# 14 Silverado out of the box



## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Sometimes a build takes on a life of its own. This road started for me about eighteen months ago. My sixteen year old son wanted a killer system put in his car (only because dad has always had nice systems). I was ready for something new and told him I would sell him my JL 12w7 and 1000/1 for a steal. Well his killer install took me about two months of serious woodworking planning acquiring components and so forth. 
Eventually I harvested my sub and amp out of my truck and his build was completed. I was left with a broken shell of a system that took me years and countless hours to complete. That was not gonna work for me I found out real quick. While putting together components of his system I ran across a store with a BNIB 12w7 AE for a real good price and as luck would have it I couldn't pass it up. 
That was the start of a new system for me. All the while my 99 Silverado I had owned for eleven years was starting to show its age badly. My wife had been looking for a new truck for me for the past couple of years and finances weren't in my favor the entire time she was looking for me. Finances improved and I ended up with my dream of a new truck a 2014 Silverado. You can probably see where this is going new sub new truck new system!


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

Congrats on the new truck, and hopefully a full blown system also....


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

As I stated earlier it all started with a new truck and a sub. Much to my wife chagrin once I start my OCD especially anything stereo related it's all over. Over the next several months i managed to assemble the parts and pieces of my new build. The original plan was to build a custom center console sub box where the front jump seat/ arm rest is. Which is what I did in my old Silverado. After tearing the seat and armrest apart and doing some measuring I could not accomplish what I had hoped for. Oh well keep buying amps and speakers and maybe something will come to mind. I purchased a slash 300/4 version three which was supposed to run an XR-650 three way on the front stage and a pair of alpine 6 1/2 coaxials. 
I found a great deal on some C5 6 1/2 midbasses and with some b day money a pair of C5 tweets. Next I found a set of C3 51/4 component to replace the alpines. Lastly a pair of passive crossovers for the C5s. My son who was so happy for me found it in his heart to help me get a JL cleansweep to interface my factory head. 
As anyone reading this knows that is far from being ready to build the system. Found some Monster RCAs that would work for my application. Speaker wire, power wire, main fuse, distribution blocks, sound dampening, techflex, heat shrink, and wire terminals just to name a few. Picked up a jl RBC knob led lights and switches, plexi, vinyl, MDF and screws. Oh and paint lacquer and bedliner too. 
While amassing all these thing which cost a fortune just in themselves I had a revelation. If I bought a JL 600/1 instead of the 1200/1 I could squeeze both amps in the bottom portion of the center console! Well after three tries i finally figured out the perfect layout for the amps, lighting, fans, and a way to attach the armrest to keep more of a factory look.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Pics to follow shortly


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## TheAlchemist9 (Apr 29, 2015)

in for the build.


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## smgreen20 (Oct 13, 2006)

Twittling my thumbswaiting for pics.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Not having much luck loading pics. Guess I'm not as tech savvy as I thought


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Get a photobucket account and upload there. Then link to it using the img button.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Apparently I can't post pics cause I don't have enough posts


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Well let's try it again


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Aha success! As you can see in my last post I'm a little out of order here. This is the vent opening I made out of a piece of 12/4 black walnut. Thought the JL logo and the W7 logo would be awesome lit up with led lights and function as an intake for air for fans.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

[/URL. 
These pics are all of finished amp rack/ center console. Switched phones recently and lost all my in progress pics. Will be taking armrest off in a few days and can get better pics of interior. My intake works ok but needs tweaking as always. Gonna add a third fan and thin down the 12/4 walnut so the light can be seen better. Might ever rebuild front with the leftover cutout. Basically making one into two. One intake one exhaust


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

One more pic from front view


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Have a few updates on the amp rack. Might make more sense if I explained. How I built this. I originally want to build a sub enclosure under the factory armrest. Want to keep the functionality with the storage, cup holder, phone holder, and charger and USB input. With a 12W7 the space that I needed under it would have about put it at the ceiling. Bought my 300/4 slash v3 and the wheels started turning. As I explained earlier it was a perfect fit with my 600/1 slash V3. So I made a new base for the armrest that houses the amps, lights, wiring, and fans.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

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Old fan setup


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

New fan setup and the walnut intake split in half on the table saw and freshly lacquered.


