convinced me to hack my a pillers up. Thanks.


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## Kenny_Cox (Sep 9, 2007)

looks good Beaver! Thats the approach I am going to take on my pillars, my tweeters are slightly larger though! should be fun, keep up the good work.


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

looks great so far! like what ya did with the tweeters in the pillars. almost makes me wanna try mine in the pillars.


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## yeldak99 (Mar 5, 2008)

tcguy85 said:


> looks great so far! like what ya did with the tweeters in the pillars. almost makes me wanna try mine in the pillars.


do it, you'll love it


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## syd-monster (Jan 7, 2008)

Good work Beaver!! ..rookie my ass!


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

yeldak99 said:


> do it, you'll love it


i'm not to sure that i'll love it. i really like how they sound in my kicks right now.  the pillars just don't seem like a good spot in the TC. especially if you like your tweets on-axis.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

deadbeat son has me second guessing myself and really wanting to flush mount the amp.

Can anyone offer any tips on how to do so, while still leaving it easily accessible for connections, adjustments, etc.?

I'm actually second guessing the whole idea. I may actually build the ported enclosure (like I originally wanted) and mount the amp/amps on a panel above it.

... and I've yet to decide if I want to pick up a Memphis MCA-150 to run the tweeters, or ditch the Memphis I have now and get a set of PDx's. Decisions, decisions...

Any and all opinions are welcome. I really want to get this going, but am suffering from a serious case of indeciciveness.


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## tommyd (Nov 7, 2007)

I would say ditch the Memphis. Just personal opinion but I haven't liked any products in the past. If it's feasible to flush mount I would do that. Where is the amp mounted now? I see the pic of the amp rack but don't know where/how that is installed. I would just build a trim panel that goes over the amp. Make it removable so you access connections etc.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

The enclosure and amprack are each 24" wide. The original plan was to mount the side by side... but now I'm rethinking everything.

I'd really like to do a ported enclosure, but it will take up the entire width of the truck. This leaves me to mounting the amps on a panel above, which I think I can make look nice.

As far as the amps go, I'm really leaning towards the PDX's for their size and ability to work well at different impedances. If I decide to change subs later, I'll be covered for anything from D1 to D2 to D4, or even a single 4 ohm coil. I like the idea of this scenario, but am on a limited budget and may be forced to make the Memphis work, temporarily.

IDK, like I said, I'm becoming very indecicive.


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## deadbeat son (Feb 24, 2008)

Sorry man; I didn't mean to throw a wrench in your plans!

To flush mount the amp, you would just cut a piece of 1/4" MDF with the outline of the amp chassis cut out of the center. To use your existing rack, you would make a border around it 1/4" less than the thickness of your amp. Mount the 1/4" panel, and voila! The amp is flush mounted!

Good luck,
-JP


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## Powers (Apr 10, 2008)

I'm loving those A-Pillars. I'm going to pick up a backup set of A-Pillars to do something similar to: using epoxy putty.


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## tommyd (Nov 7, 2007)

BEAVER said:


> As far as the amps go, I'm really leaning towards the PDX's for their size and ability to work well at different impedances. If I decide to change subs later, I'll be covered for anything from D1 to D2 to D4, or even a single 4 ohm coil.


This is why I bought my JBL crown amp. Rated power at 1-4 ohms. If you really want to go ported then I would. There is a good chance you will want to try it in the future anyway.


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## Selkies (Mar 13, 2008)

Lookin' good so far so keep up the good work. It's nice to see another mini-truck on here  
I've been thinking about putting my tweeters in my a pilliars, as well.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

I only had about an hour, or so to work on my truck yesterday, so I finished deadening my door and installed the first mid.

I hope it doesn't have to be pretty to be effective, because I apparently suck at "pretty"... but anyhow...




























It was about 5 minutes after this point that I realized two things.

1. These mids are going to the "For Sale" section.

2. I'm on the hunt for a set of shallower mids.

The doors panel will not fit back on correctly. It's always something, isn't it?


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## unpredictableacts (Aug 16, 2006)

pm sent on mids.


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

how deep are they?


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

They're 3.125" and have already found a new home. I'll be shipping them out Monday.

Looks like I'll be running some Memphis M class mids for the time being. A little farther down the road they'll be replaced... probably with the Pioneer PRS mids, IDK.


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## braves6117 (Feb 13, 2008)

What product did you use to wrap those A-pillars? And lastly, was adhesive spray involved? They look kick ass


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

I used the adhesive spray available from Rick at RAAMaudio and regular grill cloth found at Parts Express.

Unfortunately, I'm having some issues with slight bubbling around the tweeter pods. I'm thinking about hitting the pillars with some kind of hardener and then painting them... we'll see.


