To start off, the goal of this stereo is to be as inconspicuous as possible. No permanent modifications to the truck of any kind and still utilize the stock deck. This is by no means a high quality build, but I have experience with these products and brands and have always been pleased with them. I plan on having it all installed and running by the weekend of August 6th if all goes well. As of today July 28th, I have everything except the subwoofer and box that is currently on its way to me.

The ONLY item that I did have and didn't have to buy was the sub amp. Aside from that, I have less than $750 invested in the entire thing with all harnesses and extras included.

And here.....we.....go.....



Here's what will be going in the truck over the course of the next week or so:

- 2 pairs of Infinify Kappa 682.9cf speakers
- Rockford Fosgate Prime R500-1 for Sub
- Rockford Fosgate Prime R300-4 for Speakers
- 1 Kicker CVT 12 in custom under seat box (purchased from Ebay seller who makes REALLY HIGH quality boxes. I bought one for my 2005 FX4 and it was perfect. Loaded box with sub of your choice for under $250 to your door)
- MTX re-Q5 for sound processing
- Metra BT-5520 harness for stock deck integration
- 2 pairs Metra 72-5600 for stock speaker wire adapting (no splicing)
- 50ft 9 wire for speaker wire run x2 and remote wire
- Metra Ballistic SSSK sound dampener for speakers
- Various wiring, connectors, etc

I will update this as time permits, but for now, that's what I've got. The box and sub will be here Monday and I plan on getting the speakers in the truck this weekend. Next weekend will be the big install.

Thanks for looking

 

I've been debating on replacing my stock door speakers. I'll stay tuned to see how you like these. I have a JL Audio shallow mount sub in a stealthbox under my rear seat now and really like it. So I may upgrade if its worth it.

 

Where'd you get the 9 wire at? I've been thinking of upgrading all my door speakers and amping them and that would sure make running the wires easier haha

 

9 wire and all of the wire and extras came from Sonic Electronix. They have great prices and ship out REAL fast. They also give you a lot of choices for what you want in wiring including sizes and lengths too. Instead of just one or two options like a lot of other places.

I have everything installed and wired up minus the subwoofer that won't be here until tomorrow, but I haven't tidied up the wiring and put the carpet/noise barrier back on the back wall. Having the power sliding rear glass sure makes amp placement much more difficult. I will have pictures and a few other bits of info tomorrow.

 

Looking forward to seeing your install

 

Ok here we have some updates as this is about 95% done now. I have a little more tidying up to do with the wiring and some more adjustments to make with the amps and processor, but all in all, its sounding great and everything works through the stock deck with Sync and the steering wheel controls also.

I had to change my mounting plans half way through, so bear with me with things looking a little different at the end

Here is how the amps and processor WERE sitting prior to putting the back wall cover back on. Note that I have the rear defroster AND power slider, so it made mounting options almost non existent.


Here is a more up close shot of the MTX re-Q5 and where both amps and the re-Q are grounded using the rear defrosters grounding point in the upper right hand portion of this picture.


Another picture showing how the amps and the giant birds nest of wire were back there prior to final mounting


Here is the amps and processor in their final places. Note the processor had to be moved to the floor due to the thickness of the back wall carpet and not being able to get it secured in that space after it was there. I was able to get both amps back to pretty much where they were before, but I did flip one upside down for wiring and to avoid sound interference.


Another shot from the other side showing the same stuff. Yes I still need to clean up that wiring but a lot was done between the before carpet shots and these. I removed A LOT.


And finally a couple images of the sub box and sub. This box is made of 3/4" MDF and comes already loaded with a sub of your choice by ebay seller rodneyt74. I bought two boxes from him for my '05 FX4 that I had previously and they were fantastic. He didn't disappoint here either.



I have ZERO engine noise and as I said above, you can't see anything and would never know there is a stereo in this truck unless you pulled the back seat up or down. As I said, I'm not trying to win any contests with it, just want something that sounds good and will stay that way for a long time to come

 

And surprise surprise, the MTX re-Q5 already took a dump. The smart sense feature that is supposed to supply the 12v turn on lead to the amps is having problems and turn the amps on and off almost constantly. It's absolutely infuriating at best. I am returning it and have ordered the LC6i like I should have from the get go. Oh well, live and learn

 

Nice work man. I'll be building a box for my truck. Only using a 10" sub.

 

Yeah the ReQ5's are notorious for having problems on their self sensing system - it gets even worse when trying to talk on the phone via sync. Many people end up putting a remote turn on lead to it for it to function.

 

Well played sir.

 

You still happy with the stock deck?

 

Absolutely! Stock deck is just fine. I have retained all stock functions and still have full use of everything as it should be. It also doesn't give a thief anything shiny to look at and want to take either. I travel A LOT and stay in hotels frequently, so being as stock looking as possible is pretty important to me.

I'm actually upgrading the front Kappas to a set of 6.5" Boston SR60 components here in the next couple of days. The stock speaker locations are just too far down in the doors and want something a bit brighter and higher up, so I'll have those tomorrow and hopefully installed soon.

 

How does the sub sound? Im looking to do a system down the road. Do they offer that box with a 10" sub?

 

I've always loved Kicker subs and they have never disappointed me. You aren't going to win any DB or quality contests, but they are perfect for what I want.

Here is the guys Ebay store and you can contact him and see if he has what you want.

http://stores.ebay.com/rodneyscustomspeakerboxes

 

Looks real good man. I just picked up a '11 Lariat with the Sony system. Do the speaker grills just pop off so you can replace them, or do you have to take the door panel off? And how did you get the back seat off?