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

I did pretty much the same thing in my 2011 Silverado a couple years ago (although Id id not use fancy wood cut outs, haha. Nice work!


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## chithead (Mar 19, 2008)

Wow, that is spectacular! You did an amazing job with all the details of that amplifier rack.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Just when I thought I was the first one to do it!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks man. Still a kid at heart especially when my teenage boy rekindled my love for car audio. I owe a lot of my skills to car audio. I learned to make all types of stuff out of necessity. Then I started doing remodeling projects in my first home and thought this is a breeze. Everything was square and in two dimensions rather than three. I now earn extra money on the side using that experience. It pays for the car audio addiction...kind of


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Finally some progress in the fan rack and lighting


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Once again not in order. Pretty happy with results. Fans move air much better and intake lights up better.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Now I have had some time to crank up the system in hot weather I am very happy with the cooling in the amp rack. I also added a separate switch just to run fans. One switch running lights and fans kinda sucks. Prefer individual control. Now onto the sub box.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Once again I must say I'm pissed that I lost all of my in progress build pics of my sub box. I will try to show the best I can how the finished product turned out. This box was something I had in my mind for months. Kept sitting in truck trying to figure out how to get this 12W7 in there without changing subs. Finally came up with a solution. Angle sub towards the back window without having it three foot in the air. I had to consider that my armrest had to fold up which in itself is deceiving how much space that takes. So after many tries I got the angle correct for function and fit. One way I accomplished this was to build enclosure under seat enough to get volume I needed without making it stupid looking and sacrifice all under seat storage. This is what I came up with. 
Last picture show the center console/amp rack sub Box combination


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## teldzc1 (Oct 9, 2009)

That's fresh!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Little info on the sub box. Once again I'm pissed I lost all my in progress build pics of this! The box is made out of 3/4 MDF with a one inch thick baffle. Inside is finished completely with black lacquer. Then I added some cleats that support the 3/4 plexiglass an double as mounting for LED lights. Tried something new for box terminals. Used set screw type banana plugs recessed into box. Made for a low profile clean look. Had my son make me up an 8 gauge wire wrapped in tech flex heat shrieked and terminated in banana plugs. Love teaching the kids how to do it right!
For the outside I decided to do some vinyl wrap. Problem with that was the shape of my box made that very difficult. After some thought I decided to make some cover panels for the areas I couldn't wrap with one piece. As I mentioned before I am a pretty serious woodworker so I had to put my spin on the top trim of the box with black walnut and JL aluminum bar type grill. Just so you know the template they supply is good but if you recess the bars as deep as I did you need to make some tweaks. Finished off the plexiglass windows with some more walnut trim


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## coolc4u (May 13, 2015)

Nicely done and clean install


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

When I started this build I had always planned to interface the factory's head unit. I have always been impressed with JL audios quality so it was a no brainer to use the cleansweep. The only problem I had was trying to figure out where to install the control knob. I didn't want to drill a hole anywhere in the interior of my new truck. So here what I came up with.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Made a small insert to house the LED light switch, the cleansweep control, and the remote bass control for my 600/1 v3.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Made this out of a piece of oak and then black lacquered it. Was a tight fit with both the jl knobs being much larger on the back side than the front. Still ended up drilling a hole in back of pocket to fit wires.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Any opinions on front staging in these trucks? Have jl tweeter c5's in dash and midbass in the front door and its ok' stereo image is not very well defined. Very crisp clean sound just not what I'm looking for in terms of center image.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Time to get some stuff done. Not sure which direction my front stage is going yet. My rear full however I have figured out what I'm doing. Making some custom grilled for the mids and mounting the tweeters from my C 3's up high in the door panels. Here are some pics of what I got started with today 
Gonna paint this Stella insert black and scotch brite the aluminum. Hopefully it won't be as hot and humid tomorrow.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Damn phone. Gonna paint the steel black. Custom grilles not grilled


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## optimaprime (Aug 16, 2007)

Ohhhh this hot install ! That w7 is the ****


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Here are the finished grilles installed in panels. Turned out pretty good. Happy with the exception of the seam in the aluminum on bottom. Might weld that up and scotchbrite it to make it disappear


