Stereo System Upgrades For Cars and Trucks
Most people want to personalize their ride with stereo upgrades and the latest bling items. In this article we will discuss the latest options for upgrading your vehicle's sound system. The first thing to start off with is deciding where to put all the components. Many people will want the CD changer out of view. Simple sheet metal brackets can be made to mount it inside a console below the surface to where the console lid clears the unit and goes undetected from any one's view. The head unit with AM FM tuner can be installed behind the glove box lid using 20 gauge metal and bent to hold the unit which is standard size with a built in bracket system. To hide a sub woofer there are many places.
A good location is behind the rear seat up against the package tray where there is ample room to upgrade to a much larger speaker. A paper board mockup will allow you to know how big of an enclosure to purchase at your local supplier. Be sure the minimum air space required was met while holding it all in place. All major speakers MFG list their minimum air space requirements for any given speaker. You may have to modify the back of the rear seat a bit to allow the sub clearance and removing a wire or two will not make much difference in supporting your back. Another place is where you rest your feet in the front seat. The kick panels are an excellent place for the front speakers. You can angle them to still allow good foot room while the sound waves hit the opposite side passenger directly for optimum sound. When installing sound systems we always look for what the vehicle will offer for locations that allow different alternatives such as places to hide speakers and different sound box sizes depending on ones desires.
If you're looking for first row, front seat sound then a mid range front floor speaker where the floor is cut out to house 8 inch Dyn-Audio mid range speakers is the ticket. Pointing them directly at the front seat passenger's ear for max sound is the only way because they are directional speakers. Right under the dash is a great place to install Image Dynamic Horn speakers for highs/tweeters that offer super crisp vocals and the lead guitars will come to life. In effect it will sound like an entire band is sitting on the hood of the car with unreal clarity and 0 distortion detected by any humans ear. When building hi-level systems such as this high power is needed so the front speakers would be powered by a JL 450/4v2 amp for max output with 1 gauge power leads and crossovers with separate equalization installed. For subwoofers you need a lot of power such as 2-1000 watt JL amps to provide power for a qty of 6 -10 inch W6 JL drivers in the trunk. Image Dynamics EQ will allow complete adjusting to the system.
Installing an EPICENTER by Audio Control is a nice component that allows you to bring out more bass in older music then it originally had. It features A Dial Rotation. Your fuse block needs to be upgraded when you go this route to massive 1-0 wires and relays to keep everything powered up safely. Hiding wiring where carpet can cover over them and away from heat sources like exhaust systems is very important and a door step plate channel is an excellent way to run the wires front to back. We like Optima batteries to power everything as they are gel and have no acid residue. Yellow Red and or Blue top are built for marine use for extra reserve capacity. Keep in mind that you may have to upgrade the amps in your alternator and these are available at most auto parts stores. XM satellite radio is another nice touch. On projects where other components are taking up space you have to improvise.
To build a custom Sub Box take MDF Wood and cut out 6 MDF rings on a router to accept JL W6 speakers. Then mount/glue them in the right matching angles and you are then ready to start covering them. We take fleece and cover them tight using a staple gun then they are wrapped and ready for some fiberglass resin work. Mix up and coat them with resin saturating all materials to get a strong first layer to support thicker matting later.
You can then use a porter cable tool and buzz out the speaker sections. The next step is to tape it off to get ready for the outer cover. Wrap it much in the same way but use polyester cloth and tape the edges around the cars trunk perimeter. Then trim it out much in the same way and also cut out a shaped hole in the back section to allow the sound to come toward the front of the car, The trunk hinges get a U pad treatment that stays with the hinge and fits with a small gap when up, just behind it you can add a trim piece to finish it out.You will then want to sand it down and apply some hi build primer and you are almost done. Simply mount the speakers with T-nuts that have teeth which pull in to the MDF wood when tightened.
Article provided by the Hot Rods team of Jeff Lilly Restorations!
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