I love my truck... but...

I also love my music... actually I mostly love BASS... the only thing my truck lacks, is the space to put all the audio gear I had in my last ride... (SUV) .... The only practical thing I can think of doing to fit all of my stuff in the truck is to fill the bed up with the speakers and amps, and then somehow connect the bed with the cabin. This is where I'm torn between having the loudest HD in the city, and keeping my truck cherry. Of course my installer is pushing me to get it done, and so is my bodyshop guy, but most of my friends are trying to talk me out of it... I have tons of money already invested in sound equipment that I don't want to go to waste. Is there a solution? I really like the back seats and I want to leave them there... same goes with the center console. Am I talking crazy? Any advice would be great.

Casey./

 

In my opinion, the work's only worth it if you are going to show the truck. Part of the reason I love this truck so much is because it IS a truck and can still be used as a truck.

If your intention is just to go loud, then I would also discourage it. I have always been into high end audio systems for automobiles, but never at the expense of sacrificing the vehicle.

If you are comfortable with giving up part of the vehicle's identity to go loud, as opposed to high fidelity sound, I would discourage that as well.

But if the job's done right, and this is what you like, then go for it. Sounds like you are on the fence on which way to go and I'm probably not helping.

The best thing to do is to weigh the pros and cons and decide what's best for you.

Hope this helps!

 

How about a band pass enclosure in the bed of the truck that is ported through the bed and cabin?

You can do this with a 6" diameter piece of cast iron pipe or something like that. Simply put the hole behind where the port is for the panel that is for the Blackwood sub. Either get the Blackwood panel or other similar mod so that the bass comes in.

Down the road when you go to un-modify it, you can simply put a nicely painted "dummy" plate over the holes (using a good automotive silicone caulk for both holes obviously) and a couple small screws. A Bed Rug would hide anything done in the bed of the truck. Or for the bed you could install a diamond plate rear protector over it.

This won't change the stock look at all.

BTW, somebody with a Lightning did something like this. Might want to search for it over in that section.

/tg

 

Why would you put everything in the bed?

I recommend you get the new JL audio stealth box that is coming out which comes with a JL 12" sub and replace the factory speakers with a set of Boston Acoustic Components. Put the amps in the storage space behind the rear captain seats.

 

Becuase a single 12" woofer just doesn't move enough air.

/tg

 

But why rip the truck apart when you don't need to---Give me a break...one 12" is plenty

 

I've been bumpin' (4) 15"s for the past 2 years ... one twelve is really not enough, for me at least. I guess as time goes by, you lose more and more of your hearing and need to keep getting louder and louder to get the same level of enjoyment... Time to operate... I'm plottin' 2 ports, right behing each of the back seats... about 12" x 12" with rounded corners.

 

I think that is ridiculous. Probably sounds like that kid across from me where the stereo in the truck is worth more than the truck. No way would I sacrifice a vehicle for it's stereo. But, hey, it's your money. Maybe you'll find some music junkie that will want to buy it when you are tired of it too like the last vehicle.


RickC

 

HuH? you don't have enough storage space in the truck already and you don't want to sacrifice your rear console but you'll fill the bed with audio equipment? You'd die if you had a 00 cuz they only have one smaller console, and that is way plenty for me. i don't like to fill my truck with useless crap. anyway, if you do a system in the bed, do it up nicely. a guy at the other site posted pics of his and it was aight, but i like this guy's system better. awsome engraving on the window (its the bottom and top right pics the truck i'm talking about)

all carpeted and nicely done:



let us know what you decide to do and post pics

 

That is a nice setup... thanks for the reply... It looks in the pictures like the subs are facing forward. Did you happen to see how it was ported through to the cabin? that is if he did that...

 

I had two 15" for five years in the back of my TBird. Did it up really nice and clean. Used the front half of the trunk (most of which was to a long reach to use anyway).

I had them cut out the leather behind the flip up arm rest, the BA pro's where "hidden" in the stock location. The only hint of an aftermarket setup was a Alpine head unit and two tweeters mounted to the A pillars.

...oh and 1100-1200 Watts.

BTW, just had a hearing test for work and I am well above the average person in my hearing ability. So no hearing loss with me.

I'm telling you, the inside of my car was like a sound studio. I listen to CD's now in the HD and think "What the hell CD is this?" I still can't get over how different (read: bad) it sounds on a factory setjup.


/tg

 

darkroller, they are facing forward. When i looked in his door though, i couldn't tell if it was ported through. Remeber that the 00HD's have the rear bench seat, and the back is bolted to the wall and doesn't flip up or down or anything, so i couldn't tell if it was ported thorugh. He was a total a-hole also when i went up to talk to him, so i just left, otherwise i would have found out cuz i really liked how the window was engraved or whatever. He did have the amp and stuff under the rear seats cuz he had the seat bottoms flipped up. Hope this helps. Post pics if you do go and do anything. I'd really like to put a system in mine, but i don't want to do anything massive or any cutting of consoles or drilling holes or nothing. I know ZERO when it comes to audio stuff. I'd just like it to have a nice amout of bass and sound good, but could i do this with the stock head unit? Or wouldn't it be worth that. I know i could easily fit 2 10's under the rear bench seat though

 

You may be able to get away with the factory head unit. But if you are alraedy putting in a custom box, decent subs, and an expensive amp... why not spend a few hundred extra bucks and get a decent head unit with two sets of RCA pre-amp outs.

Now that I have the house, I am going to start collecting the pieces for the stereo's in both the Lightning and HD. I may try to re-use the head unit in the HD as it is my wifes and she is less an audiophile then I am. I will prob' make a box to put in the bed.

For the L though I have an eMpeg head unit (no radio/CD/Cas). Instead it has an Ethernet port (like on the back of a computer) and 60GB of hard drive space! It size is a standard DIN size head unit. Bonus; I will have about 800-to-1000 CD's worth of space to fill up! Won't ever have to swap CD's again!!! Plus LinkSys has a Wireless Ethernet Bridge so that all I will have to do is pull the L into the garage, and go to my comptuer room and copy the .mpg files over. For a sub box I will make a wedge to fit behind the seats, and I may put in a low profile tool box under the soft tonneau cover in back for all the amps and such.



/tg

 

I say go for it. Who cares what others think. Do what makes you happy. Just do it!