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Time for upgrade. Jl zr800 midbasses going in front doors. Always wanted to try 8 inch midbass. Had dual 6.5s in my last truck. Gonna be a tight fit but I like it that way


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

I like the look of the door grills turned out great, I was thinking a 7" or 8" for the doors of my 08 Chevy crew. Your build is inspiring for sure I'm tuned in for this one


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

How much air space is in that enclosure ? I was thinking of doing something similar but run the enclosure all the way under the seat ported to back wall,leaving room for equipment on both sides


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## Bolding220 (Jan 18, 2008)

Clean install


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

The box is 1.65 cu ft overall. With the .14 subtracted for driver I'm at 1.51. Sounds great!!! Love W7s this thing is incredible for one sub!!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Did some recon on the front doors this afternoon and I believe I can squeeze the 8 in.midbasses in with some slight mods to the door panel. Now to locate some C5 400 midranges. Can't buy them from jl separately.


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

This build is so similar to what I've been planning to do on mine for a while I am really liking the direction you have taken with it. I had 8" in my doors in early 2000 and once you've had that kind of mid-bass it's really hard not to go back to that. I can't wait to see more


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Unfortunately it's gonna be a while until I can get to work on this. Besides the fact I need another 8 inch midbass (only bought one to see if it would fit) I have a million things I have to get done over the next month. I'm glad I can inspire someone on their build. I know I needed a spark once in a while too. That's what this site is great for


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

No kidding I have been a part of the Car Audio Industry for 20 plus years I've been a part in a lot of great installs I competed for over 5 years and we were very successful. It has been a long time since I've built anything for myself, still in planning but I've got a pretty good idea of what I want to do. Again thank you for the inspiration this is looking great so far


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

How is the truck coming along? you've been a little quiet this week


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Been super busy at work and all my free time has been devoted to setting up my wife's office. She is starting to work from home on Monday. I did however get my other midbass. May be able to get something going on Monday after work


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

Mlarson67 said:


> Been super busy at work and all my free time has been devoted to setting up my wife's office. She is starting to work from home on Monday. I did however get my other midbass. May be able to get something going on Monday after work


You have to keep the happywifey happy life at least for a day or two. Good luck with everything I look forward to seeing some more of the build


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Got started with making the mounting spacers for the JL ZR 800s. When I said it was gonna be a tight fit I wasn't kidding. Used my previous spacers I made for my C5 650s as a template of sorts. Some modifications to accommodate these monsters!
Are these sexy or is it just me


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

If you notice there are two spacers you are correct. The two together made up the total depth need to clear the window. The plexi is for later when I edge light it with LEDs. I am planning on tying into the ambient lighting circuit. Also will be making custom grills to match the rears


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

Mlarson67 said:


> If you notice there are two spacers you are correct. The two together made up the total depth need to clear the window. The plexi is for later when I edge light it with LEDs. I am planning on tying into the ambient lighting circuit. Also will be making custom grills to match the rears


The attention to detail is great man I don't know maybe I should start watching frozen videos to put 8"s in my doors, jk I have a 6 year old daughter so I understand I've seen it or heard it at least a thousand times. I know I've said it but I wish ya didn't live so far I'd like to hear this truck


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

Your 2014 doesn't have 6x9 cutouts in the front? How thick did you have to make the baffles for the 8's? Did you have to do any other mods to get them to fit?

I have a 2014 GMC but it has 6x9 cutouts in the front. I have been wanting to see if 8's would fit.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks it's just my OCD. The wife is the frozen freak, anything Disney really


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

Mlarson67 said:


> Thanks it's just my OCD. The wife is the frozen freak, anything Disney really


I get that I'm the same way everything has its place and when I'm building for anyone especially myself it has to be perfect.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Yes I have 6X9 cut outs. And I had to remove a portion of the mount for one of the clips. I will be modifying the grill later anyway


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## Basshertz1 (Jun 17, 2011)

Mlarson67 said:


> Yes I have 6X9 cut outs. And I had to remove a portion of the mount for one of the clips. I will be modifying the grill later anyway


Keep it going man looking forward to seeing more of your build its great so far


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

After a four month hiatus it's time to get back at it. ZR 800 midbasses will finally be making their entrance along with ZR tweets and some c5-400 mids


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Finally made some time to install midbasses and make custom grills. Still a long way to go with dampening and finall details but pretty happy so far
Today will be mids in dash location under factory grills and custom walnut tweeter pods on swivels mounted on a-pillars


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

Beautiful work.