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## rhinodog00 (Jul 1, 2007)

BEAVER said:


> I only had about an hour, or so to work on my truck yesterday, so I finished deadening my door and installed the first mid.
> 
> I hope it doesn't have to be pretty to be effective, because I apparently suck at "pretty"... but anyhow...
> 
> ...


I have the same truck and had those mids also.You definitely have to cut the door panel. Luckily it's easy you can do it cleanly with a sharp utility knife.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

rhinodog00 said:


> I have the same truck and had those mids also.You definitely have to cut the door panel. Luckily it's easy you can do it cleanly with a sharp utility knife.


I thought about making an attempt, but decided against it, as I'd rather keep this install simple and stealthy.


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## BlackSapphire (Apr 16, 2008)

BEAVER said:


> I used the adhesive spray available from Rick at RAAMaudio and regular grill cloth found at Parts Express.
> 
> Unfortunately, I'm having some issues with slight bubbling around the tweeter pods. I'm thinking about hitting the pillars with some kind of hardener and then painting them... we'll see.


I'm curious. How did you secure the Seas neo into the PVC coupling?


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

I'll be using hot melt glue.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Time is scarce but I have manged to deaden the other door and back wall. I've also ran all the wiring to the back of the truck.










I've had some problems getting the grill cloth to stick to the a pillars, so I've taken another approach. I stripped them, primed them and coated them with a textured paint. Ithen painted over that with a color that better matches my interior.



















This pic is a little dark, but you can really see the texture.










Time will tell how well it holds up, but for now, I like it.


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## cadaver (Sep 17, 2006)

your new texture for the pillars is great.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

I also like the textured paint solution. Looks good.

Looking forward to seeing some more work. So far, you're doing a helluva job for a "beginner"


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## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

texture is a bit heavy though.... gives yer pillars a cheap look. A beeter ssolution would have been to prime them and dry spay them with several coats of paint. That would have given you a much more subtle texture. Another solution would be to lightly dry spray several coats of super 77 spray glue. I have used this technique several times with very realistic results on interior parts for show trucks.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Thanks for the tips. Yes, the texture is a bit heavy. I kind of dig the look, though. I may paint a few other interior pieces the same way for a two-tone type appearance. Then they shouldn't look out of place at all.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Well, in the interest of getting this done, I haven't been taking many pics. I now have both doors done, a-pillars back in, new enclosure built and everything under the hood is up to speed.



















Plus, the UPS man just left these at my door...










I should have a fully functional stereo system by Friday evening, since that's my next day off. Once everythings in place, I'll take my time tidying up the install.


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## BlackSapphire (Apr 16, 2008)

jonnyanalog said:


> texture is a bit heavy though.... gives yer pillars a cheap look. A beeter ssolution would have been to prime them and dry spay them with several coats of paint. That would have given you a much more subtle texture. Another solution would be to lightly dry spray several coats of super 77 spray glue. I have used this technique several times with very realistic results on interior parts for show trucks.


Good idea Jon, never thought of the spray glue idea.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

The textured paint works for now. I'm going to try to cover them with headliner soon. Hopefully it will stick better than the grill cloth did. I just couldn't keep bubbles from forming right around the tweeter. It was like the heat from the sun would break the bond after a few days.


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## BlackSapphire (Apr 16, 2008)

I'll be making my first a-pillar pods soon as well. You did a great job on yours.


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## deadbeat son (Feb 24, 2008)

Lookin' good Beav! I'm sure Eddie Haskell would be jealous.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

Amps are in...



















And so is the head unit. The trim ring won't fit in the opening, so I'm going to have to come up with something...


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## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

Looks really good! Do you have everything up and running? How does it sound?


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

It's fully operational now. It's my very first active system, so I have a lot to learn about tuning. After a bit of playing around it does sound better than anything I've had... but not as good as I expected. I still have some work to do.


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## UCF52 (Nov 20, 2007)

BEAVER said:


> It's fully operational now. It's my very first active system, so I have a lot to learn about tuning. After a bit of playing around it does sound better than anything I've had... but not as good as I expected. I still have some work to do.


I hear ya on the learning part. I am in the middle installing my first active system as well. Kind of in the same boat as you were with your deck being on back order; good to hear they came through. I ordered mine two months ago  

Happy tuning


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## Nitr0racing21 (May 25, 2008)

Looking Good keep up the good work!


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## mikey7182 (Jan 16, 2008)

That looks great man! Very clean.


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## dejo (Jan 3, 2006)

very nice, beav. how are you liking the amps.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

The amps... you guys were right, the gains do have to be just about pegged before they start to make power. Other than that, they seem really nice. For some reason I was expecting to be a little louder with my front stage, but it is pretty loud. The sub amp seems to have room to spare, the IDQ doesn't really require a heck of a lot to get going.


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