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## Kellyo77 (Dec 5, 2009)

Really enjoying this one. I have a 2013 silverado that I am piecing equipment together for. I'm wondering about 8's in the door for mids so I will be watching this build. Keep up the good work!


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## strohw (Jan 27, 2016)

Are the 2013 the same as the 2014+ in regards to the door and door card? The 14+ have a huge amount of space for speakers in the door. Between the door itself and the door card cavity, 4" of depth is no problem.


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

I put ID x69's in my 14 Sierra but had to remove them because they made the factory grill rattle horribly. Are you custom grills rattling? With the ID's I didn't have enough space to use a FAST ring and get the panel back on. I think if if the fast ring would've fit there would have been enough pressure against the grill that it would not have rattled.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## strohw (Jan 27, 2016)

brumledb said:


> I put ID x69's in my 14 Sierra but had to remove them because they made the factory grill rattle horribly. Are you custom grills rattling? With the ID's I didn't have enough space to use a FAST ring and get the panel back on. I think if if the fast ring would've fit there would have been enough pressure against the grill that it would not have rattled.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Perhaps some thicker weatherstripping foam with self adhesive backing? Haven't had any issues with my rs180, yet.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

The grill doesn't rattle but the whole door card does. Need some serious dampening. These things put out so much bass a person could almost get by without a sub! Notice I said almost.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

I don't have any experience with a2013 Silverado door card so I can't say whether an eight would fit or not. All that I will say is it took some serious modifications to the back of the door card to get clearance for the surround


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Today wasn't bad either. Got mids installed in dash under factory grills and walnut tweeter pods in A-pillars 
Should have taken more pics of the pods in process but phone was dead u get the idea. What a huge improvement in imaging/staging!


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## strohw (Jan 27, 2016)

Nice


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Banged out passenger side today
Last pic shows the blue led lighting, very subtle just as I wanted


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Finally got to hear the midbasses the way they were meant to be. Have them running band passed actively from 45-400 hz. Sound frickin amazing!! More midbass than I have ever had. Tight and no rattles now that everything is buttoned up. Hard to believe I haven't even done any dampening yet. Gonna finish painting grill insert and logo tomorrow. Gonna weld the seam in the aluminum next week sometime.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Got the grills painted and one decal installed. Searching for another decal. 
Can't wait to weld up that seam in the aluminum!! Looks like crap. Trying to decide whether or not to polish it. Any suggestions?


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Amp mounts fabricated behind rear seats today. Amp mounted as well. Revamped the way the seat moves so that I can tilt the top down get access to amp with seats in. Very simple actually just cut a portion off tab where the seat back slides up and down.


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## fast4door (Aug 2, 2012)

great install I'm in


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Got a couple of crappy pics of this bad boy
New 1200/1 installed minus wiring which I'll be working on tomorrow 

These are the tabs on the seat backs I cut off so now I can fold the seat backs down


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Now I just have to make everything look purty


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## cjbrownco (Apr 30, 2014)

Subbed to see how the zr800's work out for you. I'm gonna attempt to squeeze some in my f150 doors but it's going to be a little bit before I can get time. Your build is looking very good.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So today I started some sound deadening. Couldn't stand the road noise after I cut out the factory plastic/jute backed thing. Needed to be done anyway. Started with some fat mat and followed that with some foam covered in vinyl that matches sub enclosure. Still need to make a beauty panel for the amp but I'm not sure whether or not the dsp will live back there or not. Pics to follow


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)




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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

And here are spline pics with amp installed and seats back[/URL[URL=http://s394.photobucket.com/user/mslarson1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/6CE2A9A8-C29A-468F-AF2D-1FF93C0F459B_zpslasoyue6.jpg.html][/URL[URL=http://s394.photobucket.com/user/mslarson1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/EA9FBA10-7372-4890-9180-56665C3F40CF_zps30zb0n9o.jpg.html]]]


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

See those empty spots on each side of the 1200/1? Well those will soon be filled with my 300/4's. Just looked too empty to me. Then I will be installing my minidsp in the center console for easy access for tuning. Finally pulled the trigger (much to my wife's chagrin) on the minidsp.


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## strohw (Jan 27, 2016)

I know this is way late since you're finished with this part of your install already but thought I'd just mention it for other owners since this thread is popular. For the mids, if you mount the 8" driver at the bottom of the door cutout instead of the center you don't have to go through all that crazy cutting. The cavity in the door card is bigger at the bottom and you get another .25-.35" of clearance inside the door as the magnet clears the window guide. 

I have JBL 2118H in my doors which have a total height of 4" and it only took a baffle and minimal trimming to the door card.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Nice to know about the mounting. In my case I was planning on removing that portion of the door card anyway to make custom grilles. Not because I had to but becacuase I wanted to try something different


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## strohw (Jan 27, 2016)

Mlarson67 said:


> Nice to know about the mounting. In my case I was planning on removing that portion of the door card anyway to make custom grilles. Not because I had to but becacuase I wanted to try something different


Yours look better than stock anyway =]


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So in the process of checking out revamping/ relocating amps I needed to find some measurements in my 300/4 manual. I realized that I am only running my zr-800s at 75 watts not the 150 watts I thought I was sending to them!!! Can't wait to rewire them and see what they sound like. Big changes are coming all around. Minidsp getting installed, relocating 300/4s, finishing amp rack with plexi-walnut combo, and moving jl logo pieces to back to give ventilation for amps and exit vents on back wall


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So this happened today. Whole lotta amp right there.....Sexy!!!
Wiring tomorrow my favorite thing


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Time for an update. Finally got my walnut and vinyl cover plate built and installed. Plexiglass insert lit with less


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## AlfredZ71 (Apr 28, 2016)

Did you get the minidsp installed yet, and how do you like it? 

I have a 15 Silvy and looking to do a full build myself. I'm just getting tripped up on having to use a loc and everything I have read and researched stating a dsp is a must. I have never kept the factory radio in any previous vehicles, so definitely a noob on those items.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Got the minidsp installed and I love it. All the tuning control I could ever use. My only gripes are the remote and the 2 volt precut so. The remote is kind of an afterthought. It's bulky ugly and just is lame. The pre out level is causing amp gain hiss if leave the levels at zero and no volume if I lower them


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So now that all drivers, amps, and dsp are installed I can get a good take on my whole system. The sub is great, midbass is the best I have ever had, and the tweets are great. The midranges are definitely my weak link. With an ear only tune on everything they sound lacking on the bottom of their range. Especially on male vocals. The stage is upfront just the way I want including the sub. My next venture is probably to swap out the c5-400 mids with something else. Anybody want to chime in on possible replacements?


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

What size midrange are you working with please ?


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

If you have already modded the stock location so that the c5-400 would fit you might as well just throw some Scan 10f's in there and be done with it. I compared the dimensions against the c5 and should fit.
You won't be disappointed.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...anspeak-discovery-10f/4424g-4-midrange-4-ohm/



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

C5-400 are 4 inch midranges by JL. Unfortunately that is the only mid they have. These also got beat up on the ride to my house - bought them used. Was trying to stay with all jl products but I already threw the minidsp in the mix so I'm open to any ideas


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Was seriously considering Audiofrog GB40s. What's everyone's opinion on these?


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks brumledb I'll check those out!


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

I'm sure they'd be fantastic. Scans are a lot cheaper though and also fantastic. I have a set of the GB25's for a drop in replacement for my '14 when I get an itch to change drivers again. 
When you do change your speakers out would you mind snapping a pic of how you modded the stock location?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

brumledb said:


> If you have already modded the stock location so that the c5-400 would fit you might as well just throw some Scan 10f's in there and be done with it. I compared the dimensions against the c5 and should fit.
> You won't be disappointed.
> 
> https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...anspeak-discovery-10f/4424g-4-midrange-4-ohm/
> ...


Modded being the nice way of saying cut the factory crap up under the dash to squeeze a four inch in a two and a half inch hole


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

Mlarson67 said:


> Modded being the nice way of saying cut the factory crap up under the dash to squeeze a four inch in a two and a half inch hole




Affirmative


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Wasn't pretty when I did that install on those. I was sick and wanting to get them in place so I could fire everything up and they were hidden. So hence no pics. When I replace them I'm gonna clean everything up and I will get some pics


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## RXZILLA (Dec 16, 2007)

pm sent


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

Another cool option would be ditch the tweeters and use an Illusion Audio C4cx, Audiofrog's GS40, or Morel's 4 inch coaxial/point source.


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## rob feature (Nov 15, 2015)

Incredible work - lovin' the show! :snacks:


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## AlfredZ71 (Apr 28, 2016)

The sub/ amp setup you have is awesome. Unfortunately, I have a lot less room right there due to having the flow through center console. I am trying something different though to see if it will work out or not.

I bought the factory Bose sub/ box unit off eBay for $50 and picked up a shallow mount Kicker 8". My thoughts are, I know that box fits under my center console and its specs are close to that sub's min sealed box requirements. So I am going to try to mod the box, add some polyfill and mount it in its factory location.

Again, I am not sure if this will work but I don't have much money invested so far. I probably would've just done subs under the rear seats but I have 2 big space constraints. 2 big dogs (1 is an English Mastiff) that ride around in the back on blankets with the seats up.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

brumledb said:


> Another cool option would be ditch the tweeters and use an Illusion Audio C4cx, Audiofrog's GS40, or Morel's 4 inch coaxial/point source.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thats an icksnay to removing the eeterstway. I turned those pods on my lathe out of solid walnut and ordered the swivels from the guy in Germany. And I love the zr tweets anyway. Only way I would change those out is if I did the GB 10s with some GB 40s


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

AlfredZ71 said:


> The sub/ amp setup you have is awesome. Unfortunately, I have a lot less room right there due to having the flow through center console. I am trying something different though to see if it will work out or not.
> 
> I bought the factory Bose sub/ box unit off eBay for $50 and picked up a shallow mount Kicker 8". My thoughts are, I know that box fits under my center console and its specs are close to that sub's min sealed box requirements. So I am going to try to mod the box, add some polyfill and mount it in its factory location.
> 
> Again, I am not sure if this will work but I don't have much money invested so far. I probably would've just done subs under the rear seats but I have 2 big space constraints. 2 big dogs (1 is an English Mastiff) that ride around in the back on blankets with the seats up.


What kind of amp will u be driving it with?


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

Mlarson67 said:


> Thats an icksnay to removing the eeterstway. I turned those pods on my lathe out of solid walnut and ordered the swivels from the guy in Germany. And I love the zr tweets anyway. Only way I would change those out is if I did the GB 10s with some GB 40s


Can't say I blame you there. I would want to show those off as well.

I just noticed you cut those brackets off the back of the rear seat. The seat doesn't fall forward without those?


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## AlfredZ71 (Apr 28, 2016)

I will be using a 5 channel amp to drive a set of comps up front and coaxs in the rear. As far exact amp I am not sure yet. I've heard a few set's of speakers I like and it comes down to budget.

If I cheap out on speakers, I'm going with Hertz energy line but for a couple hundred more the Arc audio Arc series sound amazing. 

The amps I'm looking at are about the same price. JL audio xd700/5v2 for the Hertz speakers or Arc audio xdi850.5 for the Arc speakers.

The amp, loc and passive crossovers will all be mounted to a thin sheet of plywood behind the rear seats as I have seen in a few other Silvy installs.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

brumledb said:


> Can't say I blame you there. I would want to show those off as well.
> 
> I just noticed you cut those brackets off the back of the rear seat. The seat doesn't fall forward without those?


Just cut enough that it will fold when the bottom is up. When you lift the bottom up it raises the seat back as well. So when the back is against the back and you fold it back down it locks the back.


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

Mlarson67 said:


> Just cut enough that it will fold when the bottom is up. When you lift the bottom up it raises the seat back as well. So when the back is against the back and you fold it back down it locks the back.




That's awesome. It's a real PITA to have to pull the backseat anytime I want to adjust anything.

How did you determine how much you could cut? Would really suck to accidentally cut too much.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

brumledb said:


> That's awesome. It's a real PITA to have to pull the backseat anytime I want to adjust anything.
> 
> How did you determine how much you could cut? Would really suck to accidentally cut too much.


When I had the larger seat removed I took a sharpie and marked just above the ring on the back of the cab with the seat in the up position. That way when u put it down it engages about an inch and a half still. I couldn't A stand not being able to access back there either that's when I decided there had to be a way since my 99 silverado could fold down


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So the fold down seat has its challenges. The cover piece I made to go on the wall is planed down to 3/8 and the hooks on the seat back are gouging the vinyl. If I go thinner the staples I use are too long and can't get shorter. Gonna make an aluminum insert where the hooks contact it and recover the piece


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

I love uncharted territory!! Every piece you make is a trial by fire. Well my first two attempts at the cover piece for the seat hooks were fails. So round three. I made a walnut board with an aluminum inlay to cover the hooks. My theory is if there is any movement it will be on the aluminum which can be touched up easily.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Will post more pics of the finished product later


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

More pics of finished trim


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

I have had a lot of people that asked questions about modifying the seat back to fold down. So I took some pics to show how the hooks engage

First is with the bottom in up position. Next is with the seat bottom down and back in locked position


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Forgot to mention I made some covers for the seat backs out of some matching vinyl. The back of the seat was never meant to be seen as well as everything else back there.... So I make one thing look nice and seem to move the ugly around


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)




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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Here's some of the next things I need to address


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So I'm loving the system but.... It can always be better. Still looking to go with the audiofrog gb40 but if I do I'll have to do the gb10 as well... I both love and hate car audio!!!! It's like the ring of power


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## stereojnky (Mar 17, 2008)

A wise man once told me that if you buy what you think is the "best" , you'll never be disappointed. 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Decided today to get the remote for the minidsp mounted. I have been kicking ideas around in my head for some time. Just really don't care for their little box. So here's what I came up with. Made a walnut panel with an aluminum inlay into which I mounted the circuit board for the remote.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

After mounting the board I transferred the vinyl stencils from the box. Used an aluminum knob that came with my cleansweep. Still need to stain and lacquer the walnut but I am waiting to kill two birds when i finish fabricating my new walnut grill rings for all my door speakers


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Damn photobucket missed a few from beginning 
This is from beginning


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## beak81champ (Oct 2, 2015)

Beautiful work. Tons of info and ideas for when I start my '14! Thank you!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

beak81champ said:


> Beautiful work. Tons of info and ideas for when I start my '14! Thank you!


Thanks much appreciated, these trucks have a lot of possibilities


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

So I forgot to post some pics of the front door grills with the walnut rings installed. What's everyone think?


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## Coppertone (Oct 4, 2011)

It looks well thought out, and the designed was implemented well.


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## beak81champ (Oct 2, 2015)

Looks great! Nice craftsmanship!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks for the kind words. Wanted to try something new for grills by incorporating some wood and metal. More importantly they don't fly out when door gets shut hard. Realized I never put up a finished pic of the Minidsp remote
With walnut stained and lacquered


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## ndm (Jul 5, 2007)

Mlarson67 said:


> So I forgot to post some pics of the front door grills with the walnut rings installed. What's everyone think?


FYI....I am absolutely going to copy your door grill idea but without the walnut.

You have bee notified!

Great Job!!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks ndm. A $5 piece of aluminum , a small piece of expanded metal grill material ($30 a sheet for 24X24 inch), and $10 piece of walnut. Oh and many many hours of labor. This hobby is too addictive sometimes


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Pulled the trigger on the Audiofrog Gb15 and Gb25. More to come...


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

If they don't sound amazing it everyone on this forum's fault. I'm holding you all responsible! 
Just kidding but I am a little nervous spending $500 plus on drivers I have never heard...a "leap" of faith I guess


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## Babs (Jul 6, 2007)

Same here.  Had to do it. 


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Got the frogs today and I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with the build quality. The GB15 is one sweet looking and heavy tweeter. The 25 is awesome looking as well!! If they sound half as good as they look I will super happy


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## What? (Jun 5, 2008)

Anybody have pictures, work required, or time estimate of putting a 4" coax in the dash? Would the tweeter be an issue?


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Sorry no pics. A 4 inch driver requires a lot of cutting and fitting in these trucks. Depth of the magnet is also an issue. The tweeter would probably be ok as long as it does stick up too much


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## beak81champ (Oct 2, 2015)

How did you attach your amps to the rear of the cab? I've heard of guys using bent metal straps, and also gluing plywood with liquid nails so they could simply screw into it.


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## What? (Jun 5, 2008)

I ended up putting a 3" Focal driver in the dash location but had to modify the factory mount and build 2 adapter rings per side and glue them together to move the driver up and over from the factory mounting hole while still using the factory screw mounts to secure it. 2.5" driver would have been better for sure as far as ease of installation goes.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

beak81champ said:


> How did you attach your amps to the rear of the cab? I've heard of guys using bent metal straps, and also gluing plywood with liquid nails so they could simply screw into it.


I used some aluminum strapping. 1/8 by 2 inch wide. Bent them to conform to top channel and down to floor then tapped them and machine screwed the amps to them. I attached the straps to factory holes with some plastic license plate plugs and screws.


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## beak81champ (Oct 2, 2015)

Do you happen to have any pics of this? Thanks for all the info!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Page 4 of this build log


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## beak81champ (Oct 2, 2015)

I didn't see them on my first read through, probably because they match the sound deadener! Looks great man! Thanks again!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Time for an update. Been super busy this summer and fall but making some extra cash is kind of nice. Got a second pair of Gb15 for the the rear doors. Finally got around to putting them in. Thought it was gonna be a pice of cake just replacing the existing jl C3 tweets with the frogs. WRONG!! Had to move hole over and up a bit because of the depth of the frogs. Directly behind the existing hike the sheet metal curved reducing the depth. Figured that out and found out the wiring with the frogs is not exactly easy either. The look and sound amazing! Can't wait to build the pillars out with the 15/25 combo!


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Well I decided to go active on rear stage as well. Does anybody know how well the minidsp 2x4 does with the rear fill plug in? Just got another four channel amp to drive the rears which in turn frees up two channels off one of my 300/4 amps which will now be bridged into my midbass!! My zr-800's will love it!


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

I run the minidsp 2x4 in my truck for rear fill. Will you be running only the GB15's with it? When using the rear fill plugin you lose 2 outputs so it's not really a 2x4 its a 2x2. Other than that, I think it works good. I really prefer my setup with rearfill. It's especially nice when driving 75 on interstate. You have plenty of volume without having your stage drawn to the back.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

I was planning on running the GB 15 along with some GB 40 or 25 in a two way rear fill setup


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

How much reading have you done on "proper acoustic rear fill"? You only need to cover ~300hz-4,000hz or so. You don't need full range. 
I actually use a 6.5 Coaxial in the stock location. The stock location is definitely not optimal though.
If only using one minidsp 2x4 you would need 2 of them in order to run active or use a passive between your 2 way.
I'm my opinion, if you are only wanting a "proper acoustic rear-fill" then an AF 2-way would be a waste. You could get by with something much simpler.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

I do understand the proper rear fill. But I'm old school as far as rear "fill" is concerned. I want it to sound as good as the front stage. I'm also not a believer that it ruins your front stage. In my opinion it just adds to it. When I feel it pulls the stage back I adjust the fader. That's what a fader is for to me


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## brumledb (Feb 2, 2015)

The whole point of using the rear fill plugin is because it gives you the ability to create the L-R signal needed for proper rear fill and it gives ~31ms of delay. 

Either way, you would still need 2 of the 2x4's to to run your 2-way active or use a passive between them.

If you are not trying to achieve proper rear fill and just want to run your rear fill actively, then you should just use one of the regular plugins and not the rear-fill plugin.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Thanks for the info. By what I was seeing I could use it two active but I guess not. Only advantage I could see is using the time alignment for my intended purpose. Probably not worth the cost.


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Well I decided not to do the pillars. Instead I decided to replace the zr tweets with some audiofrog GB10's. Retrofit my walnut pods and gave them a couple more coats of lacquer


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Oh....and they sound amazing!!! I get where people say they can hold their composure at high volume and sound great the whole time! Kinda looks like an ad for audiofrog but if the shoe fits...love them


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## Mlarson67 (Jan 9, 2015)

Another thing I forgot to mention is the airbags. On of the reasons besides time for not building out the pillars is due to the airbags. They are under the pillar at the top. If these deploy and you had a relatively heavy pillar wouldn't they make a dangerous projectile?


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